Wealth.
 

Did this thought cross any of your minds going into rush?
It crosses my mind an awful lot when I think about rushing this fall.
I'm in no way upperclass.
My mom owns a hair salon and my dad is a sheriff.
And I'm going to a large southern school.

It makes me not want to rush, it's sort of an intimidating factor.

I don't think that the actual issue of wealth is discussed in most cases. The members at large schools have such a short time to choose a certain number of girls...seems like "wealth" would be a really random item to bring up. Most sororities have a few major criteria, such as "Would she fit in here? Do we like her a lot? Will she make us proud that she's wearing our letters? Will she achieve for us?"

They'll want to know that you can pay for your sorority dues and items, of course, especially at schools with big houses, but your rush booklet should list average costs and you should make sure you can handle them.

Like carnation said, money is not something that is normal to be brought up in conversation. In fact, most sorority chapters discourage their members from bringing up the 4 B's: Boys, Bank, Bible, Booze.

As long as you can pay your dues/fees, then they don't need to know anything else.

If you are going to A&M which you mentioned in another post, I personally wouldn't worry about it. Yea, there will be lots of students who are obviously banking, but there are people there across all $ spectrums too.

Haha, thanks.
I guess I was kind of stereotyping, but thanks y'all sort of put me at ease.

I mean, I can pay my dues with no problem, it's just my dads not a CEO thing that worried me.

=]

Where did you get the idea that one's father need be a CEO in order for you to go through recruitment?

I wasn't being serious.
It was just an example of how I was stereotyping. :)

most people are not going to care that your dad is a sheriff and you mom owns a hair salon. i am sure you are proud of your parents-your dad is in law enforcement and helps keep his community safe and your mom is a business owner-not a lot of women can boast that they own their own business!

most of the girls you meet are going to care more about the things that were written in the previous posts. just be yourself, put your best foot forward-keep an open mind, don't listen to "tent talk" or believe the stereotypes and you should be alright. good luck!

wealth
 

I am going to try to say this with out being taken the wrong way. I had a fantastic rush...I loved every minute of it. I was poor, and somehow overcame it without even trying. I didn't even realize how poor I was which might have helped. The thing about it is that money doesn't define class. Good manners and good judgement do. So what if girls flash around in BMWs! Just think how life is going to be for them after graduation. If they are going to be measured, they should be measured by their own success not by the success of their parents. I have been very fortunate. My daughter was able to live a life that I never even knew existed at her age, and she goes out of her way to not show it. She drives a beat up Volvo with a dent in the side and the brakes squeek so loudly that it's a joke. I can't stand looking at it, but she won't let me even get the dent repaired. She is in a fantastic sorority and no one would ever know how she lives when she is not at the University. Just be yourself and be proud of who you are. Study hard, volunteer, get a great job and remember that the success you have may not even me measured in dollars. Don't ever be ashamed of where you came from.

Sage advice from all of the posts. If you are going to A&M, you are an Aggie 1st and that that will be good enough for them. Don't get me wrong, it is a competative rush and you WILL NEED references but UT and A&M recruitments are so different. (Don't compare them) Many of the PNMs are from very small towns and do very well in recruitment. Some chapters focus on members but big cities but all of them have small town girls. Stay open to all your options and get those references.

I'm confused. I thought you already rushed in January. At least that's what your previous posts said.

Maybe she didn't receive a bid?

I never ended up doing spring rush.
I dropped out on the 2nd day because I decided to wait until formal recruitment.
Not all the sororities did spring rush, so I wanted to give all a chance.

Your mom helps people look and feel beautiful and confident, and your dad helps people feel and be safe and secure. Trust me, you are rich in everything that matters.

Have a wonderful time during recruitment!

Well said Katmandu! :)

That made me smile, thanks.
:)

For me, college was the first time that I was thrown in with a large number of kids from all different social classes, including the truly wealthy. I never had any of the rich kids snub me outright. Other than that, they tended to fall about equally into two groups. The first group were the kids that would be polite, reasonably friendly, and would even hang out with me to an extent, but I knew it wouldn't go much further than that because I couldn't keep up with their lifestyle, and that was important to them. The members of second group included kids that became my friends. Their attitude was that if their money wasn't an issue for me, than my relative lack of money wouldn't be an issue for them. To this day I am still touched and impressed by their modesty and humility.

In this way, I think that college is not a bad way at all of introducing oneself to the realities of the larger world. I think you will find that sorority members come from all different social classes, and of that broad spectrum, some will want to be your friends and some won't. Your friends will be prepared to embrace your background and your family in a loving way, as you will do in return for them, whether they be rich, poor, or somewhere in between.

I hope that you have a wonderful recruitment!

In most of these recruitment threads you will find a central theme: be yourself, because only by being yourself will you truly be able to find your sorority home! Your parents are a part of your life! Be proud of them! They are part of what makes you who you are!

I have known young sorority women who are trust fund babies, those on payment plans because they can't pay their dues until their next paycheck, and those who have to work all summer and save in order to even go to college! I know this might not be the case everywhere, but it has been my experience that all of these women treated each other with respect and loved each other as sisters!

This is life and you can't change life!

Stay positive and bring the wonderful person you are to the table. Please do not pull yourself down.

It is so very hard to say what situation(s) will arise. You may see the issue of wealth makes very little difference. You may see wealth does make a difference with certain organizations in their selection processes. I could tell you my stories, but they will never be what you experience.

Be strong, confident, and enjoy the experience. You will find the place for you!