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Guide

How to join a business fraternity at SMU

Five steps, in order, with what to do at each one. Written for Phi Chi Theta but the shape holds for most professional chapters.

Step 1: know when recruitment is

Business fraternities at SMU recruit on their own calendars, not through university rush. The window is usually the first two or three weeks of a semester. Phi Chi Theta posts its schedule on @pct.smu in late August and again in January, and the homepage lists the current events. Fall recruitment usually lands in the first weeks of September. If you find this page in October, you have not missed out; you have a semester to get ready for spring.

Step 2: go to the Info Session

This is required in practice even if it is not required on paper. The Info Session is where officers lay out eligibility, dues, the meeting schedule and the time commitment. It is also the first place they will see your face. Bring a question that shows you looked into the chapter. "Where have brothers interned in the last year?" is a fine one, and for Phi Chi Theta the answer includes Morgan Stanley, JLL, Visa and Texas Capital Bank.

Step 3: go to the social event

Every recruitment has a casual night. Phi Chi Theta calls its version Meet the Brothers and holds it near campus. Attend it. Talk to at least three brothers. Ask what they are recruiting for and how the chapter helped. This is both how you evaluate them and how they evaluate you, and it is a lot easier than a formal interview.

Step 4: apply

Phi Chi Theta's application is on this site. It asks for basics, your major and year, why you want to join, and gives you a place to attach a resume. Officers read every application. Write in your own voice, be specific about what you want, and submit before the deadline. The recruitment guide has more on what a strong application looks like.

Step 5: follow up and follow through

After the deadline officers review applications and reach out. Answer quickly. If there is a next step that semester, an officer will tell you what it is. If you are accepted, the first few weeks are onboarding: learning the chapter, meeting your pledge class, and getting into the rhythm of meetings at Cox. Show up to those the way you showed up to recruitment.

What to bring, and what to avoid

• A resume. One page. It does not need to be impressive; it needs to exist. Your class year is context, not a disadvantage.
• A reason. One or two sentences about what you want from a professional fraternity. Industry, skill, people, all fine.
• A rough sense of your major. You do not need to be in Cox. Phi Chi Theta is open to all majors. See the guide for students outside the business school.
• Time. Meetings, some events and dues. Ask at the Info Session what the current semester's commitment looks like.

And the mistakes officers see every semester:

• Waiting for a bid. Professional fraternities do not work that way. You apply.
• Applying without attending anything. You can, but officers will have nothing to connect your name to.
• Writing the application for a form robot. It is read by people.
• Treating it as a line on a resume. The line is worth little. The people are worth a lot, and they can tell which one you came for.