Sorority Recruitment: What to Expect & What to Wear

Four Rounds and You’re In a Sorority!!

This is an unusual, unprecedented time. The situation and circumstances continue to evolve daily. Please start your planning for any event by checking your university website.

I remember my daughters going through sorority recruitment. The first one was convinced that her outfit selections were the reason she got dropped from many of the houses. That is very hard to hear from your daughter especially when you have spent much of their lives trying to teach them that beauty comes from within. I did not want them so focused on brands or trying to dress in a way that was not representative of who they were. But, recruitment is one of those times when you are judged on appearances. I am not suggesting that those going through sorority recruitment should dress in a way that does not make them feel comfortable. They can show their personality through their outfit choices and accessories.

And I don’t think you have to spend more than you are budgeted for. We have found that there are many places to shop, including online, where your daughter will be able to find great outfits for Sorority Recruitment. We turned to our interns, most of whom are in sororities to get some suggestions not only on what to wear but also what to expect. Here is their take.

Sorority recruitment. From the moment you register, you build up so much anticipation and excitement for rush week, believing that it will practically determine your friends and social circle for the rest of your college experience. There are a lot of things that you can’t prepare for the week, but one thing that you can plan ahead of time is the right outfit to wear. There are many rounds of recruitment and they each call for a different outfit, which can get slightly confusing and even overwhelming. I’m here to help explain the days and what to prepare/expect for and how to find the perfect outfit for each occasion.

Recruitment Details

This fall’s recruitment will be a hybrid of virtual and in-person. It is definitely going to be different than years past but we asked several of our interns and their friends why anyone would go through recruitment when there will be limitations on gatherings, socials, meals and so forth and the overwhelming response we got was that now, more than ever, for young women heading to college, it is a time where they will need the camaraderie and guidance from other women. Sororities will be adjusting pricing to reflect the changes but it will give them other young women to meet and make the campus smaller. So how will those going through it handle virtual recruitment? Here are some suggestions from our interns:

• Check your wifi connection! The last thing sororities want to do is miss out on valuable time because of a wifi hiccup, while we understand they happen and are often out of your control, make sure you do everything you can to avoid them!!
• Test it out the day before in case you need to download any software.
• Make sure your social media game is on point. Clean it of any inappropriate photos, profanities, and questionable comments.
• Dress to match each round – well, at least from the waist up so that you present your best self. Plus it will make you feel good to be dressing for something other than gym clothes, leggings, and tees.
• Sit up straight and smile – positioning yourself on the front end of your chair will help you to maintain good posture. Don’t sit on a bed or a couch as we tend to slouch which could make you look sloppy. Sororities want you to be put together just like you would be if recruiting was taking place under normal circumstances. Make sure you are making eye contact. Refrain from using your hands too much as you may end up blocking your face.
• Make sure when you are on zoom that you have NO distractions!! We do not want to hear your roommate or pet in the background, nor do we want to see you fidgeting with stuff on your desk or table, it just makes it more difficult to have a conversation!! You can create a virtual background using Canva or Shutterstock. Both offer free templates. There are some fun backgrounds that allow you to show off your personality.
• Engage with the chapter members when given the opportunity. Confidently introduce yourself and ask questions. We give examples of questions you can ask on each individual university page.
• You can certainly look at all the sororities’ social media pages to learn about them, their philanthropies, and get an overall idea of their values and image. We are not talking about going by what you may or may not have heard; take a look and form your own opinion and be open-minded.
• Do not ask about COVID related questions, chances are, the girls who are rushing you know as much about the impact of COVID as you do, and that question will just meet at a dead end of “I don’t know”s!
• And the most important bit of advice that our interns shared was to BE YOURSELF! These sororities want to know YOU the best they can, you need to be willing and excited to be yourself. Being yourself will ultimately land you in the best house for you, and that is the most important.

Get excited!!! While these times are unprecedented, you are still going to end with a new sisterhood, and that is exciting!!! Your enthusiasm will be very clear to the sisters, and a bad attitude about the way rush is will not be favorable, remember, no one has control over these situations!!

Before I get into the details, I want to start by saying that buying nice clothes for a whole week can get pretty expensive and may take a little time and preparation to find the perfect outfits. Start as early as possible and make sure that you go through your whole closet first to see if you have anything appropriate so you don’t have to buy a brand-new wardrobe (although I’m sure you will wear these clothes again and get good use out of them). Try not to wait until the week before so you have enough time to find something that you’ll feel comfortable in and that will be appropriate!

To start, there’s a sorority recruitment orientation. This is where you will meet your Rho gamma and your rho gamma group and be given more details on what the week will look like and how it will really work. This is a super casual event, and you aren’t meeting anyone in the sororities yet, so don’t stress so much on this outfit. You could wear jeans and a shirt, even athletic shorts. Bring a sweater since this is indoors and can get a little chilly.

Extras for Sorority Recruitment

You may want to bring an emergency beauty kit and makeup with you to touch up throughout the day, along with a carry-on size deodorant, portable charger, face blots (this may sound weird, but trust me these are great), an umbrella and mints. This will come in handy and you’ll want to be feeling and looking your best! Your rho gamma will probably have girl accessories or anything else you quickly may need for your parties. It may also not hurt to bring a rain jacket or any kind of jacket and a portable fan when you’ll be in the heat!

Also, if you are wearing heels, you may want to throw in some comfortable flats to wear while walking between each house. One thing to remember for all of your outfits is that you want to make sure you’re being yourself and wearing clothes that you want, not what you think is expected! Recruitment is right around the corner so it’s good to start preparing now!  Because recruitment rounds vary by university, click on each school to get some great outfit inspo.

For school-specific information, check out each university.

Our interns have found great outfits, shoes, and jewelry at the stores below. We hope you will look them over.

• Nordstrom
• Nordstrom Rack
• Show Me Your Mumu
• Lulu’s
• Revolve
• Macy’s
• Amazon
• Francesca’s
• American Eagle
• Etsy
• BaubleBar
• Princess Polly
• Shein

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