As Sam the Overlooked Potential New Member prepares for sorority recruitment, she looks at her college’s Panhellenic website. She scrolls through the different pages looking for advice and a step-by-step plan to get her bid. With each page, she learns some requirements and leaves with more questions.

“It says recommendation letters are optional. Do I need recommendation letters? Will they help me?”
“How do I stand out?”
“What are members looking for in a new member?”
“What questions will the members ask me?”

I encourage you look at Michigan State’s Panhellenic website and see if you can find the answer to these questions.

Next, she turns to TikTok, YouTube, and Google to get advice and answers. Have you done this too?

When Sam gets her invitational schedule for Round 2, she expects to be invited back to the maximum number of sororities, 10. She was only invited to 5. You can imagine how devastated she is to only be invited back to 5 sororities. She is panicking.

Why did she not get invited back to 10 sororities? Why did so many of the sororities drop her?

The information she used from TikTok, YouTube, and Google was ADVICE.

Did the advice talk about Release Figure Methodology and how the most competitive sororities DROP 70% of ALL potential new members after Round 1?
Did the advice talk about how to create a social resume that is specific to your accomplishments and not from Etsy?
Did the advice talk about how to get the members’ attention before sorority recruitment starts?
Did the advice talk about how to stand out in your conversations and leave the members wanting to speak to you again?

When you depend on Youtube, Google, and TikTok, you prepare like everyone else. You look like everyone else. When you look like everyone else, you do not stand out.

ADVICE WILL NOT GET YOU A BID. Many times, the advice women get is outdated, not relevant, or too general. When you use advice for sorority recruitment, it is like asking a friend, not in your math class, “How do I get an A+ on my test?” Your friend says, “You need to study.” This answer leaves you frustrated, and you think, “What do I need to study? Do I need to go over the practice problems? Should I re-read my notes or focus on the study guide?”

If you asked your teacher, “How do I get an A+ on my test?” She would give you a step-by-step plan.

#1. Come to class and listen.

#2. Ask questions when we are doing practice problems.

#3. Each night spend 5 minutes reviewing the practice problems.

#4. Fill out the study guide. It will be very similar to the test.

To get an A+, you needed to talk to the right person. You need to know the right information and have a plan. To get a bid to a sorority you love, you have to communicate you are the right fit for the sorority before and during sorority recruitment. A step-by-step plan tells you how and when to communicate. Then, you need to implement your plan and practice small talk.

Let’s create your step-by-step plan!

Why is creating a plan for sorority recruitment important?

At Round 1, you meet all of the sororities on your campus. Then, you vote on the sororities. You select the sororities you want to go to for Round 2, and the sororities you do not want to visit. For example, let’s look at Michigan State. You select 10 sororities you want to visit for Round 2.

Most assume they will be invited back to the maximum number of sororities. Most are NOT invited back to 10 sororities. Most are invited back to 3 to 7 sororities. To be invited back to a sorority, the sorority INVITES you back.

Why are so many women not invited back to 10 sororities?

Many potential new members spend weeks focusing ONLY on the material aspects of sorority recruitment – what to wear, makeup, hair, the color of their social resume, etc. It seems like the material things help you stand out and get a great score. However, the color of your social resume, a recruitment packet, a Cartier LOVE bracelet, and Golden Goose sneakers will not get a bid. To get a bid to a sorority you love, you have to communicate you are the right fit. You have to communicate BEFORE and DURING sorority recruitment. To know how and when to communicate, you want to use the CRUSH Method to gain Rush Crush Status.

THE CRUSH METHOD:

CREATE YOUR LIST

RECOGNITION BY THE MEMBERS [MEMBERS KNOW YOUR NAME]

UNLOCK YOUR POTENTIAL

STAND OUT WITH YOUR CONVERSATIONS

HAVE OPTIONS

If you want to use a DIY version of CRUSH Method to get your bid, check out The Ultimate Guide to Sorority Recruitment. In this book, you use a five step process to receive your bid.

Click here to get the ebook version

Click here to get your copy on Amazon

How sororities invite back potential new members

During sorority recruitment, each sorority has to use Release Figure Methodology [RFM]. It is a mathematical model to determine the number of invitations a sorority can extend to in a round.

