Rush in 1 month!

fabulous229 · #1 07-16-2002, 08:04 PM

Hey everyone!!! I've been checking out this Rush forum lately and you all seem so helpful and too too sweet! So I figured I'd join and start posting since you all are so encouraging, helpful, and just about every other positive word out there! lol.

Alright...anyways...
I just graduated H.S. and will be going to a LARGE SOUTHERN university in exactly a month from today. I wasn't ever really nervous about rush and not getting a bid from a sorority until about 3 hours ago! It sorta hit me that there is always a possibility of NOT getting a bid. I guess it's kind of because I'm athletic and a pretty 'all-around' person and haven't ever really failed at anything I put a lot of energy into (I really hope that doesn't come across as snobby or cocky as it sounds!!!

). The reason I've started to get a little more nervous about rushing is because I am not a legacy and will have NO recs at all. I know that those aren't necessary but I just don't have the advantage of them. I had a high GPA/test scores in high school and was involved in sports and other extra-currics...so I'm hoping that will help me out.
So basically I just wanted to say hello to you all cause I'll probably be asking an crazy amount of questions this next month. I'll keep everyone posted on my rush experience too because I've seen the love and support you ladies give out to everyone.
Just a couple questions to start out:
-What was your biggest fear going into rush?

-Is there alot of competition between the girls rushing amongst eachother?

-What would you say is THE BEST thing about your sorority life? And if you have one...the worst?

Later!!

Erin

nyrdrms · #2 07-16-2002, 08:24 PM

Hey Erin,

First of all, I hope you have a wonderful experience both overall in college and with recruitment. Now, onto your questions. My biggest fear going into recruitment was that I would feel overwhelmed walking into a room full of strangers and having to sit there and talk to them about myself and about their organization for 30-45 minutes. But it was no where near as bad as I thought it would be. The sisters of all three sororities we have were welcoming and friendly, and tried to keep awkward moments from occuring. Just be yourself, and you'll have no problems.

I didn't really notice a whole lot of competition between the potentials, it was more of curiousity as to where everyone wanted to go. I remember going back to the dorms after a party and the elevator was filled with potentials....we were all talking about who wanted which sorority and what things we liked the most about all the sororities. It was interesting to see everyone else's perspectives as well.

I'd say the best thing about my overall sorority experience is that no matter what is going on in my life, I have so many people I can talk to about it. And they aren't all in my organization either. By participating in formal recruitment, I got to know girls in other sororities as well and form some friendships through that. Greek week and other events also encourage that.

Good luck!

aephi alum · #3 07-16-2002, 09:27 PM

What school are you going to? I went to a northeastern school, but from what I've seen here, if you're going to a southern school you need letters of recommendation even to be considered. You don't have to be a legacy to get them... ask aunts, cousins, teachers, parents of friends, friends of parents, etc. Good luck!

EagleChick19 · #4 07-16-2002, 09:57 PM

Give us the details when you get back to school!!!

AlphaPhiAngel · #5 07-16-2002, 10:23 PM

Hey Erin!
Good luck with rush and be sure to keep us all up to date!

I rushed last fall and my biggest fear going into it was the fact that i can be a tiny bit shy in large groups of people but it all worked out great. The sisters worked really hard to make everybody feel at home. I didn't notice any competion really among the rushees. Actually it was more the oppisate since we were all spending alot of time together and getting excited about where we would end up. I made alot of friends during rush week that I still hang out with now.

Rush can be a crazy week but its definately all worth it in the end! Good luck!

ROWDYsister · #6 07-16-2002, 10:39 PM

Hi Erin!
I'm excited about recruitment, too! It'll be my first as a sister!

What was your biggest fear going into rush?
The thing is, I didn't understand how it worked at all. I have this thing where I get totally irrational fears sometimes, and regarding recruitment I hesitated to even apply because I was scared of getting cut after round 1 if they didn't think I was "cool enough."(But it doesn't work like that.) My roomates the summer before freshman year talked me into it (and I ended up being the only one who went through with all of recruitment!) When I was actually in the middle of rush, though, I remember sitting there in the houses and thinking, "This is so easy. It's just chatting. Why was everyone so nervous?" It's no sweat, I can tell you that right now! And I had no recs and am not a legacy, either, but got my first choice. **But since I have never been on the other side I don't know how important that was.**I could've just been lucky. So if possible try to wrangle up some recs. Recruitment here in the south is serious business.

-Is there alot of competition between the girls rushing amongst each other?
I didn't notice any. The girls in my rush group were awesome, whenever we had breaks we would sit together and get snacks and encourage each other to keep on with recruitment. We didn't discuss which houses we wanted or anything about the houses, we just complained to each other and made each other feel better. First taste of sisterhood.
And on the bus ride to Pi Phi we were a little tired and cranky and the girl next to me got us all to sing a stirring rendition of "Baby Got Back." Preview of crazy times...

