Why do people say rushing is hard?
 

So Im a junior and I just registered to rush next spring (Thats when my school does the big rush events, not in the fall). I'm not sure how being a junior affects things, but I'm on a five year plan so it's not like Im only going to have one year in the sorority. Anyways, recently people have been telling me that rush is really hard/intense. I was wondering for anyone who's been through it or has insight, why is it so hard?

I mean Ive been to the informational here, and all rushing seems to be is a lot of walking around and small-talking with lots of people. Which seems like it could be fun. Is it hard because you don't always get invited back? I know people whove gone through rush, and from the impression I get of them, it can't be anything terrible or degrading. I was just wondering why everyone thinks its such a rough experience. Thoughts? Is there anyone who liked rushing?

I think people describe recruitment as "hard" is because you spend a week talking to girls you don't know about random stuff, all while trying to make your best self come across and determine which sorority is right for you. Recruitment actually can be a lot of fun because the sororities are trying to impress you - I really enjoyed it. But it's not for everyone, and cuts are always difficult. It's definitely not a degrading experience! Good luck!

Plenty of people love rushing but many have a hard time with it. Depending on how big the greek system is at a school, rush may take weeks and can be draining. If you have 20+ sororities to meet first rounds, that is a LOT of small talk and trying to keep people/your impressions straight, etc. But if your campus has 10 or so (or less), it may take less time and may seem to "fly by" more quickly for you.

Either way, disappointments do happen, and people aren't always prepared for them. So as long as you go in to things looking forward to the experience as much as the result, you will probably get more out of it than someone who registers to rush focused on just getting into a certain house or 1 of 3 sororities she's "sure" she's meant to be in.

You sound like you're pretty laid back about it, you'll probably be just fine. Go enjoy! Be prepared to drop and be dropped, because that's just part of the process, but by all means, please try to have fun, going greek is a great thing. Good luck and keep us posted here on GC!!! :)

Rushing successfully as an upper classman really depends upon the school. The schools in the south seem to have more limitations upon the number of transfers to which they will extend bids. The reason for this is because they want their members to have 3-4 years in the chapter. When you are attending the parties and you are asked your major/year, etc, make sure you stress that you are going to be at your school for at least three years. If there is a place on the recruitment application for you to state your intent to be at your school for three more years, by all means include that information.

Rush is what you make it. If you go in with your mind set upon joining a certain house, you could be setting yourself up for a huge disappointment. Even knowing lots of girls in the house does not ensure you an invitation to join. At the more completive schools, recommendations are an absolute MUST. Keep in mind it is the sororities job to make you fall in love with them during recruitment. You might think a house really likes you and not get an invitation back to the next party. This should not be taken personally. There are restrictions upon the number of pnm's a house can invite back and so many times recruitment ends up being a numbers game.

You seem to have a good attitude. Go to the parties and have a great time. Hopefully, you will find the house of your dreams. If you look around the Greek Chat website, you will find many recruitment stories. My daughter just finished recruitment this year and thoroughly enjoyed her experience.

Best of luck!

It tends to be stressful because it is a week of interviews. It can be fast-paced, and despite the fact that you're only spending 20-40 minutes at each sorority each day, you can get emotionally attached to a particular chapter. Objectively, it should not be so terrible, but anyone who has been through it will tell you it is the worst AND best week of your life!

Just go in with an open mind to joining A sorority, and not getting too caught up in just one from the get-go. If most of the ladies coming into recruitment come in with alumnae recommendations, make sure you follow suit. At most schools, there is a law of diminishing returns based on your year in school. Juniors and seniors tend to get fewer invites than the underclassmen. This doesn't mean you won't receive a bid to A sorority--- it just means that you may have fewer to choose from.

Sorority recruitment is a mutual selection process. However, the sororities choose who they wish to invite back. Keep an open mind and remember that your impressions of them at recruitment are only the most surface level impressions.

I think the emotional part of recruitment can also be hard on the pnm who doesn't really know what to expect. After an entire day of talking to various sorority houses, it may have you mentally and physically worn out. Maybe the pnm absolutely falls in love with one house but gets cut from that group before the next round... or maybe the pnm makes it all the way to prefs and then doesn't get the bid they hoped for.

It's hard because you're putting yourself out for people to make snap judgments about you. In many instances, you'll be judged by a large group of women, only a few of whom have met you, and perhaps none of whom have spoken to you for more than a few minutes. It can be emotionally draining when first impressions don't match.

It's hard in much the same way going for a job interview is hard - you feel pressure to present yourself well, knowing that you have a very limited time in which to do so. It is very intense, and tiring physically in many instances (All that walking! and often in heels! in the heat!).
But many women enjoy it - I think some of it is your attitude going in to it. As an added bonus, if you can relax somewhat I think you stand a better chance of presenting the real you, which is always a good thing.

For me, rushing was hard because it's just a really, really draining procress, even though I actually really liked it. My campus has 15 sororities, and you have to go to all 15 in the first two days, 10 the next, 5 the next, and 3 the next. Some people can handle constant social interaction for 5 days, but for me, it was just exhausting! When I got back to my dorm, I IMMEDIATELY went downstairs to the boys' floor every night just to get some testosterone back into my life, and then took a forty-five minute shower just for some alone time! :)

Rush can also be really hard emotionally if you get cut from a group and really don't understand why. This happened to some of my friends and made them really upset, and I got cut from a few sororities and felt pretty sad about it--the whole "Why didn't they like me??" thing. That's really not the way to look at it, though. The truth is that they weren't really the people I would have gotten along with. I definitely found my sisters in Alpha Chi.

Good luck! Don't worry too much--I actually really enjoyed Rush. I loved getting dressed up and I liked carrying on the conversations. I liked it so much that now I'm the Recruitment Chair for my sorority!

Well for her, it has the potential to be heels on ice!

I think everyone else said it pretty well. Recruitment is "hard" if/when you get disappointed about a chapter not inviting you back. It happens to almost everyone, but if you try to focus on the chapters that DID invite you back, you'll have a better time. As a junior in the spring, you will probably have fewer choices than the freshman and sophomore PNMs in your group.

As NittanyAlum said, it is "hard" when you have a large number of sororities and have to attend something like 45 parties in 2 weeks.

It's also hard (on both sides) because things happen that are random - great girls get cut because they just missed GPA, or only a certain number of juniors can be bid, or they have a similar name to someone else who is rushing or who knows why. On the sorority side, great girls don't choose us because someone in their rush group knew someone whose brother's girlfriend thought she was snubbed by an ABC, or their roommate has "never heard of" ABC, or their sister at another school told her that the ABC's at her campus are losers/sluts/rude.

Taking a long-term view, your positive attitude is spot-on. It is GREAT practice for the "real world" which is made up of interviews : for jobs, volunteer positions, co-ops, tennis and country clubs, blind-date situations, hiring your next assistant, finding the right LPN to take care of your ailing Mom during the day, the right day care provider for your kid, the next pastor for your church, etc etc etc. Really helps you learn to talk to people you might not otherwise choose to talk to - people you're stuck sitting next to at weddings, neighborhood parties, church committees, you name it. My S.O. says I can talk to anyone, and I give a lot of credit to the hundreds of rush parties I've had to go to over my 3 years of sorority life.