Continuous Open Bidding
How to COB a sorority.
Almost nobody talks about joining a sorority through informal recruitment, so I will.
COB is short for continuous open bidding, and it’s how a lot of women join, whether they skipped formal, withdrew partway through, or just knew the chaos of formal recruitment wasn’t for them. The problem is that when you go looking for how it actually works, you get a couple of vague paragraphs and a whole lot of nothing. So I’m going to tell you what I know, because I’ve been on both sides of it.
Show me how COB worksStart Here
What continuous open bidding actually is.
Continuous open bidding is informal recruitment. It’s how sororities who are under total (the maximum number of members they can have) fill their open spots after formal recruitment ends, and it looks nothing like what you saw on RushTok. It’s low key: coffee chats, or something with typically deeper conversations. It’s you and a chapter deciding if there’s a mutual fit.
It’s less structured than formal, less chaotic, and honestly typically a lot less heartbreaking. The catch is that almost nobody explains how it works, when it starts, or what you’re supposed to do. That’s what I’m here to explain.
From Someone Who Did It
I joined through COB.
Here’s my own story, since it matters. I joined my sorority through COB. I had two friends already in the chapter who thought I’d be a good fit. They invited me to a sisterhood dinner, and it changed my life.
Since joining I've spent the next decade of my life on the other side of recruitment, 40+ of them as an advisor, watching how all of this actually works from behind the scenes. Now I help chapters write their own COB playbooks.
Two Ways In
Here’s how I can help.
The Playbook gives you the map. The Sit-Down gives you The Playbook + an hour with me.
A One-Hour Consult · Voice Only
The Sit-Down
One focused hour on the thing that’s actually keeping you up. You bring your situation, whatever’s got you stuck about COB, and we build your plan together. You’ll leave knowing exactly what to do next.
Includes:
- One 60-minute call, voice only
- The COB Playbook
- A written recap with your next steps
Digital Guide
The COB Playbook
Rather read it yourself first? Start here. 14 pages on COB, start to finish, from someone who joined through it and spent 40+ recruitments watching how it really works.
Answers your most important questions:
- When COB opens and how long it stays open
- The three ways in
- The exact first message to send a chapter
- How to hint to your friend who’s already in
Stuck between them?
If you can swing it, book the Sit-Down. You get the hour with me and the Playbook comes with it, so it’s the most help for figuring out what you need to do. Go with the Playbook on its own if you’d rather read it and work through it at your own pace. Either way you’re further along than the girl still Googling “what is COB” at midnight.
Frequently Asked Questions
I withdrew from formal. Can I still COB?
Yes, as long as you withdrew before bid matching. Withdrawing doesn't close the door. COB is a separate, official process and you don't have to go through formal recruitment to be elligible. The Playbook shows you how to start.
I single-preferenced and didn’t match. What now?
You listed one chapter on pref night (intentional single preferencing) and didn’t match. That’s not the end, it just means your next step is COB instead of Bid Day.
Do I have to go through formal to COB?
No. You never have to do formal to get a COB bid. Plenty of women skip formal entirely and go straight for COB because it fits them better. If that’s you, you’re not doing this backwards, you’re doing it on purpose.
What is continuous open bidding (COB)?
It’s how sororities fill their open spots after formal ends. Chapters that come out below total (the size Panhellenic wants them to reach) have room, and COB is the official process of filling it. You don’t meet every chapter. You might meet one or two.
When does COB start?
Depending on the semester, on Bid Day or the first day of classes. How long it stays open is up to the chapter. The Playbook breaks down the real timeline.
Is COB a backup plan?
No. A bid is a bid. Plenty of women join through COB on purpose, not because formal went wrong.
Do I see your face on The Sit-Down?
No, it’s voice only. You get my voice and my read on your situation, but not my face. There are too many people who’d be mad at me for sharing what I share.
Are the guides digital?
Yes. Instant download after purchase, readable on any device.
You’ve read this far. You already know.
Want me in your corner? Book the Sit-Down and the Playbook comes with it. Just want to read it yourself? Grab the Playbook.