Pledge classes, or the girls invited to participate in the process, are typically fairly small. To make the girls feel more welcome, assign an existing member to serve as the big sister to each pledge. The big sister essentially takes the little sister under her wing, teaches her about the sorority and explains any processes involved. Some sororities even give the girls matching shirts to designate their roles. The big sister acts as a confidant and answers any questions or concerns that the little sister has.
Costume days are similar to spirit week activities that many students participate in during high school. For one week during the pledging process, sorority pledges are required to wear different types of costumes. Each day has a specific theme, such as pajama day, school spirit day or vampire day, and every pledge must participate. The activity teaches the pledges the importance of self-confidence and learning to be part of the group.
Sororities focus on the bonds of sisterhood and scavenger hunts follow that theme by making the girls work together. The sorority members divide the pledges into multiple groups, gives each one a list of items and instructs the teams to find everything on the list. Include harder-to-find items that force the girls to use problem solving skills, such as a note from a professor who is on sabbatical or a photo taken with the school mascot. The sorority sees how well the girls work together and determine which girls are followers and which girls function as leaders.
The sorority pledge process may include an entrance exam, given to pledges prior to becoming a sister. The purpose of an entrance exam is for all the potential sisters to explain what they learned over the course of pledge week. The exam asks questions about the history of the sorority, the pledge process, the Greek system and even the history of sisters in the sorority. The potential members learn the answers during open houses and weekly meetings.