Rethinking rushing due to Orientation
 

I just went through orientation a few days ago and everything was just awesome. That is, until the time came when all who are interested are allowed to go and check out the Greek Life tables set up in the student union. It was just a big line of the sororities and their scrapbooks and such. The Greek girls seemed pretty nice for the most part, but the thing that got me was how the other PNM's were acting. They were all so fake when we were going through the line looking at the "displays" and then after we were done going through, they trashtalked other girls that might rush. They were just blatantly rude and gossiping. Ugh. I don't think i could spend one minute trying to befriend these girls, let alone consider them a possible sister. I'm just so confused as to whether i should rush or not because like 1/2 of the "PNM"s were like this. Oh the drama!

My advice to you is to go ahead and give recruitment a try...remember you don't have to pledge if you decide it's not for you by the end of the week. Don't let the PNM's behaviors make your decision for you. You have to remember that the sisters in each sorority will be watching to see if the qualities found in those PNM's are ones they want in their sisterhood. They'll be able to see that you don't want to act fake and are looking for a true bond. And just as the sisters will be able to tell what you're looking for, you'll be able to look at each sorority and decide if the greek organization represents what you're looking to call your new home. Rush is hard because it goes by so fast and yes, girls may act fake, but in the end things just work out and you end up where you're supposed to be. Hang in there and give it a try...I think you'll find some great things about what greek life has to offer!

I can understand your frustration and confusion. When I was a freshman, I went through recruitment in the fall, and it was true that some of the PNMs were not as nice as I expected them to be. What you should take into consideration is that maybe these girls are acting this way b/c they feel insecure in their new surroundings, and started "talking trash" to make themselves feel a little better. (Or maybe they are just not nice;) ).
The point is that if you feel comfortable around the greeks and wish to know what rush is like, then go for it. As far as my school is concerned, you don't have to accept a bid or join a sorority just b/c you attended a rush event.
Also, sorority can change the way someone behaves (and all for the good I can tell you). I know that I would never want someone who disrespects other people for their differences as my sister, b/c she could easily say those things about me. Just go with your gut instinct, and it won't matter if you join or not, I am sure the sisters will respect your decision either way.

You can expect these incoming freshmen to still be in a high-school mindset! I remember some of the girls I went through orientation with did the EXACT same thing and I had some of the same thoughts as you. But I kid you not, some of the WORST ones ended up dropping out of rush after the 3rd day or so. Orientation is not an accurate picture of what college/sorority life is like. Everything is still very new, and people are still testing the waters. My advice to you is to definitely go through rush anyway. Some of these girls may end up in your rho chi group... some may even end up being your pledge sisters... but I promise you they will mellow out once they've seen what college is all about. Sorority life is not superficial at all. As cliched as it sounds... chances are these girls are acting like this because they are uncertain of themselves and want to fit a stereotype. I saw it last year, I know! Once you actually get there and see how things REALLY are... you will not regret it. Don't miss out on the best part of college because of a few bad apples!

Amen to everything posted above!

Some of those snotty girls will be cut from rush really fast--I know, I rushed at UAF! Or if they get cut from the few they want, they'll drop.

Also, the comments on freshmen talking trash because of insecurity are too true. When you look back on your freshman self in a few years, you will die of embarrassment recalling some of the things you said and did to look cool.

Snobbery at UA is by no means confined to the Greeks. You'll find a ton of it in the dorms, especially among the girls who feel they're "too good" to go Greek.

I would say that if you want a wide range of choices, rush now--you can always drop out of rush. UA, however, is one of those schools where if you don't rush fall of your freshman year you can forget about ever getting into most of the sororities. They mostly want freshmen and few have any openings for informal rush.

