What kinds of questions should I ask each house during Rush?
 

Hi! I'm not sure if there is already a thread or not for this, so if there is, I apologize. I'm a PNM rushing at FSU this Fall as an incoming freshman, and I'm coming from a pretty much non-Greek family so I'm trying to accumulate as much information about Greek life as possible! :)

My question is this: As I go around to all of the houses, I know you should try and keep your conversations to general small-talk to be safe, but what kinds of questions should I ask the members to get a better idea of what they're all about? What do you think is most important to know up front? What should I wait until later in the week to ask, and what questions should I avoid completely?

For example, if I want to know what kind of importance a certain group places on academics, and if there are things like study groups, how could I go about finding this out in a way that doesn't offend anyone or make me sound snobbish? I know most groups have a minimum GPA that their members must maintain but it maybe some groups are more inclined to help their members than others... like I said, I honestly don't know much about Greek life so please feel free to correct me!

But anyway, that is just one example. I really would appreciate your suggestions on what is most important to ask and how I should go about doing it. Thank you so much!

Check out this thread. There's a section labeled "What do I do at a recruitment event (rush party)?" in the first post. There's some information regarding the types of questions you should ask, what you will be asked, and what not to say.

I also recommend reading through the rest of the thread! Good luck!

I would stay away from questions regarding booze, bars and boys and drugs- I know that sounds like a no brainer, but you would be surprised how many women talk about really inappropriate things during recruitment. Recruitment is like a job interview you want to learn as much about the chapter as they want to learn about you. Try not to answer questions with just a yes and no try to make more of a conversation out of your answer. Ask thoughtful questions- if you want to know the answers to the questions. Trust me the girls know when your paying attention and care. Look the sorority girls in the eye when your speaking to them. I know you want to look around the room, but try to do that when your walking in and out of the party. If you want to see who else is in the party with you check out the line while your waiting. Act interested not bored EVEN if your so tired you think your going to fall asleep while your standing there and your feet are killing you. The sorority girls are experiencing the same thing so don't complain. Dig deep and find that last ounce of energy and keep going with a smile on your face. Last but not least, if you find yourself in a party that you really don't want to be at be nice and polite not mean and nasty. These women have put a lot of time and effort into trying to come up with a nice party for you to attend and deserve some common courtesy and respect.

Seriously! Last year I preffed a girl who I had loved all week and then on pref she started talking about how drunk she got all summer and what kind of parties we would have after bid day. Needless to say, she joined another group.

OP, asking questions about things that are important to you when joining a chapter (grades, etc) is good BUT you want to make sure that you are letting the conversation flow naturally. Asking too many questions or asking a question awkwardly in place of just talking can come across badly.