billy (and just in general) -
rush can be craziness, not just for rushees but also for brothers . . . we just ended this semester's rush so it's still fresh in my mind, so let me drop some stuff for ya and see what you think:
BAD -
As a brother, it's never good to see guys who run around asking nothing but silly questions about beer and girls - ok, yeah some drinking goes on, and you'll meet girls, but that's not the most important thing kid. Also, the worst question: "how bad is hell week?" We're a NON-HAZING fraternity smart guy, this is neither the time or place to discuss your nascent masochistic tendencies. Some guys come across really fake too, and others are just plain disrespectful - neither of those are good either. This semester, we had a guy make an anti-Kappa sig comment at another house's event that our rho chi overheard, then come back and say the same thing about the first house - that's pretty weak, needless to say it didn't go over well. The only topics that are 'hands-off' for me when i'm talking w/ a rush guest would be ones that i find personally offensive, other than that the whole purpose of it is to ask any questions you have, and get to know the brothers. the 'no such thing as a stupid question' cliche is fairly true, with exception to those things either previously mentioned, or just ridiculous to ask.
GOOD -
Well just being yourself is the best policy - there's really nothing in specific we look for, but the best things people can end up saying about a rushee:
-"He's a good kid"
-"Has a lot of heart"
-"Seems like a really nice kid, really chill"
Pretty much, we're looking for guys we're comfortable hanging out with, guys we want to become brothers with - and also guys that won't present a liability/reputation/legal issue for us. if you feel like making off-the-wall comments will be a problem, let me tell you that it's not - we have a brother that routinely wears flip-flops and ultrasuede to formals, says some crazy ish, and is probably the funniest kid alive; guys that stand out can definitely have an advantage when discussion arises. we're not looking for another me; we're looking for 'you', somebody different and cool. bottom line: if you are a good kid, have something to offer the chapter, and are fun to be around, you should be fine - what more could you do?
Finally - a lot of great kids get screwed over and don't get bids during rush (we won't discuss the flip side of this . . .), and every chapter of every house has different rules, standards, and practices - but as the saying goes, you can't account for the mistakes of others (in terms of whether you get a bid). so, don't sweat the rush process, just go and have a good time, meet some guys, and feel the fraternity out in terms of the members and its goals and workings - that's the whole point! hope this helps - anything more specific, feel free to ask!
Rob
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