Informal recruitment advice..
 

Hello! I wanted to ask for some advice from you ladies. I participated in formal recruitment as a sophomore at UNC this fall - I had wanted to rush since I got to college, but I held off last year because I wanted to get settled into my schoolwork. As the year went along, I really wished I had, so I rushed this year. I loved it, met a ton of great people, and really fell in love with a few of the houses. I didn't get invited back to my favorite houses for pref night, so I dropped out before bid day. I kept hearing that none of the houses took many sophomores, and those that did were mostly legacies (which I am not). But I really want to join a sorority - I'm involved on other things on campus that I love, but being in a sorority has always been something I've envisioned when I pictured my college experience.
I'm thinking about participating in informal recruitment in the spring. How does that work at most schools? Is there a good chance of receiving a bid? I know a few girls in some of the sororities, but no one that I am particularly close to. Would the girls just kind of pass me over as a PNM because I rushed in the fall? Any advice for if I go through with it?
Sorry for asking so many questions, but thanks for your help!!

I'm sorry that recruitment didn't go well for you :( I just rushed this fall at UNC, and I know of several other girls who also dropped out of recruitment before Prefs.

I'm by no means an expert on recruitment (formal or informal), but I'd suggest contacting the Office of Greek Affairs on campus. They were really helpful to me with any questions I had over the summer, so they should be able to give you all the info you need :) Just a word of caution though, I noticed you said that you dropped out because you didn't get your favorite houses, while I can't speak for other sororities, I know that my house isn't eligible for informal recruitment because we are over total. I would suspect that this is the case for some of the other houses also. Especially if lots of other PNMs had them as favorite houses.

I've also been told that Phi Mu is recolonizing and they are going to be recruiting members either this spring or next fall, you might want to ask about that too. Then you'll have several options. And then there's always rushing again next year. Good luck! Let us know how it goes :)

Usually a few sisters will ask you what made you decide to go through (informal) recruitment. If I were you, I'd be honest and say that you went through formal and you didn't find a home. It's a stressful process and you felt like you could get to know the girls on a more intimate level during the spring. I'm sure they will understand. I think it's important to stick it out and give houses a fair shot, whether or not they are your favorite. I understand the pressure during formal recruitment so I can see why you dropped. I think it's great that you're still interested in going back through this spring, though! Greek life has so many wonderful things to over and I hope that if you do go through it again, it fulfills what you see for yourself in college. :) Maybe consider checking out some of the houses that do spring regardless of whether or not they were your favorites originally. You might be pleasantly surprised! Hope you find your home :)

Tarheelbaby24, definitely try Informal Recruitment! Some of the best sisters in any given sorority come from Informal Recruitment. With the pressure of the formalities gone, both the sisters and the PNMs are more relaxed and truly get to know the chapters better.

Just be sure to try out as many chapters as possible - some of the ones which don't recruit well informally absolutely excel on the informal basis!

Agreed completely! Also agree with the posters who have suggested you be honest about not finding your fit during FR. I hope it works out for you. Take care and keep us informed!!

I know you went through formal, but I agree with the advice that you should go to as many chapters as possible for informal.
I went through informal and only visited two. Now I wish I had at least visited the other chapters on campus. You never know what you'll discover this time around. You may feel at home somewhere you didn't connect with before.

Thanks for all of the advice, everyone! I'm waiting to see which chapters will be participating in informal, but I'm looking forward to it, and to hopefully finding a home this time! Thanks again for all of your advice - I will keep you posted as the spring semester arrives!

My advice is to go through informal! I did the same thing; I rushed in the fall, but dropped out a few hours before pref night because I felt like I didn't know the houses well enough to pledge anything. I got invited back a couple of weeks ago to one house's informal, and a few girls did remember me from formal...but it was a plus!:) Since I already knew some of the girls, I could have more in depth conversations with them, which made me feel much more comfortable inside the house. I'm still waiting to hear the results from recruitment, so I don't know how my story's going to end (lol). Best of luck! And have fun with it!:)