Olivia

Hey all!

For my blog I will be starting a segment called, “Tip Tuesday,” where I dole out some helpful tips for prospective and current college students. For all of you that do not know, The University of Iowa has an AWESOME Greek life… I should know because I am now a member (Shoutout to Delta Gamma!). When I started recruitment, I knew next to nothing, which brings me to my first tip…

Tip 1: Enter with an OPEN mind. Because I did this, I was able to view each sorority without input from others. Choosing a sorority is so personal. It is YOU that is joining the sorority. A chapter may feel like home to your best friends, but not to you. That is FINE! Go where you want, and do not be deterred by someone else’s opinions. I tried to not discuss my thoughts on each house with my friends and was stunned when on Bid Day my good friend from high school was in my sorority. We had not discussed it prior and now we are sisters for life! We are in the same sorority because we were both best fit for it, not because we planned it.

Tip 2: You may drop at any time during the process but I recommend seeing it through to the end. If a sorority that you love doesn’t call you back for a round, do not be discouraged because each sorority has such amazing things to offer! Recruitment spans over two weekends and has some long days, do not be overwhelmed… the days fly by!

Tip 3: Be prepared to not always get your top choice. From personal experience, I loved a certain chapter and was CONVINCED they would ask me back to the Preference Round (which is the last round before Bid Day with your chapter) but they did not. I was a bit crushed and I have to admit that my self-esteem took a hit. But after a quick call with my amazing mom, I snapped out of my gloomy state. The sororities that DID call me back were awesome in their own right and ultimately a better fit for me.

Tip 3: Sororities are also called “chapters.” Knowing this prior to starting recruitment would have saved me so much confusion!

Tip 4: Trust the process. All of the current members of sororities I talked to all said that everyone ends up where they are supposed to. I can attest to that! DG already feels like home.

Tip 5: Bring snacks. The days are long as mentioned before, and even though there are breaks, sometimes it is not enough time to head back to Burge or Hillcrest for a real meal, especially when you are traveling from an outhouse chapter.

Tip 6: Wear what makes you feel comfortable. I plan on putting a post up about outfit suggestions for each round! Keep your eye out for it, readers!

Tip 7: Take notes after you leave the chapter! After a long day, all the houses begin to blend together, making it harder to form an opinion on each chapter. Jot down what you talked about, what the girls looked like, or anything else to jog your memory when making your selections.

Tip 8: Do not be nervous to talk to the girls at each house. Usually they are just as nervous as you! They want you to like them so you’ll come back and you want them to like you so you can come back to the house for another round. Try to be as real to your personality as you can when talking to the girls, get to know them and let them get to know the “real” you… they may become your sisters!

My high school friend (left) and I at Bid Day where we found out we were both members of Delta Gamma!

New members of DG! I am second from the left in the 5th row.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 30th, 2013 at 2:11 pm and is filed under Campus Life, General, Photos, . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.