7 Things a PNM Should NOT Do
Recruitment season is almost upon us and we are all preparing. If you are someone rushing to join a sorority you are prepping for what to wear each round, how to do your makeup, and what you want to talk about. For those of us on the inside part of recruitment, we are buying the necessary outfits for each round, preparing bump groups, and spending hours at rush workshops. Rush is truthfully, an entire other world. There are so many weird terms and strange vocabulary that you'll hear on the row so maybe I'll share those words and definitions in another post.
Regardless, today I want to share seven things that a PNM should not do when going through recruitment. A PNM is "potential new member". A PNM is anyone that is going through formal recruitment, therefore is visiting multiple sorority houses and trying to find a place to call home. There are definitely some topics to stay away from and some things not to do throughout the week of recruitment. These don't apply strictly to my sorority but to greek life as a whole.
Don't Talks About the 5 B's-- When going through recruitment you're going to be asked a lot of open ended questions in the hopes that you begin to talk about yourself. We want for you to tell us all about yourself and to brag about your accomplishments but there's a list of 5 B's that you should never bring up. Boys, booze, ballot, beliefs, and bucks are all things that you shouldn't bring up. Boys, alcohol, politics, religious beliefs, and money are all off limit topics. We don't care about your boyfriend, we care about you! You can tell us about your BF later in the week. Similarly, if you drink we don't want to hear it. We care about your personality, your charisma, and your attributes. Politics and your party views are always off limits. In a country divided and in such a fragile state, you never know who you're talking to. You could be deeply offending someone or plucking a very sensitive nerve. It's best just to avoid the topic as a whole. Beliefs are something that are debatable. You can tell us about your religious affiliations as long as you treat every other religion with the respect they deserve. Finally, money isn't something we care about either. Don't tell us that you parents are the top donor or that you're poor. Either way, we'll look at your personality, charisma, kindness, spark, and traits to see how you mesh with the chapter -- not how much is in your wallet.
Don't Wear Inappropriate Clothing -- Make sure when you leave for greek row that you are dressed appropriately. If it's too low cut, too short, too tight, or too distressed then leave it at home. If you even have to think about whether or not your outfit is okay, try swapping out for something else in your closet.
Don't Be Closed Minded -- Go into this experience searching for a place to call home where you feel most comfortable, not with an exclusive bid from _____ sorority in mind. If you go in strictly wanting a bid from a specific house, there's huge potential for a let down or heartbreak before the week is over. Think about it, you might have a 1 in 15 chance of getting into that one house. Thats a 6.67% chance of getting the outcome you want. Also, if you go in a little bit blinded, you'll miss out on the other amazing chapters that your school has to offer!
Don't Leave the Dorm Without Necessities -- Rush is a week long event split up into several hours a day. I spent about 5 hours on the row during recruitment each day. It's a lot of time on your feet, waiting in lines, being in the heat, and talking in someones face (& having someone chant in yours). Make sure to bring a purse with you with everything you may need because you won't be able to go back to your dorm in between rounds.
Don't Name Drop -- If you vaguely know of someone in a specific house, don't name drop. Girls are weird and their drama is weird too. You never know if your BFF from high school is your interviewer's frenemy or if you say you dislike someone and they're your interviewer's best friend. Either way, just stick to talking about yourself. You can mention if you wen't to high school with them or youth group but don't go into specifics.
Don't Show a Bad Attitude -- The house girls will immediately pick up on your bad attitude. Don't roll your eyes, complain about the heat, say you don't like something, or anything along those lines. It is an exciting time and trust me, everyone is having a great/awful time. Both sides of recruitment have their ups and downs Just get through the week with a smile on your face -- it'll be worth it! Don't Show a Bad Attitude
Don't Drop Just Because Recruitment Isn't "Fun"-- Honestly, rushing isn't a blast. It's long. hot days of dressing up, waiting, losing your voice, and essentially being judged by sororities. One might wonder why we are willingly putting ourselves through this. It's a weird thing to think about but, if you trust the process and stay true to who you are, you will find a place to call home. The entire week as a whole is exciting because you get to meet new people, experience new things, and start a new journey towards something incredible but the individual days are exhausting. I know so many people at JMU who dropped in the middle of rush because they weren't having "fun". If you know throughout the week that joining a sorority isn't for you, that's different but if you love the idea of a sorority but aren't enjoying going through recruitment rounds, it's okay. Just stick to the schedule, wait for bidcel and be yourself.
Stay Preppy,
Lucy
