To visit a sorority for Philanthropy Round, most of the time you have to be invited back.

What does invited back mean?

Let’s talk about how sorority recruitment works. Have you ever seen The Bachelor or The Bachelorette? Sorority recruitment is similar. Round 1 is comparable to the first episode of The Bachelor. During this round, you will meet all of the sororities on your campus.

After you meet all of the sororities, you pick the sororities you want to go back to for Philanthropy Round. Also, The members are voting on the potential new members. They decide which potential new members to invite to Philanthropy Round.

Then, at the beginning of the Philanthropy Round, you will receive your invitation schedule (a schedule with the sororities that invited you back). This schedule has the sororities you will be meeting for that round. Most potential new members assume their invitation schedule will have all of the sororities they voted to keep. That is not the case. During sorority recruitment, the sororities have the upper hand. They invite potential new members to each round just like the bachelor picks women to stay. Also, most potential new members are not getting invited to the maximum number of sororities. Most will get invited to 30% to 70% of the maximum invites. For example, if Sam is an average potential new member and could be invited back to 9 sororities, she will be invited to 2 to 4 — depending on how well her Round 1 score was.

During Philanthropy Round, you will have conversations with the members. At the end of the Philanthropy Round, you will pick which sororities you want to go back to for next round. The members will vote on which potential new members they want to invite back.

The same process will continue until Bid Day.

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

Let’s take a deeper look at sorority recruitment.

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 conversations, and more. Since they are practicing so much, they have created a script of questions to ask each potential new member. They will not break the script unless you force them to break it.

Why will the members not break the script?

Having conversations with strangers can be difficult. The members know they have to keep the conversation going. They do not want to create awkward silences in the conversation.

Why do most potential new members not break the script?

Most potential new members do not prepare for their conversations and do not realize most of their score is dependent on their conversations. When the members ask them questions, they answer with a fact or one word. Here is what the average potential new member’s conversation looks like during sorority recruitment.

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

Potential new member: Hi! My name is Sam!

Member: Where are you from?

Potential new member: Atlanta

Member: What did you do this summer?

Potential new member: I worked and hung out with friends Member: Where did you work?

Potential new member: At a restaurant

Now, give Sam a score -- 1 (I cannot see her in my sorority) to 10 (Wow! She is amazing! I want her to be a member). What score did you give her?

Most likely a 3 to 5.

When the member is voting on Sam, she is thinking, “Can I see Sam in my sorority? Maybe? I don’t know? I guess I will give her an average score. If she gets invited back, great. If she does not, that is okay too.” This situation is what is happening to most potential new members. They are getting average scores. When you get an average score, it is like rolling the dice. Maybe you will get invited back. Maybe you will not.

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 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.

We do not have time to break down the full strategy, but let 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 insert college name.

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.

Which potential new member do you want to be? Sam (who gets stuck in the script and is never allowed to stand out) or Brooke (who stands out gets the amazing score she deserves)?

You want to be Brooke, right?

Since most of your score is derived from your conversations, you need to go into your conversations strategically. You have to force the members to break the script. They will not break it on their own.

EXAMPLES OF QUESTIONS ASKED DURING PHILANTHROPY ROUND OF SORORITY RECRUITMENT

The members will talk about their philanthropy, the philanthropy events they hold throughout the year, and their involvement.

During this round, the members want to learn about your past involvement and how you want to get involved in college.

Examples of questions the members will ask

What were you involved in during high school?
If you are a college sophomore or junior -- What were you involved in last year/currently?
What type of activities do you plan on getting involved in during college? -- Many sororities are looking for a well-rounded member. They want you to be involved in other clubs and activities.
What are some of your passions?

Sorority recruitment can be confusing. It can cause potential new members to be stressed out and nervous. With CRUSH [sorority recruitment coaching], you use strategies to get your bid. That way, you walk into sorority recruitment prepared, confident, know how to get your bid, and run home to a sorority you love.

What do you get with the program?

With CRUSH [sorority recruitment coaching], you get:

Videos explaining the 4 strategies you need for sorority recruitment — Prepping Strategy, Mindset Strategy, Small Talk Strategy, and Optimization Strategy
One-on-one calls with Sloan — On these calls, we will go over the program, go over your answers to the most commonly asked questions, answer all of your questions, and make sure you are confident about sorority recruitment!
A workbook to help you implement all of the exercises
Support before, during, and after sorority recruitment

Apply to CRUSH [sorority recruitment coaching]

Click here to learn more

CONCLUSION

You want to use your conversations to stand out. Most members will not break from their scripted questions. You have to force them to break from the script.

During this round, the members want to learn about your involvement and how you want to get involved on campus. You want to have these answers prepared.

GOOD LUCK WITH SORORITY RECRUITMENT! I’M ROOTING FOR YOU!

SLOAN

You have a math test in two weeks that is worth 90% of your grade for the class. You want to get an A. You are looking for guidance on how to get your A.

First, you ask a friend, not in your math class, “How do I get an A+ on my test?” She says, “You need to study.” This answer leaves you frustrated.

Then, you ask your teacher, “How do I get an A+ on my test?” She gives you a step-by-step plan.

Who was more helpful?

Your teacher, right?

To get an A, you need to know the right information and have a step-by-step 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.

BUT… why do so many women going through sorority recruitment ONLY use the advice they find on Youtube and TikTok? Does it help them stand out and get a bid?

Click the video below to see how The Ultimate Guide to Sorority Recruitment can help you create and implement your plan.

Click here to get your copy as an ebook

Click here to get your copy on Amazon