University of Texas Rush Questions

[gabrielaUT]

Hello! I am going to be an incoming freshman next fall the the University of Texas in Austin and I had a few questions about rushing! No one in my family has ever rushed nor been in a sorority so Hopefully yall can help me out a lil!

1. I definitely am going to rush but I have to pay for my sorority, and because its so expensive at Texas, I do not think I will actually get to actually join one That being said, how left out will I feel if I am not involved in a sorority

2. Will I still get to go to fun greek parties ever??

3. What is rush like at UT?

Thanks so much!

[Yoquierotacobel]

Originally Posted by gabrielaUT

Hello! I am going to be an incoming freshman next fall the the University of Texas in Austin and I had a few questions about rushing! No one in my family has ever rushed nor been in a sorority so Hopefully yall can help me out a lil!

1. I definitely am going to rush but I have to pay for my sorority, and because its so expensive at Texas, I do not think I will actually get to actually join one That being said, how left out will I feel if I am not involved in a sorority

2. Will I still get to go to fun greek parties ever??

3. What is rush like at UT?

Thanks so much!

1. This might be completely terrible advice but I'm not sure it's fair to rush if you know you wouldn't even be able to join. It would be really bad for you to receive a bid that you would end up not accepting when it could have gone to a PNM who would have loved to have joined that particular house. You can go to the UT Greek website and check out the finances and see if you would be able to afford it.

2. Yes. UT is huge school and going Greek isn't the only way to have fun, but it's certainly fun and beneficial to those who are in it. I have a couple of friends who go to UT & they're able to have social lives without being in sororities or fraternities. College is as much as you make of it.

3. Competitive.

[Benzgirl]

Before anyone blasts you, which they will, search, search, search. There are SO MANY threads on UT recruitment on this board. Read them.

[Shellfish]

Originally Posted by Yoquierotacobel

1. This might be completely terrible advice...

You're not in a sorority and not even in college yet.

[amIblue?]

Originally Posted by Shellfish

You're not in a sorority and not even in college yet.

She's not, but she also didn't say anything that was necessarily wrong.

[Yoquierotacobel]

Originally Posted by Shellfish

You're not in a sorority and not even in college yet.

That doesn't mean I'm not knowledgeable to a degree. Not being in a sorority is one thing, but I doubt that a majority of the people who will answer attended UT. So with that logic no one would be qualified to answer.

[Splash]

I think you're correct. I think you should attempt to find out the costs first and only rush if you think you can afford it. Otherwise, what's the point? It's a waste of your time and also you could maybe be taking the spot in a sorority that another girl could have. I would say talk to the Office of Student Life, specifically the director of Greek Life. I guarantee she/he has been asked this question before.

As someone who is currently not in a sorority and at a large Greek school, I promise you that you will not feel left out if you are unable to join a sorority. The most important advice I can give to you is to GET INVOLVED! I am highly involved on my campus and I have been able to meet so many wonderful people. I thought that not being a part of a sorority would really limit my options, but it definitely didn't! Just do your best to be outgoing and involved and you will never be able to tell the difference.

If you can't rush during the fall and you are still interested, a great option would be getting a job and then considering COB. That would definitely help your family out with certain costs if they are interested in doing that. In any case, definitely GET INVOLVED!!!

[phimomof2]

Being a Texas-Ex, I can tell you without reservation you won't be bored/lost/leftout if you don't join a sorority. Yes, I loved my sorority involvement, but I was just as busy and made just as many great friends with involvement in my other campus activities.

And yes, as another poster replied, UT's recruitment is extremely competitive.

Good luck with your decision and "Hook 'em"

[DGTess]

My daughter graduated from UT in 2005, with no sorority involvement. She had a fantastic time in college, met friends with whom she is still very close, etc.

She would be among the first to tell you that you can have a wonderful college career without sorority involvement.

And I know from experience that *some* of the UT sororities are offended if you even ask about COB. I'd recommend making your inquiries through the Greek Life office instead of through the individual groups, if you choose to go that route.

[phimomof2]

One more thing, Gabriela....you are actually pretty smart thinking about recruitment right now. It takes time to get all of the recs and LOS together. A lot of girls who live in Texas start the process in February. Nature of the beast.

[Ladybugmom]

My daughter currently attends UT and is in a sorority. It was and is a VERY competitive process. I believe there are many factors involved in making the decision to "rush" at UT. Here are my thoughts:

1. Cost- The first year is by far the most expensive. If you are lucky enough to live in the sorority house in subsequent years, it is actually less expensive than living in a dorm or apartment. Some of the sororities allow Sophomores to live in and some don't allow you to live in until Junior year.
It is usually a very competitve process to get to live in the house, since space is limited.

