Project Results

Joining a sorority or fraternity is often viewed as a relatively unimportant, if not superficial, decision, making it easy to downplay the effects of the recruitment process on students’ well-being. Yet, the current research suggests that negative recruitment experiences can have lasting and notable emotional effects. This study provides initial evidence regarding the unintended consequences of this process and suggests that colleges and universities should examine the sorority recruitment processes on their campuses. More broadly, the findings highlight the impact of rejection by people with whom one must have at least passing contact in the future. 

About This Project

Little research has examined how social exclusion in college affects the well-being and adjustment of young adults. My research aims to address this issue by using the sorority recruitment process to study the direct impact of rejection on college students' well-being. If you can remember how much you wanted to fit in when you first got to college, you can understand how important this research is. Even a dollar will help!

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

This project examines how participation in the sorority recruitment process affects young women's well-being in both the short and long term. Belonging is a fundamental human need, and threats to belonging (i.e. rejection) prompt an immediate distress response and can lead to temporary decreases in self-esteem and mood (Leary, Tambor, Terdal & Downs, 1995). The sorority recruitment process offers a unique opportunity to study the effects of belonging and rejection on psychological well-being in a real and meaningful context.

Furthermore, we can assess the more long-term effects of rejection and acceptance on well-being by measuring women's well-being 3 months after the recruitment process ends.

What is the significance of this project?

This research is an important first step in understanding the benefits and drawbacks of participating in recruitment, which can ultimately inform the development of programs to help women cope with a negative experience.

As a social psychologist, I am interested in studying this process because there is very little research on intense rejection and belonging experiences in college, and even less research on the effects of these experiences over time. While this research will give us direct insight into how sorority recruitment and membership affects women, it will more broadly give us a better sense of the extent to which intense, meaningful rejection and belonging experiences impact well-being.

What are the goals of the project?

The funding obtained on this site is crucial to the success of this research and will go towards incentivizing participants to take part in the study. Freshman women participating in recruitment at a Southern college will receive an email prior to the start of recruitment (which takes place in January) inviting them to take part in the study. They will be told that if they participate in the study, which consists of three short surveys for them to complete over the next three months, they will receive monetary compensation.(see sample items from the survey below). If we meet the Microryza goal of $1100, I will be able to offer each participant $10 for completing all 3 brief online surveys.