It’s that time of year when my senior clients from the Class of 2018 are gearing up for their freshman year at college!  It is an exciting, new adventure!  And for some of you heading to college that means getting ready to go through rush! 

I can still remember my freshman year, arriving at USC and going through all the exciting things those first few weeks.  Moving into my dorm, meeting new people and going through rush.  I was nervous and didn’t know what to expect.  What to wear, how to act, what to expect…all of these things were going through my mind.  So when thinking of y’all getting ready to go through the same thing, I thought let me try and ease some of that anxiety by asking one of my past Senior Models who just graduated college to help you out with some tips on Sorority Recruitment!

Below, Hunter has shared some tips on what to expect to help ease your mind and help you get ready for an exciting and fun week of Sorority Rush!  No matter what school you attend, Hunter’s advice will help you!!  Check it out below!!

Hi! My name is Hunter Bowers and Leslie has asked me to do a guest post to give a little insight on sorority recruitment. A little bit about myself… I just graduated from Clemson University with a Bachelor of Arts in Sports Communication. I am now seeking to pursue my Masters in School Counseling and eventually my PhD in Sports Psychology. At Clemson I was involved in Greek life, where I held roles as New Member Assistant and Risk Management Chair. I was also heavily involved with Clemson Football, as a Student Assistant in Recruiting and in Player Development. Additionally, I was a tour guide for the University and also held the position as Director of Recruitment where I led the interview and training process of selecting the new group of guides.

Anyways, Greek life was a huge part of my college experience, as it brought me a lot of my best friends, my best memories, and valuable experiences. As with anything, it is hard to know what to expect when you are getting involved in Greek life. With that being said, I am going to give five pieces of advice for recruitment, a guide to outfits and five pieces of advice for Greek life once you’re involved (disclaimer: because I went to Clemson, these may reflect more on Clemson Greek life, but I will try to stay as generic as possible!)

Recruitment:

1. Have an open mind.  There are going to be rumors and misconceptions that one sorority is this way and this sorority is that way, but try to put that out of mind and go in ready to meet people with a clean slate. You are going to figure out where you best fit based on the conversations you are having, so just let it be a natural process.
2. Be yourself.  These girls want to meet YOU, so be yourself. It’s okay to talk about yourself a lot too, that is the point of recruitment. Ask questions too. Find out what you want to know about each sorority to make sure it would be a good fit.
3. Plan ahead.  Choose your outfits in advance. Recruitment can be stressful, but if you go ahead and get your outfit choices out of the way, that will give you one less thing to worry about. There are usually guides to recruitment that give you ideas as to what you wear, but see below for a few of my outfit tips. Also plan out talking points. Think about some of the things in your life that make you the most excited and happy. Have those points ready in case a conversation is not going as natural.
4. Bring snacks and water.  This seems silly and self explanatory, but seriously bring snacks and water. You will be doing a lot of standing and talking and you do not want to pass out or lose your voice after the first day. Bring water to help your throat and snacks for when you get hungry in between rounds. Also bring breath mints and gum to chew after you eat, though, so your breath does not smell.
5. If it doesn’t work out, don’t worry!  If you find that Greek life is not for you, do not worry. If you don’t get the sorority you wanted, do not be hard on yourself. The best thing about college is there is so much opportunity to get involved and I promise there is something for everyone. Go find your niche and if it isn’t Greek life, that is absolutely okay!

Outfits:

**Disclaimer again… this is going to be geared more towards Clemson Recruitment. If you are rushing somewhere else, be sure to check out their Greek life website where I am sure there is a guide to outfit choices!

Round 1 – Be comfortable. This round is a T-Shirt round, so pair it with a cute pair of shorts or a skirt/skort and cute and comfortable shoes. This round is a lot of standing so make sure you are comfortable enough to be on your feet for an extended period of time. Also, the girls talking to you are tired too, so I promise you won’t be alone!

Round 2 – This round is about philanthropy and there is often a presentation where you may sit for a minute. This is also a T-Shirt round, so maybe think more along the lines of cute shorts/skort since you might sit down. Again, you’ll probably be standing after the presentation, so make sure your shoes are comfortable.

Round 3 – This round is probably going to involve you sitting most of the round, depending on the sororities. Girls will wear a cute romper, a cute sundress/more casual dress, or cute top with a skirt. Since you will be sitting more, you can pair your outfit with a cute wedge or heel. Be yourself and don’t try to overthink it!

Round 4 – This is pref round and definitely the most dressy round. Again, you will probably be sitting the whole round, so wear a nice dress and heels or cute flats, whatever makes you comfortable! I tend to tell girls to stay away from black or white because sometimes sororities will have their members wear all black or all white, but again wear whatever makes you comfortable.

Greek Life:  Here are my tips once you are involved with Greek life!

1. Get involved.  Getting involved allows you to become more in tune with everything going on in the sorority and it also makes you love your organization that much more. By holding a position, you feel more connected to everyone in the organization. In my experience, being involved allowed me to get to know people more personally, it gave me more insight into what goes on behind the scenes, and it gave me a better appreciation for my sorority as a whole.
2. Attend events!  You’re probably thinking “why else would I join greek life?” Well in all seriousness, once you are an adult, you will not be able to dress like a hippie or Cardi B on a random Tuesday and go out with your friends (if you still do that in your adult life, please let me know so I can apply for whatever job you have). From mixers and crush parties, to formals and shags, going to events is one of my favorite things. Also, don’t be afraid to let your friends set you up with a date. Who knows, he could be your prince charming! (It didn’t work out for me ever, but never say never!)
3. Spring Break!  Freshman year spring break, most people go to the beach and stay in one house with a bunch of girls in the pledge class. In my experience, it brought us closer and we had the times of our lives. I highly recommend it!
4. Live on the hall if you can.  At Clemson, there are sorority halls where you live typically your sophomore year. If you have the opportunity to live on the hall, take advantage! I didn’t get to live on the hall, but I lived right by the hall and the girls that lived there made me feel like I did too. It was so fun to have the whole pledge class in one place. It brings everyone closer and it is an absolute blast.
5. Be yourself.  I say this again because there is no need to change who you are once you are in a sorority. You joined that sorority because that is where you felt comfortable during recruitment, so don’t feel like you have to change once you join the sorority. Have fun, make lots of friends (in every sorority!), and be yourself always. College is some of the best four years of your life, so make the most of it!

Thank you for reading, I hope this post was helpful 🙂

Hunter<3

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