Here is how RFM works

If most potential new members vote to keep a sorority, Panhellenic requires them to drop more potential new members. The most competitive and popular sororities drop around 70% after Round 1. RFM is similar to a popularity contest. If a sorority is very liked on campus, it will drop at a high rate after Round 1. If a sorority is not liked on campus, it will drop at a low rate after Round 1.

What does all of this mean?

Everyone is not placed on an equal playing field for Round 1. The sororities are pre-screening potential new members — looking at GPA, Instagram, etc.

How do you get your name out there?

You cannot rely on a 4.0 GPA to get a bid. GPAs are important, but many times a 3.8 is just as good as a 4.0 during sorority recruitment.

You cannot rely on legacy status. For many sororities, you are not guaranteed a bid as a legacy.

When you use a strategy, the members know your name and are excited to meet you. That is what you want, right?

You are probably wondering, “How do I get invited back to sororities I love?”

Let’s take a deeper look at sorority recruitment at Michigan State and give you a behind the scenes look at how we have helped our clients at Michigan State.

Here is where your first strategy comes into play: your Prepping for Sorority Recruitment Strategy

Since the sororities are vetting potential new members before sorority recruitment starts, you need to get on the sororities ’ radar. (You have to get your name out there.) Your prepping strategy should answer, “What actions do I need to take for members to know my name?”

Here is an overview of the prepping strategy we use in CRUSH [sorority recruitment coaching].

Download (For Free) 4 mistakes girls make for sorority recruitment

CAMPAIGN FOR YOURSELF AND PREP CORRECTLY FOR YOUR COLLEGE

Why is campaigning important?

Imagine you want to run for President of the United States. Here is the catch you announce that you are running the day of the election. Do you think you will get elected?

Probably not.

Many potential new members show up at Round 1 and think that is their first impression. Here is what is actually happening.

Each sorority has a recruitment team. One of its main jobs is pre-screening every potential new member before Round 1. Pre-screening includes looking at GPA, recommendation letters, social resumes, Instagram, etc.

Do you know what this means? Everyone is not placed on an equal playing field for Round 1. Is it fair that everyone is not placed on an equal playing field for Round 1?

NO! It is not fair!

Do you know what is fair? Use this information to your advantage

How do you get your name out there?

All of the sororities will have to drop a percentage of potential new members after Round 1. This percentage is different for each sorority. The most competitive sororities will drop the largest percentage (typically 65%+ of all potential new members).

When you use a strategy, the members are excited to meet you. They will be telling the other members about how amazing you are and how you are a good fit in the sorority. That is what you want, right?

#1. Figure out the sororities we are targeting

On our first call with clients, I ask many questions to learn about their goal and what they want in their dream college experience.

Here are some of the questions I ask to get you started:
What are your goals for sorority recruitment?
Do you know members in the sororities? If you do, would the members root for you (if they only got to pick one girl to root for)?
What is on your bucket list for college?
What qualities do you look for in a friend?
Do you want an experience different or similar to high school?

After we know these answers, we can figure out which sororities we are going to target. At Michigan State, typically we are targeting between 7 to 9 sororities.

How do we pick the target sorority?

These sororities are dropping over 50% of potential new members after Round 1 and usually are the sororities that will be the best fit for our clients.

#2. Create our step-by-step prepping for sorority recruitment plan

A. Get recommendation letters (OPTIONAL)

You walk into your first sorority. You are excited and nervous to meet the members. A member walks up to you and says, “Hi! Welcome to XYZ! We are so excited you are here! What is your name?” While talking to the member, you realize you have so much in common with her. You have the same major and are from the same hometown. The next morning you get your Round 2 schedule. You got invited back to XYZ! Again, when you talk to the members, you feel like you are talking to your friends.

This situation could be your reality throughout sorority recruitment. You can find your new best friends and your home. Your first step to your campaign and finding your home is to get recommendation letters.

You might be wondering, “Why do I need recommendation letters?” While most sororities are not requiring recommendation letters to become a member, many use them to pair members to talk to potential new members. In the story above, these conversations were not random. They were planned. The potential new member was paired to talk to a member during Round 1 that was from her hometown and had the same major.

What is pairing?

