Dear PNM,
Hi! I am a senior ADPi and also a Pi Chi! You are about to enter an amazing week. Recruitment week is so special, especially on Mercer’s campus, and I hope throughout the week you get to experience just how excited our Panhellenic community is to welcome you! This is my fourth recruitment week- I have gone through as a PNM, recruiter, and this is now my second year of being a Pi Chi, so I’ve seen this process from all sides. I know you have to be feeling a lot of things right now (which is SO normal), but I want to reassure you! Each chapter on this campus has spent months and months perfecting their rounds, practicing their songs, creating their shirts and themes, doing trial conversations, and so much more. Every single one of them is so so excited to welcome new members into their sweet sisterhoods, and I hope you remember that this week. I was so intimidated going into recruitment (which, again, is so natural). I was worried about what to wear, what to say, if I was good enough, and all of those things… but try to remember that this week is for you! All of the time, effort, blood, sweat, and tears that has gone into preparation for recruitment is for you. Every sorority woman on this campus just wants you to have an incredible recruitment experience and for you to run home ecstatic on Bid Day! So, on that note, here are my best tips for recruitment week!!
Do’s!
Be Prepared!! I’m not going to lie to you, recruitment week will be busy. It is very manageable to be part of a sorority on Mercer’s campus, and each sorority will do whatever they can to support you academically throughout the year (for example, ADPi has sisters that study together, a study bank, a Grade my Professor bank, study resources, a sister who’s job is to help academically, and so much more), but recruitment week can be crazy as you juggle your rounds, classes, and homework! Try to get as much work out of the way as you can this weekend so you can relax more throughout the week and do not have to stress on the nights you have rounds! It also helped me to pick my outfits beforehand so I was not stressing over them right before having to leave each day. Pick them with the thought in mind that we will be walking all over campus and it may be very hot. Your Pi Chi and other PNMs are great people to send your outfits to for help!! As a Pi Chi last year, it always made me so happy when my PNMs would send me their outfits!! Feel free to bring a bag with a change of comfortable shoes (I recommend this for Philanthropy or Pref night if you decide to wear heels!), a water bottle, makeup touch ups, perfume, a hair brush, or whatever else will help you feel confident throughout the day! You will always be with a Pi Chi and/or an RA who may also have supplies and things like snacks (I personally keep a backpack with supplies for PNMs), if you need anything, but who will also watch your things during the rounds so you do not have to worry!
Use Your Pi Chi!! Your Pi Chi is here for you! We had to go through an application and interview process to become a Pi Chi, and each of us did this because we are passionate about helping you find your home. Bring a Pi Chi is so rewarding and a great experience, and I cannot express how much it meant to me to be a part of this process last year. Pi Chis are here for whatever you need. We have been there before, trust me, and we can help you through it. We are here to talk about whatever you need to. Share all of your worries, frustrations, thoughts, and more with us! There are so many things I have talked through with my PNMs- from what kind of conversations we should have in the houses, to what to wear, to deciding between chapters you love, to guilt over dropping a chapter, to talking through rumors or things your friends have told you- and no topic is off limits. If you take nothing else away from this post, please hear this: your Pi Chi is here for you, always, and she wants to do whatever she can to make this experience incredible for you!! Last year I had six PNMs in my group and all six found homes in our four chapters (at least one joined each)- so keep in mind that Pi Chis really are impartial. Yes, I am a member of Alpha Delta Pi but right now, my identity is as a Pi Chi. I am here to talk through pros and cons of any house and anything you are working through, so please don’t hesitate to talk to your Pi Chi about anything!!
Be Open Minded and Be Yourself! Go into recruitment with an open mind. If you read on, you’ll see specifically some tips on how to do this, but just remember that people can say whatever they want to tear others down, so make up your own decision based on your experiences throughout the week. And be yourself!! The chapters want to get to know who you are as a person, and want to help you find where you best fit. If you are your true, authentic self throughout the week and trust the process, you will find your place. I know, especially if you struggle with confidence or shyness, it can be especially tricky to do this. Just please know that you do not need to change yourself to find your home. Our chapters are diverse and filled with so many incredible women who want to love and support you just as you are.
Don’ts!
Don’t Listen to Rumors, Don’t Talk to your Roommates. Look, we’ve all been through high school, and we all know how the rumor mill works. If you try, you can find really awful rumors about each chapter on this campus, but you can also find really good ones. Do not listen to rumors. The rumors you hear are not true, and are spread by people trying to hurt others. Our Panhellenic Community is a safe space where we love and care for one another, and friendships transcend chapters. Go into a recruitment with an open mind and heart, pay attention to what the houses share with you throughout the week, the conversation you have, and the women you meet, and find your true home. Don’t talk to your roommates or friends throughout the week about what you may like or don’t like (talk to your Pi Chi!!), because you can still be friends, regardless of where you end up! In order to truly find your home and where YOU will be happy the next four years, don’t let other people sway your decision!!
Don’t Go On Greek Ranks! Every year around recruitment time, PNMs start to look at Greek Ranks. Don’t do it. Please. If you just HAVE to do it, do it on Saturday night after Bid Day and after you have chosen a chapter. Please understand that anyone with an email account can write on Greek Ranks- this means sorority women at Mercer but also fraternity men, people from other schools, and random internet trolls. You have no idea if what you are reading is even written by someone who knows where Mercer University is. People write on Greek Ranks to try to tear each other down, but much like with rumors, most of what you see on there is unfounded. People write awful things for so many reasons- my freshman year, a woman I know broke up with her boyfriend and he made horrible comments about her chapter on Greek Ranks, comments that were in no way true. People can say whatever they want to on there, and most do it out of spite or hatred, so there is just no reason to even read them. Just stay off!
Don’t Talk About Boys! We do not participate in fraternity recruitment and they do not participate in ours. Period. In your rounds, avoid topics of conversation like boys, fraternities, parties, and the like. Recruitment is not about these things, it is about finding your home in a sisterhood that will help you become the best version of yourself. Leave boys out of it!
Don’t Worry About Brands. Be yourself!! Your chances of getting a bid will not change if you come in head to toe in Gucci or Walmart clothes- we are interested in so much more than your appearance. That being said, make sure to dress for the rounds and look presentable, but do not worry if you do not have fancy name brands! I sure didn’t! The chapters are NOT here to judge you based on your appearance, but based on you, your personality, and your heart.
I hope this post has helped you feel more prepared, and more importantly, EXCITED for this week! Every person involved has been anxiously awaiting Monday, and each member of the four chapters cannot wait to meet you and help you find the place you belong. Trust the process, try to calm your nerves, talk to your Pi Chi, don’t listen to rumors, come in with an open mind, and be your authentic self. We cannot wait for you to join our chapters and I hope you have an incredible week. Go Pan and Go ADPi!!
Love,
A Pi Chi <3