Sunday Thoughts: My Recruitment Experience

Hello all! I know this is kind of late, but I thought for anyone thinking about recruitment or is currently going through it right now that I'd share a little of what I thought about the experience. 

Going to a school that is about 70% (minus the freshman) Greek, I decided to give it a try. I never thought of myself as someone who would join Greek life- neither of my parents or two best friends from high school were in organizations. Though I had read the packets and watched videos on what to expect, I was shooting in the dark.  

The way Bucknell does recruitment is very different from most schools because we rush as sophomores in the fall. It starts the Friday after the first week of classes and to say it was overwhelming would be an understatement- here is my best attempt to paint a picture. Imagine 350 sophomore girls (out of about 450 in my class total) in matching shirts moving in groups for hours talking nervously to people they want to like them in a sweaty, hot building in August. That Friday we got into groups and met our Gamma Chi, or senior advisor who would help us through the process. 

As we walked into the suites (we don't have housing- just a huge dorm with split floors for each chapter) we were greeted with chanting girls on either side of us, and one was assigned to a person to talk to. What was very interesting was that though was that though I had an idea of what each one was like already, after leaving I came away with very different ideas about what would actually be the best fit. Though I started out with a "top four," by the time I had actually visited them, I only had a top two. 

The first day despite being physically and emotionally draining ended up being really fun. I distinctly remember getting late night mac 'n' cheese and gushing about how enjoyable it was. Then things got real. The next day we returned to our groups and got little slips of paper that would determine our destiny, or the sororities we had got called back to. Even though I had gotten called back to my top two- getting cut from two was a bit of a sting. Honestly, despite a few people, most girls are going to be dropped from at least one sorority. There are going to be girls in tears and a few who are stressed because they got called back everywhere and "just can't pick one-" I guess that's life. Remember you want to be part of an organization that wants you, not some place you'll be uncomfortable or have to be anything but yourself (cheesy but true). 


Though obviously I can't say that everything works out for every single girl, the thing about recruitment is that most people end up where they are supposed to be. In the end, you want belong to something where you are wanted and accepted and like everything else in life, it's all about what you make of it. I love where I ended up (one of my top two), but it's because of the relationships I made and the effort to become part of an organization. If you are going through recruitment soon or some time in the future, take a deep breath- it's gonna be ok. 

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