Recruitment is just one giant, week-long interview. Sure, you wear trendy outfits and you talk to girls who will one day stand by your side when you get married but that doesn’t change the fact that for a week you’re going to have to go door to door and sell yourself. I know we say it’s a “mutual selection process.” And that’s true. But the way to get selected? Is by putting your best self forward. And so as you get ready to make hours of small talk, walking around in the August sun pretending that you’re not sweating your face off, and crying more than once, let me give you a little heads up.
You need to know what you’re going to say.
You might think that it’ll just flow, and with some girls, it will. But no matter how many great connections you have, you will, without a doubt, be asked these questions multiple times a day. The sooner you have your answers polished, the closer you’ll be to getting a bid to your dream house.
1. How’s Recruitment Going?
This is, without a doubt, the first question you’ll be asked. You just walked in. Girls were grinning and singing in your face. You were awkward about it. It’s fine. Once the music is over some girl who looks painfully pretty is going to turn to you and blurt this out. Have an answer ready. Yeah, it’s hot. Yeah, it’s weird. You can say that. Hell, you can even complain juuuust a little bit — about your feet, about it being a little overwhelming, about being nervous — but be sure to end on a positive note.
Example: “It’s exciting! At first I had no idea what to expect. The doors opened and I was like ‘whaaaat is going on’ *insert laugh here.* But overall it’s been really great! I’m excited to meet everyone and it’s really awesome finally seeing all of the different chapters.”
2. What Year Are You?
They want to know if you’re a freshman. If you’re not a freshman, they want to know what’s going on. While you need to be honest, you also need to answer this question correctly because it’s actually really important. You should answer this based around how many years you have left in school. Say you’re a sophomore, but you changed your major or whatever so you’ll still be there four years, tell them that. They want to know how long you’re going to be in the chapter. If you’re going to be there less than four years, explain why you didn’t go through recruitment before, and what you’re excited for when joining. It seems dumb, but this question can make or break you. Or your bid.
Example: “Technically I’m a sophomore, but I just changed my major to [something fantastic]. Because of that, I’ll actually be here for four years.”
Or “I’m a sophomore. When a lot of my friends went Greek last year, I was a little unsure. But after getting to know their sisters and seeing all that Greek life has to offer, I knew I had to go through this year. I’m so excited to be a part of [name an event] and get involved in [something whether it’s philanthropy, dance, or something else with the chapter].
3. What’s Your Major?
Easy peasy. What is it? If you haven’t decided yet, don’t say you don’t know. Discuss what you’re considering and leaning towards or talk about how excited you are to figure it out. The chapter wants driven girls with good GPAs, so at least act motivated, even if you aren’t feeling it.
Example: “I actually haven’t declared one yet. I’m really interested in business or music. I can’t wait to take some classes and figure it out. What about you? What helped you decide?”
4. Why Did You Decide To Go Through Recruitment?
Maybe it’s for the parties. Yeah, we get to go to those. Maybe it was for the prestige. Yeah, we have that. Maybe you liked the idea of having “ready-made” friends or just wanted people to go out with. Whatever your answer is, you need to have something better than that. Whether you were on a dance team, feeling lonely in school, or whatever other bullshit (or not bullshit, I don’t know your life) excuse you want to make, you need to answer something that doesn’t make you sound like an asshole. Sure, you’ll have someone to get drunk on a Tuesday with and yes, you’ll meet plenty of guys. But there actually *is* more to being Greek than that. Now’s your time to show that you know that. Important.
Example: “I was part of my dance team in high school and I loved how close we all got. The support system was my favorite part of high school, and now coming into college I’m looking for that.”
5. What Are You Looking For In A Chapter?
This goes hand-in-hand with the previous question. Sure, you want sisters to carry you out of a bar if you’ve had too much and set you up with cute formal dates. And you’ll get that — promise. And the girls talking to you know that. Now is not the time to say it. Talk about how you want sisters. You want to be a part of something bigger than yourself. You want leadership positions. Just take all of these key phrases and spout them out. And it doesn’t hurt to throw some Netflix in there either.
Example: “I really want a true sisterhood. I want a group of women who support me and push me to be my best. Growing up I had brothers and I always wanted that sister connection. I plan on getting really involved in [insert some key word here, whether it’s exec, philanthropy, campus communication] and would love to make a difference in the chapter I’m a part of. Plus, if there are people to always watch “Grey’s” with, that’s a huge plus.”
6. What Do You Like To Do In Your Free Time?
Maybe you like doing weed in your free time. And underage drinking! And don’t forget your boyfriend. Or your sort-of-boyfriend. That’s all cool and ~relateable~ but if you even think about saying any of those things during recruitment you should save yourself the application fee and just drop out. Recruitment is the time to show yourself in the best light (read: lie). What do you like to do in your spare time? Maybe it’s working out. Maybe it’s blogging about your *eye roll* travels. Maybe it’s part-time modeling (read: your friend takes pictures of you sitting in the forest behind your house). Whatever it is, make it sound good and make it sound like you do stuff other than stalk your ex and watch Hulu.
Example: “I’m actually super into writing. I recently started a blog and have absolutely loved it! I also like working out (well if you can count dragging myself to the gym “working out” lol). Other than that I really love spending time with my friends and [insert relatable activity here].
7. What Were You Into In High School?
There you go! What were you into, besides skipping class and hanging out in your boyfriend’s car? Was it dance? Cheer? Yearbook? Nothing? Whatever it was, sell it. And if it was nothing, really think about how to make that sound better. This is an easy segue into what you *want* to be involved in in college and what you hope to add to the chapter.
Example: “I was in a few different clubs, like Spanish and dance, but ultimately I liked to spend my time doing photography! I’d do photo shoots for all of my friends and I got this amazing camera as a graduation present. I’ve been looking into some photography classes to take this semester, and I’ve love to help with pictures and videos in the chapter. Do you have a chair or anything for that sort of thing?
8. What’s Your Wine Preference?
Jk, jk. We’ll get to that one after initiation.
What it all comes down to is be yourself. Be the self who doesn’t talk about sex, drugs, drinking, boys, or partying. Find connections with girls and just have a conversation. Whether it’s about books, TV shows, tattoos, or just Greek life, get to know more about the girl you’re talking to, and she’ll want to know more about you. The biggest secret? Everyone loves talking about themselves. And if all else fails, just say the word sisterhood a lot. After Bid Day? That’s when you can start talking about the good stuff. Hang tight, you’re almost there..
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Rachel Varina
(yeahokaywhat) Aspiring to be the next Tina Fey, Rachel spends her free time doing nothing to reach that goal. While judging people based on how they use "they're" vs. "there" on social media, she likes eating buffalo chicken dip, watching other people's Netflix, and wearing sweatpants way more than is socially acceptable.
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