Future Longhorns – we’re so excited you’re here!
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Stacia, and I’m the founder of Hiking in Heels. I also serve as our resident UT sorority recruitment expert, also known as your “rush coach,” working closely with our University of Texas-bound girls to help them feel prepared and ready each fall.
As a proud Longhorn and former sorority member, Greek life at UT was one of the most meaningful parts of my college experience. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working with thousands of girls and guiding so many through recruitment, helping them find the sisterhood and community that makes UT so special.
I’m here to talk sorority recruitment, and I’ll be doing a BIG Q&A with some of the top questions we get every year, leading up to sorority recruitment at UT Austin. This started out as a short blog, but I just couldn’t help myself. There’s so much to say.
So if you’re planning to participate in sorority recruitment this upcoming fall or you’re considering it in the future, be sure to bookmark this post.
Let’s get started with the top question on everyone’s minds…
How do you join a sorority at UT?
The University of Texas holds its formal sorority recruitment every year in August. UT’s recruitment is a week-long process that takes place right before school starts, and it consists of four rounds: Open House, Philanthropy, Sisterhood, and Preference. These rounds are followed by Bid Day, which is when participating PNMs are able to receive a max of 1 sorority bid, aka, an invitation to join a chapter.
In order to enroll in formal recruitment, a PNM is required to register with the UT Austin Panhellenic. Registration typically opens in late May or June, and potential new members are required to register via the University of Texas Panhellenic Association. The deadline to register has historically been August.
UT does not have a formal spring recruitment process. A few chapters will participate here and there informally, but the majority of chapters don’t participate. If you want to be considered by every chapter on campus – formal fall recruitment is your best bet. Don’t hold out for spring if you’re able to participate during the fall.
How hard is it to get into a UT sorority?
Sorority recruitment at UT is extremely competitive. There are 1400+ potential new members going through, and a handful of officers on each sorority’s recruitment team sorting through all those girls. The sororities make lists of incoming freshmen they’re especially interested in the spring semester before recruitment (as early as January / February for some chapters), and they call these their “top girls” lists. These potential new members then get added to a slideshow that’s played at recruitment trainings for chapter members and during their work week, the week before recruitment, where the chapters get ready for formal recruitment, to help the members get to know the girls, memorize their names and faces, and to remind them to say hi to during recruitment. If you don’t make it on one of these lists/slideshows (we’ll talk about how to get on them later in the post), it’s very tough to get a bid because no one in the chapter is looking out for you.
Reason #2 why it’s super competitive is that at UT, the sorority members are only allowed to vote on PNMs they’ve personally met. If a sorority girl hasn’t personally met you, she can’t vote on you – yes or no. Meeting you at any time counts – during high school, at camp, or during formal recruitment at UT. Amazing girls slip through the cracks all the time, through no fault of their own, because they aren’t able to qualify for enough votes to move forward another round.
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?
Keep in mind, even though you hear about this nice-sounding “mutual selection process” where supposedly PNMs and sororities get a say – 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.
At UT Austin, the chapters are not obligated to take everyone who’s registered for recruitment, and PNMs are therefore not guaranteed a bid. It’s very common that many girls are released from the process mid-way through.
With all that being said, a PNM absolutely CAN still have a successful recruitment if they understand how the process really works.
[ PS – Heading somewhere other than the University of Texas? We help prepare PNMs for recruitment at 100+ schools. Click here for a complete list! ]
When should I start getting ready for recruitment?
On average, most of our girls heading to UT begin getting ready for recruitment anywhere from a year in advance to January/Feb of their spring semester of senior year. We have girls signing up for our Insider Pass as early as freshman year of high school to get as far ahead as possible. Whether you plan to hire a coach or not, it’s common to get started long before you have an official acceptance. That way, you’re already ahead of things when the majority of girls make their commitment in January-March.
Remember these lists/slideshows referenced above in question #1? The sooner you get on the recruitment team’s radar, the sooner you can get yourself added to them, and the more you can maximize your chances of getting more invites when formal recruitment week rolls around. Earlier is better, so as soon as you know UT is on the table, it’s important to make a game plan.
