10 Tips for Choosing The Perfect Sorority For You
Go into recruitment with confidence with these tips for deciding which sorority is right for you.
For many women, picking a sorority is an emotional decision. It’s a decision that can’t be easily reverse and I know you want to get it right.
Simply put, choosing the right sorority comes down to finding a sorority that makes you comfortable being yourself, has a philanthropy you can fully support, and most importantly, the sorority mutually feels the same way about you.
Of course, knowing if a sorority likes you just as much as you like them isn’t easy.
But going into recruitment having your priorities in order will help you make a more informed decision after each day of recruitment up until Bid Day.
In this blog post, we’ll be discussing 10 tips for picking the right sorority for you.
These tips will help you with your initial research process before recruitment and help you make rational and thoughtful decisions while going through recruitment.
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1. Realize that where you end up is sort of out of your control – so keep an open mind!
Ok, reality check time.
Choosing a sorority isn’t a simple as meeting a few girls, writing down our preferences, and getting a bid to your #1 pick.
Due to the recruitment being a mutual selection process, you aren’t guaranteed to be invited back to your top choice every single round of recruitment.
Of course there are women who seem to just click with their favorite sororities, but know that that’s not the norm and it’s part of the process to get rejected by sororities who you really thought you clicked with.
And getting dropped during recruitment isn’t a BAD THING.
It’s actually a good thing.
Because that means the sororities who invited you back saw something in you that the other ones didn’t.
So take advantage of that and make the most of the opportunity to connect with the Sisters of the sororities who invited you back each day.
But, realize that picking a sorority is partially out of your control. So while you are researching sororities and going through recruitment, keep an open mind and stay positive no matter what happens.
In other words, don’t be dead set on one sorority only to find yourself getting cut by them the next day of recruitment.
Instead, go into recruitment having certain preferences, but also mentally and emotionally prepared to be dropped and being okay with pivoting.
2. Choose a sorority you can afford
A crucial part of your initial research of the sororities at your school are: how much are dues?!
This is one deciding factor you cannot take likely because joining a sorority and not being able to afford it is a disaster just waiting to happen (and it never ends well).
So during your research into the sororities at your university really pay attention to:
- Are dues all-inclusive or not?
- Are there extra events or apparel items you need to pay for?
- How much is it to live in-house versus not?
- Is there a payment plan available?
- How much are new member dues vs initiated sister dues?
All of these factors will play a huge role in picking the right, affordable sorority for you.
And if you cannot afford a certain sorority during recruitment, honestly, tell them so you don’t have to potentially be invited back to a sorority you cannot afford long-term.
You may also like: How Much Does It Cost To Join A Sorority?
3. Choose a sorority who is inclusive
Sororities, unfortunately, don’t get the best rep when it comes to being inclusive towards different races, religions, and sexual orientations.
Fortunately, many sororities at the national or international level, and the overarching governing body, National Panhellenic Conference, have come forward with statements regarding inclusivity and actions they’re taking to create a more diverse, inclusive, and equal community for all women.
For example, here are the steps Gamma Phi Beta, my sorority, is taking towards being more inclusive. And here is Kappa Delta’s as well.
When trying to choose the right sorority, you want to join one that is inclusive. You want to join a sorority who will accept you for who you are no matter what your background, skin color, religion, or sexual preferences are.
During your research into the potential sororities you could join at your university, look up each sororities Instagram. That’s a good way to see how diverse each sorority is at your university.
Scroll through each sorority’s feed and ask yourself:
- Are they only posting photos of similar looking women?
- Are they posting the same women over and over again?
- Does it seem like they are “forcing” diversity into their feed?
- Do they feature a variety of women on their Instagram story or highlights?
- Are there are any comments on their Instagram regarding not being inclusive?
4. Pay attention to your conversations with Sorority Sisters
Remember the saying actions speak louder than words?
Well, when it comes to picking the right sorority it’s 110% true!
While participating in your rounds during recruitment, whether it is during informal sorority recruitment or formal sorority recruitment, pay attention to the conversations you’re having with the Sisters.
And after each round think about:
- Did the women I speak to make me feel comfortable?
- Did the women I speak to seem genuinely interested in me?
- Do I feel like I could talk for hours to the girls at that house?
- Do I feel like I could open up to the women of that chapter?
Ultimately, you’ll want to pick the sorority who makes you feel the most comfortable during conversations and who you feel like you connected to the most.
You may also like: 50 Questions To Ask Sorority Sisters To Keep The Conversation Going During Rush
Because at the end of the day, whichever sorority you end up getting a Bid to, those are the women you’ll be speaking to for the next 3-4 years.
And trust me, you want to feel like you can reach out to any Sister for help or even for a casual conversation without the fear of being judged.
5. Pick a sorority whose philanthropy speaks to you
One aspect of sororities that differentiates them from your typical college club is philanthropy.
What is a sorority philanthropy you ask? In short, it is a cause or organization a sorority supports, brings awareness to, and raises money for. To learn more about all things philanthropy, click here.
