Over here at the Furms, we’re now on the other side of spring semester recruitment. The Potential New Members have now found their sisterhood, and are busy friending upperclassmen on Facebook and trying not to get overwhelmed at their pledge class’s GroupMe.
So now that I’m on the other side of it all, I thought I’d offer some advice to anyone planning to go through the recruitment process next year!
1. Begin a fitness routine (and not because you need it to look good. You’re already adorable)
If you’re like me, and the PAC [aka the Physical Activities Center aka the Gym] is just “that building on one side of the roundabout”, maybe a cardio routine isn’t the worst idea in the world. Turns out, since we don’t have sorority houses, during preliminary recruitment rounds, different sororities are set up in different parts of campus. So, you may be one of the unlucky people who have exactly 15 minutes (but more like 10, because you have to be there by 5 minutes before each round) to run from the upperclassmen apartments all the way back to the Trone. (This probably means nothing to you, unless you’re a Furman student. A normal, leisurely walk from Trone to the apartments is probably a 15 to 20 minute walk.) So ladies, start some cardio. More than once I arrived to a round gasping for breath…don’t let that be you.
2. Practice shouting
Or, just practice projecting. Usually, the rooms get pretty loud during the rounds, and in order to be heard, you’ve gotta think back to middle school choir, and speak from the diaphragm. You don’t want your conversation to just be a series of “What?? I’m so sorry, I couldn’t hear you!!”
So, start your vocal exercises. Start offering to call the dog in from outside. Become a royal announcer like that dude in Princess Diaries 2. Take up opera. Just get ready.
3. Be an individual
In every round, be yourself. Remember, you are looking for a place where you can be yourself for the next four years, and for the rest of your life! If you are putting on a persona for a certain chapter, and you end up getting a bid from that chapter, you have just signed yourslef up for four years of being someone else! So, be unapologetically you. If they do not want you for who you are, they are missing out on a true gem.
4. Don’t let your friends make this decision for you!
Especially at a place like Furman, your sorority does not define you. You and your very best friend in the world can wear different letters, and still be the best of friends. This decision is up to you — don’t pick a chapter just because you are scared of losing a friend. If you and your friend end up in different chapters, your friend group has only expanded, not split.
5. It’s okay to get dropped by a chapter
First of all, dropping is more common than you may think. Every single one of my friends got dropped from a chapter at one point. I struggled with this — because I like for people to like me, and when I got dropped from a chapter during recruitment I was a little bit sad. But, this narrowing down of chapters helped me in the long run. It made my decision that much clearer, and I was able to find a chapter where I feel like I am loved, and I belong.
6. Bring cozy shoes for between rounds
You stand up a lot. Give those feet a break.
7. Get off campus!
Because Furman recruitment is split up between two weekends, there is an entire week in between where you can do nothing but wait, wonder and TALK. When you have reached a point where you can talk about it no more, just go!! Hop in your car, or find a friend who has a car, or take a walk down the swamp rabbit trail…and just get away for an hour or two. You’ll feel 100 times better, I promise.
8. When you get to bid day, remember to breathe!!
Bid day is so so wonderful, and it is also probably the most overstimulating and overwhelming day of your college life thus far. There is so much excitement and noise and love, and you’re getting 50+ friend requests, and you’re meeting strangers who are hugging you and calling you sister, and you’re so happy — but you’re also just struggling to take it all in. You go go go all day, so remember to breathe. Social media is blowing up, so if that overwhelms you, consciously put away your phone, and take it out of the equation. Bring snacks and water, so that if you get hungry in the middle of the day, you don’t become hangry. Get to know your new sisters, and know that you it’s okay if you don’t remember all their names. Have so much fun, and remember to breathe!!