What to Wear for Winter + Spring Sorority Recruitment
When you think of sorority recruitment, you probably think about sundresses, #rushtok and sandals, but some schools hold recruitment in the spring semester. A deferred recruitment offers more time to establish yourself on campus and learn about the chapters at your school, and although you can’t wear a sundress (without freezing, that is) you can still dress to impress! Here is what to wear for winter and spring sorority recruitment.
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The most important thing to remember is to BE YOURSELF with your clothing – the sororities want to see who you are! As a former sorority girl, I PROMISE that you don’t go out and buy a wardrobe you’ll never wear again just because you think it’s what you’re *supposed* to wear. Wear what makes you feel comfortable and confident!
NOTE: I will not be including purses or bags, as each school has different systems in place. Some schools have you leave your purse with your Gamma Chi / Rho Chi all day, while some have you use a Panhellenic-supplied tote throughout recruitment.
ROUND ONE – OPEN HOUSE
The first round of recruitment is when you will have the opportunity to visit every single chapter on campus! This round is pretty casual, so wear something you feel comfortable in – you will be visiting A LOT of houses and therefore will be walking quite a lot. The key here is to stand out and show your personality in a sea of thousands of girls in the same exact shirt – more on that in a second.
TOP: You will likely wear a shirt or sweatshirt provided to you by your campus Panhellenic… but so will EVERY. SINGLE. GIRL. You can’t always count on this being the cutest thing, either. I remember lots of horrid shades from my rush years, haha! It will also likely be cold, so take the opportunity to wear a statement jacket to differentiate yourself AND stay warm.
BOTTOM: Cute flattering jeans are a good option since they will go with any shirt color, but any variety pants (provided that they are COMFORTABLE!) are a fun alternative if you’re wanting to stand out a little. Just no sweatpants!
SHOES: As previously mentioned, you’ll likely be walking a lot, so make sure you’re wearing something comfy that won’t give you blisters. Also, plan for the weather – don’t wear suede heeled booties when you know it’s going to snow the weekend of recruitment. You can be practical AND cute.
JEWELRY: Since you’re 99% likely to wear a crew neck cotton t-shirt, make your jewelry choices with that in mind. Dress it up with some statement earrings, fun rings, or maybe some big, chunky necklaces. Simple earrings, bracelets and rings are fine, too! Can’t go wrong with what feels right to you 🙂
ROUND TWO – FIRST INVITATIONAL
The second round is called the first invitational because the sororities you met during the first round decided they like you and have extended you an invite back to their chapter! This is an exciting day because now you can see what sororities have interest in you and begin to get to know your options better. Lots of schools do a philanthropy or sisterhood round this day, as well as house tours. This round will be an opportunity to meet more girls and learn more about each chapter you are invited back to visit!
This round is still pretty casual. You get to wear whatever you’d like, there most likely isn’t a Panhellenic-provided shirt this day. A good frame of reference is to dress like you would for a dinner with friends – not super fancy, but you’re definitely wearing a cute outfit and accessorizing!
TOP: You can really go a number of ways with this outfit. I would NOT recommend wearing a dress yet, since it is so early on in the process and the girls at the chapters will likely be casual as well! A cute sweater, tie up shirt, off the shoulder top, or a flannel would all be great options. Pull from your personal style – what would you wear on a Friday night dinner date with your besties? If you wouldn’t wear it outside recruitment, DON’T WEAR IT! That simple 🙂
BOTTOM: I would really stick with jeans and avoid leggings and sweatpants. You want to put your best foot forward! A few tasteful tears are okay, but do not be showing up with rips all down your legs. Also – play around with the color options jeans offer! Black, olive, and burgundy are great non-traditional choices depending on your shirt. The return of trousers and fun colored pants will also allow you to let your personality shine through.
SHOES: You’ll still be visiting quite a few chapters this round (Purdue has up to 13 houses you can visit this round!) so you want to be wearing comfortable walking shoes. I would not wear sneakers this round, but everything else is fair game. Again, if it’s raining / snowing, please wear appropriate footwear.
JEWELRY: Your jewelry really depends on your outfit and personal style, but simple necklaces and hoops are just as great as in the open house round. Statement pieces are also big this round because it shows off your style AND they will likely be a conversation starter with the girls you will talk to at the chapters!
YOU MAY LIKE: MAKING FRIENDS AFTER COLLEGE
ROUND THREE – SECOND INVITATIONAL
You’ve made it more than halfway through recruitment! Pat yourself on the back. Today, chapters decided that they made a wonderful choice inviting you back for the last round and that they want to see you back again! This is a big deal and totally okay to get excited about 🙂 This is the round where sororities will decide if they want to invite you back to the final round of recruitment, called preference. You need to make a great impression and dress a little nicer this time. I would dress like you are going to church or going to a nice dinner with your family – not FANCY but definitely wearing something nicer than you’d wear on any other day.
DRESS: I would recommend wearing a dress this day. You can wear a nice shirt and skirt, but for me, it was easier to wear one piece of clothing and not worry about my skirt riding up or my shirt coming untucked! You want to be focused on the conversations you’re having with girls, not a wardrobe malfunction 😉 make sure you are modestly dressed – keep the hemline short enough to show you’re a woman but long enough to show you’re a lady and cover up your chest. I’m not saying to wear a maxi skirt and a turtle neck, just make sure a dress you’d wear for going out is NOT what you are wearing to this round!
SHOES: You won’t be visiting as many chapters so you won’t need walking shoes. I would wear heeled booties to stay warm and also be a little more dressy!
JEWELRY: You want to wear tasteful and classy jewelry as you are looking more formal this round. I would stick to nicer jewelry and stray away from edgy pieces like chokers or colorful chunky stuff.
FINAL ROUND – PREFERENCE
You have made it to the final round of recruitment – these women can see you as their sister and have invited you to see what the core of their sisterhood is. The preference ceremonies you will attend are extremely meaningful and formal events, and you need to dress like you are attending a wedding or family party. This is a very exciting day and the most important of the entire recruitment process and you need to look your best! The women in the chapters you visit will be dressed in nice cocktail dresses and heels. There really is not a lot of room for negotiation on this – you, too should be wearing a nice dress and heels.
DRESS: It is CRUCIAL that your dress is not at all something you would wear out. Make sure your chest is covered, the hem line is long enough and that the fabric isn’t skin tight. However, wear something you feel your best in! If you have a nice dress that you think you look amazing in, wear it! A jumpsuit that is classy could also work. Again, don’t be wearing something overly conservative, just be aware of the formality of the event.
SHOES: You should be wearing heels to match the formality of the girls at the chapters. Make sure you can walk in them and that they won’t give you blisters! Don’t feel the need to stick to plain black heels, either – feel free wear velvet, studded or tie up heels to show more personality 🙂Â
JEWELRY: All your jewelry should be tasteful and the “nicer” pieces you own! I would suggest sticking to pearls and diamonds. Bring out the bling!!
Good luck during recruitment and feel free to email me with your outfits for advice or help – cait(AT)sophisticaition.com! May the recruitment odds be ever in your favor 😉
Lovely options, sorority or not!
I was attempting to click on the pictures to go to the links of each item but it doesn’t allow me to. is there any way you can hyperlink the pictures?
Hi Emily, they are all hyper linked! I just double checked. If you’re still having issues, try restarting your browser 🙂