Please don't base anything on what you see or hear at orientation! I had such a terrible time at orientation...I probably never would have enrolled in college if I had thought that my actual experience at the University would mirror my time at orientation! I had an airhead roommate, I got lost twice and the people I met who were going through rush were snobby.
But then I came to school and everything worked out fine. I think that you should go ahead and rush... remember, you can always quit if you decide it isn't for you. You've got nothing to lose and a lot to gain. :D

I agree with most of the ppl here..GO AHEAD AND RUSH! Don't take what other "pnm"s do too personally...Finally, go out and have some fun!

echo to all above
 

college is all about new experiences. definitely give recruitment a shot. and remember to be true to you. keep an open mind and don't listen to the noise around you. just let your heart guide you. you may be surprised at your success and happiness.:D

Go for it. Don't let the fake/catty attitude of other PNM's get to you - concentrate on the sisters. Sometimes PNM's will backstab other PNM's, thinking it will increase their chances of getting a bid by ruining someone else's chance :rolleyes: but such women are often cut early on.

When you get to later rounds, especially pref, take a look at the other PNM's who have been invited... anyone invited to pref is a potential sister, so sororities choose very carefully whom they invite, and these women are potentially your pledge sisters. If you see a lot of PNM's obviously being fake, catty, rude, etc. - it might not be the sorority for you.

You learn a lot about people when you go through recruitment. The girls who may seem snotty right now may just be trying to impress someone, granted their doing so poorly, but trying to impress nonetheless. Try not to base them solely on first impressions...some haven't quite mastered giving good first impressions. If Greek life interests you, and you feel comfortable around the girls who are sisters, not the ones who wish to be, then you owe it to yourself to find out what it's really all about. By participating in recruitment, you'll learn a lot about Greek life, about the sisters, and even about yourself. Go for it, you're under no obligation to pledge simply because you rushed. Good luck hun!

Go for it!
 

The university that you are going through rush at sounds a lot like mine. When I went through my orientation, it was so much like what you described, you took the words right out of my mouth!! I thought about it a lot (I rushed last August). I had already sent in my money, I don't know if all schools have a rush fee, but ours did- so I said what the heck I don't have anything to lose and I had the opportunity to gain so much. So many of the pnm's seemed fake and their conversations seemed so superficial. I was praying that most of them would not become my sisters! The icing on the cake was when the girls of the panhellenic council modeled their outfits to show us what kind of clothes were appropriate for rush. I remember thinking that it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know what is acceptable and what isn't. I guess that it was good to show us what types of things to wear so that we were all on the same page, so to speak but when they separated out and said this is good for round 1, and this for 2, and so on, I thought that was a little much.
I say definately go for it. During rush you will probably think, okay I know that these girls do not smile all the time and are not always this happy. I looked for the sorority that was the most real and down to earth.
From reading some of your posts, you seem like the type of PNM that lots of sororities are looking for because you are in it for the right reasons, not just the partying, etc.
Sorry so long, but keep us updated on everything that is going on.
When does rush start for you?

Love Ya'll!!!
 

Man, you girls really are great at making someone feel better. I just read all of your replies and they really made me stop and think for a second. I think i will give it a try, not positive yet, but i think i will. It sounds to me like a lot of people share my feelings, which is very comforting. The only backfire is that some of the sororities seemed just as snotty as the other chicks. Ah well, maybe not, i'm probably just overreacting. I did feel really welcomed by a few of the groups but becasue i am not stick-thin, platinum blonde, with perfect make-up...i felt looked over a bit by some. I'm sorry if i'm throwing a pity party for myself, i really don't want it to sound that way, i'm just concerned considering this is like my future right here.....ah sigh. Thank you all again for your many words of wisdom, you all are magnifico!
~Tara~

P.S. If you reply, make them as loooong as you like....the longer the better (well that didn't exactly come out right)...you know what i mean...thanx!

(Oh ya, and rush starts the 20th i believe)

Tara,
Got my fingers crossed for ya! I know you will do well in rush.

TG

Thanks so much TrojanGirl!!!

Seriously, if you felt like some of the chapters weren't what you want, you're ahead already! (Assuming you didn't feel that way about all of them.) You're going to have to make a lot of choices during rush, and there are a lot of chapters to sort through, and you're doing yourself a favor by realizing early on what sort of chapters are right for you.