Pairing is when the recruitment team plans you to talk to a specific member (or specific members) during sorority recruitment. This member has something in common with you — from the same hometown or area, involved in similar activities, has the same major, etc. This pairing can lead to you connecting with the members and getting invited back to sororities you like.

Why do sororities pair potential new members?

Reason 1. You will likely have a better conversation.

Since you have something in common, you will be more likely to relate to the member and have deeper conversations.

Reason 2. Since you connected to the members, you will most likely vote to keep the sorority.

If the return rates are high (potential new members want to visit the sorority again), the sorority can drop more potential new members.

What is a recommendation letter? How does the recruitment team use recommendation letters?

A recommendation letter is very similar to a job application. It is a form that an alumna (some sororities allow current members) fill out about you. This form has specific sections (contact information, GPA, activities, volunteer work, hobbies and interests, legacy information, etc.) It is very similar to the form you fill out when you register for sorority recruitment.

The recruitment team for each sorority looks at your recommendation letters and collects information on you. Then, they use this information to pick whom you should talk to during sorority recruitment.

How to get recommendation letters

On our first call with clients, we design the recommendation letter strategy.

Which sororities do you need a recommendation letter for?
Do you know an alumna from each of the sororities above?
How are we going to find alumna for the remaining sororities?

On our second call, we design her social resume and timeline for recommendation letters (dates to reach out to alumnae, who to reach out to, dates to follow up, etc.)

When should you start getting recommendation letters?

You want to start this process sooner rather than later. Many times the process takes much longer than expected.

Before you ask women to write your recommendation letters, you need to create a social resume. Your social resume will serve as the answer key to your recommendation letter. The Ultimate Guide to Sorority Recruitment has a template for creating your social resume and explains the process of how to get recommendation letters in detail.

Click here to get your ebook copy

Click here to get a paperback copy on Amazon

Editable and customizable social resume templates.

B. Networking strategy

Above, we talked about the importance of campaigning for yourself. The goal is to meet members in all of the sororities we are targeting. Many of these target sororities are dropping over 50% of potential new members after the first round. Some are dropping closer to 65%. To increase you odds of being invited back, we have to have members rooting for you.

On our first call, we create the networking strategy. To create this strategy, we:

Discuss ways to continue to build friendships with members you know or members who have reached out through Instagram DMs
Create new ways to meet more members (The goal is to have know a couple of member in your top 7 to 9 sororities).

C. Go PUBLIC on Instagram

Why do to go public on Instagram?

I will let you in on a secret. Most sororities are looking at potential new members’ Instagrams to learn about them. If your Instagram is private, they learn NOTHING about you. It does not help you get your name out there. Now, if your Instagram is PUBLIC, they can learn about who you are, what you like to do, etc. It is like an interactive social resume. Your Instagram could lead to you getting paired to talk to a member who is very similar to you. She may fall in love with you and give you the great score you deserve. This score helps you get invited back to the next round.

That is what you want, right? You want to have options and get invited back to sororities you love. Strategies give you a plan that allows you to get a bid to your dream sorority.

D. Register for sorority recruitment

When you register, the sororities have your name. That is why you want to go public first.

You want to register at least one month before sorority recruitment starts. With registering early, each sorority has time to learn about you and see if you would be a good member.

Do not rush your registration! You want to make sure you are including information that you want to talk about during sorority recruitment — involvement, club, volunteer work, etc.

With our CRUSH clients, we schedule a call to create short answers, create video script, and go through the registration application before you fill it out.

#2. USE YOUR CONVERSATIONS TO STAND OUT DURING THE ROUNDS OF SORORITY RECRUITMENT.

Imagine you are interviewing two women to be your roommate. You have prepared three questions to ask both women. Based on their answers, you are going to pick a roommate.

First, you interview Sam. You ask her, “Where are you from?”

Sam says, “Atlanta.”

Then, you ask her your second scripted question, “What do you like to do on the weekends?”

She says, “Hang out with friends.”

Finally, you ask her, “What are some of your passions?”

She responds with, “Yoga.”

Next, you interview Brooke.

Again, you ask her your first scripted question, “Where are you from?”

Brooke says, “I am from Atlanta. I love it there, but I am so excited to be living in Athens! There are so many good restaurants and places to shop. Have you tried any of the restaurants in Athens?”

