College life can be demanding, but it can also be fun and exciting, especially when you find friends by joining established organizations at your school. Every fall, groups of college women line up outside sorority houses in what is known as the Rush to join a particular sorority. To become a member of one of these organizations, you must undergo a recruitment and selection process. Once you are accepted, you enjoy the privileges of membership, such as wearing Greek shirts and other types of sorority and fraternity clothing. However, being a sorority member is not just about privileges; it also entails commitment to the organization. The following are the basic stages of becoming a sorority member:
- Open Houses. Membership recruitment has four basic stages. The first stage is generally known as Open House. During this stage, you become a Potential New Member (PNM) and are given the opportunity to visit sorority houses and meet the sorority members informally at a particular college or university. At the end of the Open House, you make a list of sororities you want to visit again. On the other hand, the sororities also prepare a list of PNMs whom they want to visit their sorority house again.
- Skits. The next round in membership recruitment is known as the Skit. This is a form of orientation for PNMs in which sorority members prepare a brief presentation about their organization. This presentation shows how their sorority works. This round is considerably fun, so you can relax while watching each of the skits of different chapters of sororities at your school. Just like the previous round, at the end of the Skit you select the sorority you prefer, but this time you have to narrow down your list. The same goes for the sororities: they narrow down their list of PNMs whom they want for their organization.
- Philanthropy. This is the third round, and it entails that each PNM participates in an activity related to the sorority's philanthropy. These activities include craft making and charity work, among others. Through these activities, you will be able to get to know the sorority members much better through informal talks. At the end of this round, you will again narrow down the list of sororities you want to just two, possibly three, depending on the size of the college or university and the number of sororities present.
- Preference. The fourth round in membership recruitment is preference. This is a more formal stage where everyone is dressed in formal clothing or, sometimes, in Greek apparel. This round involves rituals and ceremonies in which sorority members speak more seriously of the sorority's symbols and most-guarded secrets. After you attend all the Preference parties, the National Panhellenic Conference, of which almost all of the sororities in the country are members, carries out the selection process by matching the lists made by the PNMs and the sororities.
Before you finally become a sorority member, you undergo the process called Bid Day, where you will be given an envelope containing the sorority that selected you. Through these organizations, you will not only learn how to treasure friendships but also understand the value of commitment and sisterhood. College life is never easy, but with your sisters at your side and a determination as tough as a Greek paddle, you can get through it with your chin held high.
Become a Sorority Member
Become a Sorority Member : Multi-thousand tips to make your life easier.
College life can be demanding, but it can also be fun and exciting, especially when you find friends by joining established organizations at your school. Every fall, groups of college women line up outside sorority houses in what is known as the Rush to join a particular sorority. To become a member of one of these organizations, you must undergo a recruitment and selection process. Once you are accepted, you enjoy the privileges of membership, such as wearing Greek shirts and other types of sorority and fraternity clothing. However, being a sorority member is not just about privileges; it also entails commitment to the organization. The following are the basic stages of becoming a sorority member:
- Open Houses. Membership recruitment has four basic stages. The first stage is generally known as Open House. During this stage, you become a Potential New Member (PNM) and are given the opportunity to visit sorority houses and meet the sorority members informally at a particular college or university. At the end of the Open House, you make a list of sororities you want to visit again. On the other hand, the sororities also prepare a list of PNMs whom they want to visit their sorority house again.
- Skits. The next round in membership recruitment is known as the Skit. This is a form of orientation for PNMs in which sorority members prepare a brief presentation about their organization. This presentation shows how their sorority works. This round is considerably fun, so you can relax while watching each of the skits of different chapters of sororities at your school. Just like the previous round, at the end of the Skit you select the sorority you prefer, but this time you have to narrow down your list. The same goes for the sororities: they narrow down their list of PNMs whom they want for their organization.
- Philanthropy. This is the third round, and it entails that each PNM participates in an activity related to the sorority's philanthropy. These activities include craft making and charity work, among others. Through these activities, you will be able to get to know the sorority members much better through informal talks. At the end of this round, you will again narrow down the list of sororities you want to just two, possibly three, depending on the size of the college or university and the number of sororities present.
- Preference. The fourth round in membership recruitment is preference. This is a more formal stage where everyone is dressed in formal clothing or, sometimes, in Greek apparel. This round involves rituals and ceremonies in which sorority members speak more seriously of the sorority's symbols and most-guarded secrets. After you attend all the Preference parties, the National Panhellenic Conference, of which almost all of the sororities in the country are members, carries out the selection process by matching the lists made by the PNMs and the sororities.
Before you finally become a sorority member, you undergo the process called Bid Day, where you will be given an envelope containing the sorority that selected you. Through these organizations, you will not only learn how to treasure friendships but also understand the value of commitment and sisterhood. College life is never easy, but with your sisters at your side and a determination as tough as a Greek paddle, you can get through it with your chin held high.