Recruitment Questions!
 

Could anyone answer a few of these questions for me, based on past experiences?

-Were most of the people that you encountered in your rho chi group and at rush parties nice and talkative?
-Did you make a lot of friends in your rho chi group and with fellow rushees? Did things ever get awkward?
-Was it hard for you to make conversation at rush parties or does it typically flow easily?
-Did you think that it was hard to get into a sorority?
-Once/if you got into the sorority, was it easy to make friends and did people try to talk to you all the time, or was it clique-ish?
-Do most people in your sorority drink and party all the time?
-Can you live in the house during your freshman year or do you have to wait until sophomore?

I guess I'm just wondering how everything went and if you made a bunch of friends. Thanks! :)

Before asking any more questions, I suggest you read this. There are a ton of threads in the Recruitment Forums that answer questions you may have about recruitment. Good luck.

And we can't give you an answer to most - esp the last one as we don't know what campus you are on nor what the policies are at each chapter there.

Instead of focusing on the other folks, why don't you concentrate on getting yourself prepared? Read the links above. Be conversant about your school and your goals and talents. Make a list of the things you want to talk about, the things you want to avoid and how to do that. Practice smiling and being pleasant. In other words, be a lady.

Rush week is approaching and I'm freaking out. Could anyone answer a few of these questions for me, based on past experiences?

-Were most of the people that you encountered in your rho chi group and at rush parties nice and talkative?Yes

-Did you make a lot of friends in your rho chi group and with fellow rushees? Did things ever get awkward?they were more acquaintances-like people you would know from class, but wouldn't necessarily tell deep, dark secrets to

-Was it hard for you to make conversation at rush parties or does it typically flow easily?conversation at rush parties usually went well, but occasionally it can get awkward, so be prepared with a couple of interesting topics to jumpstart the stalled conversation

-Did you think that it was hard to get into a sorority?if you know how to play the game(good gpa, have recs., dress appropriately, have a good reputation, have a good resume, present yourself well, are friendly and keep your options open, then, no)

-Once/if you got into the sorority, was it easy to make friends and did people try to talk to you all the time, or was it clique-ish? just as you have to make an effort to meet people at orientation, your new school, any new situation, you have to make an effort to make friends in the sorority. participate in the sorority's activities, go to the house(if there is one) for your meals. put yourself out there. most of the sisters will go out of their way to make you feel welcome, but for your part, you have to be outgoing

-Do most people in your sorority drink and party all the time?no, most people did not drink/party ALL the time any more than they studied ALL the time or worked on philanthropy projects ALL the time. there were girls who partied, those that didn't and others in between, and the partiers did not party every night.

-Can you live in the house during your freshman year or do you have to wait until sophomore?it depends on your campus. at FSU freshman could not move in to the house, because the houses are full. housing contracts were signed spring semester prior to rush. also, at fsu the largest sorority house on campus holds about 70 or so members, and considering that most chapters have near or over 150 members, the housing spaces are very coveted. some chapters use points to determine which members can move in, rewarding points for gpa, participation, offices held within the sorority, etc.

I guess I'm just wondering how everything went and if you made a bunch of friends. Thanks!

I smell a creative writing field trip. And not by an 18 year old college student either. Please, write about something you know instead of trying to get answers from people whose experiences are all so different, mishmashing them together will never ring true.

Then let me assure you you're worrying about a whole bunch of crap that's only going to stress you out and not help your outcome. Right now you can 1-get your recs in order 2-work on your conversation skills 3-think of the kinds of questions you're likely to be asked and prepare answers and 4-enjoy you're summer.

Read through recruitment threads, but try to only focus on the ones that are similarly sized and structured to what you'll be doing. If you read the SEC recruitment threads and you're going to a school that has 3 chapters and 50 girls going through recruitment you're going to have your undies in a twist over nothing.

But mostly just relax.

-Were most of the people that you encountered in your rho chi group and at rush parties nice and talkative?
Yes, 98% of the time. There's a good possibility that you might get paired off with someone you just don't click with. If this happens, just be as polite and conversational as possible.
-Did you make a lot of friends in your rho chi group and with fellow rushees? Did things ever get awkward?
Yes! I still talk to most of the girls I met in my Rho Chi group. Things only got awkward when people started trash talking certain chapters. If that happens, just remove yourself from the situation.
-Was it hard for you to make conversation at rush parties or does it typically flow easily?
I found that a lot of the same topics got brought up every time. After your first chapter visit, you should have a good feel for what the conversations will be like, and then it will probably flow easier. Conversations were only hard when I got paired up with a rusher who I had little in common with.
-Did you think that it was hard to get into a sorority?
No, not really. But my campus isn't competitive AT all, so your experience may vary.
-Once/if you got into the sorority, was it easy to make friends and did people try to talk to you all the time, or was it clique-ish?
I found it easy to make friends because I am an extrovert and I put forth the effort to talk to people. If you wait for people to come to you, it might take longer for you to make friends. I would advise you to take the first step in getting to know your new sisters.
-Do most people in your sorority drink and party all the time?
It's not like we, as a chapter, encourage this behavior. It's an individual choice. Some chapters have more party girls than others, but keep in mind that there will most likely be a group of girls who aren't into drinking and going out a lot. Don't listen to the tent talk about which chapter is "the party girl" sorority.
-Can you live in the house during your freshman year or do you have to wait until sophomore?
In my experience, girls have to wait until their second or third year to live in the house due to lack of space. If there is a vacant spot though, a chapter may allow a new member/freshman to fill it.

-Were most of the people that you encountered in your rho chi group and at rush parties nice and talkative? Yes! Of course you'll have a conversation that doesn't flow as easily, so thats when it is good to ask them stock questions (your rho chi will, or should, go over these with you) like have you seen any movies recently/what is your favorite thing about being in a sorority/tell me about your big/what was your favorite part about XYZ's new member period, etc.
-Did you make a lot of friends in your rho chi group and with fellow rushees? Did things ever get awkward? Yes, i did make friends. things never got that awkward but after the first set of parties we didn't see each other much
-Was it hard for you to make conversation at rush parties or does it typically flow easily? Nope, it flows pretty easily and if it gets awkward you know what to do (see above)
-Did you think that it was hard to get into a sorority? Yes/No. I was at a semi-competitive school and I did well, but I should have been more prepared!
-Once/if you got into the sorority, was it easy to make friends and did people try to talk to you all the time, or was it clique-ish? Yes, it was easy, but you have to try
-Do most people in your sorority drink and party all the time? Not most. But some. Just like some girls never drank or partied. As with any large group of people.
-Can you live in the house during your freshman year or do you have to wait until sophomore? Depends on your campus.