the summer before rush
 

i'm wrapping up my senior year and have decided to go greek in the fall! :) my bestfriend's older sister is an alumnae to a house at the college im going to, and she's the one who convinced me to rush a sorority. so now it comes down to this, what can i do over the summer to prepare for the recruitment process? i have about a dozen friends already in the greek system, but all the advice i have received is along the lines of "practice meeting strangers", "learn to curl your hair", etc. Not very helpful if you know what I mean. :)

Do you all have any tips? Please and thank you!! :)

Pretty much the basics you will find all over this site:

Get rec letters
Edit facebook to make it either completely private or at least appropriate
I suppose plan your outfits

While you are at it, why not do some volunteer work if you have time over the summer. Or work. Beef up the resume a little bit.

Tips:

1. Locate the shift key on your keyboard. You'll need that in college more than a sorority.

2. Learn proper terminology. (This site will help you.)

3. Get recs from the sorority women you know.

4. Read threads here, especially ones about your school, if there are any.

Great advice from the posters above. Are your current sorority friends at the university you plan to attend? If they are pick their brain about what to expect- about conversation, what happens at each round and what type of women their Chapter is looking for (in general terms). That way if they tell you they only take girls with a 4.0 and you have a 3.5 you wont be disappointed if they release you. Also, even if the Greek Life office tells you that recommendation letters are not required spend time getting them for every chapter and include a picture. I would not make your facebook completely private, but I would have it pretty locked down. At least let us see your appropriate photo- when there are hundreds of women going through recruitment you sometimes forget people. Finally, keep an open mind and don't pre judge any Chapters by what your friends say. Every Chapter has wonderful things to offer any potential new member.

Also, don't behave in a manner this summer that would reflect poorly on you during the recruitment process. For example, if you attend parties try to avoid being photographed if there is alcohol involved. If a friend tags you in a photo you are not comfortable with, then untag yourself. I am sure there are women you already know who attend your university so make sure that you're always putting your best foot forward online. Recruitment seems like it's a long time off, but with the internet nothing is private anymore. Best of luck to you and enjoy your summer!

I was typing off my phone, so sorry for the mistakes. Thanks for the advice, especially about watching my privacy settings on Facebook!

Does this mean the era of straightened hair has come to an end?

(Please let it be!)

I kind of wondered when I watched Catherine and Pippa if those curls were going to start changing things...

:D

I'm not sure where you live or where you plan to go to school, nor should you advertise it here or anywhere else (repeat after me, "Discretion is King"), but in addition to the above, work on:

-Conversation Skills. You will need these the rest of your life. Learn to talk to little old ladies as you kindly ask them to give you recs, to children whose parents may help you, and to those your own age of all cultural backgrounds. Be ready to talk to anybody!

-Learn your best looks. If you plan to spend a lot of time at the beach, condition your skin and hair so you don't prematurely age yourself. Diet if you need to do so, no matter what, get toned. Learn what kind of makeup you can wear without lookly like a skank, even if it means making a few trips to some Clinique or other makeup counters.

-Learn your best dressing styles. This will be an evolving process for the rest of your life, but you can't go wrong.

-Check out the websites for every sorority that will be on your campus. You can usually find most of these with www.thesororityname.org, or just google them. You don't want to parrot this information back to sisters during Recruitment, but you should be at least a little knowledgeable about each. Know that Mu Mu Mu's philanthropy is The Home for Reprobate Actors, their colors are Puce and Tie Dye, and their most famous alumna is the Coat Room Lady at The Billy Goat Tavern, but if you "overlearn", you could be labeled as a stalker. However, if you know a Mu Mu Mu, it would be odd if you didn't know that.

-If you know anyone else who plans to go through Recruitment, practice with her. Practice smiling when your feet are killing you, sitting gracefully in each outfit, laughing naturally, and conversation, conversation, conversation!

-Check out your school's website for Greeks, and especially check out the dress suggestions. If they say "shorts or jeans", go with the dressier. Make sure you can sit, stand, and walk gracefully in whatever you wear. You may want to think about a white dress (many sororities use them at some point, and you'll never find one in November!), and a good dress for Pref. Don't forget that you're dressing to impress women, not men! Ask your friend to vet your wardrobe.

-Recs, Recs, Recs!!!! Get an HONEST resume ready to hand the nice alumnae who will give you a rec, and buy some nice note cards. You'll want to send each of them a thank you note after they interview you, and also a note to let them know that you a) dropped out of Recruitment, but thank you; b) you accepted a bid to a sorority other than hers ("but they were lovely...") or c) you accepted a bid to her sorority and you couldn't have done it without her! Yes, it's bull, but it's also life.

-In between, work, volunteer, and/or enjoy your summer - you will need something to discuss when asked, "how was your summer?" Saying "I hung around" just doesn't cut it.

I had no idea I'd go on this long, but I think you get the idea. Keep an open mind and best of luck!

I think all they mean is a flip at the end. Unfortunately.

What do you mean by keeping facebook appropriate? What are inappropriate photos? I mean I would be partying a bit this summer and there will be alcohol present but must I untag all partying pictures or is it okay to keep some up? I like keeping these photos tagged because they are all memories of my summer.

Just to add: manners. Saying "Thank you" or "It was nice to meet you" goes a long way in life and in recruitment. Start now during the summer and by the time school rolls around, it will be a life time habit.

...That's nice.

What you see as memories, people who don't know you well will see as "drunken slut." Without context it's really easy to get the wrong impression.

/lane swerve

Untag yourself on EVERYTHING except you in your most pristine loveliness. The age-old guideline is anything you wouldn't want your Grandmother to see you don't want your potential new sisters to see. Reality is NOT the key here.

I understand you didn't think too much of the learn to talk to strangers thing, but it is far more important than anything else listed above (although it's all good). Many of the conversations you will be having will be in the range of 2-5 MINUTES and will determine whether or not you gain lifelong membership to these organizations. How do you introduce yourself, give your full resume, say something entertaining and not sound like a motormouth, all in 2-5 minutes, in a room full of 50 women all doing the same thing at a decibel level that has to be lived to be believed? To do this well takes practice.

Definitely talk to your friend's sister and any others who are familiar with your school. Understanding the process will help you not freak out when the chaos starts. But don't don't don't assume that you are a shoo in anywhere, and don't let anyone tell you about the bad/ugly/fat/boring/slutty sororities. These are typically gross exaggerations and oftentimes patently untrue, and listening to it will affect your own opinions and could limit the chapters you will allow yourself to consider.

Good luck!

See if you can find a thread or two on your own school, because some of the advice given in this thread is pretty extreme, and may not matter at a less-competitive school. You want to be prepared, but you don't need to spend your whole summer stressing out.

I'd definitely untag everything except the ones that show you on your best behavior. No alcohol, drugs, sex or sexy pictures. Only show the pictures you'd like to talk about/ show in a job interview and that aren't questionable. You might want to go over all the things you've "Like!d" in the past as well, I've come across some really weird ones and some very disturbing ones when checking profiles of Freshmen coming through rush. You could also choose to make your profile private.

Download the pictures and keep them on your computer for the memories, they don't have to be on Facebook, just the cute ones!

Conversation skill is key, but make sure you know how to listen as well as you speak.

Have a great summer and have a great recruitment!