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-   -   What makes a Good Rusher? (https://greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=87823)

Faith4Keep 06-11-2007 11:55 AM

What makes a Good Rusher?
 
I've been reading some of the retro-recruitment threads and a lot of of them refer to "I must have ended up with a bad rusher at this house" or "The other girls didn't like the house but I loved it- I must've had a really good rusher!"

I will be going through rush on the "other" side for the first time this year, and my chapter has insisted that I will be on the floor and that I will be one of their best rushers. I'm a little nervous about living up to this expectation...so what do you think makes a good rusher?

AlphaFrog 06-11-2007 12:04 PM

People that have "never met a stranger" make really good rushers.

People who are gracious and welcoming make good rushers.

People who are confident (not cocky) make good rushers.

People with a PASSION for their sorority make good rushers.

As a rusher, your job is to welcome the PNM, keep the conversation flowing, and SELL your sorority.

Keys are being able to read others, asking the right question at the right time, and avoiding the awkward silences.

NutBrnHair 06-11-2007 12:10 PM

Well said, AlphaFrog.

Ditto NutBrnHair! :)

CZAXOTerp 06-11-2007 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog (Post 1464782)
People that have "never met a stranger" make really good rushers.

People who are gracious and welcoming make good rushers.

People who are confident (not cocky) make good rushers.

People with a PASSION for their sorority make good rushers.

As a rusher, your job is to welcome the PNM, keep the conversation flowing, and SELL your sorority.

Keys are being able to read others, asking the right question at the right time, and avoiding the awkward silences.

All of that and I also think it helps if a rusher:

-has a broad base of general knowledge

-is up on current and campus events and knowledgeable about the school in general

-can relate just about any topic to that of their chapter or the Greek system in general

-is open-minded with regards to geography

howtheSunrose 06-11-2007 12:17 PM

Be gracious.

Make everyone want your sorority. Even if you know a girl isn't a good fit, you can still leave her with good impressions of your org.

Think before you speak. Even harmless questions can come out wrong. I remember a girl asking me, "Who are you friends with here?" really threw me off. I'm sure she was just trying to come up with questions but at as a freshman at an out of state school I was just meeting people!

Stay positive.

FSUZeta 06-11-2007 12:32 PM

she also needs to be up to date on her sorority info:

what is their philanthrophy

how they raise money for their phil

how much money did they raise last year

how many girls are in the chapter

yes...most certainly be gracious. i ask the girls i advise to do one thing during recruitment: leave a good and positive impression with each pnm that they meet-as howtheSunrose put it, they may not all be a good fit, and they may all not want to join our chapter, but we can have them leaving our party saying,"i met so many people. they are such a nice,friendly group of girls."

ΑΓΔSquirrelGirl 06-11-2007 01:03 PM

1. A good rusher is ALWAYS polite, friendly, and warm, no matter what the circumstance.
2. A good rusher smiles genuinely and naturally. (A fake perma-smile is creepy.)
3. A good rusher is a chameleon. She will read her rushee and make her more comfortable. If her rushee is outgoing then the rusher will know to be friendly and talkative. If her rushee is scared and shy then she will become calmer and never overbearing to make her rushee more comfortable.
4. A good rusher never says anything rude and never asks a question to personal.
5. A good rusher knows ALL general information about the organization and ALL general information about the philanthropy.
6. A good rusher has a good poker face. She won't let her reaction to a PNMs answer show on her face.
7. Most importantly a good rusher really loves her organization.

PeppyGPhiB 06-11-2007 01:05 PM

Someone who can have a conversation with ANYONE!

KSUViolet06 06-11-2007 02:07 PM

These threads have good advice for first time rushers:

http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...ad.php?t=68693

http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...hlight=rushers

Faith4Keep 06-11-2007 02:10 PM

That's so funny- I searched for those exact words and found nothing. Oh well. Sorry!

SmartBlondeGPhB 06-11-2007 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeppyGPhiB (Post 1464816)
Someone who can have a conversation with ANYONE!


Agreed. I know a LOT about Gamma Phi, and I have great love for my group but I am a HORRIBLE rusher.

The most important thing is being able to talk to anyone about anything.

NutBrnHair 06-11-2007 04:03 PM

A good rusher is someone who comes to the task with a desire to have fun.

DeltaBetaBaby 06-11-2007 07:23 PM

I think I would disagree slightly with the importance of selling your sorority. Remember that you have 4 rounds (at most schools), and your style should change a bit each round. The first round, you are making a friend, nothing more, nothing less. Talk about what she did over the summer or movies or things to do on campus. I wouldn't even talk about your sorority in the first round unless she has questions. This is especially true later in the day, when she has heard the same stuff from a bunch of chapters before you.

Second and third rounds, you can begin talking more about things like philanthropies, socials, etc.

And pref, come in with the hard sell, but not about how great your chapter is, about how well she would fit there.

And most of all, let her do most of the talking.

irishpipes 06-11-2007 09:43 PM

I agree, and sometimes the girl who is a great rusher for first round is not so good later, when things are more personal, and vice versa.

dgdramadawg 06-11-2007 11:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by irishpipes (Post 1465106)
I agree, and sometimes the girl who is a great rusher for first round is not so good later, when things are more personal, and vice versa.

AMEN! I could have rushed a brick wall and gotten it to attend round 2, 3, or prefs, but I just could never do the whole "serious" pref thing. I always ended up saying things to make PNMs laugh. I think the only person I could successfully pref would be my own sister, because she wouldn't mind me being a little goofy on a serious occasion.

KSUViolet06 06-11-2007 11:11 PM

*A good rusher can make PNMs feel comfortable in what can be a very nervewrecking experience.

*A good rusher asks open ended questions that keep the conversation flowing and avoids any question with a one word answer.

*A good rusher exudes confidence that draws PNMs in and makes them want to see more of her sorority.


SWTXBelle 06-12-2007 07:56 AM

A good rusher is able to focus on the needs of the PNM and the GLO, and not on her own personal issues (being tired, hungry, cranky, . . .).
:)

barbino 06-12-2007 01:35 PM

Focusing on the needs of the PNM and the GLO
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by SWTXBelle (Post 1465276)
A good rusher is able to focus on the needs of the PNM and the GLO, and not on her own personal issues (being tired, hungry, cranky, . . .).
:)

When I went thru "rush" many years ago at the University of Kentucky, I always remember one girl who took me at the first party after a lunch break. She looked great, & she was super-friendly. Then she told me, laughing, that she had taken a nap and had woken up to hear her sisters singing. She woke up, ran down the stairs, and joined the rush line. I looked at her and said that she looked pretty good for someone who had just woken up. Then we both laughed. After I joined that house and she became one of my sisters, I remembered why she had impressed me: because she had been totally, utterly, herself. We always tell PM's to be themselves, but it's also important for a rusher to be herself, too. This way, the PM's get to see the true nature of a girl who may become her sorority sister. :D BARBINO

adpiucf 06-12-2007 01:40 PM

Try this thread, too

I think a good rusher is knowledgeable of her organization. She's a both a natural conversationalist and a good listener, good at making others feel at ease and comfortable in her presence, and is able to convey her enthusiasm for her organization in a very short period of time.

mystikchick 06-13-2007 06:59 PM

if you're not a person who's very comfortable making conversation with other people you don't know so well, i just read a book that, though a bit hokey and cheesy, did have some useful pointers. it's by a woman named leil lowndes and though a bit unrealistic at times, has some great tips in there that anyone can use - it's called how to have a conversation with anyone.

and take heart in the fact that your sisters see something in you that makes them think you'll be an asset to them during rush, even if you don't see it yourself :)


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