2. Competitiveness- UT has one of the most competitive recruitments in the country. It is way up there with most of the SEC schools. You must be prepared with multiple recs for each house and they need to be turned in early, like June 1st..Who you know is HUGE at UT and if you do not go to a "well represented" high school, then you MUST go in with an open mind..actually, you must go in with an open mind anyway, because legacy status and going to the right high school won't necessarily get you in. Please, please, please try to avoid "tent talk". All 14 sororoties are awesome and have so much to offer..The "best" one is the one that you fit in and not the one that Suzy Q says is the best...there is truly a place for everyone.

3. Sisterhood- I am so thankful that my daughter found her home and her sisterhood. She has had the best experience with her sorority and I am so glad she had a group of friends right away..UT is a big place! With that being said, the Greek community at UT is only about 12%, so you would actually be in the majority if you were not in a sorority. Alot also depends on which dorm you live in. If you live in Hardin House or SRD, you will most likely be surrounded by sorority girls. If you live in an on campus dorm, it will not be as concentrated and you are more likely to find girls that are not in sororites.

You will still be able to go to fraternity parties at UT even if you are not "Greek".

Like another poster said, do not go through the process if you dont think you can't afford it. You may be taking the spot that another girl would have loved to have.

Good luck in your decision! I know my daughter does not regret it for a minute.

[TheTexanYankee]

1. i don't really understand the point of rushing if you know you won't be able to join. from what I've heard sorority rush at Texas isn't the most enjoyable experience. anyways, sorry to say it but the people saying you won't feel left our are wrong. yea theres plenty of non greek kids who have a great time at UT but they never wanted to join a sorority/fraternity. if you want to join one but can't its gonna be impossible to ignoring them. honestly, i dunno what your situation is but I'm sure theres a way you could afford it if you want it bad enough. take out an extra student loan, sell a kidney. don't let a few thousand dollars get in the way of your college experience.

2. yea all girls are always welcome at fraternity parties. however i doubt you'll have much fun at them as an independent. you're gonna have a hard time meeting guys in fraternities, and you'll be surrounded by sorority girls, so you probably won't know many people at them. also fraternities announce their parties at sorority houses, so you're gonna have a hard time finding parties unless you're friends with an active.

3. sorority rush sucks, its not something you do for fun. you spend the entire day walking around in the heat to the various sorority houses to meet the chapters. girls take it seriously and its not uncommon for them to hire rush advisors who teach them how to go through the process. where you went to hs is extremely important as it dictates the highest tier sorority you have a shot at getting. sorority rush is essentially a test to see if you mess up, a bad rush will move you down the tiers, or lose you a bid, but a good rush won't move you any higher up than where you started. i get rushing a fraternity even if you can't join for the free booze and parties but rushing a sorority knowing you can't join honestly doesn't make much sense

I'm sorry if those weren't the answers you wanted but I'm trying to be honest with you. As i said if you want to join a sorority don't let a few grand get in the way. a large portion of dues are for meals so if your parents are planning on paying for your food they might be willing to help out with dues. also living in the house is significantly cheaper than dorms and apartments.

[AnotherKD]

Originally Posted by TheTexanYankee

1. i don't really understand the point of rushing if you know you won't be able to join. from what I've heard sorority rush at Texas isn't the most enjoyable experience. anyways, sorry to say it but the people saying you won't feel left our are wrong. yea theres plenty of non greek kids who have a great time at UT but they never wanted to join a sorority/fraternity. if you want to join one but can't its gonna be impossible to ignoring them. honestly, i dunno what your situation is but I'm sure theres a way you could afford it if you want it bad enough. take out an extra student loan, sell a kidney. don't let a few thousand dollars get in the way of your college experience.

2. yea all girls are always welcome at fraternity parties. however i doubt you'll have much fun at them as an independent. you're gonna have a hard time meeting guys in fraternities, and you'll be surrounded by sorority girls, so you probably won't know many people at them. also fraternities announce their parties at sorority houses, so you're gonna have a hard time finding parties unless you're friends with an active.

3. sorority rush sucks, its not something you do for fun. you spend the entire day walking around in the heat to the various sorority houses to meet the chapters. girls take it seriously and its not uncommon for them to hire rush advisors who teach them how to go through the process. where you went to hs is extremely important as it dictates the highest tier sorority you have a shot at getting. sorority rush is essentially a test to see if you mess up, a bad rush will move you down the tiers, or lose you a bid, but a good rush won't move you any higher up than where you started. i get rushing a fraternity even if you can't join for the free booze and parties but rushing a sorority knowing you can't join honestly doesn't make much sense

I'm sorry if those weren't the answers you wanted but I'm trying to be honest with you. As i said if you want to join a sorority don't let a few grand get in the way. a large portion of dues are for meals so if your parents are planning on paying for your food they might be willing to help out with dues. also living in the house is significantly cheaper than dorms and apartments.

You're an idiot.

[DubaiSis]

Thanks, AnotherKD for letting me know I'm not crazy. That was my thought exactly.