Sam the Overlooked Potential New Member is excited to join a sorority. She starts by looking at her college’s Panhellenic website. She scrolls through the different pages looking for advice. With each page, she learns some requirements and leaves with more questions.
“It says recommendation letters are optional. Will they help me?”
“What are members looking for in a new member?”
“What questions will the members ask me?”
I encourage you to look on your college’s Panhellenic website and see if you can find any of this information.
To find these answers, she turns to TikTok and YouTube. 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 which is 10. She is only invited to 5.
What happened? Why was Sam the Overlooked Potential New Member dropped by so many sororities?
In this blog post, we will discuss how voting works and ways you can increase your chances of being invited back to sororities you like.
How voting for sorority recruitment works
Voting during recruitment can seem like an algebra equation. One thing to remember is recruitment is a numbers game. If you are dropped from a sorority, it does not mean the members did not like you.
First, let’s talk about how you vote during sorority recruitment.
At the end of each round [after you have met all of the sororities on your schedule], you vote on all the sororities you want to go back to for Round 2. Really, it is more like ranking. When you go to vote, there are two sections.
Section #1. The first section is where you list the sororities you want to go back to the next round. The order of the sororities does NOT matter.
Section #2. The second section is where you list the sororities you want to DROP (you do not want to go back to). The order of the sororities matters! The last spot is the sorority you dislike the most. In the example to the right, you like the sorority in the #7 spot more than the sorority in the #8 spot.
After you submit your rankings, the matching [mutual selection] begins. Mutual selection is how you get invited back to the sororities. The process of being invited back to a sorority is not mutual. The sorority has to invite you back for you to see them on your schedule.
Here is how voting works for the sororities
After a sorority meets all the potential new members, they score each potential new member and send over lists to Panhellenic. The lists order each potential new member from best to worst score. Panhellenic takes each sorority’s lists and uses Release Figure Methodology[RFM] to create the invitation list for Round 2. The invitation list for Round 2 has all the potential new members who are invited back to that round.
RFM is a mathematical model to determine the number of invitations a sorority is allowed to extend to a round. The number of invitations differs from sorority to sorority.
How RFM works
If most potential new members vote to keep a sorority, they are required to drop more potential new members. This percentage can be as high as 70%. That means a sorority may only invite back 30% of ALL potential new members. 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% of all potential new members after Round 1. They only invite back around 540 potential new members to Round 2.
Panhellenic does not release the percentage of potential new members each sorority drops.
Also, the percentage each sorority drops changes from round to round. For example, a sorority might drop 40% of potential new members after Round 1. Then, after Round 2, they drop 60% of potential new members.
Does your vote matter?
The simple answer is yes and no. The sororities have the upper hand in sorority recruitment. To have a sorority on your schedule, you have to be invited back to the sorority.
If most of the sororities you want to go back to for the next round invite you back, you will be able to drop sororities. You get to pick the order in which you drop the sororities – that is why the order of the bottom section matters. For example, if 5 out of your top 6 sororities invite you back to Round 2 and sorority #7 invites you back, you will drop sorority #8.
Invitation schedules
When most potential new members see their invitation schedules, they are shocked.
Why are they shocked?
#1. They did not drop the sororities they wanted to drop.
#2. They were not invited back to the maximum number of sororities for that round.
Most potential new members do not have full schedules throughout sorority recruitment. They are invited back to 30% to 70% of the maximum number of sororities. For the example above, a potential new member can be invited back to 6 sororities for Round 2. Most will be invited back to 2 to 4 sororities.
Why can you be invited back to sororities you tried to drop?
Panhellenic wants to optimize your schedule. They want you to visit as many sororities as possible for each round. This way, you can learn more about each sorority and find your dream sorority.
For Round 2 and Round 3, most potential new members will receive a schedule with all of the sororities they tried to drop and some of the sororities they wanted to visit again. No one loves to see sororities they tried to drop back on their list, but you need to give the sororities a second chance.
How can you increase your chances of being invited back to the maximum number of sororities for Round 2? How can you increase your chances of dropping sorority at Round 2?
Let’s first look back at Sam the Overlooked Potential New Member.
Here is how she prepared for sorority recruitment.
She registered.
She created the most beautiful social resume with her Etsy template.
She got recommendation letters.
She spent weeks obsessing over her outfits and even spent some of her graduation money on Golden Goose sneakers.
She watched every video on Youtube and TikTok about what to do during sorority recruitment.
If you notice, Sam spent hours working on the material things. She was in a cave of information. She was NOT actively doing anything to help her get members to know her name. She was ONLY studying.
Instead, you have to campaign for yourself. You might be thinking, “Campaign? What do you mean?”
Imagine you are running for President of the United States. You decide not to campaign in the months leading up to the election. On election day, you make an Instagram post announcing you are running for President.
Do you think you will become the next President?
I wish it was that simple, but you are not going to become the next President. Some have already voted. Some do not follow you on Instagram. Some have already selected another candidate to vote for. If you want to become the next President, people must know your name and believe in you. You have to campaign.
The same idea applies to sorority recruitment. If you stay in a cave of studying and wait until Round 1 to get your name out there, it is TOO LATE. The sororities spend months leading up to sorority recruitment studying potential new members. To have options at Round 2, the members have to know who you are and believe in you.
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.
You might be thinking, “What is a Rush Crush?”
A Rush Crush is someone like Zac Efron in High School musical. Everyone is obsessed with him. When members meet their Rush Crush, they obsess with getting you into the sorority. They go out of their way to get you a bid. To become the Rush Crush, you want to communicate before and during sorority recruitment that you are the right fit.
How to increase your chances of being invited back to sororities you like at Round 2
If you want to be invited back to a popular sorority on your campus or be invited back to the maximum number of sororities, the members must know who you are. They will most likely be dropping OVER 50% of all potential new members. If they do not know your name, the likelihood of you being invited back is not great.
To increase your chances of being invited back to popular sororities and invited to the maximum number of sororities, you need to create and implement a prepping for sorority recruitment plan.
How do you to create your prepping for sorority recruitment plan?
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]
You receive a 4 step process that walks you through recommendation letters, social media, reaching out to members you know, and more.
UNLOCK YOUR POTENTIAL
STAND OUT WITH YOUR CONVERSATIONS
You receive a 4 step process of how to have unique conversations and connect with the member, the most commonly asked questions and examples of how to answer them, conversation mistakes potential new members make, and questions to ask the members.
HAVE OPTIONS
Click here to get the ebook version of The Ultimate Guide to Sorority Recruitment
Click here to get your copy on Amazon
How to increase your chances of being invited back to sororities you like at Round 3
Once Round 2 starts, the scoring is based on your conversations. To get a good score, you have to make connections.
Why do connections matter during sorority recruitment?
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.
How do you allow the members to connect to you?
With each answer, you expand on your answers with specific details. 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 getting invited back.
CONCLUSION
Remember. Sorority recruitment is a numbers game. To be invited back to the sororities you want,
They have to know your name before sorority recruitment starts. You need to create a prepping plan and implement it.
You have to connect with the member in your conversations. Connections are how you are invited back to the sorority.
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 [sorority recruitment coaching] 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.
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https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Guide-Sorority-Recruitment-sorority/dp/1674072309
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