[astroAPhi]

A lot of that varies from school to school and chapter to chapter.

At some schools, if you don't rush freshman year, you'll have a very difficult time getting a bid. At others, they have deferred recruitment so you can't rush until second semester of your freshman year anyway.

I personally think rushing as a freshman is a good way to meet new people and gets you involved in something worthwhile. Many times, new member's grades are better than the freshman average.