What makes a Good Rusher?
 

I've been reading some of the retro-recruitment threads and a lot of of them refer to "I must have ended up with a bad rusher at this house" or "The other girls didn't like the house but I loved it- I must've had a really good rusher!"

I will be going through rush on the "other" side for the first time this year, and my chapter has insisted that I will be on the floor and that I will be one of their best rushers. I'm a little nervous about living up to this expectation...so what do you think makes a good rusher?

People that have "never met a stranger" make really good rushers.

People who are gracious and welcoming make good rushers.

People who are confident (not cocky) make good rushers.

People with a PASSION for their sorority make good rushers.

As a rusher, your job is to welcome the PNM, keep the conversation flowing, and SELL your sorority.

Keys are being able to read others, asking the right question at the right time, and avoiding the awkward silences.

Well said, AlphaFrog.

Ditto NutBrnHair! :)

All of that and I also think it helps if a rusher:

-has a broad base of general knowledge

-is up on current and campus events and knowledgeable about the school in general

-can relate just about any topic to that of their chapter or the Greek system in general

-is open-minded with regards to geography

Be gracious.

Make everyone want your sorority. Even if you know a girl isn't a good fit, you can still leave her with good impressions of your org.

Think before you speak. Even harmless questions can come out wrong. I remember a girl asking me, "Who are you friends with here?" really threw me off. I'm sure she was just trying to come up with questions but at as a freshman at an out of state school I was just meeting people!

Stay positive.

she also needs to be up to date on her sorority info:

what is their philanthrophy

how they raise money for their phil

how much money did they raise last year

how many girls are in the chapter

yes...most certainly be gracious. i ask the girls i advise to do one thing during recruitment: leave a good and positive impression with each pnm that they meet-as howtheSunrose put it, they may not all be a good fit, and they may all not want to join our chapter, but we can have them leaving our party saying,"i met so many people. they are such a nice,friendly group of girls."

1. A good rusher is ALWAYS polite, friendly, and warm, no matter what the circumstance.
2. A good rusher smiles genuinely and naturally. (A fake perma-smile is creepy.)
3. A good rusher is a chameleon. She will read her rushee and make her more comfortable. If her rushee is outgoing then the rusher will know to be friendly and talkative. If her rushee is scared and shy then she will become calmer and never overbearing to make her rushee more comfortable.
4. A good rusher never says anything rude and never asks a question to personal.
5. A good rusher knows ALL general information about the organization and ALL general information about the philanthropy.
6. A good rusher has a good poker face. She won't let her reaction to a PNMs answer show on her face.
7. Most importantly a good rusher really loves her organization.

Someone who can have a conversation with ANYONE!

That's so funny- I searched for those exact words and found nothing. Oh well. Sorry!

Agreed. I know a LOT about Gamma Phi, and I have great love for my group but I am a HORRIBLE rusher.

The most important thing is being able to talk to anyone about anything.

A good rusher is someone who comes to the task with a desire to have fun.

I think I would disagree slightly with the importance of selling your sorority. Remember that you have 4 rounds (at most schools), and your style should change a bit each round. The first round, you are making a friend, nothing more, nothing less. Talk about what she did over the summer or movies or things to do on campus. I wouldn't even talk about your sorority in the first round unless she has questions. This is especially true later in the day, when she has heard the same stuff from a bunch of chapters before you.

Second and third rounds, you can begin talking more about things like philanthropies, socials, etc.

And pref, come in with the hard sell, but not about how great your chapter is, about how well she would fit there.

And most of all, let her do most of the talking.

I agree, and sometimes the girl who is a great rusher for first round is not so good later, when things are more personal, and vice versa.

AMEN! I could have rushed a brick wall and gotten it to attend round 2, 3, or prefs, but I just could never do the whole "serious" pref thing. I always ended up saying things to make PNMs laugh. I think the only person I could successfully pref would be my own sister, because she wouldn't mind me being a little goofy on a serious occasion.