Kristin Wallach and Suzanne Sanders realized they had the beginnings of a great business idea. After years of giving free advice to friends whose daughters were going through the National Panhellenic Conference recruitment process, these sorority sisters co-founded Sorority 101, a Fort Worth consulting firm that guides high school senior girls and their parents through what’s commonly known as rush.

Started in 2020, Sorority 101 has grown rapidly, guiding more than 450 potential new members through recruitment. This year alone, Wallach, Sanders and Sorority 101 consultant Cami Thompson have advised more than 180 clients, exclusively working with girls attending schools that participate in the NPC. They’ve assisted girls at more than 30 colleges and universities, including all 16 Southeastern Conference schools.

Tami McGown hired Sorority 101 in fall 2023 to guide her daughter through the very competitive recruitment process at the University of Texas at Austin. Having not gone through rush herself, McGown found navigating it with her daughter “super overwhelming.”

But hiring a consultant was well worth it, she recalls. “The most important thing to me was that my daughter had a great recruitment experience and landed in a house that was right for her. She has already made lifelong friends.”

Sorority 101 has hosted free information sessions in Fort Worth, Dallas, Houston, Austin and Georgetown in the past two years to reach out to prospective clients, Sanders said. Through marketing and referrals, they now have clients from 20 states, making their firm a leader in the region.

During a free January information session at River Crest Country Club attended by more than 80 senior girls from 19 metroplex public and private high schools, Sanders and Wallach outlined NPC recruitment. “If you are going to do this process,” Wallach explained, “we want you to understand how it works. And we don’t sugarcoat it.”

Sugarcoat? Hardly. Wallach is very candid about how the process works today. Comically comparing NPC recruitment to the hit ABC reality show “The Bachelor,” Wallach says Sorority 101 teaches girls how best to market themselves as they compete for bids from top sororities. “It is about standing out in the crowd.”

She likens the process to preparing for a successful job interview: You are competing against other applicants, and your wardrobe, resume, letters of recommendation, interviews and networking efforts can make or break your chances. The same skills apply when going through sorority recruitment, Wallach says. “It’s Marketing 101 … you are marketing yourself to the chapters, and they are marketing to you.”

Consultation includes assistance with resume development and video creation, wardrobe consultation, alumnae networking, mock interviews, party prep and social media evaluation. Wallach laughs that she and Sanders “become the FBI — Federal Bureau of Instagram” — for their clients. They comb through each girl’s social media sites to flag questionable posts. Wallach emphasizes that all sororities will check your social media, so she cautions clients to never post anything they wouldn’t want their future sorority or a potential employer to see.

A frequent comment from the parents of Sorority 101 clients is that having the consultant — and not the mom or dad — give advice and instruction often staves off a lot of arguments between parents and their daughters.

As early as October of their high school senior year, girls approach Sorority 101 to navigate recruitment. But why would girls whose mothers and even grandmothers were in a sorority need a consultant?

For starters, recruitment has changed over the years, especially since COVID. At most SEC colleges and universities, the process no longer starts with in-person parties. Instead, recruits submit a short video to introduce themselves to prospective sorority chapters, and create a professional resume before they hit the campus.

In another big change, many chapters have eliminated “legacy status,” the former practice of giving preferential treatment to the relatives of chapter alumni. If your mom, grandma or sister was in a certain sorority, it is no longer a slam dunk you’ll get a bid to join that chapter. 

“Legacy status no longer means a fast-pass to the start of the line” at all schools, Wallach said during the information session.

The process of inviting recruits to chapter parties also has changed; invitations now arrive via apps. Sanders encourages the girls to memorize the Greek alphabet to avoid confusion and the potential of showing up at the wrong sorority house during recruitment week.

A big perk of working with Sorority 101 is networking. “We have girls who have pledged chapters around the nation, and are happy to give our clients information about Greek life at their colleges,” Wallach says.

Throughout the summer, Sanders, Wallach and Thompson host meetings in person — or via Zoom for out-of-state clients — with up to three girls and their moms to conduct mock interviews and outline what to expect during recruitment week. “Girls today often text more than they talk,” Wallach says. “We work to guide them how best to present themselves during recruitment week parties as they strike up conversations.”

For each client, she puts detailed statistics on a dry erase board to show how the various rounds of recruitment work at their particular university. Ultimately, it comes down to supply and demand: the number of chapters and estimated number of prospective members. Wallach encourages clients to “have an open mind and trust the process.”

By early August, Wallach, Sanders and Thompson are answering last-minute questions, giving advice and pep talks and helping clients make their best impressions. When evaluating their possible forever sorority home, Wallach advises clients to choose “which house makes you feel like your best self, offers the most opportunities for leadership and serves a charity close to your heart.” She never tells a client which sorority to pledge, but instead helps them evaluate their options and make informed choices.

“Determining which sisterhood to join is a big decision for a college freshman, one of the biggest decisions they will make up to this point,” and is often more overwhelming than a first job interview, Wallach says. Setting expectations and preparing can make a big difference in success.

Helping guide clients — and their moms — gives Wallach, Sanders and Thompson joy. “We love seeing our potential new members run to their forever sorority homes on bid day.”