University of Arkansas Recruitment
 

Hi, I have some questions about recruitment at University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. I'll be a freshman there next year for 2013-2014.

First, I've read on here that this school has a very "competitive" recruitment. Does this mean that it'll be hard to get into ANY sorority, or just into the "top tier" ones?

I hope this doesn't make me seem like I have a low self-esteem or anything, but how do the women in sororities act towards shy/quit girls? I'm usually pretty shy until I get to know someone, so I'm very afraid that I will have extremely awkward conversations with everyone. :/ I am fairly smart, and involved with clubs and activities and sports in my high school, if that matters. And I hope this doesn't sound shallow, but do a lot of the girls come from fairly "rich" families? Because my family is by no means poor or struggling, but just middle class and I'm afraid everyone else there will be loaded with money. So what are my chances??

Also, is Lilly Pulitzer very popular at this school? I'm not sure if Arkansas is a classic southern-type school or more midwestern? I would love to get a Lilly dress for pref night, maybe? Would that be appropriate, or is it not dressy enough?

Sorry if it seems like I'm freaking out a little too much; I tend to do this with any situation. I just need some answers for my concerns.

Thanks in advance and thanks for reading!

I believe that the U of Arkansas' Panhellenic has a facebook page and they put up quite a few photos from last summer's recruitment. Check those photos out, that will give you an accurate picture of what PNMs wear. And if you really want a Lilly dress for recruitment, there are lots of options. Shop sale racks, re-sale stores, online boutiques, re-Lilly facebook page, etc. I live in an area where we have great re-sale/consignment stores. I have gotten brand new items with the tags still on them for a fraction of the original cost.

Thanks guys! I feel better about it already. :)

In even the most competitive schools (except Indiana, but we won't go there) virtually every girl going through rush will find a home. We're talking about a handful of girls who get cut completely from rush. But many MANY girls will say they got cut completely because they got cut from the chapters they wanted.

Thankfully at Arkansas they have recently added 2 new chapters, so that is going to ease the burden on everyone. Don't fall victim to ranking them at the bottom or not being willing to give them a chance just because they're new.

And my last piece of advice is you have between now and next August to work on your shyness problem. It is going to be a huge detriment in rush so I'd start working now on talking with strangers, getting comfortable telling your story and responding creatively to mundane questions (where are you from, what's your major, what dorm do you live in, what did you do this summer?). And if quietness is part of your shyness problem, you will need to work on that too. The rooms where rush is held are EXTREMELY loud and if you are whispering, or nearly so, your rusher will eventually nod and keep going because saying what for the 100th time gets old. And without something interesting (and positive) about you to remember, you could drop down on their list, even if they might like to give you another chance. These are all learnable skills. Good luck!

And don't forget to get 2 recs for each group!

Yeah, I was also wondering about getting recs! I only know a few women who were in sororities (they are my parents' friends from when they were in college). How will I get recs if I don't know anyone?

And also, is the rec an actual letter they write, or is it a form they fill out?

And thanks DubaiSis. Is it important to elaborate a lot on responses to questions? Like, say the rusher asks "What dorm are you staying in?" Should I say, "Dorm 123, and i really like it because _____ "

Even if you are quiet and shy, you can learn to make small talk. It's hard for me, but I had to learn to do it for my job. My husband is NOT shy and very friendly and watching him has taught me a lot.

Suggestions to get ready for rush:

1. Practice talking to new people. Whenever you get a chance (church, grocery store, volunteer activities, elevators, where ever). Just start with "Hi. How are you?" and start talking about the weather or whatever is going on the environment. You can learn to be friendly.

2. Learn to talk about yourself. I'm naturally not inclined to talk about myself, but it's hard for people to get to know you if you never tell them about yourself. The response to "Hi. How are you?" has to be more than "Fine" or "Okay." You have to say more, like this "Oh, I'm pretty good. We're really busy at home cleaning up all the post-Christmas mess, but it was worth it because we had a good Christmas." That little bit of information lets the person ask you questions about cleaning or about what you did for Christmas or start talking about their own Christmas or their own cleaning. Think of passing conversational turns like passing a ball. You want the other person to be able to catch the ball and pass it back to you easily.