-What would you say is THE BEST thing about your sorority life? And if you have one...the worst?
The BEST thing about sorority life are my best friends. I love them, I trust them, I have so much fun with them. I have like 10 really close sisters but honestly I feel I could call up ANY of my 180+ sisters with a problem and they would genuinely care and try to help. You can't buy that kind of bond. Whenever I was feeling down and just sitting there with them, not even talking about the problem, I felt like I had no problems to begin with. They never judge me. Sisters make everything better. It's hard to put into words. *wiping tears from eyes*
The worst thing? I have to walk on eggshells around my friends from high school because I don't want them to think that I've gotten snobby or vapid. I have to try extra hard to come across as down-to-earth and intelligent. With anyone else in the world I'm myself because they have nothing to compare to me to and they like me, but I feel like the old friends are observing everything I do. (They really were.) But that's just what happened to me...it wouldn't have mattered if I joined a sorority or not...we're just different people.

Anyway, Erin, good luck with recruitment! Please post your questions, your recruitment experience, anything on your mind! We love this stuff!

Love,
Dyan

ps: sorry I wrote such a novel, but I have so much to say about why I love sorority life and everything that goes with it!

AXOMarq · #7 07-16-2002, 10:57 PM

Hi Erin,

One thing I'd like to say is that you're not alone. Whether or not you meet a lot of girls at rush who seem very confident, I think almost everyone has a little bit of fear during rush. I had a wonderful GPA in HS, was Athletic (softball), involved in student council, and I love to learn new things, anything. But my first semester was rough, especially with a theology class that brought down my GPA to about a 2.5. And no first semester freshman could rush, so second semester I rushed and was scared about the gpa requirement of the sororities, I wasn't a legacy at all (in fact, I later found out my mom was against the idea the whole time). No recs were required at my school. (we only have four national sororities, so it's a small greek community, to say the least).

But to continue on the track I started on, I was very afraid. I asked my rho chi leader about gpa, and also asked if it was possible to get a bid. The first party I went into I was SO nervous, I could hardly talk when someone asked me a question, and basically rush is all about finding out where you're comfortable and where you can get along with your sisters. I wasn't invited back, unfortunately I will never know if I would have been happy in that sorority. However, I know where I am happy for sure. I love my sorority and the last night it was down to two that I felt I truly loved. But, because of an active's reaction to our conversation, I realized I wouldn't be able to open up in that sorority. You need to be yourself. Ask your questions the first night to your Rho Chi leader, get facts straight and when you go to the parties, be yourself and just find where you may be comfortable.

Sorry for the long-winded advice, Good luck and keep us updated
Mary

#8 07-16-2002, 11:33 PM

Biggest Fear Going Into Rush?
Being rejected from every house on campus

Not being what girls expected you to be. But once you get into it, you notice all the different types of girls they have and relax more. Also age was a factor for me, b/c I rushed after freshman year.

Is there alot of competition between the girls rushing amongst each other?
At my school, none that I noticed. Actually the 30+ girls in my rush group got along fairly well and since I had been through rush before (declined the bid from the house), many looked to me for advice. Im still a lil baffled by that too

What would you say is THE BEST thing about your sorority life? And if you have one...the worst?
The best thing about sorority life to me is everything that goes along with it. Having sisters not only from your chapter, but tons of chapters and organizations around the country that you can depend on. Its something that you can take pride in. The guys, parties (Im not gonna lie, they were awesome at UM), but I liked even more the HUGE philanthropy events like Greek Week. Eeven though the experince is open to everyone, its still is something that makes you unique.

There is no worst thing, nothing is perfect. Everything has its ups and downs, comes along with the territory

PiPhiJulie · #9 07-16-2002, 11:42 PM

I go to a Southern university where Greek Life is pretty big. At my school it is very important to get recommendations.
My biggest far going into rush was that I didn't know what I was going to have to talk about. It was alot easier than I thought.
At my school there probably was alot of competition, but I really didn't let that get to me. I just acted like myself and went through with it, not really worrying about the other people .
The best thig about sorority lif is that I've become so close to my sisters and feel really at home when I'm with them. I went to school knowing nobody and they helped me alot when I was homesick.
What school will you be attending?
Well good luck with rush and keep us posted on what happens!

Peaches-n-Cream · #10 07-17-2002, 12:24 AM

I had no fear going into rush. Quite frankly, I didn't know enough about rush to be afraid. I was like you, a freshman who was super involved in high school and accomplished almost anything I attempted. I wasn't arrogant. Actually, I was somewhat shy. I figured why not try rush as a way to meet new people.

I didn't think about any competition regarding other rushees. My roommate and I went through informal rush together so we could select which sororities we liked and which we didn't. There wasn't a quota at that time so the sororities could give bids to anyone they liked. I figured if they liked me, I would receive a bid.

