The quota is set at 100 members. Whether you are going through informal or formal recruitment, it is essential that you are 100% yourself during the recruitment process. Please read our Disclaimer Policy for more information about the use of affiliate links on this site. Because sororities are pretty much free to do whatever events they want for COB, the dress code is subject to the event itself. Last year, three sororities – Kappa Alpha Theta, Pi Beta Phi and Sigma Delta Tau – held informal recruitment. How awesome is that?! For many women, COB is a great way to join a sorority with very little cost in regard to time and money. The process of informal recruitment is more relaxed than formal recruitment in the Spring. You are not shunned or looked at differently for going through informal recruitment! Especially if you put forth a lot of energy into COB without a bid in return. Related: How To Manage Working While Being In A Sorority [Without Losing Your Mind]. And not only that, the sororities themselves have to follow specific rules set by their university’s College Panhellenic Council during formal recruitment like: There’s also specific things you shouldn’t, as a PNM, talk about during recruitment. As mentioned earlier in blog post, in this section, don’t be afraid to reach out to the sorority chapter(s) you’re interested in joining via social media. Recruitment is a mutual selective process. Many sorority women love making friends with women outside of Greek life and are thrilled to talk about their sorority. Do the conversations feel one-sided or fair? This ebook is a proven process to get invited to sorority you like and stand out during COB. There is no set dress code for informal sorority recruitment. It’s a more intimate process. For example, if you wanted to join Sorority XYZ, but they had met chapter total and decided to not participating in informal sorority recruitment, you would need to wait until formal sorority recruitment to, hopefully, get a bid to that sorority. You get to meet a lot of the sorority members. B U T… here are the basics. Sorority recruitment or rush is a process in which university undergraduate women join a sorority. On that webpage there may also be an online interest form you can fill out which will be sent to the recruitment or membership chair of the sororities going through COB. But without further-ado, let’s talk about the process of informal recruitment. This blog post will help you navigate sorority recruitment (via Zoom) from what to expect, what to wear, what to talk about, and more! For example, if chapter total was set at 100 members at a particular university and Sorority A had 95 members, they can participate in informal sorority recruitment and can recruit 5 more woman to join their sorority. HOWEVER, they do not have to give out all 5 bids. Thanks so much for your time! And that will help them make a better decision for their chapter (and you) in regard to extending you a bid or not. Usually, since it is “informal” most campuses don’t usually make it known. Click HERE. You need to look at your college’s Panhellenic website. Informal Recruitment, also known as Continuous Open Bidding (COB), is a process that sororities engage in outside of the the primary (formal) recruitment period. She was a Sister of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority from 2016-2018 and now currently works as a Graduate Teaching Assistant while attending graduate school full-time to earn her Masters of Science in Applied Statistics. Recruitment letters are an important part of formal recruitment. AKA Bid Day starts! The possibility of getting cut from sororities you love. The same process will continue until Pref. Not all chapters are eligible or will participate in informal recruitment. Formal recruitment consists of four rounds of events where potential new members and sorority women participate in a mutual selection process for potential membership in one of Chapman University’s eight great National Panhellenic Conference sororities. I am genuinely interested in joining [sorority name] and I am wondering if you could provide me additional information on how to join this semester. Instead, each sorority participating in COB determines their own schedule and their own events. Relying on reputations. Unfortunately, at some universities there is a negative connotation surrounding COB such as: However, let me tell you: There is nothing wrong with joining a sorority after formal rush or getting a bid through COB. Continuous open bidding can be a wonderful opportunity for women to join a sorority after formal recruitment. Since you did not accept or were not extended a bid, you are eligible to go through formal recruitment. If you feel like the women you speaking to are fun and easy to talk to, I’d say that’s a good sign that is a chapter is a viable option. For example, if a sorority can only give out a maximum of 10 bids to meet chapter total, but there are 20 women going through informal recruitment, your chances of getting a bid is slim unless you’re a total standout potential new member. Meaning there are usually less women going through COB, recruitment events are less structured, and