SMU Thetas celebrate their new member class on Bid Day 2017
Accepted to Southern Methodist University? Huge congratulations!
Now that you’re all set on your school, let’s talk about the next steps as you prepare to head off to Dallas this fall: getting ready for sorority recruitment.
SMU has a VERY fun, VERY strong Greek system and seven Panhellenic sorority chapters!
The sheer number of girls who want to go Greek here combined with the smaller number of chapters makes it uniquely competitive. With over 39% of its undergraduate students are involved in Greek life, it’s an awesome way to get involved on campus.
List of SMU Sororities:
The links below take you to each of their official, chapter-run websites.
- Alpha Chi Omega
- Alpha Delta Pi *reestablished at SMU in 2024
- Chi Omega
- Delta Delta Delta
- Delta Gamma
- Kappa Kappa Gamma
- Pi Beta Phi
What happened to Kappa Alpha Theta? Is it coming back?
SMU’s Theta chapter has unfortunately been suspended for 2 years as of July 2022. Theta did not participate in formal 2023 recruitment and was suspended through spring and fall recruitment 2024. As of fall 2025, it’s still TBD if it will be participating in 2025 recruitment activities. In its absence, The Society (formerly called Theta Society) was created.
Here’s what you need to know:
SAMPLE: SMU’s 2024 Fall Formal Sorority Recruitment Schedule is Below
(Fall SMU 2025 Sorority Recruitment Schedule is TBD)
- PNM Orientation & Open House (August 28)
- Philanthropy Days (August 30-31)
- Sisterhood Day (September 1)
- Preference Day (September 2, Labor Day)
- Bid Day (September 3)
How do the rounds work?
Potential New Member (PNM) Orientation & Open House (August 28):
- PNMs complete a “rush” orientation and view sorority video submissions for all 7 chapters.
- This means that PNMs do not meet every chapter in person – only the ones that invite them back for round 2.
- BTW – Before recruitment, PNMs submitted their own introduction videos as part of the recruitment registration process. The chapters watched and scored these, and these were used in determining whether or not a PNM was invited back.
Philanthropy Days (August 30-31):
- PNMs return to a max of 6 chapters but could have less / none
- What to wear: SMU t-shirt and non-athleisure skirt of your choosing. *This changes from year to year; sometimes they provide a Panhellenic t-shirt for everyone to wear.
- What happens: Sororities play videos that showcase more information on their philanthropy. Many sorority chapters will have a craft that the PNMs will work to complete while learning more about each chapter’s unique philanthropies.
Sisterhood Day (September 1)
- PNMs return to a max of 4 chapters but could have less / none
- What to wear: Sundress and heels or wedges
- What happens: Sororities share more about their sisterhood and what they’re looking for in their future sisters.
Preference Day (September 2, Labor Day)
- PNMs return to a max of 2 chapters but could have 1 / none
- What to wear: Cocktail dresses (any color) and heels.
- What happens: Cuts narrow it down to a maximum of 2 chapters, where PNMs have longer conversations. Each chapter shares a small very sweet and heartfelt tradition with the PNMS.
BID DAY! Aka the BEST DAY. (September 3, in the evening after classes)
- Woo-hoo!! PNMs who make it to bid day receive a MAX of 1 bid
- What to wear to run home: Athleisure – white/black/dark gray shorts, white fitted athleisure tank, and sneakers.
SMU’s formal recruitment used to take place in spring. However, in 2024, it was moved to fall. This was a big deal for MANY reasons, but especially so in regards to “rush dates.”
Fall Semester & Pre-Recruitment MUST-KNOW INFO
RUSH DATES: The unique thing about SMU’s sorority recruitment used to be that all the chapter members would ask PNMs on “rush dates” during the fall. These would begin on syllabus week – the first week of classes. Think of invites like coffee, breakfast, lunch, dinner parties, or going out. Sometimes they would even invite seniors in high school to join them for spring semester parties and events taking place in February or March. The sororities encourage their members to do this because the sorority girls aren’t allowed to vote on you during recruitment unless they’ve met you.
Now, with formal recruitment moving UP a few months to fall, there’s no opportunity for fall semester rush dates.
How did they adjust? They just moved up the timeline. It’s now standard to invite high school seniors up for spring sorority events such as Jungle and other big weekends. There are also still MASSIVE amounts of syllabus week rush dates since school starts a week before formal recruitment. Sorority girls will reach out in August and ask PNMs to “invite only” offers to parties, dinners, and other social events. These are the new “rush dates.”
These are super important!! GO on as many of these as you’re invited on. Having the cutest outfits during rush is FUN but it will not help you if you have not met enough girls who are eligible to vote for you come August.
The more rush dates a PNM goes on, the more sorority girls she meets. The more sorority girls she meets, the better position she’ll be in during formal recruitment.
Think of it this way: if the chapters don’t know you, they can’t get excited about you and ask you out on rush dates. 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?
Don’t yet know any sorority girls yet? That’s perfectly ok!
Let’s talk about how to maximize your chances of getting on the recruitment team’s radar and getting those dates.
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).
- Even though it’s pitched as “optional” on the Panhellenic website, SMU has an extremely competitive recruitment process, and you absolutely need these if you plan to rush here.
- Whether or not you have personal connections in the chapters, this is a must. If you do not know anyone in the chapters – this is hugely helpful. If you do know current chapter members, it’s still in your best interest to obtain these!
- 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 May (when SMU’s registration goes live), turning in Letters of Recommendation helps the sorority chapters:
- 1) Know of your existence
- 2) Discover you months before those who thought registration was the first step (rec forms go live in March, months earlier than SMU’s registration form!)
- 3) Get to know you before recruitment and most importantly – get excited about you!
The best part? Turning in Letters of Recommendation / Recruitment Information Forms (RIFs) increases your likelihood of being asked on these rush dates in spring, summer, and/or syllabus week in August.
Back when recruitment was in the spring, most PNMs would get their recommendation forms in over the summer, prior to the fall semester. Now that sorority recruitment is in August, your deadline for these is May 1. Why so early? The sororities start looking at candidates they’re interested in (and making lists and slideshows of them) as early as January and February.
Do not ignore the deadlines!
There are about 750 PNMs and 4-6 members on each chapter’s recruitment team.
- In order to maximize your chances of receiving more invites back, SMU Letters of Recommendation are due on – or even better, before – May 1, regardless of the listed dates on the Alabama University Panhellenic website & Instagram account, Alabama 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 national deadlines and general disclaimers the Panhellenic website is required to post 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.
SMU has a mandatory PNM Video assignment that’s due with sorority registration.
- 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. Take it seriously and turn it in early!
- We help PNMs with 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 the Southern Methodist University this fall? Don’t risk slipping through the cracks!
Work with a sorority recruitment coach who specializes in Southern Methodist University (SMU) recruitment and celebrates as tons of our PNMs happily receive their bids every year!! We’ve been nationally recognized in WSJ, CNBC, FOX, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Elite Daily, NBC, and many others.
Hiking in Heels was featured in the August 2018 Issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine
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 houses will score your PNM video (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 in the links above.)
Working with a rush coach, aka sorority recruitment consultant maximizes a rushees 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.