Formal Vs. Informal: the Differences between Sorority Recruitment

Becoming a throughout my junior year in college was something that I could’ve never thought of for employment myself. I participated in August 2024; going through the informal process in order to receive my cherished bid. Last month, I got to experience official recruitment for the very very first time. I thought I would go over today the distinctions in between the two recruitments and my recommendations on sorority life.

What is Formal Recruitment?

Formal recruitment is a process that includes multiple days of rounds to get “matched” with the ideal house. Each round may end up being harder due to being stopped by certain sororities. When you think about formal recruitment, consider Bama Rush. The OOTDs, the hundreds of shouting girls opening the yellow envelopes, and the extravagant sorority house filled with appeal on the within and out.

Although Virginia Tech’s sorority recruitment is not as intensive as Bama Rush, it does follow a lot of the exact same procedures. There are four rounds within rush: Open House, Philanthropy, Sisterhood and Preference. After each round, your house options end up being narrower, causing the final day: Bid Day. Bid Day is where you receive an invite to the sorority you are matched with.

Being an employer, this experience was quite cool to see. I liked seeing all the PNMs personalizations of their clothing and seeing if they would fit well within my sorority. The process likewise helped me get closer friendships within my own sorority, as we needed to work together to make certain rush went as smoothly as possible.

What is Informal Recruitment?

Informal recruitment is a process that’s much calmer than official recruitment. Usually, it is a COB procedure (constant open bidding), suggesting the sorority will slowly approve PNMs with bids throughout the timespan of the recruitment.

The process normally involves a small sorority occasion where you satisfy a few of the sis and after that you may satisfy a sibling individually.

The cool feature of informal recruitment is that you can choose your house you want and not be forced to see the other homes. But the only thing that might occur is the specific sorority you want might not offer informal. This depends upon the sorority’s numbers. If they have enough numbers and/or simply do not want to do informal recruitment, employment you may not be able to rush that particular sorority. Also, some sororities do invite-only casual recruitment. It is essential to keep in mind that informal is an excellent choice, but it might not be provided all of the time.

Which recruitment is better for me?

Well, it depends. If you want the chance to see all of your houses on your university campus, it is best to do official. Formal gives you the opportunity to see all of your houses and discover more about the sisters and the history of the sororities.

If you are already set on what house you want, informal recruitment may be the very best alternative. But once again, you should be careful that some sororities might not use this option.

How do I know if I wish to remain in a sorority?

GIVE IT A GO! See if you like it. I didn’t understand if I want to be in a sorority and I was so scared to attempt it. Once I found my sorority, I felt that I found my home away from home. I felt convenience from the females I was surrounded by, and employment I feel a lot love every time I walk in your home doors.