you meet only a handful of sorority sisters throughout the process. says to do it. Sorority Informal Recruitment For women who did not join a chapter during primary recruitment there are additional opportunities to participate in recruitment activities during the year. In fact, a sorority would rather have you decline their bid than have you leave their sorority 2 months in. During formal recruitment, the days are all pre-planned and you, and every other woman participating in rush, are given a schedule to follow. With that being said, if your university allows you to go through COB with multiple sororities, you can get into a tricky situation because you have the potential to be extended multiple bids at completely random times. WHAT TYPE OF QUESTIONS SHOULD YOU ASK DURING PREF? Recommendation letters are not required to join a sorority. Another great way to get info on COB, and even score an invite to COB events, is making friends with sorority women on campus. Regardless of dress code, make sure you look and feel your best when you attend COB events. During Informal Recruitment, women can attend virtual recruitment events with individual chapters and have the opportunity to join those chapters seeking new members. I hate to break it to you…. However, it’s important to realize the sororities don’t give bids out to every potential new member. N O . And that is informal sorority recruitment. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. At this meeting, you will learn all the basics of sorority recruitment. Facebook Twitter Instagram Blogger-b Envelope Mobile-alt Fax FALL 2020 FORMAL RECRUITMENT ***All questions should be sent to ugarecruitment@gmail.com. And that’s super important because sororities are an investment! They get dressed up. N O . There is absolutely nothing wrong (or scary) about going through it. It depends. Home About Us Our Narrative Testimonials Our Greek Community Letters Leadership Executive Officers Directors Recruitment Board Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life Recruitment Welcome Formal Recruitment Associate Recruitment Guides Continuous Open Bidding Recruitment Counselors FAQs Information for Parents Recruitment Blog Most girls potential new members jeans and a cute shirt or sweater. It’s free to sign up for informal recruitment. But once you accept a bid, that’s it. Primary recruitment gives participants the opportunity to meet the entire sorority community on your campus. But as appealing as that may seem, especially if you’re shy and wanting to join a sorority, it may not be the best option for you. I know it can be awkward to talks about all your hopes and dreams with women you literally just met, but in the long run it will give them a better idea about you. Most sororities, in my experience, are most active on Instagram, but if they have a Facebook page, Tik Tok, Twitter, etc. This number is different for every college. And sometimes, if all sororities at your university are at chapter total, there will be no COB at all. You get to choose which sororities you want to visit. Some recruitment processes are formal, while others are informal. This allows incoming freshmen to get used to college life and academics before deciding to join a sorority. But they’ll never know you are interested unless you make the first move and reach out to them. Don’t forget it’s okay to go through formal recruitment and informal recruitment. In the meantime, you are not alone—there are other girls in your dorm who are either in the same situation as you, or who chose for one reason or another not to go through recruitment at all. The MRABA basically says you cannot participate in  A N Y  type of Panhellenic sorority recruitment until the next formal recruitment. If you cannot find an online interest form, your university’s Department of Greek Life may be able to provide you a physical interest form to fill out. Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Phi and Chi Omega are the three Inter-Sorority Council organizations that are conducting informal recruitment. And with all of these rules and regulations on both sides of recruitment, it can sometimes feel over structured or even limiting on how you can express yourself as a PNM. You can choose to go to the event or turn it down. This process can be a great way to join a sorority. There is an option to join a sorority after formal recruitment. Regardless of what you have heard about “that one chapter” – let it go and don’t mention it during your conversations with the girl(s) who are recruiting you. If you get invited to participate in COB by a sorority you “could never see yourself in,” give them a chance. Then, the sororities participating in informal recruitment will contact you to come to an event. See the information below for specifics about their recruitment events. It is usually if an organization does not meet the maximum number that they can have. Although the best way to get information and invited to COB events is directly through the sororities themselves, sending an email or visiting your university’s Greek Life Department can help you get your foot in the door. 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