Home Under the Dome by Emiko P. '25

Now that it’s August, the fall semester is right around the corner – which also means sorority recruitment will be here before we know it. Because sorority recruitment inevitably has some confusing aspects – What is a sorority? How do I sign up? When is recruitment? What’s the commitment? – I thought I’d explain what Greek life at MIT is like, especially as someone who was at first hesitant to the idea. Despite the initial hesitancy,⁠01 Like many others, I didn’t know a lot about what being in a sorority actually <i>meant</i>, so it hadn’t crossed my mind until one of my soccer teammates suggested I just try it out joining my sorority has ended up being one of the one of the best and most impactful decisions I’ve made regarding my MIT experience. 

Whether you are interested in joining a sorority or are just curious, I encourage you to read and learn more about the process!

Intro to Panhel

What is Panhel? MIT has six sororities, and the MIT Panhellenic Council (Panhel) is the umbrella organization overseeing these sororities. It is basically an organization that encompasses the sorority side of Greek life at MIT. Panhel is the largest women and non-binary community on campus (making up ⅓ of all undergraduate women at MIT!), and it helps cultivate, support, and guide the sorority experience.

My Experience During Recruitment

1. Year One. I have been involved in Greek life since my very first year at MIT. My freshman year, I was a Potential New Member (PNM), which, as the name suggests, is someone who is looking to join and be a new member of a sorority. I participated in Fully Structured Recruitment (FSR), which is the main recruiting event of the year and always occurs in fall the weekend before classes start. FSR is over the span of four days, where you get the opportunity to talk to every single sorority at least once. It was admittedly pretty intense because we talked for hours straight, but I met some people during this process that I am still friends with, and I found my chapter and home for my 4 years at MIT. It was a cool experience starting classes the very next day⁠02 First years are already on campus for orientation so it’s not like you have to come early just to do recruitment after recruitment ended, wearing my chapter’s shirt, and seeing girls all around school in my sorority. It was comforting for newbie frosh Emi to know that she had another community along with the soccer team.
2. Year Two. My sophomore year, I helped from the sorority side and talked to the Potential New Members myself. There was a lot of preparation and decoration that needed to be done to make sure the PNMs felt welcome, were comfortable, and could have fun. It was honestly such a bonding experience with my chapter, and it was super cool to be able to meet and get to know the new class. I vividly remember the first time I talked to my eventual little during this process – we clicked instantly.
3. Year Three. My junior year, I was a Panhellenic Recruitment Counselor (PRC)! That means I temporarily disassociated from my sorority chapter and helped guide PNMs through the crazy ride that is the recruitment process. PRCs are meant to be an unbiased sounding board, and we are your partners in crime for the week. I was on the orange PRC team, and it was awesome because we were all in different sororities. This process really helped me appreciate the Panhel community as a whole – it’s cool that, when joining a sorority, you not only join that community, but the entire Greek life community. My PRC team spent the 4 days of recruitment week taking care of all of the Potential New Members. We coordinated and made sure not a single mistake was made in terms of lines, time, and schedules, we helped them find hard-to-reach recruitment rooms, and we danced to 2010s throwbacks in the hallways.
4. Year Four! This year, as a senior, I will be doing what I did sophomore year again and talking to the PNMs with my chapter. Hopefully, I’ll end up talking to some of you reading this during recruitment!

Orange PRC team!

Recruitment Week Info

Overall, recruitment is a huge organized effort. The PRCs and sororities train and prepare an entire week before recruitment actually starts, and each sorority’s recruitment team spends a ton of time over the summer to get everything ready. 

Here is a link to more information that has everything you need to know about recruitment: https://www.mitpanhel.com/recruitment 

It has the site for registration, a booklet that talks about the recruitment week schedule, specifics about each chapter (their cost, values, mission, etc), FAQs, and more. Definitely check it out!

Screenshot of the 2024 schedule. Note that a “party” is where you get to meet and chat with a new sorority.

Some Tips for Recruitment

• Keep an open mind! In high school, I would’ve never guessed I’d be in a sorority, but I’m glad I gave the process a chance. Also, if you are remotely interested, the best way to learn more about sorority life is to go through recruitment, talk to the girls, and see what the vibes are like yourself :) Some people realize that recruitment might not be for them during this process, and that’s totally okay! There are no consequences or problems if you decide you want to withdraw.
• Don’t be afraid to voice concerns. Ask your PRC or the chapter members if there’s anything you’re confused about regarding recruitment or sorority life in general.
• Be prepared for some long days! You will talk to every chapter here, so that’s a LOT of conversations. It’s totally doable, and while it does take effort, trust me, it’s worth it. The PRCs will help you get through these long days – they’ll have fanny packs stuffed with mints and cough drops just for you.
• Focus on the values of each chapter! Maybe you care about academics, passion, humor, or family. Try and see if any chapters reflect the same values, because that’s how you’re really going to figure out which chapter fits you and what you care about best. 