During recruitment, an opening question might be "How are you enjoying orientation?" and your answer should NOT be "It's okay." The other person can't go anywhere with that. You need to say something about it "It's been okay. I really like my roommate, but the dorm food is terrible. My roommate and I found a great pizza place called Lou's, though." That gives the other person a chance to ask or talk about her dorm experience, your dorm food, the food at her sorority house, her experience living in house, Lou's pizza, or other good places to eat in town. It also gives you a chance to ask about living in house or food in the house.


3. Have some things that you make sure you want the other person to know about you. You have things that will make you an asset to the chapter. Know what they are and think about how to work those into conversation. Know why you chose your major and have something to say about it.

4. Know what the common questions are going to be and think about your answers. You can find some of them here:

http://sororityeverafter.com/6-quest...y-recruitment/

http://www.coppellsororities.com/joi...or-these-faqs/



5. You should also be prepared to ask questions. This link also has questions to ask:
http://www.coppellsororities.com/joi...or-these-faqs/

Thanks so much KDCat! That was really helpful. :) I'm not very inclined to talk about myself either. But it's weird, with some people it just "clicks" and I can keep talking forever, but with other people I'm intimidated. I guess that's how I'll find my sorority home though!

And thanks for the links, I'll be looking at those.

Here's something to remember: there are shy women IN the chapters, and many of them will be nervous and unsure about talking to PNM's for the first time. I remember one of my friends telling me that she was certain she had just found her rush crush because the girl tripped down the stairs and they spent the rest of the time sharing stories about embarrassing things they had done in public.

You sound like my oldest son -- he can be extremely quiet, but if it clicks and/or once he's comfortable, he can talk a blue streak. During his senior year of high school, he was voted "The Most Non Talkative Person You Will Ever Have a Long Conversation With." :)

Those are some great tips from KDCat to build your conversation skills, relate info about yourself and keep conversation from falling into that dreaded pit of awkward silence. They really can serve you well during recruitment!

A VERY simple trick to standing out is one I learned from Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People." He says there is nothing more musical to people than the sound of their own name. So, when Sarah Sister introduces herself, instead of just saying "hi," say "Hi Sarah." When you're getting ready to part ways, say "it was nice to meet you, Sarah" instead of leaving her name off. Names validate people, and book ending your conversation with someone's name is just one of those little pieces of conversation gold that can click with a person. Test it out on people and see if you don't note a difference in their demeanor. I have friends who swear they've gotten better customer service doing this. I have also observed that people who do this on a regular basis seem to have more people interested in being around them. So often, it is the little things that make you or break you.

Another old trick -- if conversation with a woman really is dying and all else fails, comment on her hair. "By the way, your hairstyle is so cute." Laugh, but I swear the topic of a woman's hair will revive any conversation with her. :)

Here's an old thread on conversation skills that may also be helpful.

Recs = networking. networking. networking.

Make a list of everyone you know who is college age or older - EVERYONE. Your parents's friends, neighbors, employers, Sunday School teachers, high school teachers, coachs, counselors, camp counselors, the owner of a store where you shop, whomever. Have a list of all the groups at Arkansas. Ask everyone if they were in a sorority or have a friend/sibling/parent/child who is. They do NOT have to be from U of Arkansas. When you find someone in a group, ask if they know anyone in the other groups. Network like you have never, ever networked before.

And don't forget to ask your friends parents,too!

Something that I have done in situations when I knew nobody and it was important to communicate and network was to practice "sound bites".

Pretend that someone just said to you, "tell me about yourself". Write down any phrases or points that come to mind. Think about your hobbies, jobs you have held, volunteering you've done, favorite movies or songs, exotic adventures, places you've traveled to, etc.

Now think - what was special about them? Whittle the ideas down into brief phrases/ideas and practice saying them out loud until they feel natural. I'm not saying to memorize and perform them like you're on stage, but have them in the back of your head to help if you start to draw blanks.

