Spring recruitment is an amazing opportunity to think you know exactly which house you want before you go through rush. You spend an entire semester being wooed by older (but not much wiser) sorority girls, until you’re 100% convinced that if you don’t get the sorority you want, you’ll die. Luckily, you’re wrong.
When I went through recruitment, I had a million preconceived notions running through my head. I was more focused on finding a group of girls to party with and identify myself with than taking time to think about what I was really looking for — real friends that would be there for me long after the 4 years ended, a lineage that would end up being as close as a real family, and the opportunity to be part of an incredibly cool group of women worldwide.
While I know all of this now, as a freshman going through recruitment I was more clueless than Cher. Here’s what I wish I knew.
1. The older girls are basically obsessed with you.
First semester is almost over, but there’s still time to give it your best shot. You don’t need to curtail your wildly inappropriate drinking habits (although I’m sure you’ll get lectures aplenty about that over Thanksgiving), you just need to stay alert when you’ve had enough vat for an entire fraternity.
2. You can’t always get what you want, according to the Stones.
You think you know, but you have no idea. Sororities basically put on a show all first semester. The incredibly classy, pearl clutching girls? They’re all boning each other’s boyfriends. The super chill biddies everyone wants to be like? They have no idea what true sisterhood is. Get to know girls in a real way, not just by cyberstalking them on Facebook like they’re your next not-boyfriend. You’ll meet more girls in the sorority, and you’ll get the chance to see what they’re really about. The slightly nerdy, ridiculously involved girls might be far cooler than they seem, or the hippie girls who exclusively wear Birks (and not the chic kind) might be your secret spirit animals. You’ll never know until you actually get to know them.
3. Actual recruitment will make you long for a cocktail (or twenty).
You might hear that recruitment is an exciting opportunity to meet new people! The truth is that it’s an awkward night out at the bar — just as crowded and noisy, only you’re dead sober. It’s basically a first date, and it’s college, so you’re not exactly used to dating. You awkwardly discuss your likes, dislikes, and life dreams. Casual. Just know that as tired as you are of discussing your course load ad nauseam, they’re more exhausted. Bring up your favorite TV show, a ridiculous story from a party you went to (but nothing disgusting), or your favorite restaurants on campus. Anything that’s not the regular classes/major/hometown discussion will be way more fun to talk about for both of you. Plus, since they’ve been stalking you all semester, they already know that information anyway (nothing creepy).
