Sorority Recruitment 2020: Zoom Edition

Sorority recruitment was very different than normal this year. Usually we would all be on campus a week early and get to talk to different sororities to see where we felt most at home. This year, we were all still on break and had to adjust to a fully virtual recruitment. I was so nervous that it wouldn’t be the same and I wouldn’t get a real feel of each sorority, but looking back, the recruitment process was amazing!! After talking to so many upperclassmen, it really didn’t feel much different than a normal year of recruitment would have felt. Every sorority did everything they could to make the rounds so special and exciting!

Days 1 and 2

This year we spent the first two days of recruitment watching videos. The girls going through recruitment, also called potential new members (PNM’s), made a video answering some questions about what they’re looking for in a sorority and some personality questions. All 7 sororities made a video to show what their chapter is like and to provide some extra information to PNM’s. Watching each video helped me see some of the values of each sorority and what it would be like to be part of their chapter.

Day 3

The third day is when recruitment really felt like it was finally starting! I attended 5 different sororities’ parties and got to actually talk to women in each chapter. Of course this was over Zoom, but it was still so nice to actually get to talk one on one with someone. It was so great to to have conversations with girls and get to know each other better. We also learned more about each philanthropy in this round which showed what each chapter is passionate about. The sororities made each PNM feel so welcome as soon as the Zoom call started by playing music, blowing up the chat, or playing videos about their chapter.

Day 4

Next is the Preference Tea round where you can attend up to 2 sororities’ parties. This round is so sweet and sentimental! You have much deeper conversations with girls in the sororities and you get to hear sweet letters and speeches that some of the women wrote to their sisters. In this round you really get a sense of what the sorority means to each woman and you can see how much they love and care for each other.

BID DAYYYY!!!

And OF COURSE the best day is BID DAY! This is the last day of recruitment, but it is definitely my favorite! You finally get to see where your new home will be and you celebrate with all the girls in the sorority. I wish this year’s bid day could have been in person, but I know everyone still went above and beyond to make the day so very special. I ran home to Kappa Delta and I couldn’t be happier! My sister is a junior KD at Furman, so getting to celebrate with her just made the day even more exciting. I am already so obsessed with my pledge class and cannot wait until we’re all back on campus together!

Sorority recruitment can seem really intimidating, but let me just say that actually going through the process is really fun. Even though the week was filled with stress and nerves, I can’t help but miss it! Everyone is nervous while going through it, even the sororities, so you just have to keep that in mind! I absolutely loved the conversations I had through my recruitment experience and I feel like I learned so much more and grew closer to every girl I talked to. Whether you choose to go through recruitment at Furman or not, just know that you will always find your place!!

ALL the love!

Andersen