How Important are Summer Rush Events??
 

First of all, I want to say that I have used the search option to look for existing threads on this topic, but none answered my questions, specifically.

I was mainly wondering how important summer rush events are to a PNM's chances at a school like Auburn. I'm a freshman right now and will be transferring to Auburn for Fall of '09 and I'm definitely going through rush. I have read on other threads that it is a good thing to do your research and narrow down your interests to a select few, which I definitely have (one in particular that I'm very interested in), while I am still keeping an open mind. Will having a good idea of where I'd like to end up, ahead of time help me? It's also probably important to point out, I don't know any guys in the fraternities at Auburn and none of my friends are planning to go through rush with me.

Any advice would help.

Very.

Especially if you're out of state.

i have the same problem going to LSU. I live in Georgia. Some people say summer events are important, some don't

Some people are in good fraternities, some aren't.

Summer rush events are very important, particularly if you don't already know a lot of the guys in the chapter (i.e. out of state, not from a feeder town, etc.)

Is it going to look better if I only rush this particular fraternity and maybe a couple others? Or should I just go for it and rush as many houses as possible, even the ones where I don't see as much potential?

you are the potential

super-important.
1) You're out-of-state, do you know anyone? If you don't (and I'm assuming you don't, or you could just ask them instead of the internet at large) then you need to consider your options very carefully.
2) Where did you go before and why are you transferring? Because that could matter.
How far is it for you to travel? You should just go to whichever summer events you can get to, since many houses will have determined their pledge classes by the time you show up in the fall.

I'm actually not out-of-state, so getting to events during the summer won't be a problem at all. But I'm at a junior college this year and that's why I'm transferring in next year. I had been told that wouldn't be a big issue but I have a feeling somebody on here is about to tell me how much of an issue it is....

I, personally, don't see why the fact that you are transferring should be an issue, but then again, I'm just finding out a lot of stuff on here myself. But, my son just went through rush at Ole Miss (another southern school) and I'm just now finding out that going to the summer parties is EXTREMELY important. I think in my discussions on here, there was a lot of posts about it being bad to be from out of state. I don't think that will matter at all if you get to know the guys BEFORE rush. Go to the parties of the one you are interested in, but go to some of the others, as well. I used to agree with some of the people on here about there being "good" and "bad" fraternities/sororities, but it's only as "good" as the people that are in it. I mean, if you are a football player and the fraternity is full of engineer majors, I doubt you will be happy (and vice versa), but I know one thing for sure: it's a LOT more fun to get to cut THEM instead of them cutting YOU. So, go to everything you get invited to! One kid going through rush at Ole Miss was "promised" a bid from a fraternity that he had been hanging out with this summer and up until rush last weekend--they cut him the first night! So, don't count on anything, give them all a chance, and have fun! Good luck!

My son also went through rush at Ole Miss this past week and he didn't even know about the Summer parties until he signed up for rush four weeks ago. Being from Illinois, he didn't know anyone at Ole Miss prior to arriving there. He was lucky enough to get a bid (A good number of the guys in his dorm didn't get invited back to any pref parties Friday), but boy, had we known about some of the "unwritten rules" of rush, I think it would have been a little less nerve racking for my son. I was Greek as well, but we didn't expect Freshman to attend our Summer parties!

Just a Question...
 

Because I am clearly not a fraternity man-I always wondered...do fraternities do a sort of rush like sororities or do you just say, "Hey-I like fraternities ABC, DEF, and XYZ so I will only go to events for them and hope to get a bid"? I know with sororities you MUST attend events with each organization (for the most part-on many campuses...unless it is informal rush). How does it work for fraternities because my brother is coming back from basic training and looking at college. I've been talking to him about joining a fraternity and I don't really have any experience with how it works-so, other than telling him that ANY NIC/ IFC is a great choice-I can't give any other real information. How does it work?

It depends by campus. Usually, i would guess no. My last rush they had everyone break into groups and each fraternity was given a room in one of the campus buildings (all the same building) to meet with these guys. It sucked. Most of them knew who they wanted before hand and so did most of the chapters. Then I heard it got even more strict, which is stupid, because there is defered rush by one semester (spring=mostly freshmen party types, fall= sophmores, leaders, etc.)

So basically, rush lasts all of fall semester.

My son told me he was told by his Senior rush leader that some fraternities already had their "dance card" filled, meaning they had their quota before the first day of rush. This was especially true of the frats with small pledge classes and those highly sought after.

Very good advice... Thank you. I can't believe the guy had been "promised" a bid over the summer and got cut the first night of fall rush. That would hurt.... BAD.

Widgetgirl and Prairie Bayou, you are freaking me out a little here. My son is considering Ole Miss for next year. He is a legacy to one of the top houses on campus (at least that's what we were told) but I keep reading about these great kids from out of state, legacies included, getting cut from the fraternities there. Does a PNM sign up for IFC summer rush via the UM Greek web site? Do they host any summer parties in the larger cities out of state, or are they only is Mississippi?

Uhdeegee,
I don't think either one of us purposely want to mislead you...I had always heard of the greek system at Ole Miss, the grand houses, etc. I wasn't prepared for finding out some houses basically had their pledge class set prior to rush even starting, save maybe two or three openings that needed to be filled. Summer Rush I personally can't tell you about, maybe Widgetgirl can add something in here.

Bottomline, both of us had legacies who didn't get a bid to their fathers' fraternities...however, both of the boys did get bids: Widgetgirl's son is pledging a fraternity that has arguably the prettiest house on campus at Ole Miss and has a ton of actives involved in Student Senate and my son is pledging the fraternity with the highest GPA on campus. So neither boy really got "kicked downstairs" you see.
I know my son, after learning about my fraternity's chapter at Ole Miss through their pledges, feels he made the best choice even if he would have gotten a bid.

