Frequently Asked Questions
Q: WHEN CAN I PARTICIPATE IN SORORITY RECRUITMENT?
A: Sorority recruitment at Dartmouth College is conducted in the fall and winter term, within the first three weeks of school. It is important to note that there is no formalized recruitment process during the spring and summer terms.
Continuous Open Bidding (COB) begins immediately following the end of the primary recruitment process on Bid Day for both the fall and winter terms. COB is also held during the spring term. However, not all chapters are eligible to participate in COB. In order to host COB events, a chapter must be under Chapter Total.
Q: IF YOU ARE A LEGACY TO A SORORITY, IS THERE ANYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW?
A: Being a legacy does not mean you are obligated to join a chapter. You are encouraged to keep an open mind and consider what each chapter has to offer, regardless of your legacy status. Likewise, each PNM is considered individually, and you should not feel any pressure from the chapter members to join a particular sorority. Most importantly, being a legacy of a sorority does not guarantee you a bid from that sorority.
Q: DO I NEED LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION FOR SORORITY RECRUITMENT?
A: Dartmouth College does not require recommendations. If you choose to send a recommendation please contact each individual chapter directly.
Q: WHAT IF YOU ONLY WANT TO JOIN A CERTAIN SORORITY?
A: Purposefully limiting yourself to a certain sorority devalues your recruitment experience, as you are not fully able to explore all of your options. We encourage you to keep an open mind and make a decision on which chapter is the best fit for you.
Q: DO PNMs HAVE TO ATTEND ALL OF THE EVENTS THAT THEY ARE INVITED TO?
A: Yes! Primary recruitment at Dartmouth College is designed to allow PNMs to learn as much as they can about the sorority community. If you miss an event, you will be released from the recruitment process. Conflicts for class and varsity athletics are excusable, but must be submitted to the Inter-Sorority Council 48 hours prior to the conflict.
Q: IF I ATTENDED THE EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS IN THE FALL AND EITHER DID NOT RECEIVE A BID OR CHOSE TO WITHDRAW DO I HAVE TO ATTEND THEM AGAIN IN THE NEXT RECRUITMENT CYCLE?
A: Yes! We have made some changes to formal recruitment and want to make sure you are totally up-to-date on the latest procedures.
Q: WHAT SHOULD I WEAR?
A: Whatever you want to wear! The most important thing is that you are comfortable in whatever you decide to wear.
Q: HOW DOES THE COMPUTER SYSTEM WORK?
A: The computer system simply matches people up based on chapter and PNM preferences via computer rather than the Greek Life Office doing this by hand. The computer system does not make arbitrary decisions or make arbitrary cut-offs. After each round a chapter will invite a certain percentage back for the next round and each PNM will make decisions about which sororities they would like to go back to. If you do not get invited back to a chapter it is either because you indicated that you would not like to go back or the chapter has decided not to invite you back. The Office of Greek Life and the Inter-Sorority Council have no authority regarding which potential new members receive invitations or final bids during recruitment. They support the organizations’ rights to private membership and freedom of association.
Q: AM I GUARANTEED A BID?
A: No. While the recruitment process is designed to maximize the number of PNMs that get matched to chapters, from Round 1 through Preference Night there is no minimum number of chapters that a PNM may be called back to. For any round a PNM can be called back from zero to the maximum number of chapters for that round. (i.e. for Round 2 PNMs can be invited back to 0-5 chapters and for Preference Night they can be invited back to 0-2 chapters). Even after Preference Night there is no guarantee that PNMs will be offered a bid. We do our best to place everyone, but that is not always possible.
Q: WHAT DOES ACCEPTING A BID ENTAIL?
A: When you accept a bid, you become a new member of that organization. Once you sign the MRABA after Preference Night, you are ineligible to join another organization for one calendar year. Please know that once you are initiated into a National sorority you are unable to ever join another National sorority.
Q: IS A SNAP BID THE SAME AS CONTINUOUS OPEN BIDDING?
