Everything you need to know about joining a sorority

As the seniors approach graduation, they only have one thing on their mind: college. For some girls, their minds are focused on sororities and Greek life. This social scene is a place where first-year students can make friends with those who have similar lifestyles that they have. The process of paperwork begins in April of senior year, and it continues until the student receives their bid from a specific sorority at the school, sometime during the first or second semester, depending on the school.

There are many steps that go into joining a sorority. The El Paso Alumnae Panhellenic group has been around since 1916, and their goal is to assist girls who are considering joining the Greek system. The group hosts meetings where they will lay out the steps that the student needs to follow in order to ensure a smooth process.  The student must get in touch with alumnae from every sorority offered at their university, for whom the El Paso Alumnae Panhellenic group has contact information, and then she must create a folder that contains a letter of recommendation from those alumnae, a personal résumé, and photos of herself for the sororities to recognize her. The alumnae will help the student along the way with any questions or concerns she may have up until Bid Day – and even throughout the years in college.

Several Coronado students are going through the process right now.

“I am definitely going to join a sorority next year because it is a great way to meet friends with similar values and personalities,” senior Dora Goldstein said. “I am looking forward to the recruitment process and meeting lifelong friends.”

Depending on the university, recruitment will occur in the fall semester or the spring semester. Typically, public universities start theirs in the fall, while private universities begin theirs in the spring. During the process, the senior will go from house to house and chat with active members of each house. After this is done, the student must list her favorite houses in order from best to worst. At this time, the sorority will also make a list of their favorite students and “blacklist” any who did not obey the rules or put up a red flag for them. The match is then made if there is a mutual agreement between both. As the days of recruitment go on, the list grows shorter and shorter until a student matches with a specific sorority. This night, known as Bid Day, is when the students run to their “home” for the coming years. Recruitment is offered at most universities.

“I am so grateful that I joined a sorority,” Coronado graduate Maddie Langford said. “Not only did it allow me to meet many friends, but it also gave me a new insight on philanthropy and charity that I will value forever.”

Recruitment is offered at most universities. At each university, each sorority has the same philanthropy since it is a national organization. For example, Kappa Alpha Theta supports community health and junior behavior. Delta Delta Delta’s philanthropy is the St. Jude’s Foundation and Kappa Kappa Gamma’s is Reading is Fundamental, which promotes reading for young children. Delta Gamma’s is Service for Sight, Alpha Phi’s is the Alpha Phi foundation, which assists women with cardiac care, and Zeta Tau Alpha’s philanthropy is to support breast cancer awareness. There are many more sororities with philanthropies that have value of the same importance. All sororities must have a philanthropy and give back to their community.

Being in a sorority is a great way to make lifelong friends. It is not for everyone, but those who take interest almost never regret it. Even after graduation, most alumnae keep in touch with their sorority sisters. If you are passionate about sisterhood, joining a sorority should definitely be an option. Remember to contact the local El Paso Alumnae Panhellenic if you are interested in joining the Greek life.