It’s the week you’ve been waiting and preparing for for weeks or maybe even months, rush week. You’re sitting in a room full of girls just like you, PNMs, new and ready to join greek life. If you’re anything like me you’ll probably be nervous, but so excited you can hardly contain yourself. At the end of this long week you’ll finally know which sorority is your home for life, that in itself can be daunting and a little bit scary! You’re probably worried about what to say, what to wear, and even where to go, but no worries because I’ve created a list of tips and tools to make you the PNM every sorority will want.
1. Attitude
There is nothing that a sorority hates more than to see a girl walk into their room with a sour look on her face and a horrible attitude. I suggest going into each house with an open mind and positive attitude, put aside all the stereotypes and comments you’ve heard! It’s important to be respectful to each sorority because their organization is a huge part of their life and important to them. Who knows, you might even fall in love with a sorority you thought you’d never like.
2. Talking Topics
When a sorority is recruiting new women there are several things we look for in PNMs. The first being academics, we want to know if you’re interested in your studies and if you’re going to do well in school. After all we are in college and school is our main priority. Include in your conversations any important scholar groups or awards you were given for grades. Tell them your major and what classes you’re interested in taking and even future career ideas. At this point it looks good for a PNM to be interested in what kind of things we as an organization do to support sisters getting good grades and doing well in school. You could ask GPA requirements, study hours, study groups, tutoring, etc.
The second topic would be philanthropy and organizations. I love when PNMs were involved in their school and showed they cared about community service and being involved. Sororities are looking for women that are passionate about community service and will be interested in theirs as well. Finding a way to make a personal connection to an organization’s philanthropy will give you extra bonus points for sure. The more involved you are in school really shows an organization how well your time management is and leadership skills. Mention any leadership positions and other organizations as well.
Refrain from asking questions and talking about boys, partying, and drinking. Although social life is important, after all we are a social organization, sororities are looking for classy women who will represent their chapter in a good light not someone who everyone will be talking bad about in a week. It’s okay to ask questions about social events and working with other organizations.
Feel free to ask the sorority members any questions about their sisterhood, philanthropy, academics, and anything else. Try coming up with interesting and different questions to stand out from other PNMs. Such as, what is your favorite sisterhood memory? What is your favorite philanthropy event and why?
3. Attire
No one is requiring you go out and buy all new outfits and accessories for sorority recruitment. However, depending on how popular greek life is in your school will determine what you will need for rush week. I will be doing a later post all about sorority recruitment clothes and outfits, so don’t worry! I do recommend wearing clean, wrinkle-free, and stylish clothes. Make sure to wear clothes you’re comfortable in because sororities will be able to tell if you’re not comfortable. Plus you’ll be more confident in yourself if you love your outfit!
Remember the three B’s, NO boobs, butt, or belly. You are trying to impress women, not men. We don’t want to see your cleavage, booty or new belly ring. Save those outfits for the weekends. Stick to cute and conservative. You can’t go wrong.
Spend time practicing your makeup and hair a few weeks before rush week. Learn what colors and styles look best with your skin and hair type. Stick to simple styles because you will more than likely be rushing to and from different sorority houses and you’ll want to look good all night. Keep makeup simple, clean and fresh faced. If you’re not the best at hair or makeup have your friends or roommates help!
4. Posture
This is one of the most important pieces of advice I can give to any PNM. One of the most noticeable things in a PNM is their posture, how they are standing, are their arms crossed, are they making eye contact and listening to what I have to say? Keep your hands free and moving so you’re not tempted to cross them. Stand with your shoulders back, even if you’re tall (trust me I know the struggle) and be confident in yourself. Make eye contact, and nod and look attentive. It will make all the difference and make you stand out as a PNM.
5. Come Prepared
Before beginning rush week I strongly suggest checking out each sororities website, Tumblr, Instagram, Facebook and anything else you can find to really get a feel for the organization. Sororities take the time to update these pages to show PNMs all about their members. Using these resources will help you learn a little about each sorority so you don’t have to waste time asking basic questions and can spend time asking more serious and interesting questions.
All of this information may be a lot to take in at once and may sound like a lot. I promise however that you will do great in recruitment and just remember to act like yourself. You want to join an organization who likes you for who you are so really get to know the women during this time.
Have any questions regarding recruitment, feel free to e-mail me at [email protected] or simply comment below!
