Rushing at UC Berkeley as a Sophomore
 

Hi everyone!

Does anyone know how competitive it is to rush at Cal as a sophomore? I really don't know much about the Greek life here. Additionally, my aunt was a member of a certain sorority, and my step-cousin (who I'm actually really close to) was president of this same sorority. Should I have them both write me recommendations? Are recommendations normal at Cal? And also, does my aunt make me a legacy, or is that a title reserved only for granddaughters or daughters?

Thanks!

Every sorority defines legacies differently. Your Aunt should be able to tell you how it is defined for her organization. Yes, they should both write you Letters of Introduction and ask for their assistance getting other letters from other alumnae for the remaining chapters at UC-Berkley. Go in fully prepared and with an open mind.

In terms of recruitment at Cal, it is common for sophomores to rush and some houses are more open to sophomores than others. We also get a fair number of recs, but definitely not one for each girl or anything. If you can get recs, you should because they will help you stand out! Just so you know, in my experience advising there for 5 years, a number of the sophomores that rushed already had good friends in one or more chapters, but there were also plenty of sophomores that came in not knowing many members.

I agree with PenguinTrax, find out from your family members if you are a legacy and definitely keep an open mind throughout recruitment. If you have any more Cal-related questions, feel free to PM me. Good luck!

I rushed as a sophomore in Berkeley and loved the experience- it wasn't overly competitive at all. I didn't feel like I was at a huge disadvantage at all, though I did rush in the spring, which is much more casual. A good number of the sororities, as previously stated, are open to sophomores, so I definitely recommend rushing- whether it be fall or spring. It's a lot of fun!

At least one NPC, Sigma Kappa, considers nieces to be legacies. Even if you're not a legacy, you should ask your aunt and step cousin write you recs. I wouldn't think it would be weird to have a rec from family members or other alumnae who know you well (this goes for the other chapters at Cal, too). A big stack of recs from women you don't know personally might look out of place at Cal.

It depends on if you're rushing the NPC sororities as a sophomore or a MC sorority. My sorority doesn't consider class in giving out bids but every chapter is different.

Your username seems familar.....do I know you? My name is Amber and I'm a junior here.

It might be that 2 other people on GC have almost the exact same user name lol

Very true but I was thinking it sounded familar from another forum.

I know a bunch of kids at Berkeley and one of my friends was in your exact same position (rushing as a sophomore) this year. Apparently there are two or three houses where being a sophomore really hurts you and these houses essentially require that you know a sister well in order to get a bid. For the rest of the sororities, however, it doesn't matter. She ended up in one of her top choices with a lot of different sororities to choose from.