question regarding alcohol (slightly)
 

hey everybody
i'm going to attend a big 10 school in the fall and i am registered for rush. i've been thinking about the conversations that will subsequently go along, and i was wondering if it was a taboo to mention that this summer i ended up getting my bartending license and that i want to get a job bartending at one of the bars perhaps second semester. i know not to mention anything about my drinking habits or lack there of, but is it ok to say i look forward to bartending, etc.?


sorry so long! thanks

That should be fine. I mean, a job is a job...just because you work at Petco doesn't mean you're a crazy cat lady. :) Good luck with rush!!

For what purpose would you bring this up? The only impression I really get from it is that you might think this would be a selling point? Hey girls, let me in your house, and when I'm a bartender I'll hook you up? I'm just having a hard time seeing why you'd bring up a theoretical job that you may or may not do months from now?

Maybe because of the time commitment that comes with a job? In other words, "I want to join your sorority, but I'm working full-time next semester and want to make sure it's still ok to join."

Haha!! That is funny!

BTW - good luck with rush! And, my oldest son was a bartender, then bar manager during college - GOOD $$$!

Eh, but that's assuming a lot based on her post. She doesn't even know if she's going to have a job and didn't say anything about full time. So it seems sort of silly.

I'm guessing it's something more along the lines of IF she gets a question like, "So, what did you do this summer?" or "What are your interests/activities?" THEN is it okay to respond, "Oh, I got my bartending license, and I'm hoping to work at Paddy's Pub (or whatever) this semester!"

And I think the answer is, it depends. In one sense, it is something different, and may help her stand out ("Oh yeah, splendiddib, she's the bartender!") but possibly not in a good way. It might be something you want to reserve for once you know your rusher/audience a little better... some girls might find it presumptuous/inappropriate, others would think it was cool.

There was a girl in my pledgeclass who was a bartender, but I don't know how she handled talking about it during rush. I know she found the mandatory TIPS training really boring, because she'd already had to go through a lot of it to get her license (but then I think most of us found TIPS training pretty boring).

This is what I thought too. I agree, I wouldn't go around announcing it, but I don't think it's a problem if that's part of your answer!

Well, I think that's probably why she's asking -- I still think it would be something that would make her be memorable. I guess the real question is whether she would be memorable in a good way or not. I mean, if as a freshman someone asked me what I had done the previous summer, and I'd done something as interesting as attend bartending school and get my license, I might want to bring it up (instead of saying, "I entered codes into a database," which is what I actually did. Yes, all summer).

If you did actually bartend, you could possibly spin it, saying "And it was a really eye opening experience, learning how to deal with boorish customers, and what people REALLY look like when they get drunk!" Or something. Although that could lean a little too far into talking about alcohol, it might help give the impression that it was a JOB, and that you're not bartending to get free drinks and flirt with guys.

If you did something more interesting over the summer/have better activities, I would agree with KSUViolet and not bring it up. And maybe not the first night of recruitment. I could see it being a turnoff for some girls, and some sororities, especially if you don't present it right. But I do honestly think it's kind of a cool thing to have done, and something many girls that age haven't done, but it could be risky. I would say use your discretion.

Quote:
Originally Posted by kddani
For what purpose would you bring this up? The only impression I really get from it is that you might think this would be a selling point? Hey girls, let me in your house, and when I'm a bartender I'll hook you up? I'm just having a hard time seeing why you'd bring up a theoretical job that you may or may not do months from now?


i was just thinking of ways to further a conversation because like everyone has said on here, it is very important... no need to attack...

I would leave this subject alone for the most part. There are ways to make it known that you plan to have a job without bringing up the bartending thing. It's certainly ok to be proud of getting you license, but typically its best to avoid the subject of booze (in all of its aspects) during recruitment.

During my recruitment, another PNM held a conversation with one of my sisters. All that PNM could talk about was how she got her bartending license and she was so sad that she couldn't drink anymore (she was an American who lived in a foreign country for a few years). I'm sure the sister tried to guide it away from that topic, but the PNM would NOT stop talking about it.

Moral of the story: Don't be that PNM!