A: No. Snap Bidding is ONLY allowed for those chapters that did NOT match to quota in the bid-matching process of primary recruitment. The Snap Bidding process takes place before bids are distributed on Bid Day, and eligibility is limited to women who participated in at least the first round of recruitment. Snap Bids are coordinated and extended through the Greek Life Office, prior to the distribution of bids and the start of Bid Day activities. Continuous Open Bidding (COB) begins as soon as Bid Day begins.
Q: WHEN CAN A PNM WITHDRAW AND STILL PARTICIPATE IN THE NEXT RECRUITMENT CYCLE?
A: PNMs can withdraw at any point before completing the MRABA and still be eligible for the next recruitment cycle (i.e. they can attend Preference Night events but they cannot submit final preferences). If a PNM withdraws after this point (e.g. after receiving a bid) they must wait a full calendar year to participate in recruitment again. For fall recruitment, they must wait until next fall; for winter recruitment, they must wait until next winter.
Q: HOW DOES A PNM WITHDRAW OUT OF RECRUITMENT?
A: Before you withdraw from recruitment you must sit down with their Rho Gamma and have a discussion with them about why you want to withdraw from recruitment. If you choose to withdraw after this conversation you must fill out the Withdrawal Google Form (provided to the Rho Gamma). Please note, after you fill out this form and hits submit they cannot re-enter the current recruitment process. You will still be eligible for Snap Bidding, Continuous Open Bidding, and future recruitment cycles.
Q: IF A PNM WANTS TO DROP OUT AND TRY AGAIN, HOW LIKELY IS IT THAT THEY GET THE CHAPTER THEY WANT NEXT TIME?
A: The recruitment cycle (i.e. fall or winter) that a PNM participates in has no effect on their likelihood of receiving a bid from a particular chapter. There is no guarantee that withdrawing and participating in a different round of recruitment will yield “better” or even different results for any PNM.
Q: HOW DO I REPORT A VIOLATION?
A: Report violations directly to your Rho Gamma or using the violation form. Violators will be asked to come in and share their side of the story, along with any relevant witnesses. A judicial board, including all of the sorority presidents will decide what action to take, if any. If a PNM wants to report a violation pertaining to their own Rho Gamma, she may do so by contacting the ISC directly at inter.sorority.council@dartmouth.edu.
Q: WHAT IS QUOTA?
A: Quota is the number of bids a sorority can give out on Bid Day. This number is loosely the number of PNMs divided by the number of houses. Quota can and will change based on the number of girls who drop recruitment.
Q: DO MY "ODDS" OF GETTING A HOUSE CHANGE BASED ON OTHER PNMS DROPPING OUT OF FORMAL RECRUITMENT?
A: No. Whether or not other girls drop recruitment, your odds and perceived “risk” do not change. This is because quota is directly proportional to the number of girls still participating in recruitment after signing the MRABA.
Q: DOES SUBMITTING A SINGLE INTENTIONAL PREFERENCE ON PREF NIGHT INCREASE MY CHANCES AT GETTING THAT HOUSE?
A: Absolutely not. In fact, it can, and often does, have the exact opposite effect and you will not get a bid at all to any house, and you will be ineligible to participate in recruitment for a full calendar year.
Q: IS WINTER RECRUITMENT EASIER THAN FALL RECRUITMENT?
A: No - winter recruitment is the same as fall recruitment. Because quota depends on the number of girls in the system at the end of recruitment, your “odds” each term are the exact same. You are no more guaranteed a house than before, and your chances of getting a house are the same as in the Fall.
Q: CAN I STILL GET CALLED BACK TO HOUSES THAT I CONTINUOUSLY RANK LAST?
A: Yes. Sorority recruitment is a mutual selection process meaning that both the Potential New Members and the individual sororities are both making choices. Sororities prioritize which women they want to invite back, just like women are prioritizing which chapters they would like to go back to each day. Potential New Members need to understand that they may not always get invited back to the chapters they would like to attend.
Q: CAN MY FAMILY CONTACT THE ISC OR OFFICE OF GREEK LIFE?
A: Outside of extenuating circumstances, the ISC does not permit phone calls or emails from family members regarding the outcomes of the recruitment process. Family members with important questions may reach out to the Office of Greek Life, but we would like to note that the ISC runs recruitment and is responsible for all decisions, all of which are final and will not be changed as a result of conversations with families after recruitment has ended.