rush process

I can only speak to sororities. Online registration for formal recruitment opens up in late August. Then recruitment itself is split into three rounds: tours, invitationals, and preference.

You get put into a group of other girls and get two recruitment counsellors who are disaffiliated from their sororities for the entirety of the process. They're there to help answer your questions, take you to each room, etc.

During tours, you visit every chapter in Panhellenic (8 in total). You get a break for lunch. In each room, you'll talk to a couple girls from that chapter. It's very hectic and you'll typically only get a chance to have a brief conversation. Afterwards you'll rank the sororities you liked the best, and they'll rank you. It's a really long, exhausting day with lots and lots of small talk. You really want to look your best to make a good first impression.

Invitationals are when you only visit the chapters that you got invited back to - up to 5, though most girls only get invited back to 3 or so. You get to have longer conversations and a better idea of which chapter you think you'd fit in with best.

Preference is when you visit two chapters for an hour each. You have way more in-depth conversations and this is when you make your final choice and they make theirs about you.

Bids Day is the day after preference. Around 400 girls went through recruitment in formal recruitment 2015, and about 280 got bids.

bump

bump

bump

bump

last year approximately 1/3 people who came through rush pledged a fraternity. Note, however, that this anyone who came to First or Second Rush event, and many people who attend these decide they do not want to join and do not take the process any further. Most people who want to join a fraternity find a home somewhere.