What does “getting ready” mean?
Getting ready means…
- Telling any friends in the sorority chapters at UT that you’re coming and plan to participate in sorority recruitment. If you haven’t explicitly told them, assume they don’t know.
- Getting your Instagram ready for the sororities to stalk it.
- Creating a sorority recruitment resume and digital rush packet that will stand out from the crowd
- Submitting your Letters of Recommendation.
- Submitting your Letters of Support.
- Registering for recruitment via the University of Texas Panhellenic Association.
- Submitting your PNM video assignment which is due with your Panhellenic registration form.
- Planning out your outfits for the formal week of recruitment.
- Practicing some interview prep for the week of.
What’s the difference between Letters of Support and Letters of Recommendation? Are they required?
A Letter of Recommendation / Recruitment Information Form (RIF) is a form an alum completes on their national sorority website. Nationals send the form to the local UT chapter, and it helps the recruitment team get to know the PNM ahead of time. *For UT sorority recruitment, these do NOT have to be completed by a UT alumna. Any alumna can complete these.
Some, but not all, sororities at UT allow for alumnae to submit supplementary (read: supplementary does not mean optional) Letters of Support in addition to the Recommendation Forms. A Letter of Support is an email from an alum directly to the sorority chapter’s recruitment team, with a nice note about how wonderful you are, and your resume and recruitment photos attached.
Some important facts:
- If you do not know anyone in the chapters (and even if you do), you should STILL obtain these.
- UT 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 (when the UT 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!
When are Letters of Recommendation and Support due?
In order to maximize your chances of receiving more invites back, University of Texas Letters of Recommendation & Letters of Support are due on – or even better, before – May 1, regardless of the listed dates on the UT University Panhellenic website & Instagram account, UT Austin’s 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, 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 Panhellenic deadlines that schools are required to publish 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 is a rush packet and a social resume?
Your rush resume has TWO audiences:
- Your alumnae. They need your resume to help them answer the questions on the Recommendation Forms. Some of your alums might know you well (hopefully); others might not.
- The recruitment team. Each chapter receives a copy of your recruitment resume when you register for recruitment. They will grade and score this.
DON’T immediately head to Etsy and download the SAME templates everyone else is using, or pay someone to make a boring black/white resume in Word.
DO thoughtfully craft your resume with your academic, philanthropic, and social achievements, and choose a template or design that makes you stand out in a “wow, she’s on top of things!” kind of way.
A sorority rush packet consists of:
- Social resume
- Cute senior photo
- Cover letter for your alums explaining what they’re being tasked with (Letter of Rec vs. Letter of Support) + instructions & deadlines
We help all the girls in our rush coaching programs craft a competitive, memorable sorority rush packet – both content and design. We go line by line to make sure everything qualifies for a high score, content-wise, and we offer a HUGE selection of editable, designer templates no one else can get access to. We also put the entire thing together for you so you don’t have to format it!
What is the PNM video assignment?
The UT PNM video assignment helps sororities better get to know the PNMs during formal recruitment, since Round 1 is virtual and you will NOT visit any chapters or meet sorority members.
For the videos:
- PNMs are required to answer specific prompts and record a video of their answers.
- 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!
- Your sorority recruitment coach will 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!
Can my friends in the chapter guarantee me a bid?
Firstly, it’s great, not to mention helpful, that you know someone in that chapter! She’s someone who can vote on you and tell the recruitment team what an amazing addition you’d be.
With that being said, each UT sorority chapter has 200+ members. Many other PNMs will also have friends in that chapter. If every member had just one friend they wanted to join their chapter, that’s 200 girls – way more than they’re going to take each year. For reference, last year’s freshmen quota was 67, and the sophomore quota was 20. Meaning, that’s how many bids they were offered to freshmen and sophomores.
Having a friend can help, but you need significantly more than one vote to get in.
