What Is a Suicide Bid in Sorority Recruitment?
Updated 6/10/2026
If you've scrolled RushTok, you've probably heard the term "suicide bid." It sounds dramatic—and it's not a phrase most people in recruitment love—but it's the one that stuck. Here's what it actually refers to: the moment after Pref Round when a PNM has two houses to rank and decides to only list one. That decision changes everything about how Bid Day plays out, and it's one of the most debated topics in recruitment for a reason.
From our Sorority Recruitment Guide
In this post: How Bids Work | Suicide Bid/Single Intentional Preference | MRABA | Risks | FAQ
How Bids Normally Work
Most schools run formal recruitment using a system called Recruitment Figure Methodology (RFM). During Preference Round—the final round—most Potential New Members (PNMs) attend two houses. At the end of the night, you sign your Membership Recruitment Acceptance Binding Agreement (MRABA), ranking the houses you visited.
If you rank both houses, you are guaranteed a bid to one of them. This is why the most common advice you'll hear is to rank both—and for most PNMs, it's the right call.
If you are only invited to one house, that's not a SIP—you didn't choose to drop anyone, and you're still guaranteed a bid.
What Single Intentional Preference Means
You'll hear it called a suicide bid, a Single Intentional Preference, or just SIP (sometimes ISP—same thing). Whatever the name, it means one thing: you had two chapters after Pref and chose to rank only one on your MRABA. The guarantee that comes with listing both? Gone.
Best case: you rank high enough on that chapter's bid list and receive a bid. Risk: you don't rank high enough and won't receive a bid—even though you had another option.
Why the MRABA Matters Here
Your MRABA is a contract. When you sign it, you're agreeing to accept a bid if one is extended to you from a chapter on your list. Once you've signed and received a bid, that's it—you're matched.
Here's what the usual "trust the process and rank both" advice leaves out. If you rank both chapters on your MRABA, receive a bid from the one you didn't want, and then decide to drop, you are not eligible for Snap Bids or Continuous Open Bidding. Your only option is to wait and go through formal recruitment again the following year.
Both Paths Have Risk
It's tempting to see this as safe choice vs. risky choice, but both paths carry consequences. Here's how each one plays out:
If you rank both chapters:
- You get your first choice. Great—everything worked out.
- You get your second choice, give it your all, and end up loving it. This happens more often than you'd think.
- You get your second choice and realize you can't commit. You drop—but now you're ineligible for COB. You'd need to wait a year to try again at the next formal recruitment.
"I ranked both—and it changed everything."
All through recruitment, I had a favorite house and was so happy to be invited there for Pref Round because I knew I was on their bid list. I was also invited to another sorority's Pref party but only went because that's what you're supposed to do.
I had an amazing time at the first house and felt so comfortable with the members and also the other PNMs who were there. I hugged my recruiter when I left and was sure it was my forever home. I went to the next party and it was ok, but I definitely didn't connect like I had at the first house.
When it came time to sign my MRABA, I was really torn because I wanted one house so bad and didn't care about the other. I asked my Rho Chi if it was ok to just put one sorority on my MRABA and she really advised me to put the second choice on there as backup because she knew how much I wanted to be in a sorority.
Well, on Bid Day I opened my envelope and my heart dropped when I saw my second choice on the bid card. I cried and called my mom, who encouraged me to just make up my mind that my second choice was now my first choice. So I put on the shirt and ran home to what turned out to be the best decision I've ever made. I love my sorority and am so grateful my Rho Chi advised me to list it on my MRABA—I wonder if she actually thought it was a better fit, anyway!
—Emma
If you SIP (rank only one):
- You get your first choice. Same great outcome.
- You don't match. You receive no bid from formal recruitment—but you're still eligible for snap bids and COB, which means other chapters can still reach out to you this cycle.
"I SIP'd—and it didn't go the way I planned."
I knew which sorority I wanted before I even graduated from high school. It wasn't a top house or anything, but I followed them on Insta and knew it was right for me. During recruitment, I loved every party there and the members all made me feel so welcome and I was sure it was a lock. I was invited back to other houses, too, but I couldn't see myself there at all.
On Pref night, the first house I went to just felt wrong. They did a ceremony and some of the PNMs were crying. It did nothing for me and I felt like an outsider. Then I went to my first choice and it was a totally different story. I loved the member I talked to and she even said she could see me in the house so I knew I was getting a bid.
After Pref, I only put the one house on my MRABA because I knew I'd never feel comfortable at the other house and I didn't want to commit to something I didn't believe in. I could tell my Rho Chi was annoyed with me but I had to do what was in my heart.
On Bid Day, though, I got the call from my Rho Chi that I shouldn't go to the stadium because I did not receive a bid. I was devastated. Bid Day was awful, watching all of my friends celebrating and putting on letters. I was so jealous.
About a week after formal recruitment was over, I got emails from two sororities that I'd been to for Sisterhood round and they invited me to COB events. I was nervous about it but went. One of the houses was amazing and tbh I liked the girls better than I had at my first choice. Ultimately, I accepted a COB bid there and am so glad I did. I think I was so focused on my top choice sorority that I didn't give the other chapters a real chance. I'm so grateful I trusted my instincts and landed in the right sorority after all!
—Hannah
Neither path guarantees the outcome you want. The question is which set of consequences you're more comfortable with when you sign your MRABA.
FAQ
I only got invited to one Pref house. Is that the same as a suicide bid?
No. If you only received one invitation to Pref, you're not making a choice to drop anyone—that's just how the process played out. You'll rank that one chapter on your MRABA and you're guaranteed a bid. SIP applies only when you have two options and choose to list one.
Can my Rho Chi see what I ranked?
No. Your MRABA is confidential. Your Rho Chi is there to support you through the process, but they do not see your rankings or know which chapters you listed.
Can I change my MRABA after I sign it?
Generally, no. The MRABA is designed to be final. Some campuses may have a narrow window to make changes, but you should treat it as binding the moment you sign. If you're unsure, ask your Rho Chi or Recruitment Counselor about your campus's specific policy before you fill it out—not after.
Do chapters know I SIP'd?
Technically, no. Chapters see their own bid list and match results, but they don't know whether a PNM listed one chapter or two. That said, if you don't show up to Bid Day at all—not for any chapter—a chapter that had you on their bid list can probably put it together. But they won't know the specifics of what you ranked and it's possible that you didn't rank any at all.
What if a house drops me after Pref?
This doesn't happen. In the RFM process, if a chapter invites you to Pref, you are on their bid list. In extremely rare cases involving quota, Panhellenic may step in to make sure you still receive a bid—but this is not something you need to plan around.
The Bottom Line
A suicide bid is a Single Intentional Preference—listing only one sorority after Pref Round even though you had two. For most PNMs, ranking both is the right call. But if you're certain you'd drop your second option anyway, understand what both paths actually look like before you sign your MRABA. Talk to your Rho Chi, be real with yourself, and make the decision you can stand behind.
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