I know you all may be thinking Well, well, well, Millie, long time no talk. And yes, I have been pretty MIA when it comes to writing blog posts, but I have had a lot going on! For those of you who may not know, this summer I made the big jump from staying at home for quarantine in California to working at a big girl job across the country in Maryland. I started the drive out with $500 for gas and food and that was it because I am an independent woman. I know this seems impossible to do at this day in age, but trust me, moving across the country with only $500 is possible, but you’ve gotta have the right support system. I highly recommend doing it - it’s very liberating, anyways moving on. I will do a separate blog post this week, probably on Friday, to explain in depth everything that I have been up to since my last blog post and all the deets of the road trip, but for now, here's a little overview of what's been going on! I drove across the country in 2 ½ days, got a fantastic job, spoke on a podcast, visited Boston, and have spent many days enjoying the lake. Now, that’s enough about me. I want to start talking to our lovely recent high school grads (congratulations, btw) and tell them everything they need to know about rushing this year. (obviously, if you are already in college and planning on rushing, this is also for you) We all know, thanks to the wonderful Miss Rona, that recruitment will be looking a LOT different this year, and will most likely look different for every school. I’m not going to be giving you a step by step on how it is all going to go down, because even our chapters don’t necessarily know that yet, but I will give you a little bit of advice. The most important piece of advice to remember? Just because recruitment is online doesn’t mean you shouldn’t rush! Repeat that. Now, repeat it again and keep saying it to yourself until you believe it. I cannot stress enough how important rushing is. This is a time that we should be wanting to go through recruitment more than ever. With classes most likely being online and many schools having to change their dorm policies to only have one person to a room, it can be so nerve wracking to find a sense of community at a new school, potentially in a new state, in the climate that we are in. Now, you may be thinking to yourself, I’m not a sorority girl, I won’t fit into any of the sororities. Well, get those thoughts out of your head because they are just straight up lies your brain is feeding you that are rooted in a fear of not fitting in. How do I know these are lies? Because I thought the same thing during recruitment. I thought I was going to get dropped from my dream house, which I did and I dodged a bullet with that one, but I discovered a whole new love for a chapter that I actually fit into. I am a firm believer that there is a sorority that is made for everyone, even if it takes going through the whole recruitment process and getting your heart broken by multiple chapters. Yes, you heard me right - getting your heart broken. Some people are lucky and their recruitment goes smoothly and they get everything they want, while others have to make a lot of tough decisions, whether it’s deciding to continue with a house that they don’t like right away, or picking your new favorite house after your top house drops you. Recruitment throws you through the wringer for sure, but in the end, it’s all very worth it. Once you are through recruitment, you tend to find your place and your people pretty quick. If you don’t feel like you fit in with your pledge class, don’t worry! The older members will most likely take you under their wings and help get you more connected in the chapter. Once you get your big, you will really start to feel connected! This connection is what’s crucial to develop this year. Because of Corona, we may not get the same opportunities to connect with others on campus that we would typically get while we aren’t in a pandemic. Dorms will look different, dining halls will look different, classrooms will look different. What isn't different? The opportunity to find a connection with a sisterhood. This should be where you start. There are a few things that you should remember to do before rushing. Since this recruitment season is already looking different with being able to talk to sorority girls before rushing (this is at least the case at our school, maybe not others), reaching out to people is very important, but you want to make sure that you shed a good light on yourself since you are a potential new member to their chapter. Here are a few ways you can prepare yourself: 1. Know your worth and don’t be shy about your talent and accomplishments! You want to show them your strengths and show them what you would be able to bring to their chapter. How did I do this? I posted a lot of my graphic design on social media leading up to recruitment and talked about the app I was creating at the time. This showed that I could bring creativity and leadership to the chapter. Think about what your strengths are and how you could display them to your peers. If you can’t think of how to do that without telling them, no worries, you will be asked a lot of questions during recruitment that will give you the opportunity to talk about those strengths. 2. Clean up your social media Remember when you were a junior in high school at your first party and you posted a picture with that white claw in your hand? No? Well, more often than not, there is going to be one of those pictures deep in your feed and you’re going to want to delete it (or archive it, we won’t know). A big thing sorority girls look out for on social media is the presence of alcohol or drugs in the same photo as people who are under 21 years old. We look out for this because, well, that’s illegal and it’s actually something your future employers will look out for as well. I know it may seem like a dumb rule, but it is really just to prepare you for the future. This does not mean you can’t drink or partake in the devils lettuce if that is what you prefer! Of course you can do anything at your own risk, just be safe and smart about it. 3. Be authentic This is my last, and best piece of advice I could give you for recruitment. Believe it or not, we can tell when girls aren’t being real and they are just putting on a show to try and get into the top house (shoutout to DG for being voted favorite sorority on campus for the past two years). We can also tell when girls give us the cold shoulder because they only want to focus on getting into a specific house. Neither of these things are attractive to a recruiter. Be your true and honest self. If someone reaches out to you asking if you have any questions, follow up with them. Ask the tough questions to make sure that you would be a good fit. All we ask is that you are a good human and just be yourself. If you aren’t being authentic, you may end up somewhere that you end up not liking in the long run! Well, I know that there is a lot of (probably repetitive) information here, so I am going to leave it at that. If you have any questions about rushing or what my recruitment experience was like, don’t hesitate to reach out and send me a message! Recruitment is one of my favorite times of the year, so I have a big passion for it and can help calm all your worries about it. Until next time, stay happy, stay healthy, stay real. xo, The Undergrad
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AUTHORCamille Baron is a 20 year old attending the University of Utah and is in her third year as a Strategic Communications major. She strives to educate college women like herself to achieve their full potential in all aspects of life. ARCHIVES
July 2020
CATEGORIESAll Business And Professional College Culture Education Health And Wellness Self Care Travel |