rushing

its really really really not about looks.

no matter what anyone says here, its way more about confidence than it is about looks. its about carrying yourself with confidence, making good conversation, being funny and friendly, and not panicking. if you act spazy and shy, act like your worried about your appearance, act standoffish, you're going to get dropped, but if you are friendly and cute and sociable and can carry on an interesting and engaging conversation (and especially if you make friends with sisters earlier in the year before formal recruitment actually starts) you'll be totally fine. just act like a human and not like a sorority robot, don't fake it or force it, and you'll be fine.

I don't consider myself to be all that great looking and im not super thin, im just an average looking nerdy hopkins girl, but i've got a good sense of humor, a funky set of tastes and interests and i'm a strong conversationalist, and I'm in what is considered to be a 'top' sorority.

So if a girl is shy and introverted, she should stay away from Greek life, is if what you are saying? No wonder all this “sisterhood” thing is a sham. Sisters gossip and show no true support for each other ( from what I have observed) — that is what you get for valuing small talk over someone’s substance. This is why true friendship is such a rare thing these days. Shallow “conversationalists” rule social scene...

Yeah no when i originally posted about being conversational, i didn't mean that as an inditement of the greek system. Like yes, it is impossible to get to know a person in 4-5 minutes in a highly stressful situation like rush room. I know for me, I was really uncomfortable and nervous for a lot of it, and I know I didn't always make the best conversation. That is also why I said it was important to try to get to know girls earlier on in the year before formal recruitment starts. That has huge benefits because 1. then you get to know the girls in the sorority better and it helps you better understand if you feel like you'd be a good fit there, 2. they girls in the sorority get to know you better and it helps them determine if you'd be a good fit there, and 3. it allows you to be more comfortable in the rush room. In some rooms I got lucky and had the opportunity to talk with girls where the conversation was very natural, but in other rooms, I was wildly awkward. While I consider myself a strong conversationalist, I'd also say I'm wildly introverted. Going through recruitment was pretty taxing bc it was more social interaction than I typically get in a month, and having to talk to strangers most of the time was terrifying! So for me, I was the most comfortable when I went into a room filled with girls I knew ahead of time. That made the conversation flow easier for me, made it a better experience, and I as a result came off better as a PNM.
TL;DR
So no, the process is not perfect, but if you want to get the most out of recruitment and greek life, I would strongly suggest going to the fall recruitment events, meet as many girls as you can before rush, and try to make a good impression, so that you don't have to feel as much pressure and can come off even better in the rush room.

For the top two sororities at least it is about looks to the point where you have to be at least somewhat attractive in some way to be considered but Hopkins goggles are so severe that the standards are really low so you will be fine if you are average.

Sororities are social groups, but they are also competitive women leadership/empowerment groups. During recruitment, they are much like JHU and other competitive colleges, and are looking to create the best group of accomplished women to surround and support each other. Another analogy would be like a company looking to interview the best candidate for the job. Being shy and quiet is A disadvantage as you will be compared unfavorably to other women who are confident conversationalist. However, in the end, sororities, colleges and employers are looking at the whole package, so if you bring other great qualities to the table, then you are probably in good shape. Having said that, if you know you struggle in conversations with people, you should work on building that skill because not only is a disadvantage in recruitment, but also employment. There are lots of sites with recruitment conversation advice, some are much better than others, so READ THEM ALL and then practice. Being able to comfortably hold conversations is a good skill to acquire whether you decide to go through recruitment or not.

Of course recruitment is not on the same level of importance as a job interview, but recruitment goals are the same as employers: to find the best person. Sororities try to build wonderful networks of supporting women. You do need the same skills to go through the recruitment process as you do for an interview. in both casas, being a strong conversationalist able to promote yourself in a competitive environment is an advantagous dkill to have. Although not required, all sororities accept recommendations (a form completed by an alumna that basically forwards a PNMs resume to a sorority's recruitment team), so in many cases conversation is not the only deciding factor. Albiet, at JHU most PNMs have outstanding resumes.