Advice for high school girls??? From high school sorority sponsor
 

Hi,

I'm the sponsor of a high school sorority in the South, and we like to think we are preparing these girls for college sorority life. We plan to talk to the girls about how to act when visiting our nearby colleges during this football season. Of course, no drinking, smoking, etc. But also things like: don't wear a sorority or fraternity shirt while visiting the college because other sororities might think that you've already "chosen" that sorority. Even stupid stuff like: Don't hang on the frat guys, because an ex-girlfriend might get you cut when you come through Rush. I'm basically just wanting some insight to keep them on their toes. It's been 7 years since I graduated from college, and it's hard to remember the petty (but damaging) things that came up about girls during Rush. I would appreciate any advice that you could pass along that we could give to these girls.

Thanks.

If you are looking for the little picky things....

1. Don't wear too many rings/necklaces. It is possible to over accessorize!

2. Matching underwear is a must. There is nothing stranger than being able to see vibrant underwear showing thru clothing. Being "trashy" will get you cut from most houses.

3. Make sure the picture submitted for rush is up to date and a "head and shoulders" shot. There was one poor girl who went thru rush when I was active that submitted a photo of herself posing on the hood of her car. She was known as the "hood ornament" all thru rush.

4. Start getting your references as soon as possible. Some schools only require a reference/recommendation from just the house you join while other schools want the recs/refs from each house before rush begins.

5. Buy your white dress as soon as you know you are interested in rush. Don't wait until you pledge to purchase! White means nancy nurse white, unadorned without any colored trim. Same for the shoes.

6. Don't assume that you will automaticly get a bid if you are a legacy. The path may be there but you still have to work to get in! Many schools have so many legacies going thru rush that no preference is given to them.

7. Make a list of your high school activities, honors and achievements as early as possible. Service to civic/school/church organizations is very big now. Making the list early will help to see what areas need to be improved. Put this in a resume format with your other personal information. You will need to provide this to each alumna who is giving you a rec/ref. If the alumna does not live near the school be sure to provide the chapter address.

8. Make a list of questions to ask during rush. If you are shy talking to strangers, this will help keep your thoughts organized as well as make you appear interested.

9. Practice applying your makeup in a natural light.

10. Do not over perfume yourself! Overwhelming the rusher with aroma will not leave a good impression.

That's all I can think of now. Hope it helps.

Re: Advice for high school girls??? From high school sorority sponsor
 

Not to mention that if sorority members see a high school girl (or anyone who's not a sister or pledge) WEARING THEIR LETTERS she might get her butt kicked into next Tuesday...are there really people out there who do this?? :eek: :eek:

Another thing I can think of to add to the list is don't ever talk about any of the Greeks where you can be overheard - bad OR good stuff, you can talk yourself into a jam either way.

Sorry, I should have been more clear... I meant party shirts, not jerseys... Some of the girls have older sisters, and they will wear their party shirts to school, cheerleader practice, whatever...

Let these girls know that being Greek isn't everything. If they don't get a particular sorority or if they get cut it isn't the end of the world.

oh OK, that's better! *whew* I was very scared for a minute.

But I agree, it probably isn't a great idea to wear those either, unless their sister's in a sorority that's not at the college they're visiting.

1. Don't bad mouth or give into nasty rumors of other sororities
2. Don't pay attention to the "top tier" or whatever tier BS
3. Keep an open mind
4. Read the "what PNM's shoul know" advice threads on GC

1. Don't make the first question you ask every woman at a party "What sorority are you in?" This comes off as petty, as if you're not interested in meeting anyone except for their sorority affiliation.

2. Don't get super-wasted, make-out in public, etc. That's pretty obvious I would think.

3. Judge where you're going before you dress to go out. At a small southern school like mine, dressing like you're ready for a club when you go out to parties would be a major faux pas.

4. Don't constantly reference your awesome friends in XYZ or your family connections to ABC. This comes off as desperate and annoying.

BIG PIECE OF ADVICE EVERYONE SHOULD LISTEN TO:

When you go visit a college and attend a fraternity party, if you've never drank before in your life, DON'T CHOOSE THAT NIGHT TO START. Every year, my college has two major weekends that freshmen visit: a scholarship weekend, an an accepted students day. What you do this weekend, if it is stupid enough, can and will influence your recruitment. (If it's a scholarship weekend, you can even jeopardize your acceptance to that college!) If you don't know your limits, don't test them! Just be your winning self. I have seen women break this rule over and over to their own detriment.

co-sign to everything breathesgelatin wrote.

while i think this is all good advice so far...i could relate to a lot of the situations breathesgelatin wrote about. the mistakes that people drunkenly make are horrible first impressions and often very difficult to forget. also, the advice about not name-dropping, and not being overly eager to know about sorority affiliation, should definitely be passed on.

Actually, this applies to college freshmen as well. Those first few parties at fraternity houses can DEFINITELY influence whether or not you get a bid and from which house. If the sorority sisters themselves don't see the unseemly behavior, keep in mind that fraternity guys DO talk to us and tell us what freshman girl threw up and then tried to sleep with half the fraternity.

Yes, watch your behavior carefully, don't use those weekends as an opportunity to go wild! It will come back to haunt you as news can travel very far and very fast.

Co-sign. We let someone go ASAP because of something a few of us had witnessed last spring.

