How Sororities Work

Potential new members — commonly known as rushees — must go through a recruitment process, traditionally known as rush. Recruitment differs depending on the college campus. At a large university with a large Greek population, like in the South at a state school, sorority recruitment may be a highly structured and dressy event, with girls teetering around in the heat wearing high heels and their mother's pearls. At a smaller university or a college with less Greek interest, sorority recruitment events are usually much less formal gatherings.

These days, the recruitment process begins well in advance of the actual events. Women are expected to provide resumes detailing their grades and accomplishments, as well as letters of recommendation from sorority alumni for the various chapters. There are even sorority rush coaching companies, such as Hiking in Heels, that help prospective members get their "rush packages" ready, provide fashion guidance and help them prepare for event conversations and situations [source: Lake].

Social media is another relatively new tool in the recruitment process. 'Bama rush, featured heavily on TikTok in 2021, opened a lot of eyes as to the fashion expectations and general recruitment process. It's also a safe bet that prospective members should do a quick social media scrub to ensure that it's tasteful, as it's a safe bet that existing sisters scroll through rushee accounts to make sure their standards and presence are in line with the organization's.

Rush usually consists of a few rounds. Many schools have transitioned to at least one "virtual" round, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, rushees at Texas Christian University (TCU) spend the first day of recruitment watching informational videos on each sorority chapter, which typically covers things like philanthropic focuses, academic and leadership expectations and information about each group's social endeavors. While rushees are watching these videos, the sororities review a "Personality Slide" prepared by each rushee. These virtual methods allow both chapters and potential recruits to set their Round 1 decisions.

During subsequent rounds, sisters meet potential new members in-person. The women talk, perform skits, sing songs and share personal stories about what the sisterhood means to them. As rush progresses, potential new members and sororities list their choices in order of preference. Desirable rushees will receive invitations to the next round.

Ideally, rush is a time for potential new members and sisters to meet one another and see if they would be a good fit. But the larger the Greek population and university, the more difficult that goal is. If more than 1,000 girls go through rush, realistically most of the sorority members will not meet each girl. This is one instance where people get the idea that sororities can be superficial — snap judgments may be made based purely on looks. As always, it doesn't hurt to have positive connections with women in the sorority.

At some schools, a rushee has to rush all sororities — meaning she must meet with each group at least once and attend each rush event. At other schools, a girl may choose to rush just the sororities she might like to join, based on reputation. At these schools, attending a rush party can be seen as an indication of your interest in joining that sorority.

If you're considering going through rush, there are some sorority recruitment terms you might want to know:

Each sorority has a different private way of voting for new members. It may be an open discussion between members of the sorority or a more confidential, written process. At the end of rush, when finalizing a list of desirable potential new members, voting members will likely discuss each rushee, pointing out why she would or would not match the sorority's values and desired attributes.

With a large recruitment group, sometimes a computer algorithm can help by matching sororities and their favorite rushees with rushees and their preferred houses. For a smaller group of rushees, sorority members could simply discuss the merits of the potential new members among themselves and then hold a vote on each potential new member.

At many colleges, the sororities give out formal bids on one special day, which is called bid day. At some schools, potential new members dress in a particular way (white dresses, bright T-shirts) and go to the sorority house to spend time with their new sisters-to-be.

If a potential new member accepts a sorority bid, she becomes a new member, more commonly known as a pledge. Because of negative associations with words like "pledge," many sororities have chosen to adopt new language. At present, NPC-affiliated sororities usually refer to the pledging process as new member education.

During the new member education process, pledges learn more about the organization. For example, a new member might learn the history of the sorority and its values. She'll meet the other new members and spend time bonding with current members. There might be mandated study times, weekly meetings and optional social events. New members must also spend some additional study time getting ready for a sort of entrance exam, which each pledge must pass in order to join the sorority. The test might have information about the organization's history, symbols or founding members as well as general information about the Greek system — pretty much whatever a pledge has learned during the pledging process is fair game. Rushees should understand that pledging involves a hefty time commitment.

The pledging process is somewhat different for traditionally black sororities. Along with the incredible time investment dedicated to studying, meetings and social events and learning the sorority's history and ideals, many pledges must also learn how to step. The pledge class practices together to perform a stepping routine during a campus step show. Stepping is a dance that involves using the body as a percussive instrument — steppers stomp, clap their hands together and against their bodies to make a rhythm for sorority chants and songs. Routines are highly choreographed and often rely on a call-and-response technique [source: Baylor]. Stepping began with black fraternities in much the same way the white fraternities' tradition of glee club-style singing sprang to life. Black sororities took up the tradition some time later. Some Latina sororities step as well. The first step show of an initiated member is called a probate show.

If a potential new member meets all of her pledgeship requirements, she may be eligible for initiation, a secret ritual event during which she will become a full member of the sorority. During initiation, she will learn the sorority's secrets, from the secret meaning behind the Greek letters to secret passwords and secret handshakes. Yes, lots and lots of secrets. Marking the transition with a special ceremony, which has been upheld for decades or even a century, is meant to have a powerful effect on the initiate, tying her to a tradition, the ideals of the founders and an idea of sisterhood. These rituals often have ties to Greek secret society rituals and involve symbols, and perhaps even costumes. Sisters are forbidden to reveal the sorority ritual or its secrets.

