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Recruitment

Phi Chi Theta rush at SMU: how recruitment works

The whole process from the first Instagram post to the day you hear back, with a typical fall timeline as the example.

A typical fall timeline

• Late August. The chapter posts the recruitment schedule on Instagram and the site's recruitment section updates.
• Early September. First Info Session. Officers explain what the chapter does, what membership involves, and answer questions.
• A few days later. Meet the Brothers, an evening social at a spot near campus. Casual. This is where you find out whether you like the people.
• The following week. Second Info Session for anyone who missed the first.
• About a week after the first session. Applications due through the apply page, usually at 11:59 PM on the deadline day.
• After the deadline. Officers read applications and reach out to applicants directly.

Spring recruitment follows the same pattern in late January or February. Dates shift each semester, so treat this as a template and confirm on Instagram.

The Info Session

Go to at least one. It is the fastest way to answer the question of whether this chapter is for you, and it is where officers cover eligibility, dues and the time commitment for that semester. Come with one or two real questions. What are the last three speakers you had? What does a normal week look like in October? Which brothers are recruiting for the thing I want to do? You will get straighter answers in person than any website can give, including this one.

Meet the Brothers

The social night is the part people underestimate. Professional fraternities live or die on whether members actually want to spend time together, and you cannot judge that from a classroom. Show up, talk to more than one person, and pay attention to how brothers talk to each other, not just to you. It is usually held at a bar or restaurant near campus; the venue changes from semester to semester.

The application

The application lives on this site. It asks who you are, what you study, and what you want out of the chapter, with room to attach a resume. It is read by officers. That means the useful thing to do is be specific. "I want to break into commercial real estate and I know two brothers went to JLL and Northmarq" is a better answer than "I want to grow my network." Nobody expects a polished resume from a freshman. They expect a reason.

Submit before the deadline. Late applications are at the officers' discretion and there is no reason to test it.

After you apply

Officers review applications after the deadline and reach out to applicants. If there is a conversation or interview step that semester, you will hear about it from an officer directly. Decisions come from the chapter, not from an automated email. If you have not heard anything within a couple of weeks of the deadline, use the contact form and pick Recruitment in the dropdown.

Tips that actually help

• Follow @pct.smu in August. The dates get posted there first.
• Go to both the Info Session and the social night. Each tells you something the other cannot.
• Write the application yourself, in your own voice. Officers can tell.
• Do not apply to every professional fraternity on campus at once. Pick the one or two whose members are doing what you want to do. The what to look for page helps with that.
• If you are a freshman, read the freshman guide first. It covers whether to rush now or wait a semester.