Rush 2008
 

AHHh! Rush is around 9 months away and I'm already excited! Is there anything I can do to prepare now so that I won't go crazy!?:p

Do your research. :)

type up a nice resume' that lists/describes your extracurricular activities, leadership positions you held, volunteer activites and/or work experience-list any awards you may have already won and any other accomplishments you have achieved. as the year goes on you can add to your resume .

if you have not already done so, start putting out feelers for sorority alumnae-ask your parents, your friends parents, ladies that attend your church, your teachers, family members, family friends-so that you will have the bases covered for recommendations-at least one for each of the sorority chapters on the campus you will be attending.

if you live in or near a metropolitan area, there may be an alumnae panhellenic organization. they may hold an recruitment information session in the spring. contact them and see if they will be holding an informational event and note the date.

AND...........be discreet!

What school do you plan to attend?

What do you mean exactly? discreet about...which part?

& Ladies, do you think I should reveal which school I'm planning to Rush at or should that be kept under wraps?

That's totally up to you.

For starters, where you're planning to rush. What you look like. The area of the country you're from.

Even if you have in mind a sorority that you like - DON'T say so, online or in real life.

Clean up your facebook/myspace page - don't have groups pertaining to alcohol, drugs, sex, or anything that could be construed as favoring one sorority over another.

you just answered your own question. most pnms wait to reveal their school after recruitment.

and 33 is right on the $$-i personally know someone who did not clean up her act or her facebook pages and did not receive a bid from any sorority at the school she attended, even after she was cautioned that to be indiscreet might ruin her chances to join a sorority. i wonder if she believes us now?

thanks! Is there anything else that should be deleted from my myspace/facebook page other than sex/drugs/alcohol? ( I don't have any of that...)

I would reveal my school had I not chosen to put my name in my username... but I don't want to now.

i tell the chapter i advise, if our national officers and your grandparents, parents, minister/priest/rabbi, prospective employer looks at your facebook/myspace/livejournal,et al, and they would be appalled and/or disappointed with what they saw, take it down!

well what about religious affiliations?

Yours or the sororities?

Most sororities do not care what your religious affiliation is. As for the sororities, if you are looking for a particular religious affiliation, most are based on Christian values but do not require a PNM be a Christian to join. A couple are based on Jewish values and one is completely non-sectarian. (I'm speaking only of NPC, of course.) I'm pretty sure none would care what you are unless it happens to be completely off the wall and includes any illegal activities!

That will depend on the school and what you say. In MOST cases, religious affiliation makes no difference. But if you go to a conservative school that is on the WASPY side, you might want to remove it.

If you attend a PAC 10, BIG 10, Ivy League, North Eastern US school, changes are high that they won't care. In my chapter, that would have been one of the last things that we cared about

If all it says is: Religion: Baptist or Jewish or Buddist
That's fine.
If you quote doctrine and preach on a soap box, I would remove it

lol thanks ladies!

so is there anything else I can do to get prepared?

1. Keep your grades up.
2. See about getting recommendations for as many of the chapters on your campus as you can. There are many threads here at GC that will explain how to do that.

Think about how your actions portray you whenever you are on campus...even before recruitment starts. For example, don't be "that freshman" at orientation. You know, the one who sneaks out to the fraternity houses to get trashed and causes drama when she's not even officially in college yet. (Not that I'm saying you would, but just illustrating an example...)

Become a Lurker. Read what the actives and alumnae say. Heed the advise that they give others. Feel free to ask honest questions. And, Keep open-minded

great advice, especially if you're on a small campus where word spreads like wildfire. I've done freshman orientation for the past two years, and its sad to see an otherwise "good" girl end up with a trashed rep because of one or two bad judgment calls.

Enjoy your senior year of high school. You will never get another one!:)

If it is a small school, you WILL be watched. Watch what you say in public. You never know who is standing behind you in line at dhall for example. Don't say bad things about sororities, they could find out. When you are in public, be sure to look neat. And by neat, I mean clean clothes, combed hair, etc. Always be gracious, and SMILE! :)

Probably the best piece of advice in this thread.

:) thanks ladies!

PS-
1) are you able to carry purses during recruitment?

2) are you a legacy if you have an aunt or cousin in a sorority? and should they fill out the legacy form?

I don't know of any chapter where a legacy is a niece or a cousin. Some now have expanded, sister, daughter or grand daughter to great-grand daughter (duh) and step-sisters and step-daughters. But, by all means, have them write a rec.

on most recommendation forms(if not all of them) there is a space where the rec. writer can list any relatives of the pnm who are members of greek organizations. some even allow the listing of male relatives greek affiliations.

i don't know why, but my guess would be that it shows that the family is familiar with the obligations and privileges of greek membership.

At least one sorority, Alpha Xi Delta, considers nieces to be legacies, so if an aunt is an Alpha Xi Delta she could send a "legacy form" (or whatever Alpha Xi Delta calls it) to the chapter.

But as others have pointed out each sorority has its own legacy policy and its own definition of "legacy."

Actually, I've never understood why "steps" should have any consideration - I know some people will think differently, this is just my opinion.

I believe that in most cases it is not automatic - "steps" are considered legacies if the member wishes them to be considered as such. If that is the case, they are in fact "family" - just as adopted children are part of the family that chose them. In some cases, the "step" family is probably more "family" than the biological - not that I would know . . . :rolleyes:

Those family relationships would not qualify you as a legacy for most NPC sororities, if not all. However, these family members should write you a reference and send it to the chapter of the sorority at your university. These would be very strong recommendations because they come from people who know you well. As someone else mentioned, because they are family members, it will show you understand a little about Greek Life, too, because you have had the influence of sorority family members. From there, the sororities will presume that because of this influence, you likely possess some of the characteristics that would be favorable to a sorority sister.

References and legacy status don't guarantee a bid of membership, but they are soft factors that help you stand out, just like your extracurriculars and community service helped paint a picture of who you are to college admissions boards. You're more than a pretty face with a good GPA! :)