When you think of pledging, it's likely hazing is the next thing that pops into your mind. Most universities and colleges define hazing in a similar way. The University of Michigan says that hazing includes "willful acts, with or without the consent of the individual involved," that cause "physical injury; assault or battery; kidnapping or imprisonment; physical activity that knowingly or recklessly subjects a person or persons to an unreasonable risk of physical harm or to severe mental or emotional harm; degradation, humiliation, or compromising of moral or religious values; forced consumption of any substance; placing an individual in physical danger, which includes abandonment; and undue interference with academic endeavors." Such hazing acts are done in order to pledge or otherwise be initiated into membership in any group.

Hazing can happen in any organized group including sports teams and military groups. On college campuses, it tends to be a bigger problem in fraternities, but it certainly also happens in sororities. Most universities have specific rules forbidding hazing, and every sorority's national organization forbids hazing as well. Despite these restrictions, hazing is still happening on campuses throughout the United States.

"Far more males than females have perished in Greek organizations because of hazing, and experts uniformly agree that fraternity hazing deaths have proven far more common than sorority hazing deaths. According to a University of Maine national survey, about half of all students acknowledge that they belong to groups that haze. Thus, while hazing in sororities is often reported, it only occasionally rises to the level of an actual crime and is more likely to be addressed by the hazers' institution than by a criminal prosecution," wrote Hank Nuwer in a 2015 study on hazing in fraternities and sororities.

Hazing in a sorority might include forcing pledges to go without sleep, forcing them to binge drink, scaring them or forcing them to do degrading tasks. Stories circulate about girls being told to bring markers with them to meetings. Sisters use the markers to circle areas of the pledge's body to indicate where they think the pledge needs to lose weight. Universities and national umbrella organizations take hazing very seriously — and for good reason as hazing has resulted in injury and even death. Because it is such a serious concern, each school has a system to handle hazing complaints.

However, it seems that sorority hazing is getting more violent. Recent instances of sorority hazing have made headlines. One of those was when Sigma Gamma Rho sorority was kicked out of Bowling Green State University in 2021 for "severe hazing activity," which included physical violence, forced drug and alcohol consumption and pressure to steal items [source: Moody].

So, you've made it through pledging, you've been initiated and you're finally a sorority woman. Now what?

Many sororities have a mentoring program that pairs older sisters with new members, often called a "Big Sis/Little Sis Program." The Big Sis (often shortened to just "Big") is there to help a new member adjust to sorority life. Within a sorority, there may be different "family trees." For example, the Big Sis of your Big Sis would be your Grand Big Sis. Sorority families may have their own special traditions — like wearing a particular design of necklace with Greek letters.

Sometimes the Big Sis/Little Sis process is something like rush — a new sister is paired with a few older sisters to see who she bonds with best and then the Big gets to vote on who she wants as a Little.

Costs of being a sorority member differ depending on the campus. If the sorority has a sorority house, it may be cheaper to live in the house than in a dorm with a meal plan. A new member's dues will cost more than an older sister's out-of-house dues. It is common for large sororities at campuses with a large Greek population to cost a few thousand dollars a year. For example, at Ole Miss a new member who is not living in the sorority house can expect to pay an average of $2,300 for the first semester alone. Some chapters charge fees as high as nearly $3,000 per semester [source: The University of Mississippi Panhellenic Council]. Some will cost much less. A new member may be required to buy a sorority badge and pay extra administrative costs. Optional costs include buying sorority T-shirts, sorority jewelry, pictures and paying for activities like date nights.

Wearing a sorority's letters is considered an honor. Some sororities have rules about what a sister can and cannot do while wearing her letters. For example, she might not be allowed to drink alcohol while sporting her sorority necklace. If a sorority member would like to engage in behavior not becoming of the sorority, she cannot wear her letters.

Not every sorority has a classic mansion, despite what you might see in the movies. Some sororities actually don't have houses and meet instead somewhere on campus or another facility. Sororities with houses usually have a house mom, who coordinates the day-to-day affairs of the sorority from meals to maintenance and enforces house rules, like no alcohol.

Social life is a big part of being in a sorority. Sororities often have themed socials with fraternities where sorority members get to meet and mingle with fraternity members while dressed up in costume. Sororities also organize date nights and semi-formal and formal dances (think prom for college).

The idea that sorority life is just about being social frustrates many sorority members, whose national chapters and mission statements stress the importance of scholarship and service. Every national sorority and most local sororities are involved with philanthropy work. Some sororities earmark specific charities and causes for which they work to raise money. Sororities will often hold fundraisers like basketball games and fishing tournaments. Many sorority members participate in campus philanthropy organizations as well. While every sorority sister may not adhere to the ideals of her organization, there is ample opportunity to be involved in charitable work.

Most sororities have a mandated grade point average (GPA) that sorority members must meet in order to retain all the privileges of membership. A sister who falls below the established GPA might be required to attend study sessions or even have social privileges revoked. Perhaps as a measure to maintain the house average, some sororities have been known (and criticized) for having a sort of cheater's cache — file drawers full of tests and class papers.

Criticism and rumors regarding cheating and hazing aside, for many women, being in a sorority can have a positive impact on their college career. But for others, it can be the very opposite. Much like deciding which college to attend, deciding whether to rush is a personal decision. What may be right for one woman may not be right for another — even if you are a legacy with your mother and grandmother in good alumna standing with a certain sorority.