open forum

Good question. Each round is different.

Open house and skit: as you know, these rounds are very fast, and we have the opportunity to talk to about 3 PNMs each round. After each round, small groups decide yes, no, maybe for each PNM. Both of these rounds should be considered first impressions because different actives meet with each PNM in both of these rounds. There needs to be something in those conversations to make the active rember you. At my house, the maybes and the nos are discussed by the entire house at the end of each day. Each house also has a required number of girls they must release each round. This number is set by Panhel, but houses can and do choose to cut more than required.

House tours: this round is critical when it comes to who we keep and cut because each PNM we invite back to pref could be our sister. If we think she's not a match, even if we like her, this is where she'll get released. The entire house discusses each girl after the end of the round

Pref night: there are no more cuts. We spend hours and hours after the round creating 3 bid lists. Our legacies and favorites are on bid list 1, our "we really want hers" are on bid list 2, and the "yes we can see her as a sister" end up on bid list 3.

If you get invited back to pref nights, WE WANT YOU AS A SISTER. Girls don't "slip through" to pref night very often. That's why making our 3 bid lists are so difficult and genuine tears are shed during this all house discussion/debate after pref night.

I cannot speak for every house, but for my house and others where I have good friends, yes they are put on the first bid list. I say this advice with caution, because, as I said, I cannot spread for every house, and I don't want to promise you something if you are a legacy to a house that isn't required to put you on their first bid list.

If you are a legacy to a house, you could call the national headquarters and ask them if they require their chapters to put legacies at the top of their bid lists.