Recruitment is coming, whether the PNMs and recruitment chairs are ready or not. It’s going to be here before we know it, and while there’s still time to gather those last few outfits, PNMs should start mentally preparing now. There’s tons of advice all over the internet about going through recruitment, and while it’s all good advice, I noticed that they left out a few things. This is the recruitment advice that no one else has the balls to say out loud.

1. What happens over the course of the next week will change your life, or at the very least, the next four years of it.
2. This week is about you. Don’t try and get into the same house as your high school best friend who’s also going through rush, or it could backfire on you.
3. It’s okay for sisters to bring up boys, booze, or beliefs, even if they probably shouldn’t. It’s NEVER okay for you to do it.
4. Recruitment is supposed to be “fun.” It’s not. It’s long and tiring and stressful, but your job is to act like you’re having the time of your life, even if you’re going through hell.
5. Older girls love to give advice to PNMs and say that recruitment is just as stressful for them as it is for you, but that’s not true. At the end of the week, they’re still Greek and just as in love with their house as they were before, if not more. You might not be.
6. If you’re having a hard day, or you just got dropped from your favorite house, keep that shit to yourself. No one likes talking to a Debbie Downer in real life, and recruitment is no different. Especially if you’ve been dropped from your top house, you should be doing your best to impress the houses you’ve been lucky enough to be invited back to.
7. Tiers exist and chapters are aware of where they stand, but for the most part, they really don’t care.  You should try not to care either.
8. If you’re going through recruitment as a sophomore, you will be judged extra harshly at some schools. When deciding between two people with the same extracurriculars and the same GPA, chapters will always pick the freshman. Make sure you stand out in a good way.
9. Just because you “know someone” or are even “best friends” with someone in a chapter doesn’t mean you’re a shoo-in. They will place legacies and their reputation above your friendship with one (or even a few) girl(s) in the chapter.
10. Panhellenic love isn’t just for show.  Girls actually have friends in other chapters, and if you happen to talk shit about a chapter they love, make no mistake — you’ll be cut from both.
11. Rushing as a sophomore is worse than ending up in a sub-par house. The worst thing you can do is drop before you even give that house a chance.
12. Appearance matters. Even if you’re not a girly girl, go get a makeover at Sephora or Mac and have them show you what to do, and maybe ask your roommate to do your hair if you’re really not good at it.
13. Dirty rushing happens, and if it happens to you, don’t tell a single soul. Not your roommates, not your friends, and definitely not your recruitment counselor. Keep that shit to yourself for your sake and the chapter’s.
14. You don’t need to wear Lilly or other designer clothes, but you should wear clothes that look designer on you. That means they fit like a glove, they’re perfectly ironed, and you wear it with the confidence of Kim Kardashian at the Met Gala.
15. Chapter stereotypes are just that — stereotypes. The Nerdy chapter has girls who party in it, and the Party Girl chapter has girls who are total bookworms. Don’t get too caught up in those.
16. Just because you’re pretty doesn’t mean you can coast through recruitment on that alone. Top houses are looking for the whole package, not just a pretty face.
17. Chapters will judge you for the smallest things, and those small things can make a difference in whether you’re invited back or not. Make sure your toes are painted and your hair is not greasy.
18. You don’t know better or more than your recruitment counselor, no matter how much research you’ve done. She’s a part of your college’s Greek life and you aren’t. Consider her advice.
19. Don’t just be yourself. Be the best version of yourself. We all have a little bit of weirdness to us, but hide that shit until after you sign your bid card..

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Cristina Montemayor

Cristina is a Grandex Writer and Content Manager. She was an intern for over two years before she graduated a semester early to write about college full time, which makes absolutely no sense. She regretfully considers herself a Carrie, but is first and foremost a Rory. She tends to draw strong reactions from people. They are occasionally positive. You can find her in a bar as you're bending down to tie your shoes, drinking Dos XX and drunk crying to Elton John. Email her: cristina@grandex.co (not .com).

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