With that being said, we want to make it perfectly clear that PNMs do NOT need to know someone in that chapter to get a bid. It helps, of course, but it’s NOT mandatory. That’s where your other application materials like resume, recs, and video, help you shine.
[ PS – Heading somewhere other than the University of Texas? We help prepare PNMs for recruitment at over 100+ schools. Click here for a complete list! ]
Are upperclassmen able to receive bids?
Yes!! There’s a secondary quota, meaning each sorority takes a minimum amount of sophomores. There’s a junior/senior one as well. If you’re considering participating in recruitment at the University of Texas as a sophomore, you should definitely do it!! As a sorority recruitment coach, I work with sophomores as well as freshmen every year, and there’s nothing I love more than seeing all their happy bid day photos!
Where should I live if I plan to participate in sorority recruitment at UT Austin?
The most popular choices for girls in Greek life are hands down Hardin House, SRD, and Callaway House. If you want the best possible chance of living alongside your fellow sisters and other Greek freshmen, these are all solid choices. SRD and Hardin House are girls only. Callaway is co-ed. Hardin House and Callaway are more freshmen; SRD is a mix of freshmen and sophomores.
A tip for all dorms: no one goes potluck anymore. Pick your roommate beforehand for the best match.
How do you stand out during recruitment with over 1400+ girls going through?
- Complete everything, even if it’s listed as “optional,” like Rec Forms & Letters of support.
- Complete every task as early as possible! Rec Forms & letters of support should be turned in by May 1 to be most effective.
- Get a sorority recruitment coach who can help you get ready and stand apart from the crowd. It’s literally our full-time job to help make you more successful and prepared. We do this every day!
PS – if you like all the free tips on our blog, you’re going to REALLY like our Hiking in Heels Insider Pass.
What’s the Insider Pass? The Hiking in Heels Insider Pass is a monthly email subscription packed with insider-only recruitment tips, templates, and resources you won’t find anywhere else. Created for high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors, it’s designed to help you feel prepared, confident, and ahead of the curve going into sorority recruitment (with a few fun freebies and surprises along the way).
Legacy status
At UT, being a legacy no longer guarantees preferential treatment or a bid to your legacy chapter(s). During 2020 and 2021, most chapters did away with legacy policies nationally. With so many legacies already going through at UT (more than each house could admit before the policy change), it was only a matter of time.
So, gone are the days of legacy perks. It used to be that legacies would get:
- A courtesy invite back to Round 2
- A guaranteed bid if she made it to Preference Round (last round)
- Other preferential treatment, depending on the chapter
But on the upside, remember all those spots that would have been courtesy invites to other PNMs? Those are open to you now…and that’s good news for PNMs with and without legacy ties.
But I was promised a bid…
Oops. We’re going to assume she had the best of intentions here, but a member can’t make this promise because no one person (or group of people in the chapter) has the ability to fulfill this promise.
When someone does this, either outright, i.e. “Don’t worry, XYZ chapter will definitely give you a bid. You’re on our list.” or implied, i.e. “I can’t wait to be your big! You’ll make an amazing XYZ this fall,” this is called bid promising.
It’s not allowed, but it doesn’t stop it from happening. And it happens a lot.
How should you react? Assume your friends have the best of intentions and know it’s not guaranteed. They cannot promise you or guarantee you a bid.
Why a rush coach?
Same reason you’d hire a tutor, use a personal trainer, work with a college admissions counselor, or sign up for an SAT prep course. You could do it on your own, but do you want to?
A sorority recruitment coach helps you move through the process easily and efficiently, and provides private, individualized support and guidance throughout the entire process.
A sorority recruitment coach helps you and your daughter navigate the entire recruitment process from start to finish – from social resumes, cover letters, and rec letters/letters of support, to social media and registration forms, the PNM video, networking tips, what to wear/expect for the week of, an overview of formal recruitment, & interview style prep.
It’s our job to tell you the answers to questions you don’t know to ask.
Let’s work together to make this process easier, more fun, and less stressful!!