Hey guys! As many incoming college freshman are preparing for sorority recruitment, I want to share some things that no one told me before I went through rush. I did not have a unique experience, but just felt under prepared and I don’t want others to feel that way.
Be Cute AND Comfortable
Obviously I knew that you should dress cute. Everyone in sorority recruitment suggests “wear whatever you feel comfortable in” which I never understood. If I could wear what I was comfortable in, I’d be wearing a messy bun and athletic shorts. However, what they mean is do not wear super tall heels and a shirt that doesn’t fit right. You also shouldn’t show up in a dress that isn’t your style just to impress. You have to find that happy medium.
One morning I was absolutely exhausted and so I decided to sleep in instead of doing my hair. I showed up wearing the assigned t-shirt, leopard shorts, but with no makeup and my hair in a high ponytail. My outfit didn’t look bad, but I didn’t feel super cute.
I personally find confidence in looking cute and feeling dressed up, so when I slacked off a bit I struggled with comparison. My brain kept obsessing over it and I was telling myself I wasn’t dressed cute enough or pretty enough among all of these gorgeous girls. This self doubt took control of me and ruined my experience with the houses for the rest of the day.
This was my own mental struggle and it just shows you how exhausting and mentally challenging sorority rush was for me. But it doesn’t have to be for you. Know what you need to feel confident in yourself. Whether that be dressing more casual and comfortable, or making time to put a lot of effort into your outfit.
Don’t Let The Cheering Scare You
I am not even lying, when I walked into my first open house I cried as they were cheering and rushing me through the entrance. I was scared, anxious, and nervous. The girl wraps around your arm, walks you in while trying to talk to you among the loud cheering, then speed walks to her designated spot. Then, she will probably leave you to stand on your own so she can finish up the cheer with the house. Then you talk to a girl and realize that she really isn’t that scary and you feel better.
One thing that did freak me out was just when I thought I had gotten used to the screaming girl entrance, I attended a new house who did things differently. This house had the girls lined up on the side reach out and touch/ grab your arm and say things like “hey Meghan!” or “welcome to our house!”. I had absolutely no idea that they were going to do that and was so startled because I have personal space issues. Because of that, I started off on the wrong foot with that house and immediately dropped it without ever getting to know the girls.
My advice to you is to be prepared for these girls to cheer very loudly and possibly reach out and touch you. Just know that this is to try to seem exciting and welcoming not make sorority recruitment terrifying. Don’t let this be the reason you drop their house, really try to get to know the girls.
You Don’t Really Get Bathroom Breaks
The sorority recruitment process is a long day, sometimes even seeing eight houses in one day. You do get occasional breaks in addition to lunch, but they aren’t really enough time to go to the bathroom. Maybe if your school has a facility nearby, but University Of South Carolina did not have a close building we could use so we could only use our lunch break. Be prepared for that, but understand you still need to be drinking a ton of water.
The Process Is Done In An App
If you were wondering how you rank and select the houses you want, it is with an app. At the end of each day you will make your selections with this app. In the morning, you will arrive to meet with your Pi Chi’s and then your app will release the information of the houses that chose you and what your schedule will look like for that day. You find out as the same time as everyone else so sometimes it is hard to hide your disapointment or excitement but they do that so that you can talk to your Pi Chi’s about how you feel.
You Might Talk To More Than One Girl Per House Visit
Some houses do this thing where they “tap out” or “bump” someone which is when after a little bit of talking to one girl, they will introduce you to another and then leave so you can talk to her. This is good because the more girls who know you and like you the better chances you have. However sometimes it stinks if you were in the middle of a really good conversation with one girl and it got cut short.
Even If You Drop A House, You Might Still Have To Go To It
This is really confusing to me because but I will try to explain it. If a house drops you after the first round, you won’t return. However if the you drop the house but the house still liked you, you will return to their next event.
I don’t really understand how that is mutual selection and personally don’t like it. But some people say that they dropped a house and then went back and ended up loving it and joining. So you have to look at it with an open mind each time you go and not be upset that you still have to go even after dropping it.
It Is Okay To Stay Friends With Someone Even If You Don’t End Up In That House.
Oh I wish someone would have told me this! I meet so many cool girls that I wanted to be friends with. However if I dropped that house or they dropped me I felt like we couldn’t be friends which is the furthest from the truth! Follow them on instagram, if you see them say hello, and maybe even DM them and ask if they’d like to get lunch sometime! Be vulnerable, it never hurts to have another friend.
The Process Is Really Long
Weekends don’t count when it comes to rush week. You will be doing sorority events every day including Saturday and Sunday. At University of South Carolina, they did give us 2 days off, the day before school started and the first day of school. That was extremely helpful.
You Need To Pack A Bag With All Of The Things
Get one big bag that you will basically be living out of for the week. The bag can be a backpack and doesn’t have to be cute because you won’t be bringing it into the house. In it you should have:
- Mints so you are not chewing gum and being rude when in the house
- Flip Flops to walk to and from the sorority village for when your feet are tired
- A mini fan… especially in the south!
- Water bottle
- A pen and paper to keep notes
- Phone charger
- Snacks that don’t melt. May I recommend my favorite…. Belvita Bites.
- Makeup to reapply when needed
- Deoderant
- Perfume
- Oil absorbing pads for your face
Chapters “Grade” You
When the chapter members take notes, they make sure to note many things such as character, how you present yourself, whether or not you are prepared with questions for the sorority, and how they think you would benefit the chapter. If you are interested in a leadership position, make sure to mention this!
If They Drop You, It’s Their Loss
Dealing with being dropped from a sorority is hard. If the house couldn’t see all of your amazing qualities and fear losing you, you wouldn’t want to be there. So what if the “cool sorority” drops you? You were too genuine for them and wouldn’t really want to be in their sisterhood.
Don’t Stress Too Much
If only I could take my own advice. Girls who went into rush with an open mind about each house, knew no one, didn’t feel too strongly about greek life, and were easy going had the best experience with the sorority recruitment process.
Try To Have Unique Conversations
I actually spoke with one of my friends who rushed me last year and asked her if she had any advice for incoming freshman. She said one of the things she liked about me was that I talked about my drone photography. It was a refreshing conversation for her and made me stand out among the rest of the girls.
My advice to you is to not talk about quarantine and social distancing the whole time. Everyone has been through that and it is not memorable for the girls rushing you. If you are going to talk about quarantine, use the opportunity to talk about skills you developed, relationships that may have grown. In general just try to drive conversation about what makes you unique. Do you have a huge family? Are you really sporty? Or crafty?
I hope these tips were helpful. I was not trying to be negative, but also keep it real. Sorority recruitment is emotionally exhausting. But the friendships will be worth it.
If you want to read my other posts about sorority recruitment: What To Wear To Sorority Recruitment & Why I Hated Sorority Recruitment But Stuck With It and Why You Should Too
