What to Wear During Recruitment

Hi, everyone! My name is Sydney Bernhardt, and I am a junior here at USC studying Fashion Merchandising, Advertising and Public Relations. Being a member of Alpha Delta Pi for almost two years now is genuinely surreal! It seems like I was prepping for recruitment just yesterday and stressing about what I was going to wear throughout rush. I was extremely nervous and had no idea where to even start. I did not know a single girl before coming into rush; therefore, I had no one to ask about what to wear or how the girls were “supposed” to dress. I am here to help you all and give you a little bit more knowledge to put you at ease before recruitment! This is such a fun time in your lives, so, I want you to be as stress-free as possible. Remember, we on the other side are just like everyone else and have been in your shoes. ☺

Here are my top tips on what to wear and what to remember while planning your outfits for recruitment!

1. Wear what you feel is most comfortable! Comfort is KEY ladies and being comfortable leads to being confident - which is so important when going through the rush process. Being confident in your outfit helps to show a lot of your character! Make sure you try on all your outfits beforehand, because the days are long, hot and require lots of standing (aka make sure to wear comfy shoes)! Wear what makes you feel most confident; I know for me, if I am confident in my outfit, I feel like I can take on the world!

2. Accessorize according to your personality! Even though you get shirts ahead of time for the first couple days of rush, use them to your advantage! Accessorize with everything else in order to let your personality shine through. Do this by adding key pieces you wear day to day such as statement earrings, rings, funky shoes or even a ponytail bandana! I would try to make each look you wear unique in some shape or form. For example, you could match your recruitment shirt with jeans (flare, skinny, frayed, cropped), a skirt (midi, envelope, hi-low, colored, denim) and different types of shoes (sandals, wedges, platforms, trendy sneakers). The possibilities are endless. We want to be able to see your style and enhance your personality! ​

3. Don’t be afraid to be BOLD! Stay within the guidelines but have fun with each look. Remember, something you are wearing could easily be a conversation starter with a potential sister!

4. Be YOU! Make each look yourself by adding your own personal flare. Whether it be wearing your hair in a sleek pony tail or wearing your favorite gold bracelet given to you by a meaningful person in your life. All of us were in your shoes, so we totally get the nerves you feel coming into each house! We want you to be yourself first and foremost, which is most important! We cannot wait to see your individuality shine through during each round. Use your styling as a jump off point for us to get to know you!

Here are some of my favorite pieces that are my go-to’s in my wardrobe. I hope this will give you some starting point ideas and show you that everyone’s style is completely different! Use that to your advantage, and prep for recruitment in the easiest way possible.

• Midi Skirts – a fun trend to pair with your recruitment shirts!

• Jump Suits – great for Preference round (shoutout to all my adpi sisters in this photo <>)

• Sun Dresses – fun, colorful, and printed sundresses are great for sisterhood round!

• PonyTail Scarves – such a cute trend! Be bold and add some color to your look! Great for the causal rounds.

• Cute & Comfy Sandals – these were my go-to during rush! Comfortable, light-weight and fashionable!

I hope this post was able to get you even more excited about coming to USC in the fall! I cannot wait to see you all enter the Alpha Delta Pi House, and always remember, style is a way of saying who you are without having to speak. Do not be afraid to express yourself! For more outfit inspo, you can visit my personal fashion blog linked here! https://syd1206.wixsite.com/sydneybernhardt

Xoxoxo,

Sydney Bernhardt