Are you going through sorority recruitment in 2025 and not sure of the etiquette? I will give you some of the best tips that I received and have learned throughout sorority recruitment to make sure you have the best sorority recruitment tips. I am praying for you all as you go through this week, and I hope you know that you were made perfect the way you are in God's image.
Hey, y'all! My name is Isabella, and I’m a college student learning how to navigate adulthood right alongside you! Today, I am going to tell you 14 of my best tips and pieces of advice for sorority recruitment as a current SEC sorority girl.
Be yourself!
The most crucial tip!
Don't put on a persona to try to fit in a particular chapter.
Be yourself, and you will end up where you're meant to be. It can be intimidating, but the process works.
First impressions!
Make sure to carry yourself well. First impressions are everything.
No matter how nervous you may be, walk in knowing that any chapter would be lucky to have you and whatever sorority house you enter is not your identity.
Take a deep breath before walking in, stand up tall, shoulders back, chin high and confident, slap a big smile on your face, and keep it there!! When you leave, say how much you loved meeting and talking to them!! Simply use your manners!
Keep an open mind!
Rush can be unpredictable, so keep your mind open and remember that God will place you where you are meant to be.
Also, don't talk negatively about the other houses you went into. This is disrespectful and says more about you than the house you are talking about.
Wear classy/modest outfits, but show your personality through the outfits!
Just think modest—almost church attire. Remember, this is not the time to show off your body but simply to present yourself well. Preferably, no cutouts, maintain a modest length and general fit.
This goes along with your first impression and can make you memorable for a good reason or a bad reason.
Review your resume!
Your resume will prompt a good portion of the questions they ask.
Review the specifics of what you put on it and be prepared to discuss it in depth.
Ask questions you genuinely want the answers to!
Go beyond surface-level conversations & ask them questions!
This is not only them assessing you, but you are also assessing them.
Try your best to figure out if you genuinely have anything in common with who you're talking to and if your values align with the sorority's values in general. You can do this by having questions prepared to ask them and even some that are slightly unusual (ex: "What is 1 thing you love and 1 thing you don't love or would change about your chapter?")
Go into each chapter with an open mind and ask questions you genuinely want to know the answer to. This is especially applicable to the later rounds. The further you get into the rush, the more personal questions you can ask as you start to eliminate sororities.
Genuinely listen and be engaged in the convo.
While talking to someone at a party, make sure to hold eye contact and be engaged in the conversation; what you put in is what you get out. The girls can tell if you don't seem genuinely interested in a chapter and will only want to spend their time getting to know you if you are open-minded.
Don't worry about what you think the sorority girls want to hear; answer genuinely and hype yourself up!!
To have the best experience, it's important to be authentic in these conversations. Remember that this is your time to talk highly of yourself!
Avoid talking about the 5 B's--Boys, Booze, Bush, Belief, or Bucks.
- Boys: Do NOT talk about boys. PLEASE, do not do it. Regardless if it's about your boyfriend or all the boys you're excited to meet in college. Just please do not bring up boys. This is because the sororities want to get to know YOU!!
- Booze: This means don't talk about how excited you are to party, go out, drink, be free from your parents, etc. This is simply not the time or the place. They want to know who you are as an individual!
- Bush: This just means not to talk about politics because even if your political views are fundamental to you, they will vary by individual, and one girl's political views aren't representative of the sorority. Therefore, at least in the early rounds, it's best to steer clear. Consider bringing it up during the preference rounds if you believe it is crucial to your decision.
- Belief: This means not talking about your religion because it varies significantly by individual. However, this is a rule that I only partially listened to. I took the advice with a grain of salt and waited to talk about it in the later rounds. It was important to me that I find a sorority that pushed me to grow in my faith and walked right alongside me in my journey, so I thoroughly discussed it in the later rounds.
- Bucks: Don't brag about material things, and don't try to work your family's wealth into conversations. It is okay to brag about your academic achievements, sports, or other accomplishments. In fact...you should!
Take Notes!
Especially after the ice water tea round and philanthropy round because this is when you'll have the most choices and need to start differentiating them. Immediately after I left a house, I jotted down one thing I liked, one thing I didn't like, and how I felt leaving.
I carried a notebook in my rush bag for this purpose!
Speaking of my rush bag, check out my post on What You Actually Need In Your Bag For Sorority Recruitment to find EXACTLY what you need to pack to be prepared and ease your nerves!
Remove the decoration and glamor, and see if you still like the chapter.
When you're ranking the chapters at the end of a round, think back to each party, remove the decoration and glamor, and think about how, at the end of the day, that chapter made you feel. Did you enjoy the people you talked to and the overall sorority, or just one or the other?
Observe those surrounding you at parties.
Once you approach the end of rush week, like in the sisterhood and preference rounds, look around and talk to people in the lines before the houses.
Ask yourself if you can get along with the people around you because they might be your future sisters.
Don't base your decisions on others.
Don't base your decisions on what your friends are doing.
It's ideal to keep who you talk about rush with to a minimal close-circle group. I only talked about it in depth with my mom, and this is especially helpful if your mom has rushed before. It does not have to be family, but you should find someone you trust and will listen to you.
Don't be too trustworthy of strangers.
When you are in line outside the houses, don't confide in strangers about how you like the house you are going into, what your top is, etc.
You never know who knows who, and it's better to keep it to yourself for now!
TRUST! THE! PROCESS!
You will hear this over and over throughout the week, and y'all, I know it sounds like such silly advice because it is so stressful and challenging to simply relax and trust the process. I'm not telling you this in hopes it will calm you. I'm telling you this because when you have doubt and anger at yourself for maybe saying something you think sounded juvenile or for tripping when walking into a party, remember you are human.
God will place you in the perfect chapter for you, or maybe he'll take you in another direction of life that doesn't involve recruitment.
However, I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason: it is your life's plan.
When you're waiting in line to go to these houses, please do not compare yourself to others. You are a unique individual, and therefore, you will bring something new to whatever chapter is lucky to have you.
Girls! Please don't take getting dropped personally, and as much as I hate to say it, be ready to accept some disappointment.
Above all else, remember that recruitment does not define you, so try your best to have fun! You'll meet so many wonderful people along the way, so make the best of it!
I hope that I have helped to ease your mind a bit about the upcoming sorority recruitment process. You are so loved! Don't you ever forget it! Feel free to email me at thepearsonpost00@gmail.com if you have any questions about sorority rush! I would happily provide you with advice to the best of my ability.
With Love,
Isabella XO
