Sure, we have the PNMs who we know will fit right in. We have the girls who did their research, know how to act, know what to wear, and know what to say. But every recruitment, we always seem to stumble upon these five cases of PNMs. Some will fit right into the house pretty easily and others may not, but that doesn’t stop them from signing up for recruitment. It’s funny how no matter what the year is or how many times you’ve done recruitment from the other side, you’ll always have these five PNMs. These are the ones who drag voting past 1 a.m. when you have to be back at 6 a.m. the next day, ready to go. These are the PNMs who have a mixed score of high to mediocre, so there is no real decision on whether to keep or drop them based on their score. And, most importantly, these are the five PNMs who we all might have been when we went through recruitment.
The Upperclassman
It took this one a little longer to find the courage to sign up for recruitment, or maybe she’s a transfer, or maybe she just wanted to get settled into school before she joined Greek life. Whatever her reasoning is, the fact remains that she stands out among the sea of fresh, 18-year-old faces. Just because she’s a little older, it doesn’t mean she has less to offer or that she’s not just as excited as her recent high school graduate counterparts are. Sure, she will have less time with the sorority, but for the time she’s here, she can be a huge asset. Also, because she already has a handle on campus life and college in general, she can act as a mother hen figure for all her pledge sisters when the pledge mom isn’t around. She also learned her limits as a freshmen, so she’s not as likely to be carted off by fraternity pledges at the Shots Around The World mixer for drinking too much and puking all over Japan.
The Shy One
She was quiet as a mouse through the first open house, and she only spoke to two of the girls in the first round before clamming up. There’s nothing wrong with her, no real cons–she just won’t talk. Instead of instantly dropping her because of her muteness, bring her back for a couple rounds, then decide. Don’t leave her hanging in the corner with no one to talk to, but don’t have a group of sisters all try to talk to her. She needs to be lured out of her shell, and talking to the same sister each round while slowly meeting other sisters could be just the trick. Put yourself in her position. She’s already a pretty shy girl, overwhelmed by loud, chanting, and happy girls who are all wearing the same thing. Sorority girls exude confidence, and while that’s not to apologize for, we sometimes forget that we can be intimidating to those who don’t know about sororities, or why we are literally forced by the Nazi recruitment chair to be happy and matching at all times. The quiet ones will always surprise you, and they are always worth the risk.
The Questionable Risk
You’ve seen her at parties getting white girl wasted, and she might have danced on a bar when she went to Cancun that one time. Her Facebook has evidence of her enjoying a couple drinks, but she’s done a good job of trying to blur out beer cans and alcohol bottles. Still, this girl is a party girl and her reputation seesaws between complete shitshow and hard-working girl who knows how to have fun. Every recruitment seminar, national staff member, and advisor will tell you to drop her immediately, but let’s all be honest with each other for a second. If those three actually got to choose who received bids and who didn’t, sororities would be filled with Debbie Do-Gooders who never drank, always did their homework, and were in bed by 9 p.m. Yes, we want to portray ourselves as that, but what’s life without a little fun? This girl is just having fun and enjoying college. I’m not saying keep every shitshow who stumbles into your house, but if this girl’s only downside is that she’s a little bit of a party girl, then give her a bid immediately. Guidance from her sisters may be exactly what she needs to turn her reputation and party attitude around.
The Legacy Somewhere Else
I feel bad for legacies because I feel like they are the butt of a lot of recruitment jokes, but the majority of legacies are pretty normal girls. Granted, there are your stereotypical “Holy shit, SHE’S a legacy?” girls who come through, but I’m not talking about them right now. This legacy is, for lack of a better word, perfect. You have images of her running to you on Bid Day, her joining your perfect family, and spoiling her to no end. The only problem is that she’s not your legacy, and if she chose her legacy house, you would absolutely die. A lot of houses will cut legacies who don’t belong to them, because what’s the fucking point? They pretty much have a guaranteed bid somewhere else, and that spot could be for someone who is perfect for you house. Stop. No. Do NOT cut her. Legacies don’t want to be dictated where to go based on what their mother, aunt, or grandmother chose–these girls are their own people, after all. Keep this girl around, because she might just surprise you with a run to your house, and how sweet would it be to steal a legacy from those other bitches?
The Clueless One
She signed up for recruitment because her roommate did, and she really doesn’t look like your average sorority girl. She hasn’t done her research about recruitment and tells you that she never envisioned herself in a sorority. She might ask questions you’ve never thought a PNM should ask, but she’s apologetic when she realizes she did something out of the ordinary. These girls are just about as genuine as they get, because they’re just trying it out. They’ve got nothing to lose because they don’t know any better, and they’re showing you their real selves. Bring ‘em back round after round and you won’t regret it.
Nice Move393
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Hakuna Moscato
Hakuna Moscato (@HakunaMoscato) is a contributing writer for Total Sorority Move. and Post Grad Problems. A born and raised Maryland girl, she's obsessed with the Baltimore Ravens, Old Bay, and anything that has the Maryland flag pattern on it. She's a newly retired student-athlete and sorority girl, but not quite ready to call herself an adult, especially since she still has to be carried out of bars. With a Long Island in hand, she's ready for whatever life is throwing her way. Maybe.
@HakunaMoscato
