Sorority Rush Secrets That Every Girl Should Know

Do you want to know the truth about the super (not so) scary sorority recruitment process? Read on for my best tips!

“Totally express your style! But I recommend wearing a preppy Lilly Pulitzer dress like everyone else.”

“Straighten, I mean STRAIGHTEN, your hair. If one strand of hair is wavy…YOU’RE CUT.”

“Just be yourself! But seriously, just take your cues for how to act from the girl you’re talking to at the party.”

Yeah… we’ve all heard these lines. Before I start giving you my best sorority recruitment advice, I need you to do me a huge favor and throw away everything you’ve heard/read about recruitment (including the lines above), because it’s probably false.

Okay, did you do it? Great. Now let’s get started on the real sorority rush secrets you need to know.

(Also, if you haven’t read it yet, be sure to see my previous post, the ultimate guide to joining a sorority. Then come back here for the secrets and tips!) 

Before We Begin, Pre-Recruitment Facts to Know:

First things first, let me get down to the pre-recruitment facts you must know heading in.

1. The confusing sorority “rush” that your mom keeps telling you about is now called Recruitment. (Although this post has “rush” in the title because that’s the term you guys are using to search for this topic on CF, “recruitment” is the most common term used on campus these days, and the one you should use when not searching the web.)

2. The day before recruitment begins, you will be assigned a Rho Gamma (current sorority girl who has given up her Greek letters temporarily to lead and mentor you through this week).

3. Make sure you pre-plan your outfits for each day so that you don’t go through the panic of “OMG WHAT DO I WEAR?!” I wrote a whole post on sorority rush outfits to help you with this conundrum.

4. Have a therapist on speed dial just in case you experience one of those “NO SORORITY LIKES ME I’M SUCH A LOSER” mental breakdowns you see in movies. Okay, kidding on this one… but seriously, come into the week with a mind of steel. Don’t let a sorority define your self-worth and happiness.

Now let’s get into the secrets to know for each day of recruitment:

Day 1 & 2: Chic, Casual, and Most Repetitious Days of Recruitment

To relieve you nervous PNM’s (aka Potential New Members, aka the hundreds of girls rushing), I am going to first make you a checklist for the morning so that you can come into recruitment knowing EXACTLY what you need to do.

Two Hours Prior to Recruitment:

1. Wake up to Glamorous by Fergie (because why not?)
2. Take a nice rejuvenating shower to fully wake yourself up (do not go to sorority parties half asleep… BAD IDEA)
3. Before, you put on your super cute Day 1 outfit, apply your makeup and style your hair (you don’t want a huge makeup stain on that new skirt). ABSOLUTELY do not overdo it. The caked-on makeup look can be frowned upon — it’s better to err more on the side of natural if you can make that happen. I recommend you apply a very neutral, everyday look that would be appropriate for church. (For you nonreligious people, think lunch with your grandma.)  
4. Now, it’s time to put on that outfit we talked about earlier. (Again, see my sorority rush outfits post.) Keep it casual! As the days of recruitment progress, your outfits should get fancier and fancier. On Day 1, I wore a cute two piece black and white checkered set to stay casual while standing out in the crowd. Do NOT be afraid to push the fashion limits and express yourself, while still adhering to the guidelines.
5. Ah you look so glam (let’s just pretend I can see you)! Next step of Day 1 is to eat a healthy, energizing breakfast and move that booty on over to recruitment! Yay!

So I basically just gave you a generic schedule that you can use every day during this week. Now, let’s move on to the juicy stuff.

Things NOT to Talk About During Recruitment:

We all think we know how to act during recruitment, applying that overused iconic phrase, “Be yourself!” to every conversation. What most of you don’t know, though, are the Don’ts of Recruitment. (FYI, I may or may not have broken half of these and still got into a sorority… but do as I say, not as I do.)

