TWO WAY STREET
Many potential new members go into sorority recruitment and say, "I cannot wait to meet all of the sororities. The one that impresses me the most is the one I will join."
When you walk in with this mindset, you set yourself up to have a difficult recruitment. You will be dropped by many sororities you love.
You might be thinking, "HOLD ON! WHAT?!?"
Imagine you are on a first date. The date has the attitude of "impress me". During the date, you ask questions to see if you are similar and compatible. He answers the questions and stares back at you. He waits for you to ask the next question.
How do you feel? Are you going to ask him on a second date?
Probably not. You did not connect with him. It almost seemed liked he felt like he was too good for you because he did not engage in the conversation.
The same idea applies to sorority recruitment. The members do not want to have an interview with you. They want to have a conversation that allows them to get to know you and see if you are a friend or similar to their friends.
Let's talk about how sorority recruitment works.
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 Indiana University. You will select 16 sororities you would like to visit for Round 2 and 6 sororities you would rather not visit.
Most assume they will be invited back to the maximum number of sororities [for this example, 16]. Most are NOT invited back to 16 sororities. Most are invited back to 5 to 12 sororities. To be invited back to a sorority, the sorority INVITES you back.
Why are so many women not invited back to 16 sororities or the 16 sororities they want?
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 the 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. This percentage can be as high as 70%. If we look at Indiana University, around 1,800 women participate in sorority recruitment each year. The most competitive and popular sororities drop around 70% after Round 1. They invite back around 540 potential new members to Round 2. 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.
Since each sorority has to use RFM to invite potential new members back, you have to connect with the member during your conversations. When you walk into sorority recruitment with the intention of "Impress me", you will not put energy into the conversations. You believe the members have to go out of their way to connect with you.
How does the member feel in this situation?
She feels like you are are not a good fit for the sorority. You are not a friend.
Instead, you want to open up about your life and have fun getting to know the members. It is similar to when you were picking your rommate for college. When you picked your roommate,
Did you care what her favorite color was?
Did you care how many boxes she would 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.
How do you allow the members to connect to you?
With each answer, you have expanded on your answers with specific details and memories. When you expand on your answers, you give the members opportunities to find things in common with you. These commonalities allow the members to ask you random follow-up questions or have a conversation with you. The member walks away from that conversation and says, “Wow! I love her! She is just like us! I have to get her into my sorority!” When this comment is said, you gained Rush Crush Status, and the member has connected with you. The member does not see you as a random potential new member. She sees you as a member of HER sorority. The member works overtime to get you into the sorority. She talks to the Recruitment Chair about you. She tells her friends about you. She does everything possible to increase your chances of receiving a bid.
Connections allow the members to see you in themselves. When they see you in themselves, they can see you in the sorority. If they can see you in the sorority, you have increased your chances of getting invited back because they give you a great score.
Do Youtube and tiktok help you stand out during sorority recruitment?
When you depend on Youtube and TikTok for advice, you prepare like everyone else. When you look like everyone else, you do not stand out. If a sorority can only invite back 30% of all PNMs, how will you show them that you deserve to be in the top 30%?
Instead of using advice and being the Overlooked Potential New Member, you want to use a step-by-step plan to gain Rush Crush status -- stand out, have options, and run home to a sorority you love. Click the video below to see how CRUSH can help you create and implement your plan.
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.