It’s Recruitment Week…. But What Will I Wear?!

Some days, brushing your hair and picking out an outfit can feel like a battle. Especially when you feel like you’re going to be judged the second you walk through the door. This is the familiar feeling many women have when walking into sorority recruitment week and it can be stressful, especially when every sorority recruitment outfit you see on Pinterest involves some kind of Lily Pulitzer or designer sandals.

Here are some tips on how to stay true to your personal style during recruitment week.

Day 1: Sisterhood Round

Here at DePaul, The Panhellenic Council and your Recruitment Counselor will provide you with a t-shirt on your first day of recruitment (yay free stuff!!) This is to relieve a little bit of that first day “what do I wear?” and also to show you how sorority recruitment is not about what you wear or snap judgements based on what designer outfit you’re wearing, but the girl behind the outfit.

Show a little of your personal style with this t-shirt by pairing it with a funky pair of jeans, printed pants, accessories etc. We can’t wait to see how you rock it!

Day 2: Philanthropy Round

With each round, the sorority becomes more personal with you, and introducing their philanthropic affiliations is a perfect example of that. Each sorority has a cause they support; they often hold events on campus to get the community involved and raise money to support their unique causes. This is the day where hopefully you’ll feel some connection to the cause the women around you are supporting. The women around the room will probably dress up a little more on this day, maybe in a way that showcases their Philanthropy (for example: Alpha Phi’s primary philanthropy event is the “Red Dress Gala”, so usually that chapter will wear red dresses on this night)

This day is a little more dressy, but still pretty casual. Think a family BBQ or a trendy brunch. Pair some fun heels with a cool pair of pants and a blouse or a jumpsuit and statement earrings.

Day 3: Chapter Round

As the days progress, hopefully your conversations will be a little longer, a little deeper and you’ll start to form a connection with some of the women in each chapter.

As the conversations get longer, the outfits usually get dressier but you’ll be fine wearing an outfit similar to the one you wore on Day 2. Still think dressy but casual.

Day 4: Preference Tea

During this day, the women at the chapter you are invited back to will share with you a special ceremony related to their chapter and their sisterhood. It’s often a very important ritual (don’t worry no blood sacrifices) and along with that comes a dressier occassion. This is the day that the women you speak to will be wearing their most formal outfits of recrutiment and usually they will all be matching in white or black.

Don’t be intimitdated by the word “formal”, a cocktail dress or dressy jumpsuit or romper. Think, what you would wear to graduation or as a wedding guest. If you’re comfortable, feel free to wear heels on this day.

IN CONCLUSION…

• Wear whatever you’re most comfortable in! Don’t pick the dress that you’ll be worrying about your boobs falling out in or a dress that might be see through in a certain kind of light. You want to be present in your conversations and not worrying about if your strap is falling down.

• We’re not here to judge you. First impressions are important sure, but that doesn’t mean you’re not going to get invited back based on what you’re wearing. Think of the clothes you wear this week to simply be an extension of yourself and your personality, we’re here for the whole package.

• Be Yourself! This is one of the most annoying pieces of advice but is actually very true in this case.

Little Pieces of Advice

Going through sorority recruitment can be a big step that some may be hesitant about taking. It can be a difficult decision to make and you can only get so much information when you scour through the Instagrams of the different chapters here at DePaul. The only way to get an accurate representation of what the process is like, is directly from the women who went through it. Some women from ASA were able to tell me about their own personal experiences with recruitment.

The first question that you may be asking yourself is “why should I even join a sorority?” There are so many benefits to being apart of an organization that is bigger than yourself. Aside from the long lasting friendships, the constant support system, and the chance to find a home away from home, you’ll get to be involved in supporting different philanthropies and growing your own leadership experience within a group of other strong women.

“I went through my freshman year with an awesome group of friends but when I got into my sophomore year, I found myself lacking a strong group of women. I learned in one of my classes that women are pit against each other and I wanted to be apart of breaking that cycle.” -Junior Emma Hierseman

There’s also the concern about what exactly the formal recruitment process is like. The best thing about it is that you’ll have recruitment counselors who will guide you through every step of the way. They are there solely to help you through each and every day as you make your way through each chapter. It may get difficult at times but that is when you can turn to them for help.

“I had a positive experience. You can tell when you click with certain girls and when you vibe with a chapter as a whole. There were times when I felt a little overwhelmed but that’s to be expected. I remember hearing from the recruitment counselors to ‘trust the process’ and that’s how I found my chapter.” - Freshman Kate Kacho-Gragg

As you’re going through the process it may be difficult to go in with an open mind. You may already have ideas or thoughts about certain chapters that can be hard to put aside but you have to realize that one person’s experience isn’t going to be the same as yours. Each chapter has something that will bring you in and something that you can make a connection with.

“Don’t go in thinking ‘oh if I’m not in this chapter, I’m not going to do it’ because every chapter has something so special in it. You’ll hear ‘trust the process’ but that’s really what you have to do. Thank God I did it because now I’ve met some of the best people.” - Junior Allison Stark

If you’re on the fence about going through with recruitment, take in this piece of advice.

“Honestly, just do it. It is not going to hurt you. I highly encourage anyone to do it. It could be life changing you never know. It’s changed my life.” - Sophomore Jenna Withers

-Abby Yimer

Letters Are Just Letters

It’s much easier to look down on something than to look up to it. It’s much easier to talk badly about something instead of reflecting on what you envy about it. It's so important to recognize that female empowerment is the future and the sole purpose of sororities. Letters should not dictate whether or not you support someone. Letters symbolize that this person believes in the empowerment of women and you should build them up instead of tear them down. Letters should be what brings us together, not what divides us. Letters do not measure who you are or bind you to a certain group of people. Letters are what give you the power to join an amazing community of women. Women who believe in you, in female empowerment, and who dedicate themselves to bettering themselves and the world around them. All sorority women, regardless of letters believe in the values of friendship, confidence, empowerment, service, community, and leadership. Panhellenic women are a team, not competitors. Every chapter is different, but this is what makes our community so unique. We each bring something different to the table, and you choose whether you view difference as a strength or a weakness. You choose to overcome the stereotypes of other chapters and to branch beyond your chapter. You choose the power of your letters.

I challenge all Panhellenic women to stop viewing letters as dividers and start seeing them as a sign of warmth and welcome. I challenge you to wave to all women in letters and start viewing them all as your friends rather than opponents. I challenge you to overcome this imaginary idea of letters being used for separation rather than association. I challenge you to follow and support more Panhellenic women on social media. I challenge you to find the value and uniqueness in every chapter and every woman you come across.

Nikki Callo