Make the Most of Your College Tours!

For many High School Juniors and Seniors now is the time that you will be college hunting! A year ago I was still with y'all in the search, believe me I know it can be a long one! I know that I talked to my principal so often about what I should do on campus tours and any tips she may have had. I decided this post would be the type of post I would have looked for during my tour experiences to make the most of them!

One of the biggest tips I can give in regards to visiting colleges would be to visit as many colleges as you can. By doing this you are able to come up with a list of things you like and don't like narrowing your search down immensely! Certainly don't close off options before seeing what you are judging! I was lucky enough to know that Southern is where I belonged, the second I stepped foot on campus, but not everybody is that lucky.

When visiting Southern Miss my senior year my mom had to tell me to stop telling her how much I loved it. Once on campus I knew that was where I wanted to be! Now, I also understand that where you want to be may not necessarily be where you end up (scholarships, acceptance, etc definitely play a role and y'all know that).
Below I have compiled a list of things you can do to make the very most of your college tour!

1. Walk in the Front:

Most tour guides are students who are showing you the school they chose when they were in your shoes. Take advantage of this similarity and walk in the front and get to know them. Not only will it allow them to see your genuine interest but will also allow you a view of the school from someone who is loving their experience there. By walking in the front you won't get lost in the crowd and will likely be able to learn first hand about the application and scholarship process that could be pivotal to your future at any college.

2. Ask lots of Questions:

By following tip number one you are already in the perfect position to begin asking questions. Many of things you may want answered may also be answered on online sites but hearing from a liaison to the University can be indispensable. Don't only ask the basics like "are classes hard" but instead ask unexpected questions that you are hoping to know the answers to! The best person to ask these questions to is a current student which leads me to tip number three...

3. Talk to a Current Student:

I would consider myself a relatively outgoing person and I am pretty good at making conversation however sometimes chatting with current students (when it's unplanned and you don't know them) can just be plain awkward! Talking to a current student is the best way to learn about the students, workload, things to do, and food options on campus. They are the ones experiencing the schools therefore they know best! 

4. Explore the Campus on your Own:

While school guided campus tours are terrific it is great to take some time to explore the campus on your own. In college you will not have someone guiding you around so attempt to explore it on your own! This will allow you time to utilize tip number 6!

5. Make a Pro / Con list:

You will be looking at lots of different colleges and chances are you will mix up some of the campuses. Be sure to make a pro/con list after each tour so that you can look back on your experience and better recollect on your experience. Be sure to make this pro/con list based on your own opinion, not what you have heard other people say about the school or opinions other people in your group have voiced. Frankly, they are not the one who will be experiencing the school decision you make so do not let them form your opinion of a school this pro/con list needs to be filled with the stuff YOU like and what YOU dislike!

6. Spend time in the Library, Dining Hall, and Dorms:

These are the places that as a student you will spend the majority of your time so be sure to get a feel for the atmosphere and layout of these locations! Be sure to see a freshman dorm room, let's face it, you need to know the size and setup so that you can start imagining decorating your dorm there. The dining hall and library are hubs for students! If you can, eat a meal in the dining hall and do plenty of people watching to get a feel for what it is like in this place where you will spend plenty of time and after a meal head on over to the Library! As much as you don't want to hear this, you will spend lots and lots (and lots) of time in the library, it is the perfect place to get away and get some studying accomplished along with a bit of socializing so it is a essential for you to check it out!

7. Take some Pictures:

You will want to remember your experiences at these different college campuses so why not remember them with pictures! Also, taking pictures will allow you to better recall things you experienced while touring the college!

8. Explore the Surrounding Area:

There is more to choosing a college than just the campus. You definitely need to take into account the area around campus. If you are the type of person who wants to be near a city that will affect where you look at schools! I love downtown Hattiesburg and loved exploring it for the first time when on my first tour of Southern! Take advantage of shopping around (with your parents money) before you are on a college kid budget!

Good luck on your college search!

xoxo,

aLl

Letters Today, Leaders Tomorrow. My Recap of Recruitment

   I have been incredibly busy lately with school (Hooray for Dean's List!) and I have not been posting like I should. I have been thinking and I want to share my recruitment journey with all of you, because I definitely wish I had something like this before going through recruitment myself. To start off my new Sorority Series I will start off with the lovely Recruitment Wear. Recruitment is stressful and fun, but you must remember to BE YOURSELF. These girls will be your sisters for the rest of your life, maybe even your bridesmaids. One way to express your personality is through fashion. We had assigned style for each day, ranging from casual cute to cocktail attire. Here is a look at a few of my outfit choices for recruitment! Also, I have not stated this yet, but I go to the University of Southern Mississippi and we have 8 CPC sororities that participate in formal fall recruitment.

Here is the list of attire that is provided to us by our CPC council!