You say, “YES! I love insert restaurant name. Have you been?”

Brooke says, “That is one of my favorite restaurants too! I had the shrimp and grits.”

You respond with, “That is what I had too!”

Before you know it, time is up. You only asked Brooke ONE of the scripted questions because you got off topic and talked about Athens, your goals with college, and things you are excited to do.

Which woman are you going to pick to be your roommate? Sam or Brooke?

Most likely, you picked Brooke.

Why did you pick Brooke?

You could see her as a friend. You could see yourself hanging out with her on the weekends and going to that restaurant. You were able to connect to her. That is what you want to do during sorority recruitment!

Here is what happens during sorority recruitment

The members spend weeks practicing for sorority recruitment. During this time, they learn how sorority recruitment works, practice door chants, practice conversations, and more. Since the members practice conversations, they have created a script of questions to ask each potential new member. They will not break from the script unless you force them to break it.

Why will the members not break from the script?

#1. Having conversations with strangers can be difficult.

It is easy to ask the same ten questions to each potential new member. It is easy to be on autopilot mode.

#2. The recruitment team puts a lot of pressure on each member.

They want every potential new member to feel welcomed and have great conversations. When many have great conversations, it helps the sorority drop a higher percentage of potential new members. If a sorority invites back a small percentage of potential new members, it is easier to find the best fits for their sorority.

Why do most potential new members not break from the script?

Here is an example of the average potential new member’s conversation during sorority recruitment.

Member: Hi! Welcome to ABC! We are so excited you are here! My name is Kate! What is your name?

Potential new member: Hi! My name is Sam!

Member: Where are you from?

PNM: Atlanta

Member: What did you do this summer?

PNM: I worked and hung out with my friends.

Member: Where did you work?

PNM: At a restaurant

Now, give Sam a score of 1 to 10 [1 = I would never be friends with this woman, and 10 = I found my new best friend].

What score did you give her?

Most likely a 3 to 5.

Why did you give her this score?

You only learned FACTS about her. These facts did not help you see her as a friend.

During sorority recruitment, when Sam answers questions with facts, the member has a hard time asking random follow-up questions. If the member cannot think of a follow-up question, she asks Sam another scripted question. When Sam is stuck in the script, it is hard to get a great score. If she does not get a great score, the likelihood of her being invited back to the sorority is LOW.

How do you get an above-average score?

Let’s look closer at Sam’s first answer. She said, “Atlanta”. That is a fact. When you answer questions with facts, it makes it hard to keep a conversation going.

This type of answer leads to a potential new member study in the Average Conversation Cycle. If you stay in this cycle, the member goes on autopilot. When a member is on autopilot, you are asked 10 scripted questions.

The main takeaway is that the member will not break the cycle. You have to force them to break it. If the member does not break the cycle, you will most likely get an average score. Your average score may get you dropped from some sororities.

How do you force them to break it?

That is where your small talk strategy comes into play.

The 4 parts of your small talk strategy are:

#1. Mindset

#2. Excitement

#3. Signature stories

#4. Connecting with the members

When you use this strategy, the members see you as a friend. If they see you as a friend, they see you in the sorority and give you an above-average score.

Let’s look at an example of how you force the member to break the script.

Member: Where are you from?

Potential new member: I am from Atlanta. I love it there, but I am so so excited to be here. When I was touring the campus, the tour guide mentioned all of the incredible opportunities at Michigan State.

Will the member as another scripted question? Will you get stuck in the Average Conversation Cycle?

She will ask you about the opportunities and how you want to get involved. This conversation leads to her getting to know you and connecting with you. When she goes to vote, she sees you in the sorority. AKA. You are getting an above-average score and increasing your chances of getting invited back.

THE IMPORTANCE OF CONNECTING

When you picked your roommate,

Did you care what her favorite color was?
Did you care how many boxes she was going to bring when moving in?

Probably not. Most likely, you picked someone who wanted a similar experience for college and lived a similar life to you.

The same idea applies to sorority recruitment. The members look for women who are similar to the current members. They want you to join and be able to find immediate friends. To receive a bid, you have to communicate that you are similar to them. You have to allow the members to connect with you.

