not rushing freshman year - making a mistake?
 

Hi everyone,

I'm going to be a freshman at USC this fall (California, not South Carolina), and I'm really torn about rushing. On one hand, I know that I'm going to have a ton of commitments even during my first semester there: my academic schedule is quite heavy, and I already know that I'll have a direct class conflict with Monday night dinners. I'm also planning to be involved with groups that have multiple hour long practices throughout the week, and I really don't want to overwhelm myself by committing to things I can't follow through on.

I don't really know many people in sororities: both my parents are from another country, as is pretty much everyone else I went to school with, and of the 3 girls I know at USC in sororities, none of them are people I'd be friends with. Though I looked up my local alumnae panhellenic website back in March, I never ended up sending their rec information form, and so even if I do decide to rush, I think it's too late to ask for recs from people who don't even know me.

My parents are okay with me joining a sorority if they think it'll actually be beneficial to me, but they (and I) don't want to pay dues for something I'll end up not wanting to be a part of. Though I'm somewhat outgoing and enjoy getting to know people and I'd love to have that instant network of girls who'll have your back, I'm also wary of going through the emotional ride of rush when I know that it might not pay off (I'm also currently growing out a pretty punk-ish haircut and I'm neither white nor Christian, so... yeah).

So should I go on and rush without any recs, should I wait until sophomore year and decide then, or should I just be fine not rushing social greek organizations at all and be confident that I'm not missing out? I apologize if I sound really anxious, I just don't want to ruin college before it even starts and I don't really know how big a deal rushing/not rushing at USC is. Thanks in advance :)

OP, please wait until sophomore year to rush. College brings stress, and you have already committed yourself to multiple stressors in your first year of collegiate life.

You sound like you really don't want to rush at all, no matter the year. It's not a "must" for a happy or successful college experience. Is a boyfriend or someone else encouraging you to rush? There are tons more activities you can get involved with at USC.

Just to clear up a misconception, you could - if you networked properly - find recs from people who know you. Sending in your information to the local alumnae PH is not a requirement. It's always best to have recs from women who know you personally.

Cheerio: if I do decide to rush sophomore year, would it be much harder to get a bid? One of the girls I know there told me that last year, so many freshmen rushed that they didn't even come close to being able to guarantee everyone who didn't drop anything a bid.

33girl: no one's pushing me to rush - I've just heard multiple times that the major I'm in is pretty heavily Greek, and I'm also in the scholarship dorm, so I really don't want to end up limiting who I hang out with by not participating in something that's a big part of life at USC. I didn't think about Greek life at all when I was choosing my school, and anyone I've asked recently has just said "oh yeah you should go for it!"

Titchou: Do you have any suggestions on how I might do that? I really don't know anyone who did their undergrad in the US other than people who are currently in college.

When looking for recs from people who know you...ask everyone. Ask you high school friends if their mothers or sisters were Greek. Ask co-workers if they or anyone in their family is Greek. Ask your high school teachers, if you went to an American or Canadian high school. Ask your neighbors. If you can find no one who knows you is Greek, then resort to an alumnae Panhellenic group.

Yes, ask your HS teachers - they all went to college, parents of friends, coaches, employers, mentors, etc. And when you find one, ask if they know anyone in the other groups. Network....network....network.

Paging Ellebud and others in the know on USC re:sophomores.

I can't speak to USC specifically, but it took me a semester of being on campus and seeing what being Greek was all about to realize that I wanted to be a part of it. Once I realized I wanted to go through recruitment and had spent a year acclimated to campus I knew what activities I could stay involved in and which ones I would have to drop in order to have enough time to be Greek. It sounds like you might be taking on a bit much as a freshman even without being Greek-I hope you have excellent time management skills.

Just my opinion on a campus with a competitive recruitment and no upperclassman quota (unless that has changed this year): Yes, you will have challenges rushing as a sophomore at Southern Cal. Your options may be very limited as some chapters may not pledge anyone other than freshmen (unless there is an exceptional relationship with a few upperclass PNMs like in-house sisters, roommates, etc.).

I don't mean to discourage you, but feel like you need to know the reality of delaying participating in recruitment as a freshman on a campus like USC. Most of my experience is with SEC chapters but feel that Southern Cal has a similar feel as far as competition as an upperclass participant.

SCHopeful, your recommendations do not have to come from women who attended or are attending USC. Any woman in good standing may write a recommendation to the chapter. In order to write a recommendation for ABC chapter, the write must be an initiated sister of ABC. A sister of XYZ will not write a recommendation for ABC. A sister who went to UCLA can write a recommendation to the ABC house at USC!

DaffyKD

clemsongirl: that's exactly what I hope to do if i decide to rush later :) Like ladybug12 said, though, I don't know how possible that is at USC.

DaffyKD: I think I wasn't clear earlier: I'm from California, but I live in a very immigrant-heavy area, and therefore my parents, almost all of my high school classmates' parents, and many of my high school teachers didn't go to college in North America.

KSUViolet06: I want to join a sorority because one of my goals in college is to spend time with as wide a variety of people as possible in terms of backgrounds, majors, and extracurricular interests. I recognize that it's a significant time and financial commitment, which is why I'm so undecided about rushing.

That doesn't mean they don't know people who did attend college here. You don't have to know the rec writer personally - they just have to know the person introducing you to them. Many of my friends write recs for people I send to them and take my word for their character. It can be done. You just need to think outside the box.

If the OP is from the area of California that I think she is (I have relatives who live close by) then it's very very very immigrant-heavy and people don't interact with others outside of the "community." I definitely agree with the advice others have offered here (especially the parents co-workers and teachers part), but if you're from the enclave where I think you're from, it's kind of like stepping into a different country entirely. I wish I could offer you better advice, but I think I understand your position.