After two weekends of walking around campus wearing floral dresses and high heels, hundreds of University of Iowa recruits ran toward their respective sororities tightly clutching their long-awaited invitations.

This year, UI sororities saw an increase in turnout for the annual formal recruitment.

In total, 741 women registered for recruitment, 700 began recruitment, and 481 finished and attended Bid Day — when women are officially invited to join their selected sorority — a significant increase from last year’s 415, said Melissa Shaub, the coordinator for fraternity and sorority life programs.

UI Office of Student Life Associate Director Kelly Jo Karnes said the fall formal recruitment process itself did not undergo any changes this year.

“It’s exactly the same as last year,” she said. “We’ve got a lot of women involved.”

Last year was the first year UI recruitment took place in the first two weekends of the fall semester.

In previous years, recruitment was held the week before classes, which often forced participants to move in early and pay additional fees.

Several UI students said they prefer the weekend option.

UI freshman GG Palmer said she liked having recruitment after the semester’s start, also acknowledging the great amount of time commitment necessary.

“Recruitment was nothing like I thought it would be,” she said. “There were callbacks and so many rounds, and I probably talked to more strangers these past two weekends than I have in my entire life. But I’ve met so many nice girls in the houses and girls rushing, and it was such a fun experience.”

But not all agreed.

“I most likely would have preferred to have Rush the week before school, because it can be stressful to have to adjust to classes while going through Rush,” said UI freshman Mary Rechtoris. “Of course, it is manageable, and everyone is very accommodating if you have class and whatnot.

However, it would have been nice to go through all the rounds the week before school because the process is a lengthy one, although it is worth it in the end.”

UI freshmen Alex Rinehart and Katie Susik also joined because they believed it would be a good way to make friends.

“We met each other and both liked the same house,” Susik said. Both Susik and Rinehart were accepted into Kappa Alpha Theta.

These past two weekends provided women with their only opportunity to see all 14 Panhellenic chapters, Shaub said. Unlike previous years, there will be no formal recruitment weekends in January.

Although recruitment is over for the Panhellenic chapters, the Multicultural Greek Council and the National Panhellenic Council chapters will hold Meet the Greeks events on Thursday.