As a freshman entering Penn State for the first time, you glance around the HUB and see tons of girls in similar T-shirts with Greek letters on them. Greek life is a great way to make this big school feel small.

Orientation begins on Monday, September 5^th at 8 P.M in 100 Thomas (the room where you most likely have one lecture). This is where you will learn about the process and learn which Pi Chi Group you are in. Your Pi Chis are your advisers throughout rush and will help you and guide you to ease the process. The recruitment or “rush” process is simple and most define it as “speed dating” with a bunch of girls. It might be a little awkward at first, but once you relax, conversation will flow naturally.

The open house rounds start Sept 6^th and the last night is the 14^th. Girls receive their bids on Bid Day, which is Sept 15^th. Be prepared to answer questions, and do not be scared to ask questions because all the girls you’ll meet were in your place just a short while ago.

If you haven’t already registered and for more info, click here.  You have until Sept 5^th at noon to sign up! The application is simple and costs $40. This will go towards funding those black American Apparel V-necks you will be sporting and then never want to wear again

Here is the breakdown:

Open Houses: Sept 6^th-Sept 8^th

This is the first part of rush where each potential new member is required to wear the nifty sorority recruitment t-shirts for three days. Either do your laundry on the 7^th, deodorize, or Febreeze. Girls, you will be running from South to Pollock and back and forth. Also, try not to overload on the perfume, not everyone enjoys Justin Bieber’s scent.

These rounds usually last 15 minutes and you will be introduced to as many girls as possible and learn about the different chapters. After the last day, you will meet with your Pi Chi group in order to “post office.” This means you rank the sororities that you want and put them into the computer. Post office occurs after all of the rounds.

First Rounds: Sept 9^th and 11^th.

This is the philanthropy round. These parties are a little longer and allow you to learn more about the activities that each chapter participates in. All of the Penn State Greek Sororities and Fraternities host a philanthropy event to give back to charities. These rounds are 30 minutes long. Saturday Sept 10^th is off so the freshman can enjoy a Penn State Football game. This is to relieve some of the pressure and stress and allow everyone to relax. This round is casual, so wear jeans and a nice top. Do, not show your bra straps or too much cleavage.

Second Rounds: Sept 12^th and 13^th

These are the skit rounds. Each chapter puts on a skit for the potential new members in order to differentiate them from one another, show their personalities, and to have a little fun. These rounds are slightly longer. They last 40 minutes and are still casual, but maybe a little nicer than the previous ones. Same rules apply.

Preference Night:  Sept 14^th

This is the best night of all of recruitment. Each sorority decorates its suites to the nines, and these parties are an hour long. They involve food, talking, and seeing what the sorority floor looks like. It gives you a feel of what the sisters are really like when they interact with one another in their natural habitat. You will go to up to three parties on preference night and have to wear a nice dress. Do not wear something that you would be struttin’ in to the frats or anything that your dad would not approve of or does not know you own.  After this night you do your final post office where you rank your top three in the order you want.

 The Essentials:

There is no chewing gum, so carry mints in your bag so you can pop some in for minty fresh breath. Pack a hairbrush, deodorant, make up and an umbrella. You never know what the weather in State College is going to be like and you will be walking from dorm to dorm. Charge your cell phones so you can talk to your Pi Chis in case of an emergency or if you are running late, but they are not allowed in the parties. Also, no watches allowed to be worn at any time.

Make sure to have fun and visit the Panhelleic website for more information!