Primary Recruitment

Primary Recruitment 2023

Primary Recruitment has finished for the 2023 year. More information regarding Primary Recruitment for 2024 will be updated in the future and placed here on this page.

2023 Registration has Closed

This page will be updated once 2024 Primary Recruitment has opened.

Please use THIS LINK for a step-by-step guide on how to register!

Parents & students, please sign-up for our Recruitment Newsletter for more information sent right to your email! CLICK HERE

What is Primary Recruitment?

Primary Recruitment takes place in the Spring semester! All sororities participate in Primary Recruitment.

You must register for recruitment in order to participate. Below you can find a breakdown of the requirements as well as the different rounds that take place during Primary Recruitment.

Requirements to Participate in Recruitment

In order to participate in recruitment you must fulfill the following requirements:

At least a 2.5 cumulative GPA
Be enrolled as a full-time student at Penn State University Park
Completed at least 14 credits at a Penn State campus OR 27 transfer credits OR be classified as an adult learner by Penn State
Not have conduct probation with a transcript notation at the time of recruitment or intake
Not be suspended or expelled at the time of recruitment or intake
Register on Campus Director
Complete the Fraternity and Sorority Life Information Session on Canvas, including the terms and conditions at the end

2023 Recruitment Schedule

We look forward to your participation in our upcoming Primary Recruitment process! Included below are important dates/times to add to your calendar.

Registration Closes: January 9th, 2023

Potential New Member Orientation:

January 17, 2022 – Eisenhower Auditorium at 7 pm

Asynchronous Panhellenic Preview Round:

January 18, 2022
January 19, 2022
January 20, 2022
- Potential New Members will complete the chapter video review and their round reflection individually
- Pi Chis will host office hours for Potential New Members to make and submit selections for the next round

Values Round:

January 21, 2022, 9 am-6 pm
January 22, 2022, 9 am-7 pm
Potential new members will be invited back to meet at most 12 sororities and therefore must be available to attend 12 parties of the 24 parties scheduled.

Philanthropy Round:

January 26, 2022, 6 pm-9:20 pm
January 27, 2022, 6 pm-10:50 pm
January 28, 2022, 9 am-5:50 pm
Potential new members will be invited back to meet at most 8 sororities and therefore must be available to attend 8 parties of the 20 parties scheduled.

Preference Round:

January 29, 2022, 9 am-9:30 pm
Potential new members will be invited back to meet at most 2 sororities and therefore must be available to attend 2 parties of the 9 parties scheduled.

Bid Day:

Bid Day on January 30th, 2023 4-8 pm in the BJC

Pi Chi Groups

You will be assigned to a Pi Chi group before recruitment begins. A Pi Chi group is a group of other potential new members that you will go through recruitment with. Each group is led by three recruitment counselors, called “Pi Chis” (hence the name, Pi Chi group). These leaders are current Penn State sorority members that are there throughout the entire recruitment period to offer unbiased guidance and help you through the process. In addition, there are five Pi Chi Directors that oversee all of the Pi Chis. Please look to them as a resource as well! During Orientation, you will receive much more detailed information about the recruitment process.

Orientation

Your first step is to attend a mandatory orientation session. In the orientation session, you will get a step-by-step walk-through of each part of the process, what to expect, where to find resources and more.

Your Pi Chi group will be assigned one of three one-hour sessions to attend. If you are not able to attend your assigned orientation session, you will be expected to attend another session or complete our orientation module.

Panhellenic Preview Round

Your next step is Panhellenic Preview Round! First, you will view videos created by all 20 sororities to learn about each individual chapter completing reflections so you can compare your values when it is fresh in your mind. Lastly, you will complete selections using a computer program guided by your Pi Chi.

Values Round

After Panhellenic Preview, is Values Round where you will learn more about the sororities’ sisterhood, values, and character. Before the meetings begin, will gather with your Pi Chis at a designated time in person to receive your schedule for values round weekend. Dress is any kind of Penn State top (a T-shirt, long sleeve, sweatshirt, etc) and a casual bottom like jeans (or a skirt or pants, etc). Remember to express yourself! If you need accommodations, Panhellenic would happily provide a Penn State shirt.

All parties (or assigned meeting times where you will go see a sorority) will be in-person with hybrid accommodations available only for those who have COVID-19 or symptoms. You will be entirely responsible for attending each party on your own. You can visit a maximum of 12 sororities during this round. You must visit ALL of the sororities on your schedule or you will be withdrawn from the process. Penn State Panhellenic facilitates values-based recruitment where all chapters are equal, which is why all given parties must be attended.

At the conclusion of the Values Round, you will meet with your Pi Chi to reflect on the chapters you visit and again to complete selections for the sororities that you visited on a computer.

Philanthropy Round

Philanthropy Round is where you will get an in-depth understanding of each sorority’s cause. You will again meet your Pi Chis and receive a new schedule with a maximum of 7 sororities to visit. The time spent at each party increases every round, and during this round, each chapter will inform you of its philanthropic pursuits. The dress is casual (think a fancy dinner).

You must visit all of the sororities on your schedule. At the end of your last party, you will again complete selections with your Pi Chi based on the sororities you visited.

Preference Round

Following Philanthropy Rounds is the final round of primary recruitment parties; Preference Round. On the morning of the Preference Round, you will again meet with your Pi Chi to receive your schedule for the day. The dress is a cocktail or semi-formal dress. This is the most special day of recruitment, as chapters will be sharing a glimpse of their unique ritual with you. You will visit a maximum of two sororities and spend 50 minutes with each. After your last party, you will rank the sororities that you visited in order of preference, with your number one choice being the chapter you wish to join.

Bid Day

The day after Preference Round is Bid Day. Dress is casual and you will be given a shirt by your chapter (so wear a top that you can easily put a shirt over). You will meet your Pi Chi group beforehand and sit with your group in the BJC. Everyone will receive an envelope with your bid card (or invitation to join a particular sorority) and the whole room will open their bids at the same time. After you open your bid, you will join your new sorority and fellow new members on the upper concourse of the BJC. Primary Recruitment is officially over – it’s time to relax and enjoy time with your new sisters!

Attendance

If you are unable to attend some of the recruitment because of class, there is a potential new member conflict which you can fill out, it will open once recruitment begins. However, if an event is missed without an excuse, you will not be able to participate in the rest of recruitment and may not be able to join a sorority, so plan ahead of time!

Recruitment is a long process, but is fun and rewarding! You will meet lots of new people and meet your potential new sisters! More information will be given at Orientation about what to expect and how to go through recruitment.

Please email our Vice President for Recruitment, Amanda Taiano, at recruitment@pennstatephc.org if you have any questions or concerns after reading!

Check out our Instagram @pennstatephc for the most recent updates!

Penn State Panhellenic Council

Leadership, Sisterhood, Scholarship, Service