To learn more about the small talk strategy, check out The Ultimate Guide to Sorority Recruitment. In this book, you learn:

What questions the members will ask you
How to answer the questions [and examples]
Conversation mistakes potential new members make
How to prepare correctly for your college

Click here to get the ebook version

Click here to get your copy on Amazon

STEP #3. PREPARE YOUR ANSWERS TO THE SCRIPTED QUESTIONS

Examples of questions you might be asked.

Where are you from?
How do you want to get involved on campus?
What are some of your passions?
What are you looking for in a sorority?

When creating your answers to the scripted questions, it can seem overwhelming. It may feel like you have to say the “right” things. To be completely honest with you, the members do not care what your answers are. They will not pick 5 business majors, 5 psychology majors, 5 teaching majors, etc. The members look for connections with the women they are talking to. When you connect to a member, she can see you in herself and the sorority. This connection will help you get invited back.

How do you force them to break it?

That is where your small talk strategy comes into play.

The 3 parts of your small talk strategy are:

#1. Body language

#2. Mindset

#3. Make connections with guaranteed questions

When you use this strategy, the members will see you as a friend. If they can see you as a friend, they can see you in the sorority and will give you an above-average score.

Let’s look at an example of how you force the member to break the script.

Member: Where are you from?

Potential new member: I am from Atlanta. I love it there, but I am so so excited to be here. When I was touring the campus, the tour guide mentioned all of the incredible opportunities at Michigan State.

How we help CRUSH clients:

Take the baseline small talk quiz to see how she answers questions.
Create answers to the most commonly asked questions.
Create answers to the tough questions like “Can you see yourself here?” and “How has your day been?”
Practice conversation for each round of sorority recruitment and different conversation structures.
Discuss how to optimize “Me too!” moments.
Create 3 questions for when the member asks, “Do you have any questions?”
Discuss the strategy behind each round of sorority recruitment.
Go over the 5 mistakes potential new members make in their conversations.

MOST OF THE SORORITIES ON YOUR CAMPUS ARE GREAT, BUT NOT EVERY SORORITY IS THE RIGHT FIT FOR YOU

A misconception is that joining a sorority is like joining a club.

Sororities are more than just a club. They give women a home, community, inspiration, accountability, forever friends, and a sense of belonging.

Soon after joining my sorority, I saw how my life was about to change. I had a community of over 200 women who were there to support me in my transition as a first-year college student. I had sisters to go to the dining halls with and try all of the different foods. I had sisters to text when I needed to spend twelve hours in the library studying for a calculus test. I had women to get ready with before events and the UGA football games. I had a way to volunteer for the local community. I was inspired by the upperclassmen getting internships, graduating with jobs at KPMG, or moving to NYC to accomplish their dreams. I had a community to support me. I had a sense of belonging on a campus of 30,000 students.

Joining a sorority can be an experience that changes your life.

To have an experience that changes your life, you need to get a bid to the sorority that aligns with your values, beliefs, and experience you want for college. For example, if one of your goals is to get good grades or go to graduate school, you want to join a sorority that has a high chapter GPA. You want to surround yourself with women who push you academically. Women who inspire you to get an internship. Women who inspire you to go into research. If one of your goals for college is to make lifelong friends, you need to find the sororities that have the best retention rates. The sororities that have the most members stay year after year.

The main takeaway is every sorority has a different dynamic and different members. Many of the sororities on your campus are great, but not every sorority is the right fit for you. To get a bid to your dream sorority, you need to have options at each round. To have options, you want to use a plan. This step-by-step plan helps you communicate that you are a good fit BEFORE and DURING sorority recruitment. That way, you are not picking the better of your last two options. You choose the best option from the start.

If you need help getting a bid to your dream sorority, I encourage you to apply for CRUSH [sorority recruitment coaching]. In this program, we build a campaign around you. This campaign helps members know your name and be rooting for you before sorority recruitment starts. Also, you will create your answers to the most commonly asked questions and practice your conversations. That way, you know how to break the script and feel confident connecting with the members. Most importantly, the members walk away from your conversations seeing you in the sorority and giving you an amazing score.

Click here to apply (https://www.gettingthebid.com/apply)

Click here to learn more