things you wish you knew before recruitment?

Does all members get equal vote in who gets asked back or just girls that are officers or on some type of recruitment committee? In other words, do some girls opinion carry more weight than others when it comes to pnm’s??

Every house has their own voting system. Some are every sister has an equal vote. Some are committee based. I think everyone used to have the equal voting system but it became almost impossible when our recruitment started getting so huge.

In general, all the members participate in the selection process, whether by voting or ranking or categorizing or whatever method a chapter uses, but each house has their own way of doing it. Input from the actives about the particular pnm's they speak with during rounds is very important because each active doesn't meet each pnm so sisters have to rely on each other for their impressions. This is why your conversations with them are so important. NGL, within each chapter certain actives are more well-respected and liked and their opinions go a little further as far as influencing their sisters' decisions, and the chapter's recruitment committee also sometimes gets the last word when it comes down to making final decisions because the chapter has a fixed number of invitations they are allowed. Recruitment is big and it takes a whole house pulling together to be successful. There is nothing you can do about how a house does their selection, so focus on what you can affect and that is to bring your very best you to each house.

I will add that only a very few actives know the names that make it to the invitation list that is turned in to panhellenic after each round. The general membership doesn't know who is coming back until we get the lists back for each party, and some favorite girls are not on those lists and it can be really upsetting, just like when your favorite houses don't come back on your schedule.