• Follow your gut. There are a ton of people that go through this recruitment process with you. It can be easy to want to join the chapter that your friends really like, but let it be a personal decision. Everyone I know has friends in every single chapter – you’ll be just fine if you don’t choose the same one as your buddies! Panhel as a whole is a community, too, no matter the specific sorority you’re in.
• Take lots of notes! Literally so much happens during the day that I would’ve forgotten everything if I hadn’t furiously typed it down in my notes app. 

• What should I bring? You should bring a few outfits you feel comfortable in, but there’s no real dress code (although the last day tends to be more formal). Each day you should also bring a water bottle and something to take notes with. No letters of recommendation or anything like that is needed. 
• Have fun with it!

My Experience in a Sorority

So, now that you know a bit more about the recruitment process, let me give you a quick run-down of the things I’ve loved about my MIT sorority experience over the past three years.

• My friends. After my freshman year at New Vassar, I moved into the sorority house in Boston, which would end up being my home for the next three years. Living with 60 girls meant that my roommates, next-door neighbors, and housemates are all girls that have become my close friends. I genuinely can’t imagine living anywhere else. 
• My roommates. I’ve lived with them in the house for the last two years, and we are running it back again together for our senior year. They’re the best roommates ever (shoutout Avani N. ‘25 and Eva O. ‘25!! Yap session soon, please). Glad they tolerate the ever-present pile of laundry by my bed.
• My famline. In a sorority, there’s a tradition where an older girl in the sorority (the “big”) mentors a younger girl in the sorority (the “little”). The cycle continues when the little chooses her own little. This creates a long chain of relationships, known as a “famline.” My famline is amazing: my big has been like the older sister I never had from day one, and my little makes sure my life always remains spontaneous and fun.
• The wisdom of the older girls. I have had so many mentors who’ve helped me with everything from mapping out my Course 2 classes, to prepping me for internship interviews, to guiding me through college sports. It was comforting to know that if I was struggling or confused, as one often is in college, I always had a sister to hold my hand and navigate me through the uneven and overwhelming terrain.
• Building empowering female relationships. It has genuinely improved my life to surround myself with hardworking and inspirational women who have similar interests as me. My biggest female role model has always been my mom, and a lot of my sorority sisters remind me of her. I feel like that unapologetic, confident energy has definitely rubbed off on me over the years.
• Studying together. We have a library in our house called The Study, and there’s always someone in there working. It’s very reassuring to know that if you’re grinding on a hard PSET, someone else in the house is, too. It’s also way more fun to do work around other people. 
• Taking a break from the grind. Life isn’t all about work, so it’s nice to be in an environment where having fun together outside of school is encouraged. This comes in the form of study breaks (strawberries and whipped cream desserts, writing letters to each other, watching movies in the basement), organizing mixers with other social groups, hosting events at our house where we invite all our friends and professors to hang out, retreats like apple picking, and just talking to one of the 60 sisters in the house.
• Homemade dinner. We have a personal chef who makes dinner 5/7 days of the week and sandwiches every day for lunch. I’m usually starving after soccer practice, so coming home to a warm, home-cooked meal is a blessing.
• LIVING IN BOSTON!!! My sorority’s house is across the river from campus (to get to campus is a 5 minute scooter ride, 15 minute walk). Let me tell you, this is prime real-estate, people. I live a 5 minute walk from Newbury, one of the most iconic streets in Boston. I can see – and hear – Fenway Park from my window. Cafe 472, an MIT classic for ice cream that gives you like six scoops per serving, is right across the street. Life is good.

• It’s what you make of it. You can be as committed as you want to a sorority or as laid back as you want (to a certain extent). In terms of requirements, we have a meeting once a week on Sunday and a few mandatory philanthropic and sisterhood activities, like volunteering at a fundraiser or supporting fellow members at a sports game.
• Instant community. I literally had a support system before my first day of school even started, and my sorority is a community I continue to lean on to this day. 

Each experience has its ups and downs. I had my doubts at times, and nothing is ever perfect, but I’m truly happy with how this decision of joining a sorority has turned out for me. I am in no way saying that everyone needs to join a sorority, but I am saying that finding a living group and a community has enriched my MIT experience. If you find something at college – a club, a dorm, an athletic team, a friend in one of your classes, a UROP team – that evokes a similar feeling to what I just talked about, then nurture those relationships and hold on tight.

I can’t wait to see so many new faces on campus this year, and I hope everyone has a fun last month of summer before we’re back on campus in August!

Famline support at soccer!!

Famline charcuterie boards on the roof of our house.

My roommates :) peep the Boston skyline in the back.

Formal!

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