Listen, we all want to find our forever families in Greek Life. This Top 5 list will help give you more insight on the (intimidating) process!
#5: No, it’s not like ‘Bama Rush
I know all the tiktoks will make it seem otherwise, but Vandy’s rush is nowhere near as intimidating as larger SEC schools like Ole Miss or ‘Bama. There’s no judgements on your appearance or how much money you spent over recruitment. Vanderbilt doesn’t use words like “pledges” or “rush” anymore. Instead, you’ll be a potential new member attending formal recruitment. Greek Life is to find a family, not to exclude others!
#4: You don’t need to buy a whole new wardrobe
This would have saved me so much time, energy, and stress to know! So recruitment is only two weekends long, and you’ll be wearing jeans half the time. Days one and two are spent wearing jeans, sneakers, and a Vandy t-shirt. Days three and four are get a little more formal, with sundresses and sweater dresses. By the time bid day rolls around, you’ll be back in jeans! However, formal recruitment is in the winter, so remember to layer and grab your coat.
#3: You will inevitably be dropped from some houses… and that’s okay!
Unfortunately, the process includes you having to drop houses, and houses having to drop you. On day one (display round), you will start out with going to nine houses. Day two (philanthropy round) you can have a MAXIMUM of seven houses. However, don’t worry if you have less than seven. I wish I was told that the average number of houses people receive on day two is 4 to 5. On day three (sisterhood round) you will be able to see a MAXIMUM of five houses, but don’t be worried if you have 3 to 4. Finally, on your last day, preference round, you can only see two houses. When houses drop you, because they have to, try to think about the houses that invited you back, rather than the ones that didn’t. Remember, the houses the invited you back chose your name out of their list of hundreds of girls to learn more about YOU!
#2: Come into recruitment with an open mind
All throughout recruitment we were told that if we were looking for a community of sisterhood, the panhellenic committee could guarantee we’d find it. But if we were looking for membership in a specific house, they could not guarantee we would find that. There will be houses that your friends will like that you won’t vibe with, and vise versa. That is completely normal, so please don’t base your preference off of your friend’s decision. And if you’re the only one in your friend group that is rushing, that’s even better. You won’t be biased towards anyone else’s pick!
#1: You’re finding the house that fits you, not trying to make yourself fit a certain house.
Look, there’s a reason Vanderbilt has nine different sorority houses. If every single house was the same, there would only be one house on campus. So if you feel yourself trying to change or act a certain way in one house, then that house isn’t for you. No hard feelings. It’s all about where you truly see yourself. During my recruitment I was told that sorority houses are kind of like shoes: there are some that are cute, but they may not fit you. You’re looking for the right fit! So, trust the process.
Hopefully this guide eases any nerves you may have about joining Greek Life. If all else fails, just be yourself! Good luck! –Abbey
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