the things that will help make your college application stand out will appeal to sororities: good grades, extracurriculars, volunteer work, etc. holding a position of leadership in a h.s. org. could enhance your college app., and your recruitment app.,too.

don't get into trouble. behave yourself. be respectful, friendly and kind to other people. have respect for yourself. don't dress(or act) like a slut.

don't listen to rumors about sororities. don't listen to boys telling you that you should join "ABC" sorority because they have the hottest girls; are the group that all the fraternities want to party with;are the richest.joining a particular sorority because a guy suggested that you join is a stupid reason to join.

don't get hung up on one sorority while you are still in high school. when you get to college, you just might discover that you don't like "ABC" as much as you thought, or your "favorite" sorority may not even be at the college you end up attending. ABC might think that you would be happier somewhere else and not invite you back.

during recruitment,keep an open mind and accept all the invitations that you receive/are able to accept. really look at each sorority and at the girls they have invited back to their parties. these girls might be your pledge sisters. make sure that you really have something in common with them.

if the college you attend has a deferred recruitment, don't hang out at fraternity houses or gain a reputation as a drunk/druggie or a skank. a bad reputation could be the kiss of death.

find out if the you need letters of recommendation for the sororities at the college you will attend. don't trust what the panhellenic website says-ask someone you know who attends that college and is in a sorority or ask us here on greekchat. if it is suggested that you have letters of recommendation(recs.) then do all you can to get them, and try to get one for every sorority on campus.

and lastly, don't worry about sororities now. enjoy the remainder of your junior year, get good s.a.t. scores, have a great senior year,keep your grades up,stay our of trouble and then start thinking about sororities and recruitment,and be sure to post your recruitment story for us!!

Sorry, but no. You should a) not assume that every group uses white dresses, and b) not assume that you will get a bid...wanna see that white dress hanging in your closet the day after you get dropped from recruitment? Didn't think so.

Put it this way: get one that's from someplace you know you can return it and don't take the tags off. That way if you need it you have it, and if you don't (either cause of no bid or the group you get doesn't use it) you can take it back. They're such a pain to find that it doesn't hurt to be prepared.

You should always have a white dress, a black dress and a string of pearls...really. ;)

Co-sign. In some GLOs, the attire is provided for the new would-be initiates. Therefore, don't run out and buy a white dress.

I think the point is that you shouldn't get your bid at 5:00 and have to show up at the house for the bid party at 7:00 in a white dress, thus spending the two hours in between trying to find one at the mall or in a friend's closet if it IS necessary. Better to have a white dress you don't use for the purpose you bought it for than to not have one when you need it.

Or just get one that you can use for something else. It's not a bad idea. I'd also make sure you could pair it with a sweater (or that it has sleeves in the first place) if you needed to. I know not everyone has the same requirements in that department, but I think a lot do (and it'll depend on what the requirements are for badge dress).

I lucked out...my graduation dress was white, so I re-used it. But we had several girls wearing "closet dresses"...the most tacky things you can imagine, that were left behind because they couldn't find a white dress in the fall.

There was a girl in my chapter who made her own. Without a sewing machine.

I totally agree! Those three items always come in handy...

Try to buy a white sundress or something like that. You can wear it in the spring and summer, and get good use out of it! Can't hurt to have one on hand...at least it's an excuse to go shopping;)

Chapters at LSU have been known to lend out white clothes to new pledges. But the more in the know girls always seem to have their own white dress.

I knew a girl who had to wear a white t-shirt and white gym shorts in a room full of white sundresses on her bid night. I bet she would have perfered planning ahead

Just out of curiosity, are there any NPCs that don't use white dresses? I don't see the harm in buying a white dress that can be returned should you not receive a bid, especially since July and August are great times to buy a white dress. If your school has deferred recruitment, you're SOL.

I think it is safe to say that the vast majority of NPC sororities wear white dresses for initiation, etc. It's really not a secret. Pictures are taken in whites, during convention everyone is walking around in white, etc. It's something that I don't think is really feasible to keep a "secret".

I had to find a white dress in October (rush was last week of September at my school)... thankfully I had one that I wore for my high school graduation.

Thanks to the great advice on GC last summer, we bought the white dress in July for the following January recruitment. If it hadn't been discussed, this necessity for a white dress would have slipped my mind completely in the midst of frenetic packing for a new collegian.

I learned on GC how important a white dress is to most sororities - enough that I now tell PNMs for whom I fill out a rec to be sure to take one to school with them.