Should I Rush Again?

[lolgiro]

What is you opinion of rushing again?

Heres how my formal recruitment week went down:

We have around 5 sororities on campus, after the first night we ranked our top 4. Only two of those invited me back. I went to the two parties, they went well enough, but I knew something was going down when none of the girls I talked with took the slip containing my name from me (they're supposed to take it as soon as we arrive) Then, the following evening (pref night before bid day) I learned that the last two both dropped me. So, I was dropped by all of the chapters on campus, excluding of course the one I initially eliminated.

Is it worth trying informal recruitment again, in the fall? Honestly, though I was deeply disappointed in the way things turned out, I have to be honest about how things were on my end, as well. I gained a considerable amount of weight over last semester and winter break, and therefore lets just say... my immediate wardrobe options were limited, and so I was under dressed for some of the events. I don't feel I made a good impression as compared to many of the other rushees. Two, the fact is, I was shy and nervous, and I know the conversations were a bit dull and flat because I had no idea what to talk about other than basic questions about the chapter. Again, probably my fault. I was also by my Rho that this year was a record setting one in terms of formal recruitment (we have delayed recruitment so 12 credit hours is required to participate), so typically only sophmores will be a part of informal in the fall, and I will be a sophmore then as well.


Is it honestly worth rushing again when I've (hopefully) had a chance to have my health and life in order? Will the chapters hold it against me that I was dropped during formal? What are my chances in pledging should the next time around be considerably better?

[victoriana]

Well, if you really want to be involved in Greek Life, then by all means rush again. It sounds like you had a bit of a rough time during formal, but now that you know what to expect, it will probably be a lot smoother. I would say give it a shot, especially once you have your life more in order. You have to be confident in yourself in order for other people to see you as confident.

As far as your chances go, it would really depend on the school. If recruitment is extremely competitive, then being a sophomore might hurt you. If not, then as long as you have your GPA above the requirement and you put your best foot forward you should be fine!

[Alumiyum]

Your chances depend on the campus, how many girls go through, whether you improve upon the things you pointed out, etc. But don't worry about your chances. Just worry about putting your best foot forward, and unless you'll be utterly devastated to be dropped, by all means try again. The next time around you'll be more prepared. Spend the next few months working on your conversation skills by talking to people you wouldn't normally talk to during class or at parties. Consider joining a club on campus as a way to both become active and to get you more at ease in a room full of strangers. As for wardrobe options, being under-dressed can definitely be a problem, especially on campuses where PNMs tend to dress a little on the formal side. But you've got plenty of time before fall to try on outfits and slowly build a wardrobe of clothing that you feel comfortable and confident in with pieces that would be appropriate at your school's recruitment. Consider any mixing and matching with the clothes that you already have and like to create different outfits...you might find you have more to work with than you think. Aside from dressing appropriately for the occasion, another way to stand out positively is to be confident...be well groomed, and wear make up and a hairstyle that you feel cute in. Confidence is always a positive trait but it is especially important in situations like recruitment where so many PNMs in the room feel too shy to really stand out.

And of course, keep your GPA up. Of course you have to have the required GPA to have a chance at a bid, but having something more impressive will obviously be yet another way to stand out from the pack. You've got plenty of time to prepare and it sounds like you've got a great grip on ways you can have a more successful recruitment the next time around. Good luck!

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by lolgiro

What is you opinion of rushing again?

Heres how my formal recruitment week went down:

We have around 5 sororities on campus, after the first night we ranked our top 4. Only two of those invited me back. I went to the two parties, they went well enough, but I knew something was going down when none of the girls I talked with took the slip containing my name from me (they're supposed to take it as soon as we arrive) Then, the following evening (pref night before bid day) I learned that the last two both dropped me. So, I was dropped by all of the chapters on campus, excluding of course the one I initially eliminated.

Is it worth trying informal recruitment again, in the fall? Honestly, though I was deeply disappointed in the way things turned out, I have to be honest about how things were on my end, as well. I gained a considerable amount of weight over last semester and winter break, and therefore lets just say... my immediate wardrobe options were limited, and so I was under dressed for some of the events. I don't feel I made a good impression as compared to many of the other rushees. Two, the fact is, I was shy and nervous, and I know the conversations were a bit dull and flat because I had no idea what to talk about other than basic questions about the chapter. Again, probably my fault. I was also by my Rho that this year was a record setting one in terms of formal recruitment (we have delayed recruitment so 12 credit hours is required to participate), so typically only sophmores will be a part of informal in the fall, and I will be a sophmore then as well.


Is it honestly worth rushing again when I've (hopefully) had a chance to have my health and life in order? Will the chapters hold it against me that I was dropped during formal? What are my chances in pledging should the next time around be considerably better?

I don't know you or your campus, but I am going to suggest an alternate scenario: You show up to a house for an invitational party. The rusher forgets to get your name-card. Later that night, the computer committee is figuring out the next round of invites, and they don't have a card for you. Nobody in the house knows you personally. The chapter has no idea if you were at the party or not. They pass you over in favor of a girl who was definitely there.

In short, getting dropped from all houses doesn't mean you are a terrible person. It could mean you just got lost in the shuffle. Rush again.

[DubaiSis]

That's the first thing that came to my mind as well. That's not to say you would have had a different outcome, but those pieces of paper are actually critical. Next time be more aggressive and make sure they take the paper from you.

As a woman with "a few" extra pounds, I think the biggest reason why appearance matters is because it affects how you feel about yourself. No, you may not be able to lose 20+ pounds in the blink of an eye, but do work on it now (believe me, you don't want to get to 45 and trying to lose it!), and find clothes that fit. Feeling bad about you in your clothes is a killer to the self-esteem, and confidence counts for more than anything else (IMHO) in recruitment. There are threads around here about finding great clothes for cheap cheap. Nobody is telling you to go spend a fortune on clothes that will hopefully be temporarily larger than you'd like them to be. But you do need to have stuff that fits right now.

Work on your inside as well as your outside, and definitely give it another shot. If you're on a campus where being a sophomore isn't a huge penalty, this time you'll have the benefit of having experienced it before and will be more prepared.

[FSUZeta]

also, get involved in a campus organization that either is related to your major or that you have an interest in. sororities like for their members to be involved in additional organizations, and it makes you more marketable after graduation.

[lolgiro]

Thank you for the suggestions everyone. I think I am going to try to rush again in the fall.

Looking over some of the posts, I feel I should just mention that in terms of academics and school involvement, I don't think that was really a factor. My GPA is 3.6, I am a freshmen, but I'm involved already in a number of student organizations and have two leadership roles in them, and I am the recipient of a rather prestigious, full-tuition scholarship to my university (the other recipients have a reputation of excellence in leadership, academics, heavy involvement in philanthropy, and so on), which some of the girls in one particular sorority that dropped me were well aware of and often mentioned, even though I never disclosed that fact..

[KSUViolet06]

Just a note: good grades and accomplishments are great and worth mentioning, but they can't "carry you" through recruitment.

[lolgiro]

No, I know that and didn't expect to receive a bid based solely on those accomplishments. I just feel my downfall was largely because of the mistakes I made throughout recruitment in terms of confidence, preparation, and of course conversation skills.