Here are some examples from my own life that I might have used as a freshman during rush (I don't remember much of what I did say during rush, but I remember being shy and forcing myself to listen well and not to prattle on and on):

- I love musical theater and performed in school plays every year since kindergarten. My favorite role was "Louisa" in "The Sound of Music", because I grew up seeing the movie every year on television.

- I worked at the town Recreation Department last summer, where I processed pool passes. It was pretty boring until my town's little league team was going to the World Series!

- I'm majoring in English and writing. I love to write, and while packing for college, I came across some poetry I wrote in sixth grade. It was fun to read how dramatic I was at that age. I hope to use my skills working at the campus newspaper here!

I hope this helps!! And don't forget to be a good listener!!

A word of caution, though: don't OVERdo this. I went on a date with a guy who said my name at the end of every other sentence and it got really old and obnoxious really fast, to say the least.

Yes, what 33girl said! Only plan to do it upon saying hello and goodbye...if fits in somewhere naturally during the conversation, fine, but no overkill!

NPC launched Recruitment Prep last year and I would recommend that product over any other third party product that wasn't up to date with the latest NPC info.

http://www.recruitmentprep.com/

Wow, thanks everyone for all the tips! Wonderful ideas that I never would have thought of! (I especially like the story of the girl who tripped down the stairs and found her sisters doing that! Lol!) I'll just have to remember to keep this all in mind when rush comes around.

I had no idea there was an NPC Recruitment Prep but I'll definitely have to check that out!

Thanks everyone, y'all are easing my fears sooo much!

Futurehog -

Welcome to Arkansas! Woo pig! You are going to have a great 4 years in Fayetteville! You have been given some GREAT advice above. Read and study this site for lots of tips. Read the stickies and then re-read them as you go through this year.

Also:
Make sure you have minimum 2 recs for each house. Try for 3 - 4 if possible.

Are you from Arkansas or will you be from out of state? More on this depending on your answer.

Take a good look at your Facebook now and begin to weed out items that might put you in a negative light if a stranger were to look at your profile. The thing to remember about FB is that you want to use it to paint a picture of yourself. You might consider making only a couple of albums public rather than letting everyone see the 'aren't we funny taking pictures of ourselves pretending we are sexy celebrities ' photos.

Lilly Pulitzer is not dressy enough for pref at UA. (Unless Lilly is making cocktail dresses these days which she may be).

Yay for UA Greeks! :)

Im trying to help a PNM going through recruitment at Arkansas. Can someone give me some examples of appropriate pref. dresses. Thanks!

Think LBD but no rhinestones or sequins. And it doesn't have to be black - just that "look."

Think grown up cocktail party or evening wedding - here's a couple - there are lots on the sale rack now, but this one came up first
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/adrianna...sults-_-1_19_A

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/adrianna...sults-_-1_17_C

Think grown up cocktail party or evening wedding - here's a couple - there are lots on the sale rack now, but this one came up first
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/adrianna...sults-_-1_19_A

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/adrianna...sults-_-1_17_C

Be sure to pick something that you could wear again to a party or a wedding!

Thanks! Arkansas is great in that they wear t-shirts and shorts all week, but I wasn't sure how dressy pref was. I told this girl I would send her some appropriate dress links, so if anyone eles has any, please post them!

Have fun with your pref night dress. Yes, Arkansas tends to be on the more formal side. However, show your sense of style. You want to stand out. That doesn't have to mean gaudy sequins (although you will see some sparkles around) but find something that is unique. A fun color can also make you stand out among 1300 girls. Don't be too stuffy!
http://http://pinterest.com/pin/248260998181582083/


I have also noticed that Pinterest has become a great resource for recruitment this year. If you are on it you can search for outfits, conversation tips, etc!

Good luck! Go hogs!

All of the chapters at Arkansas are excellent chapters. Futurehog, no matter where you end up you can't go wrong.

Per Facebook, University of Arkansas Greek Life page, 1360 woman have registered for recruitment. WPS!