Once you arrive at Rutgers, one thing will be overwhelmingly evident- Rutgers is a big place. After being here for your semester, I can tell you that a sure-fire way to find your place at Rutgers is to get involved. If you interested in Greek Life as a way to get involved, Rutgers is a great place to take advantage of the philanthropic, leadership, and social opportunities that being in a fraternity or sorority offers its members. As someone who recently went through Formal Recruitment, or rushed, the 7 sororities on campus, I will be able to speak to that side of Greek life more so than someone who had rushed the numerous fraternities on campus.
The recruitment process at the beginning of the Spring semester is a very exciting time. Unlike other schools, Formal Recruitment at Rutgers occurs over two weekends in the beginning of the Spring semester, rather than for a full week before, or during, the Fall semester. In order to rush at Rutgers, it is required to be a full-time student, and to have completed 12 credits at the university with a minimum GPA of 2.5. This may seem confusing, but it only means is that you must complete one full semester at Rutgers with a C+ (or better!) average. “Going Greek” is a good inspiration to do well in your classes during your first semester.
Formal Recruitment concludes with “Bid Day,” which is when a Greek organization formally invites you to join their chapter. This year, Bid Day was on Monday, February 8th, and I was lucky enough to receive a bid from one of Rutgers’ fabulous sororities! I couldn’t be more excited for everything that Greek Life will offer me during my college career.
If you have any questions about Formal Recruitment, or would like me to expand on anything mentioned above, let me know in the comments!
Hi Megan!
Congrats on receiving your bid! I hope that I’ll get to experience that as well once I transfer to Rutgers. I’ll be transferring in the fall of 2016 from Virginia. I have some friends who go to really big SEC schools who are, of course, really into Greek life. One thing that my friends mentioned is that it’s sometimes harder for older transfers, like myself (I’ll be transferring as a junior and I’ll be 20), to rush and get a bid. Do you think that’s true when it comes to rushing at Rutgers?
Thanks for taking the time to read and answer my question, and congrats again!
-Bobbie
Hi, and congratulations to you too on your decision to transfer to Rutgers!
From what I’ve seen, it’s not harder for older students or transfers to get a bid. What is important to remember is that no one is guaranteed to get a bid, so everyone who goes through Formal Recruitment essentially has an equal chance. In my New Member Class, we have a great mix of freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, and a variety of ages within those class years. It’s all about finding your home. Age and class year seem not to factor in. I have not yet been on the other side of Formal Recruitment, so I can’t exactly say what makes someone a better candidate for a bid than someone else; however I hope it’s reassuring to you that I have seen a large spread of ages and class years go through Formal Recruitment successfully.
-Megan
Hi
I am transferring to Rutgers Busienss School in the fall. I am currently at at community college so I haven’t had the chance and the options to join clubs. Even though I am very quiet and shy I really want to be a part of something ( like a sorority) when I go to Rutgers. Can you please tell me know the whole recruitment process works especially after the bid day
Hi there!
In terms of clubs, Rutgers has a lot to offer. If you decide that Greek life isn’t for you, than that’s perfectly okay! If you’re still on the fence regarding whether on not you should go through Recruitment, I highly recommend attending some of the “Meet the Sisters” events that the sororities hold throughout the semester, so that you can get a feel for the type of organization that is a sorority.
As for the recruitment process, there are three rounds:
1. Open House Round: This is the first round of recruitment, where you have the opportunity to visit all of the Panhellenic sororities. Each round is a half hour. After this, you choose 5 sororities that you would like to see again in the next round. This works by mutual selection, so in order to be invited back to a certain sorority, both you and the sorority need to pick each other (don’t worry- it’s a lot less scary than it sounds!).
2. Philanthropy Round: In this round, you will see a maximum of 5 sororities. Many people get invited back to less than 5, so don’t stress! You will learn about their respective philanthropies and go on a house tour if the organization has a house on campus. This round lasts 55 minutes. Afterwards, you choose two sororities that you would like to see again for the next around. Again, this works by mutual selection.
3. Preference Round: This is the last round before Bid Day, and you will be invited back to a maximum of two sororities. This round lasts one hour, and you will get a closer look into the sisterhood that you will potentially be joining. Following this round, you will rank, in order, the sororities you have left to choose from.
Now lets talk about Bid Day. If you get a bid from your #1 ranked sorority, that is where you will join. If you don’t, but get a bid from your #2 choice, that is where you will join. If you get a bid from both your #1 and #2 choice, you will join your first choice sorority. If you decide not to accept your bid, however, you must wait until the NEXT Formal Recruitment in the following spring to go through the process again. While this all seems stressful, Bid Day made the whole process worth it! Once I saw how excited everyone was and welcomed me with open arms, I immediately felt at home.
After Bid Day, most organizations have some form of a “New Member Process,” in which you learn about the values and history of the organization before your formal initiation. Rutgers has a strong policy against hazing, so do not worry about that! During this time, you will become much closer with your fellow New Members, and the preexisting sisters.
I am so happy that I made the decision to Go Greek, and I hope that if you make the same decision, you will find all of the happiness that I did. If you decide that this is not something that you want to do, that’s perfectly okay too! If you have any more questions, please ask me, and I will do my best to answer them, or direct you to where they can be.
-Megan