Orientation - September 1  (casual attire)

Meet the Greeks - September 2 (you will wear the T-shirt provided by Greek Life)

  

Philanthropy -September 5 & 6  Up to 6 Events Pictured: Allee D' aquin (Pi Beta Phi) Julianne Nettles (Kappa Delta)

  

Sisterhood - September 7 Up to 4 Events Pictured: Kimberly Page (Delta Gamma) Katie Gunkel (Delta Delta Delta)Tati Mondaini (Phi Mu)

Preference - September 8 Up to 2 Events Pictured: Sarah Beth Selph (Alpha Delta Pi)Miriam Clark (Chi Omega)

Bid Day - September 9 The sorority that gives you a bid will provide you with a Bid Day shirt at the Bid Day party. Wear Nike shorts or workout leggings. Go casual, unless told otherwise to possibly wear jean shorts.

Day 1: Meet The Greeks

    On Day 1 of recruitment, we were told to wear cute bottoms. This could be cute shorts, jeans, capris, skirt, you name it. Now once again, I do go to school in Mississippi and August heat is no joke.
     I did not take a picture of this day, but I wore a pair of perriwinkle chino shorts that I purchased at JCrew. On the first day, we were required to wear the Recruitment '13 shirts that we ordered when we signed up for recruitment. For shoes, I wore my platinum Jack Rogers, and for jewelry I kept it simple with my Tory Burch gold logo studs, along with my MK watch which is shown below.

  This is my friend Kendall(left) and her friend Tara(right). I chose this picture because it shows the simple white v-neck shirt that says "Sorority Recruitment", but it also shows the different ways people chose to wear the shirt. The design on the back was simply an outline of the state of Mississippi, a few cute and whimsical flowers and all of our CPC sororities labeled on the back. The back looked exactly like this shirt, just with different colors and said "Sorority Recruitment" instead of "Sisterhood Retreat"

Day 2: Philanthropy Day Part 1

  On this day, we got our call-back sheets that told us which houses we got asked back to. Philanthropy was divided into two days, and so for example, you might have only one sorority to visit the first day, but you might have 5 to visit on the second day of philanthropy. Philanthropy Day is the day where you up your attire a little bit. You get a little bit more dressy, but still very casual. I say that the things you wear on this day would be things you would wear to a nice summer dinner. This is the outfit that I wore for the first day of Philanthropy.

 My outfit consists of my Lilly Pulitzer Buttercup Short in Resort White Nibbles from last year's Lilly spring collection. These are probably my favorite shorts, and I got TONS of compliments on these shorts from every house I went to that day. My shirt is a white chiffon shirt from the LOFT. The shirt bunches at the bottom, and also gathers in at the end of the 3/4 sleeve. The shirt is very simple, but perfect with the patterned shorts. Both fabrics were both very lightweight fabrics which helped while we had to stand in line outside of the different houses. For jewelry, I wore my David Yurman pearl earrings that I received for graduation by my wonderful parents and my MK watch. 

For shoes I wore my Tory Burch sandals, plain but super cute and super comfy!

Day 3: Philanthropy Round 2
 For this day I decided to wear a cute and comfy hot pink skirt I got from Target, a navy billowy top, and my white Lilly bow belt. I wore the same Tory sandals I wore the day before, my same MK watch, David Yurman pearl earrings, and my David Yurman cable bracelets. I also decided to switch it up a little and curl my hair with my Hot Tools wand.

Day 4: Sisterhood/Skit Day
  Skit day or Sisterhood Day is probably the most fun day. While Meet the Greeks is just a simple overview of all the chapters, and Philanthropy really shows you the different causes that each sorority supports, Skit day is the day where you can really see where you would fit in. I wore a strapless striped dress that I purchased from a boutique back home, and I wore brown braided wedges. I would also suggest bringing a pair of flats to wear in between houses. Also, do not forget to BREAK IN YOUR SHOES BEFORE RECRUITMENT! Blisters generally suck, but especially when you are tired and hot.

I kept my jewelry very simple for this day with my rose gold monogram necklace, my Yurman cable bracelet, and my pearls.


Day 5: Pref Night
  This is the most serious night of all, because it is the final night of recruitment. You wear cocktail attire, and you bring your A game. This is the night where you visit your final two houses, and once the parties are over you decided you #1 and #2 house that you would like to receive a bid from the next day. I do not have a picture for this one either,  because 1.) I was running late because of nerves and 2.) This night is super strict when it comes to electronics and watches. I wore a sea foam green strapless dress from JCrew.

This is the same dress, but the one I have is a sea-foam blue color. I wore tan patent Gianni Bini pumps, a simple strand of pearls, my cable bracelet, and my pearl earrings that were shown earlier.


Recruitment and going Greek was definitely one of the best decisions I have ever made, and definitely made my first semester of college SO much better.

  I hope this helps show you what to wear, so yo aren't second guessing yourself and freaking out the day of because you aren't sure about your outfit. As I said before, outfits are cute and all, but remember to be yourself, relax, and just enjoy recruitment!