formal recruitment as a junior

Idk tbh you should try

If this is what you want, go for it. But if you join as a junior, you won't live in the house until your senior year. And you will be living with a bunch of sophomores. There is a huge difference between a soph and a senior. Most sophomores are just starting out in their major and some haven't even chosen one, whereas seniors are very involved in their future career with projects, internships etc. Plus, seniors are very comfortable socializing with their peers in bars whereas many sophomores still think it's cool to hang out at frat parties since they aren't 21 yet. If the goal is to make lifelong friends, I'm not sure that will happen since you will likely be the only person your age in your pledge class and, later, living in the house. And living in the house is when those friendships become cemented. On the other hand, if you will be taking 5 years to graduate instead of 4, it's almost as if you are a sophomore, not a junior this year. In that case I would def say do it because there probably will be many sophs in your pledge class. I don't know if there is a quota in other houses for juniors, but I don't think we've ever taken a junior. But that's just my experience.