Just to take this one step further, sometimes its not enough to just watch out for yourself. When I was a freshman, I knew 2 girls from the same team going through formal. These girls would party together, one in control, one....not so much. When it came time for recruitment, the "in control" girl's top choice saw her as a "package deal" with the other girl, since they were always out partying together. It kind of became known that both the girls were major party animals, when it was really only the 1 girl. In the end, they both got cut.

I am NOT trying in anyway to say "change your friends", just want people to remember that "you are the company you keep" and maybe this girls need to help remind their friends that before recruitment, someone is ALWAYS watching!

What should i do?
 

ok i need help.
im a junior in high school and i want to join a sorority. Im not really sure which one but i have one in mind. I just want to know what i have to do starting now so i could get ready.
Someone please help me.:confused:

Start by reading the FAQ announcements at the top of the forums and doing your research. If you haven't even selected or been accepted to a college, that should be your priority.

the things that will help make your college application stand out will appeal to sororities: good grades, extracurriculars, volunteer work, etc. holding a position of leadership in a h.s. org. could enhance your college app., and your recruitment app.,too.

don't get into trouble. behave yourself. be respectful, friendly and kind to other people. have respect for yourself. don't dress(or act) like a slut.

don't listen to rumors about sororities. don't listen to boys telling you that you should join "ABC" sorority because they have the hottest girls; are the group that all the fraternities want to party with;are the richest.joining a particular sorority because a guy suggested that you join is a stupid reason to join.

don't get hung up on one sorority while you are still in high school. when you get to college, you just might discover that you don't like "ABC" as much as you thought, or your "favorite" sorority may not even be at the college you end up attending. ABC might think that you would be happier somewhere else and not invite you back.

during recruitment,keep an open mind and accept all the invitations that you receive/are able to accept. really look at each sorority and at the girls they have invited back to their parties. these girls might be your pledge sisters. make sure that you really have something in common with them.

if the college you attend has a deferred recruitment, don't hang out at fraternity houses or gain a reputation as a drunk/druggie or a skank. a bad reputation could be the kiss of death.

find out if the you need letters of recommendation for the sororities at the college you will attend. don't trust what the panhellenic website says-ask someone you know who attends that college and is in a sorority or ask us here on greekchat. if it is suggested that you have letters of recommendation(recs.) then do all you can to get them, and try to get one for every sorority on campus.

and lastly, don't worry about sororities now. enjoy the remainder of your junior year, get good s.a.t. scores, have a great senior year,keep your grades up,stay our of trouble and then start thinking about sororities and recruitment,and be sure to post your recruitment story for us!!

Sorry, but no. You should a) not assume that every group uses white dresses, and b) not assume that you will get a bid...wanna see that white dress hanging in your closet the day after you get dropped from recruitment? Didn't think so.

Put it this way: get one that's from someplace you know you can return it and don't take the tags off. That way if you need it you have it, and if you don't (either cause of no bid or the group you get doesn't use it) you can take it back. They're such a pain to find that it doesn't hurt to be prepared.

You should always have a white dress, a black dress and a string of pearls...really. ;)

Co-sign. In some GLOs, the attire is provided for the new would-be initiates. Therefore, don't run out and buy a white dress.

I think the point is that you shouldn't get your bid at 5:00 and have to show up at the house for the bid party at 7:00 in a white dress, thus spending the two hours in between trying to find one at the mall or in a friend's closet if it IS necessary. Better to have a white dress you don't use for the purpose you bought it for than to not have one when you need it.

Or just get one that you can use for something else. It's not a bad idea. I'd also make sure you could pair it with a sweater (or that it has sleeves in the first place) if you needed to. I know not everyone has the same requirements in that department, but I think a lot do (and it'll depend on what the requirements are for badge dress).

I lucked out...my graduation dress was white, so I re-used it. But we had several girls wearing "closet dresses"...the most tacky things you can imagine, that were left behind because they couldn't find a white dress in the fall.

There was a girl in my chapter who made her own. Without a sewing machine.

I totally agree! Those three items always come in handy...

Try to buy a white sundress or something like that. You can wear it in the spring and summer, and get good use out of it! Can't hurt to have one on hand...at least it's an excuse to go shopping;)

Chapters at LSU have been known to lend out white clothes to new pledges. But the more in the know girls always seem to have their own white dress.

I knew a girl who had to wear a white t-shirt and white gym shorts in a room full of white sundresses on her bid night. I bet she would have perfered planning ahead

Just out of curiosity, are there any NPCs that don't use white dresses? I don't see the harm in buying a white dress that can be returned should you not receive a bid, especially since July and August are great times to buy a white dress. If your school has deferred recruitment, you're SOL.

I think it is safe to say that the vast majority of NPC sororities wear white dresses for initiation, etc. It's really not a secret. Pictures are taken in whites, during convention everyone is walking around in white, etc. It's something that I don't think is really feasible to keep a "secret".

I had to find a white dress in October (rush was last week of September at my school)... thankfully I had one that I wore for my high school graduation.

Thanks to the great advice on GC last summer, we bought the white dress in July for the following January recruitment. If it hadn't been discussed, this necessity for a white dress would have slipped my mind completely in the midst of frenetic packing for a new collegian.

I learned on GC how important a white dress is to most sororities - enough that I now tell PNMs for whom I fill out a rec to be sure to take one to school with them.