There are colleges with chapters of my fraternity that have fewer people than this (2400). Lol

In addition to the great advice you have already received, something that may help you with recruitment would be to practice small talk when you get the chance. If you find yourself at a gathering with people whom you don't know that well, branching out to talk to them can help you develop those skills.

One tip I'll give you is to keep the conversation moving. So let's say you're at a dinner party with your parents, and one of their friends asks, "Annabanana12, what are you planning on majoring in?" (I know that's a frequent question, and that's part of why I used it as an example. :p)

Some people might answer by saying that they're not sure yet and leave it at that, but that's not the best answer to give if you want to keep the conversation going.

If you wanted to continue the flow of the conversation, you might say something along the lines of, "I'm not sure yet, but I'm considering psychology and sociology at this point. Those subjects fascinate me because I like the study of human behavior. What were your considerations when you chose your college major?" This answers the question in a concise way, tells them a bit more about who you are, and keeps the conversation going.

I know that recruitment conversations can be nerve-racking for a lot of people, but that is something that you still have time to practice if you choose to. I wish you the best of luck! :)

As of Monday, 2500 were signed up...a tad less than last year, but the registration costs went way up and they're closing registration on Monday rather than letting women sign up through the day before recruitment begins.
SO....OP, it will cost you $450 now to register plus the $160 cost to move into the dorm a week early (if you're in a dorm).If you're in an apartment, I hope you've already moved in because, while you pay for the entire month of August, usually they won't let you move in until the 15th or something.
That said, placement rates are very high for upperclassmen, so your chances of joining a sorority are very, very good!
And since this is pretty much your last chance....go for it!!
What could it hurt? You'll meet a ton of people, go through a unique experience, and not have to wonder "what if."
Roll Tide!

What? $450 to register for recruitment?? Seriously? Wow.

Yep - $250 May 1 through May 31; $350 June 1-30; and $450 July 1-17.
I couldn't believe it, either.

Wow...putter-offers beware!

Yikes! What does this money go to anyway? Even if every PNM got in at the May 31 deadline, that's $625,000.

Is the $450 amount just a way to encourage women to sign up early so no one has to deal with a bunch of last-minute registrations?

It'd be interesting to know what the rate is of last-minute sign-ups to bids distributed. Perhaps they're seeing a trend, and with so many PNMs, they want to keep "serious" and prepped PNMs only.

Do you think it is cheap to put on an 8 day recruitment for that many women???? Seriously, they don't get just a tee shirt and a schedule. If you haven't been there and seen it, it is really difficult to imagine the scope of this event. As an Alabama alum, I've lived with it as it as grown. It's our normal but it really is an 8 day event for 2500 PNMs, over 4000 members, countless alums. The logistical support for such includes dozens of police for safety, road blocks, etc., office personnel, IT support (someone has to be on duty for all that computer time), general campus support with RAs coming back earlier to man the dorms, etc. Just stop and think about it. School doesn't start till the week after recruitment ends so the campus has to gear up 2 weeks early. It ain't cheap. RTR!

Everything Titchou said times a million.

Seriously, friends. Seriously. Recruitment is very very expensive to "put on". Oh my stars, I was astonished at how complex and complicated it is. For the CPC officers and Greek Life staff, it's more like an ultramarathon. They prepare for months. As soon as this recruitment ends they start getting ready for 2018.

I could go on and on with a list of expenses incurred by the CPC. Let me know if you want me to provide a list if you can't come up with one on your own. My admiration and respect to the huge schools who manage to pull this off every year with minor or minimal glitches. It's enough to make me want to curl up with a pitcher of daiquiris or margaritas. Screw the popcorn and coke!

/end of rant (brought on by memory of an 18 year old new member snottily saying to me in front of the entire chapter of 250+ women "so all our dues pay for are food?" Oh man when I was finished with her, informing her just WHAT her dues paid for, the room temperature dropped to below zero).

Yikes, ok...

It's a lot of money to some of us, especially considering someone may drop $450 to not get a bid. Clearly they jacked up the price way up this year and made an earlier cut-off date. We're just wondering why.

Do they have people who sign up for rush but really could care less about going Greek and just want to move into the dorms early? I would think weeding them out would be helpful, if that is an issue.

Yes, that's exactly why.
To be sure, the number signing up and not showing up the first day, or dropping after a day or two, was not huge, but it was significant enough. Plus the sheer numbers signing up (We would have been pushing 3,000 this year, but it's closer to last year's 2,600-2700), not to mention the drop-out rate between bid day and initiation day - again, not huge, but you want to convey the seriousness of the committment.

And those NM classes of 150 plus! Sigma Kappa will be colonizing fall 2018 and we're all looking forward to that!!

Forgot to mention the cost of running buses for 2500 every day of recruitment!

There have been girls who enroll for the specific intention of moving in early. Some may attend the convocation and then drop out of rush, others don't even bother. Having a steeper rush enrollment fee might deter some.

Absolutely FSUZeta, AnchorAlumna, AZTheta.