Did you know that girls can be in a fraternity? And did you know that there are two different types of Greek organizations?

There are social fraternities/sororities and there are professional fraternities/sororities. The main difference between the two is that is that professional fraternities and sororities bond over a shared interest for a profession. Therefore, they commonly have restrictions on membership. Additionally, many of them are co-ed. Some examples of professional fraternities at UW Seattle include pre-health, business, design, engineering etc.

If you have hesitations, or are just curious about what professional fraternities are and what the formal recruitment process is like, keep reading.

The fraternity that I am a part of

I am a member of Delta Epsilon Mu, which is the premier co-ed pre-health professional fraternity at the University of Washington.

It’s actually currently the only pre-health professional fraternity in the nation and unites students with interest in varying health fields such as medicine, nursing, dentistry, health administration, dietetics (LOL I’m the only one), and many others.

DEM enables members to form a very close-knit community of like-minded people and help members develop professionally toward their desired career path.

Why join a professional fraternity?

To Be Honest, it’s hard making new friends at UW. Sure, you can meet a lot of new people, but it’s hard to maintain close friendships. In Seattle, the “Seattle freeze”, and seasonal depression are not uncommon.

Personally, I went to a high school where 90 students from my graduating class goes to UW. I just stuck to my high school bubble. When academic stress hit, I did not even have time to hang out with my pre-existing friends, let alone branch out. During quarantine, I had an epiphany to stop wasting the excellent opportunity of college to meet people.

I thought about undergoing the PanHellenic (social sororities) formal recruitment. However, I decided it wasn’t the best fit for me after considering many factors.

A professional fraternity seemed like the best of both worlds. You benefit from the the social aspects of being in a brotherhood, as well as access to career development resources, connections, and events. Moreover, you don’t have to pay a huge membership due, live in a house with 50 -100 other people, or constantly be surrounded by people.

Why join a professional fraternity over just a club?

Clubs do not have the strong emphasis on brotherhood. In a fraternity, you form a strong brotherhood with the people who have similar ambitions as you. They are your family. In a club, you might just see these people weekly or biweekly, and it’s much harder to arrange plans outside. In frats, there are events, socials, and retreats designed to strengthen your bonds.

Recruitment Events

Every recruitment has a schedule of events. For example, the following is for Delta Epsilon Mu’s Spring 2021 Recruitment.

What to expect at these events:

My recruitment experience in-person (freshman)

In the first quarter of my freshman year, I decided to full send.

Recruitment took place in the HUB (Husky Union Building). After hauling myself up three flights of stairs, the long line of interested students already stretched out from the room shocked me. I got in line with my friend, and I remember thinking “damn the competition about to be cutthroat”.

We entered into the room, signed in, made ourselves name tags, and took headshots. We also wrote our name on these tiny sticky notes to give to every active member after talking to them.

Usually during the first 10 minutes and the last 15 minutes or so, interested students have to go around and “mingle” with active members. The rest of the time, either the leadership team presents information or leads group activities.

I am an outgoing person and like talking to people, but having to interact with this high volume of new people while trying to pUt mY BesT foOt foRwarD drained my social battery. It’s so damn awkward when you are done talking to an active but can’t go to other actives because they are still busy talking to someone, so you’re left standing there looking dumb af. At least I was with my friend so that’s okay (so try to go with a friend).

The application caused headaches and the two rounds of interviews were challenging. I can’t give details but I had to channel inner strength lol.

In retrospect, I am so glad they rejected me this cycle. This was my first quarter at UW. My mental health progressively worsened throughout the quarter from taking chemistry and calculus at the same time. There was no way I would’ve survived the prospective member process (which proceeds after recruitment) on top of my many other commitments.

My recruitment experience virtually (sophomore year)

I had been very upset at my rejection because I was so close. I wanted nothing to do with DEM ever again. But then I decided to swallow my ego and full sent once more. I thought it’s better to get rejected twice than have regrets (and it paid off!).

The upside of a virtual recruitment is that I was in the comfort of my own home and wore pajama pants. I was also more confident this time around and implemented the feedback I received from the previous rejection.

Honestly, recruitment on zoom was more stressful than in-person. The repeated experience of being interrupted and having my audio drowned out fostered ~My Zoom Anxiety~.

There was a good amount of talkative and excited freshmen. I did not want to forcibly say stuff just to get more screen time. So by the end of the first event, I was like “crap I’m probably getting cut”. Thankfully, at the next events, things got better as everyone took turns to speak, which curbed a lot of my anxiety.

I thought I bombed the first round interviews. My mind blanked for a bit and I cringed as generic answers past my lips. The cherry on top was that my Google speaker WENT OFF at one point when I was unmuted.

I was very confident for my final round interview because I had already gone through the process once. However, the unexpected technical difficulties pulled the rug out from under me, and I was very upset and frustrated afterwards.

Did I work that hard to blow it again? After some contemplation, I sent a follow-up email as a last ditch effort because I needed to know I did everything in my power (I later found out they didn’t even see the email lmaooo).

I got the “congratulations email”!

I remember the night after the second round interviews, I woke up at 2AM to check for notifications. After seeing the “congratulations” in the email notification, I shared the news with my mom (idk why she was still up lol), chatted with her for an hour, and couldn’t fall asleep until 5am because of the adrenaline. I am honestly proud of myself for having the courage to try again and ultimately succeeding.

I am not going to sugar coat it: the process was intense. Yes, I shed some tears haha. However, you can’t grow if you stay inside your comfort zone. Nothing of value comes easy in life anyway.

Tips and things to know before recruitment

1. It’s a big time commitment. If you make it through the recruitment process and receive an invitation to proceed, you have to go through a prospective member education process which lasts for the whole quarter. It is like taking a 3-5 credit class, where one credit equals 3 hours/week.

2. Go in with an open mind and charged social battery. You are meeting a lot of new people while trying to put your best foot forward. Most likely, your social battery will drop during recruitment events. Don’t worry, it is very common and normal. Prep your mindset to view it as an adventure to be experienced.

3. Recruitment is competitive. Being on brand with everything else at UW, getting into professional fraternities is a competitive process. However, it makes the success even more rewarding.

4. If you receive rejection, swallow your ego, and send an email asking for feedback. Even if you are upset/angry, just send the email just in case you decide to try again in the future (LOL me).

If you’ve ever thought about joining a professional fraternity but hesitated, just do it. Don’t leave any regrets. The worst thing that could happen is rejection, and rejection builds character.