I will say this much...

If the legacy is from another chapter, don't count on it meaning too much at Ole Miss.

At Texas (which I think is much like SEC type rush), summer rush parties and events are HUGE, and the top fraternities have their pledge classes set before school starts. There is a "rush" week, but there is no set schedule.

I wrote a fraternity rush thread after my son pledged that outlined how his rush went. It really started when he was a senior in highschool and went into overdrive the summer before school. I tried to tell it like it happened, I only knew what he told me, but you can get an idea of what the "pre-rush" events are about.

http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...ad.php?t=89363

This IS the south; this IS the SEC; this IS Ole Miss. Remember, these are the guys that come on to GC and say that if recruitment interferes with a class, ditch the class.

If you are from out of state, you almost need to prepare yourself for a different way to view college life. Where the colleges that are around you have Greek Life, many southern schools are ABOUT Greek Life.

My son didn't have to view college differently; he just didn't know about Summer rush parties. He would have gone had he known. My fraternity's chapter was most fair with him in my opinion, even though they pretty well had their pledge class in place, he was invited back to the pref party Friday night. My son was told by the pledge educator at his fraternity that in-state/out-of-state is a factor, mainly due to alumni influence, but the bottom line is Ole Miss Greeks want quality candidates that will represent their organization well. The standards are high with all of them, which is why it is tough to get in.

That being said, my son has said repeatedly that picking Ole Miss was the best decision he made. Going Greek was the second best decison.

UHDEEGEE:

I don't think you should be freaked out at all about what has been written on here. You are WAY ahead of the game, just by reading this. At least you know BEFORE your son goes to Ole Miss what to expect--that's why I've repeatedly said how wonderful I think this site is.

Now, I don't think (someone tell me if I'm wrong) that there is any kind of formal sign-up for summer rush, thus it's not something that you will find on the Ole Miss website! If you or your son has any connection to any fraternity, ask or get him to ask that connection to let him know when they are having any kind of summer party that your son can go to. As I mentioned on one of these threads, my son was invited to some of the summer parties, but he didn't go to them, for various reasons. Had I known it was THAT important, I would have encouraged him to go. But again, I also had no idea that he was even invited to them to begin with. Also, it is my understanding (again, I could be wrong) that the parties are all held either at the house or somewhere close to the house. I don't think they go all over the country recruiting guys by having parties. The guys have to go to THEM (the fraternity).

I, on the other hand, DO have some things to freak out about. I have two daughters who have both shown interest in going to Ole Miss. Since sororities don't have the "summer parties" that fraternities have, and we are from out-of-state AND they are not a legacy of any sorority at Ole Miss, I will be watching what happens to pretty, nice girls I know from here who do/do not get bids to sororities there. My son's girlfriend went to Mississippi State this year, and she got a bid to a great sorority there that she LOVES! She did, however, get cut from the sorority that she was a legacy of (although I've read on some of these sites that some sororities do not consider grandmothers or aunts as legacies--and she was related to both of those for that sorority). Maybe Mississippi State is not as competitive as Ole Miss (although she is a BEAUTIFUL, VERY SMART girl), but I'm beginning to really look into all this for my girls, as it DOES have me thinking!

So, again UHDEEGEE, relax...now you know the scoop! Good luck to your son!

Some schools have rush events out of the city, but it's mainly in big cities in that state that they normally get a lot of guys from. If there is a way he could get down there for a few events and knows someone in the greek system (or just on campus that could listen for them) to find out when houses are having parties/bbq's it certainly helps to go to them. Summer rush events aren't mandatory, but as I and the other guys in big houses in the SEC have said, particularly the top houses will have already either given a lot of bids or at least know who they are going after before rush starts, so it is very good if he can get to a few events at houses he is interested in.

Summer Rush events are pretty much what changed my brothers mind about who he pledged at UT. In short, he was kind of the perfect fraternity pledge: direct chapter legacy to one of the top groups that our mom had also been sweetheart to, lacrosse captain, bartending job at a good college hangout, "the right highschool" (everyone i know from HS is in college, and at least 80% are greek), great grades, and... it's UT, he could drink pretty well, and he still treats girls right (with two older sisters and one younger, he better!)
Two groups really wanted him that he was interested in, and during the summer it was only through really getting to know the guys that he chose his current group. Turns out the other top house definitely has a reputation for being assholes when they are drunk and fighting. He ended up going his legacy because he knew like 17 of the other intended pledges (those that he had summer rushed with) and got along with them better as well.
He was very quiet to both groups about his decision pretty much until actual IFC rush, and then his choice was made. If he hadn't done summer rush events, he may have assumed the other top frat simply had a bad night concerning fighting/attitude while drinking.

As I've mentioned, Arkansas chapters typically have rush parties in Memphis, Little Rock, Hot Springs, and Dallas (choice of one or two of the four).

I have heard a little but about fraternity rush at Auburn and I also have a son rushing in the Fall....or summer depending on how you look at it. I know that they often have events in the Atlanta area, lake homes, and even rafting trips. It is much easier to get to really know the guys and for them to get to know you in this atmosphere, as opposed to formal rush. Of the boys I know who attend Auburn, none of them went to summer events except one and all of them got a bid to a fraternity. Three guys received a bid to top houses and two to a fraternity that seemed to hand out bids to every warm body that showed up. Having said that, everyone is happy where they ended up except one of the boys who pledged a top house. He ended up dropping out of the fraternity. Had he gone to a summer rush event he may have rushed somewhere else and been very happy. It seemed to me that the fraternities had most of their pledge class picked before rush but they still had some spots left open for formal rush but not many, so it becomes very competitive.