Before I went through recruitment at Drake I knew absolutely nothing about Fraternity and Sorority Life, and I didn't know a single person who had joined a chapter. I had no idea what to expect because the only things I knew was the stuff I had seen in movies. But I can honestly say that going through recruitment was one of the best things I did my first-year at Drake!
My Recruitment Counselor was my saving grace during recruitment. Because I knew absolutely nothing about the process, I asked probably a million questions. Sometimes I thought she was probably getting annoyed with me, but it is SO important to ask questions! The recruitment experience has a lot of moving parts and getting your questions answered will make it so much less stressful and more fun!
One of the first things I remember from my first meeting with my recruitment counselor was her saying to "Trust the process". The idea behind it is that the way recruitment is set up in a way that is best for everyone, and it works - but only if you let it! Something they talk about a lot during recruitment is that they don't want you to talk with other girls about your experiences with each chapter. And this is not easy to do! For me it was all I wanted to talk about with my friends.
I remember each night after we would make our preferences, my friends would discuss which chapter was their favorite and why. It was so easy to have those discussions because everyone is so excited and wants to talk about it ll the time - BUT DON'T. Every woman has a completely different experience with every chapter, and the 'process' only works if each woman can make decisions on their individual experience and no one else's. I didn't really think much of the 'trust the process' speech until my second semester in my chapter. Although I would be so lucky to be in any of the chapters at Drake, I ended up in the perfect one for me.
I had amazing conversations in every chapter. I was really nervous to talk to people one on one during recruitment, I was thinking of it as a job interview - which is all wrong. Recruitment is a mutual selection process. So it's just as important for you to feel comfortable in each house! I think it was easier for me when I just started to talk to women like someone I was trying to get to know. I remember asking a lot of questions about their Drake and Sorority experience, like "what is your favorite part about being in your chapter" or "Why did you chose to go to Drake" and through questions like this I realized that I already had so much in common with women in every chapter.
I had an amazing recruitment experience and I think it was because I forced myself to have an open mind and get out of my comfort zone. I had great conversations and was able to meet so many amazing women, many of whom I can now call my sisters. I know this is so cheesy but going through recruitment and joining a sorority changed my life for the better. I am so thankful now to have an amazing group of successful and inspiring women to look up to and I hope that every one of you can find that too!