The best part of sorority life was the sisterhood and friendships. It was nice to be a part of a small group of friends at a large university. It was great to be involved in the university and community service events.
The worst part was the negative feedback from people who were anti-greek. They always seemed surprised that I was a sorority girl. I don't know why. Another negative was a few women from another sorority who said nasty things about my sisters not realizing that I was there. The funny thing was that they were new sisters and I was friends with their older sisters. Needless to say the older sisters who were my friends were very embarrassed by the new sisters. Lesson: Never bad mouth any organization since you never know who is listening.

ThetaLove · #11 07-17-2002, 02:11 AM

I can feel your excitement!! First, you need letters of recommentation. It was hard getting all of mine in but it seems like if you know one person in a sorority, chances are that they have friends or coworkers that were in another sorority. If the Southern school that you are going to has a Kappa Alpha Theta chapter there let me know and I will get you in touch with an Alumni group in your area that can do the recs for you. Also, do you have any friends going through rush? If so, they may have an older sister or aunt or even just a family friend that could write a rec for you. I know that all this stuff may sound petty and that sororities should like you for you, but at some sororities (especially in the south) recommendations make a big difference. It seems like the biggest cut in not having a rec and in having one- comes after the first round. At least that was my experience at LSU. My friends that didn't have recs seemed to be cut a lot sooner than those who did. However, this may not have been the reason- but better safe anyway. Recs don't always have to be written by someone who knows you really well. I babysat for a lady's children once and she offered to write a rec for me and it really helped! Let me know if I can be of any further help to you.
If you are going to LSU, you just said a southern school which could be a number of schools- our "silence" starts august 1st, I think, so try to get in touch with me before then.

My biggest fear going in to rush- well, I had a couple. I have a habit of blowing things out of proportion and like totally over-analyzing things- so rush was major stress for me. I was concerned that I might just be choosing a sorority because everyone on campus knew of that sorority (in other words-- hot guys) and that I might join a sorority just for the name and not for the girls in it. I was also like "ok, this is who I am going to be spending four years of my life, what if I make the wrong decision." This probably sounds weird to ya'll, but I thought so much about it and I even prayed about it. Is there a lot of competition? Most of the girls that I met were really sweet and we mostly shared a common bond. Like we knew what the other person was going through. On bid day, girls who I had stood in line with the whole week and had gotten to know, were now my sisters. But, I didn't live in the dorms so I probably missed a lot of stuff. However, a lot of girls that I went to high school with were going through rush and I had a friend who had gotten cut pretty early on from a particular sorority and another friend who wasn't cut and the 1st friend sort of held it against her that she was cut and the other girl wasn't. She never actually said any thing to her, but I could tell it bothered her. Justamom has a great perspective on her daughter and her daughter's friends when they went through rush. It is in the rush category and the subject is "justamom, how's LSU?" you may have read it already.

The best thing about being in a sorority? Hands down, no doubt about it --SISTERHOOD--I have met some of the most wonderful women in my sorority and I have only been here a year. Also, I have met so many other wonderful greek women-like I said before, the whole common bond thing. I know that no matter what we do, service projects or parties, it will always be fun!
The worst thing about being in a sorority is negative stereotypes that are reinforced by the media (think MTV's sorority life, even though I am addicted to it!) or by individuals themselves.
Okay, this is officially my longest post and I'm gonna be quiet now...

fabulous229 · #12 07-17-2002, 04:10 AM

MUUUUCH THANKS to all of you that have replied!! The info is all really really helpful. I just checked my school's panhel. website and they said that recs weren't really needed but more like 'extra credit', so they didn't affirm nor deny a bid. I'm a little more relaxed now

!!! Oh, for those of you have asked, I'm going to UT-Knoxville...forgot to mention that earlier..oops!

one more quick question...
I've read on here about how to 'stand out' during rush so you will be remembered and I was just wondering...is there any little cues you can pick up from the sisters as to whether or not they're really interested in you? I know they're all usually super-nice to everyone, so will you just get *a feeling* if they are genuinely (sp?) interested?

Thanks again! You all are awesome!

shadokat · #13 07-17-2002, 10:33 AM

Erin--

I was just checking out the UTK.edu's panhellenic site! WOW!! It looks like you're going to be joining a fantastic greek system! Check out the page for additional information on recruitment and check out all the sororities that have sites too! What a great panhellenic site!!

Keep us posted with your recruitment story, and BEST OF LUCK!!

JMUduke · #14 07-17-2002, 12:51 PM

I checked out the site too...looks good!! I am so jealous, I want to go through rush on the other side again! Anyway, you have to keep us updated as to everything that happens, we all are so excited for you!

justamom · #15 07-17-2002, 01:00 PM

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, Get some recs lined up! Do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT go by the web site. That is one of the FIRST criteria competative recruitments use to trim down the numbers.

Edited to add-Last year a friends daughter went through your school. She is from a long line of southern aristocracy and had been presented out of state (forget the name, but it was a biggie). She was scrambling around for 2 to 3 recs/sorority. She couldn't find any for 2 and those 2 cut her right off the bat. Maybe it was a coincidence, but I honestly doubt it.