[MayBeth]

On this morning, I left bright and early with my family to make the drive down to Austin. Throughout the car ride, I felt as though I were bouncing off the walls with happiness. I spent the day moving in, chatting with my roommate, perfecting what little space I had, and worrying about the week ahead. I heard the chatter between more experienced moms and daughters as the building unpacked, and snippets of recruitment advice seemed to carry through the walls. I realized that my dorm was filled to the brim with other rushees and that thankfully comforted me a bit.

That night, an enormous group of us walked to Hogg Auditorium together where the Panhellenic team was holding a mandatory informational meeting. It was a sticky and humid kind of evening, but none of us seemed to mind. We settled into our seats as many different women stood on the stage to welcome us and talk us through the week, highlighting what we should wear, what we should talk about, and encouraging all of us to stick it out until the potentially bitter end. We also had an amazing guest speaker that really put the week into perspective for us. We received our recruitment shirts and were sorted into our Rho Gam groups. I had a good time talking with and getting to know a few of the other girls in my group.

Back at the dorm that night, my roommate and I expressed our rush hopes, fears, and expectations to one another. We even managed to squeeze in a few laughs. It was reassuring to know that I wasn’t the only one who was scared out of my mind for the week ahead. Whether I was truly ready or not, the next morning would present me with the beginning of a journey that I was unable to predict, no matter how much I had felt I’d prepared for it!