Insider Tea
The Complete Sorority Recruitment Glossary: Every Term PNMs and Parents Need to Know
Every sorority recruitment term defined by a consultant who's been in the basement of 40+ recruitments. PNM, MRABA, RFM, the five B's, and more.
My Notes
Notes from the Basement
Here’s the thing nobody tells you about sorority recruitment: most of the advice floating around the internet is written by people who’ve never been behind the scenes. I have. After 40+ recruitments as an advisor, this is where I spill what I actually saw, what chapters are actually looking for, and the tips most potential new members never get told.
Featured
The First Reads
Insider Tea
What Sororities Actually Look For in PNMs (From the Basement)
What chapters really evaluate during recruitment, what happens in the basement after you leave, and why you're being graded before round one.
Behind the scenes
What Is the Basement in Sorority Recruitment?
The basement is the back room where chapters track everything about you. Here's what really happens, from someone who's been in 40+ of them.
More from the basement
Fresh Intel
Informal recruitment
Continuous Open Bidding (COB), Explained
Didn't get a bid during formal recruitment? Here's how continuous open bidding actually works, from a recruitment consultant who went through COB herself.
Bid day
What Is Bid Day in a Sorority? How It Actually Works
What is bid day? Let's dive into how the day actually works, from your bid card to running home, from someone who's been in the basement of 40+ recruitments.
Behind the scenes
What Is RFM (Release Figure Methodology) in Sorority Recruitment?
RFM controls how many PNMs each chapter can invite back every round. Here's what it is and why it's not personal, from a 40+ recruitment veteran.
Behind the scenes
MRABA Explained: What It Is and Why It's Binding
What is the MRABA? What 40+ recruitments has taught me about the legally binding agreement you sign on pref night, and why it needs your full attention.
Tips & strategy
How to Take Notes During Sorority Recruitment
How to remember every sorority during rush without mixing them up, from someone who's been in the basement of 40+ recruitments.
Myth busting
Sorority Tiers: Why They Matter Less Than RushTok Says
Top tier doesn't mean a great experience, and bottom tier doesn't mean a bad one. What 40+ recruitments taught me about sorority tiers.
Going it alone
How Much Do Sororities Actually Cost?
A real breakdown of sorority dues, fees, and hidden costs from someone who's been in the basement of 40+ recruitments. No vague answers.
Insider tea
What Is a Rush Crush and How to Become One
A rush crush is the PNM a chapter falls for and fights to keep. Here's what actually makes one, from someone who's been behind the scenes in 40+ recruitments.
Tips & strategy
How to Spot a Bad Sorority During Recruitment
Sorority red flags a PNM can actually catch during rounds, from someone who's been in the basement of 40+ recruitments. The signs that matter.
Tips & strategy
Sorority Recruitment Conversation Tips: What to Say (and the Five B's)
What to talk about during sorority rush, plus the Five B's to avoid, from someone who's been in the basement of 40+ recruitments.
For parents
What Is a Sorority Legacy? What It Actually Means in 2026
What being a sorority legacy means in 2026, why it no longer guarantees a bid, and the legacy pressure trap families fall into. From 40+ recruitments.
Tips & strategy
Cleaning Up Your Social Media for Sorority Recruitment
The one thing chapters are really screening for when they check your Instagram, from someone who's been in the basement of 40+ recruitments.
Going it alone
How to Get Sorority Recommendation Letters (Even With No Alumnae)
How to get sorority rec letters when you don't know a single alumna, from someone who's been in the basement of 40+ recruitments.
Tips & strategy
Summer Sorority Recruitment Prep: A Month-by-Month Guide
What to actually do May through August to prep for sorority recruitment, from someone who's been in the basement of 40+ recruitments.
Behind the Scenes
How to Write a Sorority Recruitment Resume (What to Include, What to Skip)
What a sorority recruitment resume actually needs, from someone who's read over a thousand of them in the basement of 40+ recruitments.