Are you planning to participate in sorority recruitment, aka rush, at Auburn University this fall? We’re so excited for you!!
Nervous? Excited? A little of both? Wherever you are in the sorority recruitment prep process – even if you’re just getting started, read this you’ll know EXACTLY what to do and how to get ready…
Let’s start with the basics.
Auburn has one of the largest Greek systems in the country (one of the many reasons why it’s so much fun!), and because of this sheer size, it’s notoriously competitive when it comes to rush. With 18 sororities and over 5,000 members, Greek women make up a giant 48% of the female undergraduate student body.
Each year 1,800+ girls (a record 1,872 in 2021 – self-reported via Auburn Panhellenic) will sign up to participate in formal recruitment, which takes place in the fall before classes begin.
Auburn University Fall 2023 Recruitment Schedule & Dates:
June 1: Recruitment registration begins online
July 7: Deadline to order extra t-shirts through registration
July 14: Registration deadline
July 26-28: Returning Member Move-In
August 1-3: Potential New Member Early Move-In
August 6: Kickoff & Virtual Ice Water Teas Round
August 7-9: In-Person Philanthropy Round
August 10-12: In-Person Sisterhood Round
August 13: In-Person Preference Round
August 14: Bid Day
August 16: Classes begin
Here’s a list of Auburn’s University Sorority Chapters
- Alpha Chi Omega
- Alpha Delta Po
- Alpha Gamma Delta
- Alpha Omicron Pi
- Alpha Xi Delta
- Chi Omega
- Delta Delta Delta
- Delta Gamma
- Delta Zeta
- Gamma Phi Beta
- Kappa Alpha Theta
- Kappa Delta
- Kappa Kappa Gamma
- Phi Mu
- Pi Beta Phi
- Sigma Kappa
- Sigma Sigma Sigma
- Zeta Tau Alpha
So, is it hard to get into a sorority at Auburn?
It’s that time of year. Everyone and their mom is googling “is it hard to get into a sorority at Auburn” and “what are the top sororities at Auburn”.
Is it hard? Can you get a bid from a chapter you absolutely love?
Yes, and yes. It’s doable. And being prepared, organized, and on time will greatly increase your odds.
Keep in mind, even though you hear about this “mutual selection process” – sororities are in charge of whether a PNM returns or not, regardless of how high she ranks that chapter in her preferences. Ranking a chapter highly in no way guarantees a PNM will return. In fact, many sororities cut as many as a third of the PNMs from round 1 to round 2.
Auburn University 2023 rush – know before you go!
Sorority recruitment does NOT begin in August.
- Even though the Auburn Panhellenic website says otherwise, recruitment DOES NOT BEGIN IN AUGUST with formal recruitment. The sororities start making lists of PNMs they’re excited about in spring of the girls’ senior year. At Auburn, it’s not just important – it’s absolutely essential to get on the recruitment team’s radar as soon as you commit so that the chapter is aware of your existence.
At Auburn, Letters of Recommendation are a MUST.
- How does a PNM get on a recruitment team’s radar if they don’t know current members at that chapter? One way is with Letters of Recommendation / also called Recruitment Information Forms (RIFs).
- If you do not know anyone in the chapters (and even if you do) you should STILL obtain these.
- Auburn has an extremely competitive recruitment process, and you absolutely need these if you plan to rush here.
- Why? Aside from the fact that turning these in shows interest, if you don’t personally know anyone and you aren’t able to register for recruitment until June 1 (when the Auburn registration goes live), turning in Letters of Recommendation helps the sorority chapters:
- 1) know of your existence
- 2) get to know you before recruitment and most importantly – get excited about you!
Think of it this way: if the chapters don’t know about you ahead of time, they can’t get excited about you during recruitment and it’s easier to slip through the cracks. It’s like expecting a cute guy from one of your 100+ person college classes who doesn’t know you yet to ask you out. You could be the cutest, sweetest, most interesting girl in the class, but if you haven’t introduced yourself, a date’s pretty unlikely, right?
Click here for our Sorority Recruitment Guide with a step-by-step Checklist & Action Plan!
Do not ignore the deadlines!
There are almost 2000+ of you and only 4-6 members on each chapter’s recruitment team.
- In order to maximize your chances of receiving more invites back, Auburn Letters of Recommendation are due on – or even better, before – May 1, regardless of the listed dates on the Auburn University Panhellenic website & Instagram account, Auburn sorority websites, and your city’s local Panhellenic Association’s suggested dates.
- Yes, technically you can turn them in later, but think of this like you would a job application.
- If a company opens a job application for 90 days, sure you absolutely can apply the day before they take it down. But if they’ve already found the right candidates and they’re excited about them, and there are only so many open jobs – what do you think your chance of getting that job is going to be? Less likely than the earlier applicants with similar qualifications – that’s for sure.
- Ignore the misleading deadlines you see that are designed to make everyone feel included and have your Letters of Rec turned in by May 1st if you want to maximize your chances of receiving more invites from more chapters. (If you’re reading this after May 1st – deep breath, don’t panic. You’re behind, BUT it’s still better to turn them in ASAP vs. not at all. Not sure if it’s still worth doing? Depends on how far along in the summer you are.) *If you’re unsure if you’ve missed the window for recommendations, you’re welcome to contact us and we can help you fully understand what to do / when it’s due / and how to expedite this process.
- We can help PNMs navigate this entire process surrounding what these letters are, where to turn them in, and who can/should complete them, but we can’t do anything after the window to turn them in closes. What are Letters of Recommendation (LORs), Recruitment Information Forms (RIFs), and Letters of Support (LOS)? Read our 5-min blog post.
Auburn has a mandatory PNM Video assignment that’s due with sorority registration over the summer.
- PNMs are required to answer specific prompts and record a video of themselves answering these.
- This video is due along with registration over the summer prior to formal recruitment and will be factored into your PNM score and impact whether or not you return for round 2. Don’t sleep on this. Take it seriously and turn it in early!
- We help PNMs with the above assignments – crafting your responses, scripting, filming tips, and suggestions on how to be more memorable in their videos with 1×1 coaching sessions, so if you want guidance – that’s what we’re here for!
Plan to participate in sorority recruitment at Auburn University this fall? Don’t risk slipping through the cracks!
Work with a sorority recruitment coach that specializes in Auburn recruitment and cheers as tons of our PNMs happily receive their bids every year!! We’ve been nationally recognized in Cosmopolitan Magazine, Fortune, Elite Daily, and NBC.
A lot of the big decisions with rushees involve paperwork and are made months before recruitment.
We know exactly what the Director of Recruitment Records is looking for on your resume, how the sororities will rank your rec letters on a scale (and how you can get a higher ranking), how best to prepare your rush packets, how the bid list ordering and cut process works, and what you should actually be discussing during each round. (Hint – it’s not what the Panhellenic guides will tell you!)
Working with a sorority recruitment coach maximizes a PNM’s odds and gives your daughter an advantage long before she steps foot on campus for recruitment so she can go in more relaxed and confident.
It’s just like the SAT – it’s better to go in prepared. Let’s get you (or your daughter) recruitment ready.