We have deferred recruitment at my school and personally, I think it sucks. Our numbers keep going down each year. I go to such a small school where everybody knows everybody and by spring sememester all the incoming freshman have already formed their groups and possible even already set their mind on one sorority.
If we had recruitment in the fall, I think things would be totally different. Getting to a university where you know nobody allows you to have an open mind about going through recruitment and about the different sororities. One of my younger high school friends just completed her freshman year at the university I go to. She was all gun-ho about going Greek, specifically joining my sorority. She even got a job over Christmas break back home so that when she got back to campus in the spring she could pay her dues once she joined. (She was certain she was going to go Greek and was sure she would be an A-Phi) Well, come formal recruitment time, she did go through but ended up dropping half way through. She decided she was not going to go Greek. A friend of hers in another sorority influenced her to drop. Wonder why this happened?? Hmmm...
I just don't like deferred recruitment, period! I really, really don't like it. I wish they would hold formal recruitment in the fall!