I never knew whether or not I would go through formal recruitment to join a sorority. In fact, before this spring semester started, I knew very little about social sororities and had not even thought about whether or not I wanted to join one. Then one night, while some friends and I were grabbing dinner in Russell Dining Hall, one of my friends asked me if I was planning on going through recruitment. When I told her that I had no clue and that I would think about it later, she looked at me confused and then informed me that I only had one day to decide and sign up unless I wanted to wait until next recruitment.
A little panicked, I started asking questions and googling all the information I could. Luckily, I found an online guide written by a UD student that had all the information I needed. As I read about recruitment and talked to friends who also planned to be recruited, I quickly decided that this was something I wanted to try out. If it did not work out, no harm done. When we got back to the dorms I called my parents and asked their opinions. They were both supportive and told me if I wanted to be recruited and eventually join a sorority, they would be fully supportive, as long as I made smart decisions and did what I felt was right for me. Of course, I agreed, and signed up for recruitment immediately.
The process of recruitment was incredibly overwhelming. For several weeks, it was all I could think about and it took up a lot of my free time, especially the weekends, which were designated for recruitment. Keeping up with academics, recruitment, friends, and activities was difficult and all the girls going through it felt it too. There were times when morale felt a bit low but altogether I remained positive, knowing that whatever happened would be okay and everything would workout. I never stopped repeating the cliché recruitment motto: trust the process.
I would be lying if I said that recruitment was not emotionally demanding and difficult. There were really hard times. Getting cut from sororities that you ranked highly is hard to go through. But throughout the entire process I continued to meet amazing girls who were incredibly supportive and positive, and I could easily see myself in several of the chapters I visited and got to know.
The final round was by far the most difficult. Although it was less hectic, by the end I had to rank my top choice and my second choice, knowing that what I ranked could have a major effect on the rest of my college experience. If both of my final two sororities wanted me, my choice would decide which chapter I would join. I loved both chapters very much and could definitely see myself belonging in either. In the end, I went with my gut feeling and wrote Alpha Delta Pi as my top choice.
Then I waited.
Finally Bid Night rolled around and the second I opened my bid and found out that I had been accepted by my top choice, I knew I had made the right decision. My new sisters welcomed me with open arms and we all spent the rest of the night hyped up and so happy that the stress of recruitment was over and had paid off beautifully. My sisters are amazing and I have had so much fun so far getting to know them and learning about what it means to be a proud member of the Theta Delta chapter of Alpha Delta Pi. I’m even living in the ADPi house next year!
In the end, while recruitment was demanding, stressful, and overwhelming at times, I enjoyed the process. I am glad I do not have to go through recruitment again, but I would go through it again if it brought me to my sisters. So, for anyone wondering whether or not they should go through formal or informal recruitment in the future, I say go for it. You could very well meet your new, amazing, beautiful family.