Philanthropy will be a core part of your sorority experience, so you want to pick a sorority whose philanthropy you whole heartedly support (even if you weren’t part of the sorority).
So prior to going through recruitment, do a little research on each philanthropy of the sororities at your university.
And don’t just read a quick blurb about it, actually see if you can find photos or videos of the different philanthropy events each sorority holds.
Do the events look fun? And does it seem like the women there are enthusiastic about their own philanthropy?
These are super important questions to ask yourself and reflect on!
You can go even a little further by checking out the philanthropy’s official website to read about the history and get additional information that will help you make an informed decision during recruitment.
Not researching about philanthropies was my greatest downfall during recruitment.
I was so oblivious and didn’t even know what a philanthropy was when I went through recruitment. So don’t be like me! Do your research.
6. Ask your friends for insight
Your friends, both those in a sorority or not in a sorority, can provide some “insider” advice to help you choose the right sorority (and even avoid the wrong ones).
However, use this tip with caution because there’s a ton of biases around sororities.
Take everything with a grain of salt, do your research, and give each sorority a fair chance during recruitment.
But honestly, see what your friends and family have to say–whether it is good or bad.
What they tell you about the sorority or sororities they know about can be a reflection of what the sorority is really like.
In general, you want to pick a sorority who is spoken about positively on campus. And whose letters you would be proud of wearing around campus and out and about doing errands.
The last thing you want is choosing a sorority you feel uncomfortable associating yourself with.
7. Choose a sorority whose events seem engaging and fun
Joining a sorority is a huge time commitment, so you might as well pick a sorority whose events you’re genuinely interested in, right?
During recruitment, make sure to ask Sisters questions regarding the events they put on.
Ask them about their Philanthropy Events, mixer events with other sororities and fraternities, PR events, Sisterhood Events, and Formal/Semi-Formal.
If it seems like the events they put on align with your personal interests, then that sorority could be a great match for you!
However, don’t base your entire decision to pick one sorority over another solely based on the events they have.
Instead, focus more on how well you connect with the women in that sorority and how at home they make you feel.
Because at the end of the day, you’ll remember the people you spent time with over the actual event itself!
8. Pick a sorority that can provide you leadership opportunities
Sororities can be a great way to obtain relevant leadership experience in the field(s) you are interested in pursuing academically or as a career.
With that being said, it is important to you pick the sorority that can provide those leadership experience with low barriers to entry.
For example, my sorority chapter of Gamma Phi Beta offered leadership experience to all members through committees.
You could join a committee you were genuinely interested in, like t-shirt committee or crafting committee, and they could help you build up your reputation in the sorority to help you advance to elected positions like Education Vice President or Membership Vice President.
During recruitment, you’re most likely going to be asked if you are interested in obtaining leadership experience.
And that is a great opportunity for you to ask all of your questions regarding leadership opportunities each sorority has that fits with your personal and professional interests and goals.
9. Consider their academic reputation
One aspect that is sometimes forgotten when choosing a sorority is academics.
And although, for the most part, sororities are a social club, academics do matter to them, and hopefully they should matter to you too!
When deciding on a sorority to join, take a look at their academic reputation.
Some universities will publish the average semester GPA of each Greek Life organization on their website so parents and potential new members can gauge how each organization fairs academically.
It is important you strive to join a sorority who has a relatively high average GPA (3.0 or higher).
By choosing a sorority with a high GPA, you’ll surround yourself with women who care about their academics and want to support their Sisters’ academic journeys too.
Also, during recruitment, you can ask each sorority if they do anything special to assist their Sisters academically such as study groups, incentives for getting good grades, or academic probation.
10. Pick a sorority who appears to fit with your schedule
Many new members struggle to learn how to juggle school and work plus sorority events.
And not all sororities, unfortunately, are relaxed or forgiving about you missing even the most minor sorority event.
So during your quest to picking the right sorority for you, really consider how much of a time commitment each sorority will be.
Although this can be hard to gauge while going through recruitment, consider being upfront with the Sorority Sisters you talk to and ask them:
- How they personally balance sorority life with school and work
- When and how long chapter meetings are
- If there are required events during school breaks
- What events you are required to attend each semester
- Etc.
These questions are very important to ask because you:
- Don’t want to pay missed event fees on top of regular sorority dues
- You don’t want to join a sorority and end up not being able to be an active and engaged member
- Don’t want to end up with an executive hearing for missing too many events
- Feel guilty for not attending events
- Get in arguments with your sorority family for not being as active as they’d want you to be
Concluding thoughts on how to pick a sorority
Deciding on which sorority to join is a huge decision for any woman going through recruitment or even considering going through recruitment.
And although there are a lot of factors to weigh, I hope this guide on how to choose a sorority has provided you insight and guidance to help you pick a sorority that aligns with what you want to get out of a sorority.
Related posts to how to choose a sorority
- The Introvert’s Guide To Making The Most Out of Sorority Life
- 9 Conversation Tops That Are Off-Limits During Sorority Recruitment
- Can You Go Through Recruitment As A Sophomore? Here’s What You Need To Know
- 7 Qualities Sororities Are Desperately Looking For In PNMs
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