Recruitment. Sincerely, A Former Gamma Chi.

Chi Omega has given me so much in my (almost) four years of being in college. An amazing support system, study partners, people to eat the extra bread rolls with, and countless memories. One of the biggest blessings was my opportunity to serve as a Gamma Chi last fall. A Gamma Chi is a recruitment counselor, there to guide you through the process and give you any tips you may need. We were not allowed to reveal our affiliation and were basically a member of all eight chapters for two weeks. Before this experience, I can truthfully say that I took how amazing our Panhellenic community is for granted. I’m a little biased, but I believe Mississippi State has the best eight chapters to ever exist. No matter where you end up at the end of the week, you are in such good hands! These girls are so excited to meet you, love you for who you are, and help you grow into the person you want to be. 

I took the role of Gamma Chi number 15 very seriously, especially knowing that I was going to be one of the first people some of these girls would meet in college. I wanted to be authentic with my girls, and today I want to be authentic with you. I’m going to start out by saying something you probably don’t hear very often…Recruitment is Weird. Now, that doesn’t mean it isn’t my favorite week of the year or an unforgettable way to meet some of your best friends! It’s just weird. People you’ve never met before sing to you, ask you questions you aren’t used to being asked, give you fruit juice, and all in 100-degree weather. Once you can go ahead and grasp that this isn’t an everyday occurrence, you can more easily go along with it and enjoy the ride. All over social media, you’ll start seeing pictures of shiny haired sorority girls laughing, hugging, and even doing some community service in matching outfits. Everything seems perfect, intimidatingly perfect, and I’m here to tell you-- it’s not. What you don’t see is the giant pieces of furniture being moved the night before, girls nervously practicing recruitment conversations in the hallway at midnight, trying to find a decent picture of someone doing community service because most of us looked sweaty, and the sheer panic in a girl’s face when she realizes she wore the wrong t-shirt. To be completely honest, we’re just as nervous as you are!

That being said, don’t be too cool for school! Just like the theme of every Disney Channel original movie, you have to be yourself. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the masses of girls who seemingly already have friend groups, but trust me when I say they don’t have it all figured out either. Whether you know 20 people going through recruitment or two, don’t be scared to reach out to someone in line with you. You can simply introduce yourself or even give them a compliment. Chances are you’re both nervous, and breaking the ice by lifting each other up will help you go into the house with ease and confidence rather than quiet jitters! And once you get into the house, don’t try to say all the right things. Say what you feel and what represents who you are! If you enter a sorority being someone you’re not, it’s going to be a hard four years trying to keep that act up. Also, you can expect some awkward pauses every now and then during recruitment. As I said, we are just as nervous as you are and don’t always know what to say. If you have a question you’d like to ask or a topic you’d like to discuss, bring it up! We love seeing where your passion lies.

Onto the topic of conversations...this is my favorite part! For someone that despises small talk, recruitment is my happy place. It’s a week where you can talk about what excites you, what gets you up in the morning, and why being a part of something bigger than yourself means so much to you. While I know not everyone loves talking about their feelings, I really encourage you to step out of your comfort zone when it comes to your time at each house. Don’t feel pressured to bring up your deepest secrets, but try to stray away from only talking about things like Netflix and your love of pop-tarts. Talk about things like what you want to become involved in, what you like to do for fun, what you loved or didn’t love about highschool, and what you are most excited about in this next chapter of life. In the virtual rounds especially, you’ll want to sprinkle in little facts about yourself or stories that’ll make you stand out! For example, I remember talking about how I was an elementary school DJ for father-daughter dances. We will be talking to so many girls each day and want to know what makes you who you are!

Lastly, and this is super important, talk to your Gamma Chi about how you’re feeling. There is nothing too small or too unimportant for them to talk through with you. They have been trained to guide you throughout the week and they want you to feel comfortable asking them for help! Don’t be afraid to say things like, “I really thought I was going to like this house but I ended up liking this other one more!” or even, “My mom was in this house and I don’t want to disappoint her, but I have fallen in love with another one!” or if you’re like I was, “I don’t really understand anything about sororities, could you explain this to me?” The Gamma Chi’s are completely unbiased and know so many ways to help talk you through your situation. Curious as to why? Because a lot of them felt that way too! And it may sound harsh, but you shouldn’t talk to your friends or even family about each of the houses when you’re making your decision. It should be entirely up to you! Talking to a friend about how you like one house, may make them doubt where their heart was leading them. Keep things private until the end of the week. If you and your friends end up in different houses, the more the merrier! You’ll be introduced to your friend’s new sisters and vice versa, and it’s a blast. You’ll be able to support each other’s philanthropy events and even try other house’s foods at lunch-- one of my favorite things to do!

The biggest takeaway here is to be YOU! It’s totally normal to feel nervous or even awkward at times, but don’t be scared to acknowledge it. Once you accept it, you have power over it and can turn that energy around. “I’m nervous, but I’m going to try to be excited! I feel awkward but I’m going to be myself.” This process is weird, but it’s also so much fun because it leads you to your home away from home. And the best part is, you aren’t alone! There are quite literally hundreds of other girls going through the same thing and over 50 Gamma Chi’s there to help you along the way. You’ve got this! You are already so loved by the Panhellenic community, and we cannot wait to meet you!

Sincerely,

A Former Gamma Chi