[APhiAnna]

I was just talking with a friend about this...I think the round where looks matter the most (in very competitive recruitments) is the first round.

If a sorority has 800-1000 PNMs coming through, and if they know they will be asked by Panhellenic to cut, say, 40% of the PNMs, they are going to scramble to figure out BEFORE rush starts who they really want to keep. That's gonna be hometown friends, legacies, other connections, letters of rec, etc. Since this is a competitive recruitment with 1000 PNMs, let's assume that they already know 300 PNMs through those connections. That leaves 700 that nobody knows about, and therefore only 300 of them can go through to the next round. The average active is going to have 5ish minutes to make a decision on each PNM that she has never heard of (or, at the most, maybe the PNM appeared on a slideshow or the active checked their facebook), and guess what is going to stick with them for 5 minutes? Beautiful hair, huge breasts, Tori Burch flats, antique necklace...we all know that the first round is literally a flash and you remember so little. Those with stunning features, incredible clothes, etc. are going to get remembered, and a lot of the rest will be lost in the shuffle. Strong personalities will still be a factor, but in my experience they also tend to blur and don't have the chance to really develop in such a quick time period.

However, as the rounds progress (and I'd say it starts with the second round), interactions become more individualized and lengthy. Now the vast majority, if not all, PNMs are going to be remembered by their actives (for better or for worse). Those same traits that got them through the first round are only going to fool the active for a couple minutes...the pretty face can't conceal bad conversation skills or a potty mouth for the full round. Likewise, a strong and fun personality finally has the time to develop to the point where the active will be able to get a good read on it.

Is the damage already done? Maybe. But honestly, with competitive recruitments it is a problem of scale...there is simply no way to get around the petty and quick judgments of the first round. That is why ALL PNMs should be getting recs before ANY recruitment...even if your campus doesn't need them, you will be considered a novelty, and if your campus does need them this may be your only chance to get past the lighting-round of first parties and have a real shot at being bidded. You need to be on that radar.