I have no doubt that your Rho Gamma will cover the 5 B’s of NEVER EVER DISCUSS THESE TOPICS EVER before recruitment, but to warm you up for the approved conversational topics of recruitment, I’ll list them below:

1. Boys

Oh, boys. Gotta love ’em. They’re fun to talk about and oh-so entertaining. Unfortunately, that sorority girl with curly hair and a vivacious fake smile may not be as into hearing about “Sexy Ben” as your roommate currently is… 

That said, there are some circumstances where it’s okay to mention guys. On occasion during my recruitment a girl would ask if I had a boyfriend and then it would be okay to (briefly) mention the forbidden B. (Don’t tell your rho gamma I said that.) I just made sure to keep the explanation brief and get back to other subjects.

2. Booze

Partying is a part of college, and we all know it. That doesn’t mean that during recruitment you should mention how crazy wild that fraternity party was with those hot… wait… I can’t say it or I would break the first B rule! (You know what I mean.)

3. Bush

Yeah, girl… that tiny plant in your dorm is just SO scandalous… Kidding. This B means politics. 

Politics are controversial, especially as our country is so incredibly divided right now. While it’s good to have opinions on what’s going on in the world, the truth is that politics can be a sensitive subject. They’re not the kind of thing you want to get into when you’re meeting someone for the first time. If someone brings them up, try to change the subject or simply keep your mouth shut.

4. Bucks

It’s never a good idea to brag about what you have, no matter how fortunate you happen to be. Example: “OMG, look at my new Gucci shoes! Also, I drive a Mercedes convertible. Like I crashed it twice, but my dad bought me a new one anyway.”

Obnoxious, right? Yeah, don’t be that girl. Please don’t be that girl. 

5. Beliefs

Religion is a big part of many of our lives but that doesn’t mean every sorority girl you talk to is religious or believes exactly what you believe. As with politics, some people are really touchy with the subject so just steer clear!

Day 3 & 4: Bring on the Heels and Blisters

You’ve survived the first few days of recruitment, and you’re still either nervous or are starting to get the hang of the whole process and just want it to be over.

These next few days will include longer parties with more “personal” conversations.” (You’ll still have the same “personal” convo in every house… be warned.) Also, you will pull out those sleek heels and dresses. (This means you also need Band-Aids.)

Day 3 & 4 Checklist:

1. Do you have two dresses/fancy rompers/fancy jumpsuits to wear? (Again, I covered this in my article on recruitment outfits.) On the second to last day of recruitment, I wore a nude BCBG romper. The final day, wear a trendy cocktail dress!
2. Band-Aids… Stock up on LOTS of Band-Aids.
3. Please wear deodorant. I don’t know if everyone feels this way but when I went through my last few days, I got really into my conversations and kinda sweated a lot. I was glad that I had layered on the deodorant.
4. Really listen to the girls when they tell you about their sororities and experiences so that you can figure out if this sorority is a good fit for you. Don’t just go through the motions — these conversations will give you valuable information that will affect your next few years of life.
5. Be prepared to get cut by a lot of houses in these last few days… Scary, yes, but it will help you in the long run. Your perfect fit is out there, and they are going to want you!

Day 5: The day where you’re so emotionally worn out that the Instagram post of a puppy makes you tear up

Yay, you’ve made it to the final day! This is the day where all those blisters and tears are worth it.

Before I get into detail about what this day holds, let me warn you, you may not get the top house you wrote down yesterday… you could end up with your second choice. (I will be writing another post on this in the future.)

If that’s the case, it’s totally normal, and you should still be happy! I got my second choice, and it turned out to be the best thing ever! I’m so glad I’m in the sorority that I’m in.

So what does this day hold?

For me, we were handed an envelope from our Rho Gamma. Inside was a letter that had the name of the sorority that we ended up with. After that, we got our specific sorority shirt and proceeded to the reveal.

For the reveal, we lined up in front of our chosen sorority and revealed that we had selected them by taking off our sweatshirt concealing the t-shirt. The girls then charged at us… yes, literally charged… and gave us huge bear hugs. It was great!

Afterwards, our sorority escorted us to an unknown destination for the rest of the day where we got to meet all of our new sisters! Recruitment was complete — phew.

Questions, concerns?

I promise that this whole process sounds intimidating, but in the end it’s so worth it. Just remember it’s a once in a life time experience that gives you things to laugh about later with your new sisters!

Comment below any questions you may have on sorority recruitment. I’ll try my best to answer them all!

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