Queenly’s Sorority Rush Prep Guide

If you’re on Tik Tok then you already know that #BamaRush Season 2 is back! Last year Sorority Recruitment Week at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa took the internet by a storm and our “For You” pages were flooded with OOTDs, rush updates, former Greek life drama, parodies, and more. Whether you were or were not in a sorority in the past, many viewers on Tik Tok were invested in the journeys of young ladies going through the process of sorority recruitment.

Joining a Greek sorority on any university campus can be an exhilarating and life-changing experience for young women. If you’re on the fence or nervous about rushing, don’t worry you are not alone. Sororities have many great opportunities to offer young ladies in university. Going through rush alone is an incredible way to brush up your interview skills and get used to talking about yourself (which trust me, once you’re out of college you will be SO thankful for all the interview prep this experience gave you). Whether you’ve gone away from college and are searching to make new friends or are just looking to try something new, sorority recruitment might be for you! Additionally, there is a lot about rushing and sorority life that may come as a learning opportunity.

What is a PNM? What should I wear for recruitment? Are sororities really for me? What happens during each round? How will I know which sorority to join? What should I bring each day? These are all common questions that circulate the minds of upcoming potential new members (PNMs). There’s a lot that goes into joining a Panhellenic affiliated sorority, and we are here to help you prepare for your sorority recruitment week

Today we are going to cover what to expect while going through rush, tips on what to wear and bring, as well as define some words you may hear during your recruitment experience. Get ready for your sorority recruitment with Queenly and our Sorority Rush Prep Guide!

Formal Sorority Recruitment is essentially a long interview process where the sisters in a house are learning about you and you are also learning about them. Think of speed dating.. But for friends! On the first day or two of recruitment, you will meet ladies from each sorority on campus. Then, as the days continue you will have the opportunity to narrow down which houses you visit, until you ultimately find your home.

Later in the day after you’ve already spoken to a handful of houses, the conversations may begin to feel repetitive, however body language and first impressions matter. One tip to be successful while going through rush, is to remember that communication is a two way street, and active listening plays a huge role in making sure conversations go well.

While it may be tempting to tough it out and stay in your cute little heels all day, the fact of the matter is sorority recruitment is a marathon and not a sprint. You are most likely going to be walking a lot from house to house throughout this process. On the days where you are more dressed up and wearing heels, we highly recommend also bringing a pair of sandals, slippers, or crocs to change into between rounds. Trust me, you’ll be thanking me later when you hear about the blisters developing on other girls' heels who did not bring an extra pair of shoes.

Speaking of clothes… each day or round of recruitment will have a different dress code to follow. While you aren’t going to get into your dream house based solely on your appearence, as we mentioned earlier, first impressions do matter! A good rule of thumb is that it’s always better to be overdressed than underdressed. Fashion and clothes are also another way to express yourself so that the active members can learn a little more about you as you are going through the process.

The first round of recruitment is the most casually dressed round (which is good because this is also when you will be going around meeting the most amount of houses)! Sometimes schools will provide a T-Shirt to all the PNMs and then you will simply pair the shirt with a cute athletic skirt, shorts, or jeans and a comfy pair of sneakers! Keep the makeup and jewelry light and you will be good to go!

Okay now that we’ve covered what to wear, let’s talk about what to bring in your Sorority Rush bag to help you survive the week or weekend! Below is a long list a items that we recommend you carry in your sorority rush bag (usually a large tote or purse).

Queenly’s Rush Bag Essentials
• Comfy shoes/sandals/crocs
• Water Bottle
• Snacks
• Hair Ties/Clip
• Deodorant/Perfume
• Stain Sticks
• Portable Fan
• Mirror
• Bandaids
• Listerine Strip/Mint/Breath Spray
• Advil/Ibuprofen
• Make Up (Lip Gloss and things to touch up)
• Oil Blotting Sheets
• Notebook

Actives: Ladies who are on the other side of the process are considered “Actives” or “Active Members”

Bid: Bids are the official invitation given to a PNM to become a sister in a sorority, given at the end of recruitment.

Bid Day: Bid Day celebrates the end of recruitment as a welcome party to the newest members! When a PNM opens her bid and finds out what sorority she has officially been invited to, she then will attend her new chapter’s bid day.

Continuous Open Bidding: Continuous Open Bidding (COB) is a more informal recruitment process that happens outside of rush week. COB allows sororities to give out bids throughout the year.

Potential New Member: A young lady who is going through the recruitment process and has not yet been offered a bid into a specific sorority is considered a PNM (Potential New Member).

Preference Night: Preference Night marks the end of formal recruitment with a more exclusive and intimate party. Typically PNMs will only go to one or two houses that night, and this night is usually the night that helps seal the deal of which sorority she will go home to the next day.

Preference Card: Once recruitment has commenced, PNMs will have to opportunity to rank the houses on a preference card to select which sorority they most want to join.

Recruitment Counselors: Sometimes called Rho Chi, Gamma Chi, or Pi Chis, Recruitment counselors act as mentors through the recruitment process. They are women from different sororities on campus, but disaffiliate during the time of recruitment to help guide PNMs through each day in rush.

Big/Little: During the first few weeks of being in the sorority the new member will get a “big” or “big sister” who is a current member of the sorority. Bigs act as a mentor for their little and bigs often craft and give small gives to their future little to lead up to the exciting Big/Little Reveal!

Initiation: Initiation is a ritual or ceremony where new members officially become sisters in the sorority.

College Panhellenic Council: Panhellenic is the groups that oversees all the Greek sororities on campus.

Legacy: A legacy is when a PNM or member of a sorority has a family member (typically a direct line like mother/grandmother/sister) who was also in that sorority.

Letters: Letters are the abbreviation of Greek letters that represent a sorority (Ex. Zeta Tau Alpha = ZTA) Letters can also describe shirts or sweatshirts that have the abbreviated letters on them. Typically only initiated members are allowed to wear the letters of the sorority on clothes.

Nationals: Nearly every sorority has a national headquarters that oversee the funds and activities of every chapter of their sorority in the country.

Ritual: Rituals are secret traditions within a sorority that should not be shared with people outside the group. While the actual rituals are secret, one common thing among many rituals is that sisters typically wear all white for the ceremonies.