How to Stand Out

[dfriedm1]

To answer the question about the program I am in, I skipped my last two years of HS to live at a college and take college courses.

[blueangel]

Go to the library and read "How to Make Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie. It should be the bible for all those who go through rush!

It will teach you things like: how to make small talk and how to make a first good impression. It doesn't teach you how to be "fake" but rather, how to let your true personality shine through in a positive manner in a face to face meeting. It also gives you the confidence to speak in public, whether it is to a small group of three or a room of 300.

You always hear, "Be yourself." This book teaches you how. For instance, it asks, "Why should people be interested in you, unless you are first interested in them?" It teaches you how to be a good conversationist.. how to remember names, and other skills.

This book has been around for many, many years and withstands the test of time.

Here are a few tips from the book... but please read the entire book:

-become genuinely interested in other people

- smile

- remember that a person's name it to him or her, the most important sound in the human language. Use it often in conversation.

- be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.

- talk in terms of the other person's interests

- make the other person feel important, and do it sincerely.


Good luck to you!

[UGAalum94]

You may want to figure something out before you rush: if you really earned two years of college credit, you are going to appear to be a junior during rush, and that's going to hurt.

Most of the pledge classes at UGA are made up of first year students. Many may have some sophomores, but only a few will have juniors.

You may want to check with Greek Life to get a realistic understanding of how many girls with your number of credits have gotten bids over the last few years.

I'm not trying to be negative, but UGA rush is pretty competitive. I think you'd be fine coming out of the duel enrollment program as a college sophomore. The program itself is not a problem and may even be an asset, but being a junior will make things a lot tougher than they'd be if you were a 1st year.

I think you ought to follow the advice you got here about recs and panhellenic meetings and give it a try, but be aware that it might be a tough rush compared to the 1st year PNMs that you'd rush with.

[ksw33t]

dfriedm1~ I understand where you're coming from. I did the same program at a local university here in Florida for almost 2yrs(graduating this May). It's definetely hard staying involved in your class, planning for graduation, working, and applying for colleges and scholarships, all while balancing your credit hours. Geez..I can't wait to be normal in one place either!
I'm really glad you brought up rushing and credit hours. I didn't think to much about it affecting me. Luckily I'll be right under my AA and plan to dual-major. Does anybody know about FSU?

Goodluck dfriedm1

[PenguinTrax]

What about FSU? Several thread already regarding recruitment at FSU including transfer students, etc. Search the Recruitment and Sorority Recruitment forums and you'll get pretty much everything answered.

[dgdramadawg]

Make sure that you sell the fact that you will stay in college for 3-4 years. Some houses who "only pledge freshmen" might not be worried about your junior status if you let them know that you will be staying longer to pursue a double/triple major, etc. and it may make you seem more desirable to know that you have the hang of college academics already.

Even though it may hurt you with some houses to already have junior standing, there are several great houses at UGA (more than some threads on GC might lead you to believe!) who are totally fine with pledging transfers and upperclassmen who have excellent grades, so it definitely won't hurt you with them. There will always be choices, even if some of the houses are concerned that you may graduate early.

[GeorgiaGirl]

hey dfried! First of all, congratulations on being accepted to UGA! I know that it just keeps getting more and more competative every year. As for recruitment, there is a place on your recruitment application to explain anything that you need to about your grades or your hours. This is where I would explain your situation. Most houses are not worried about how many hours you have, but rather about how many years they are going to get to have you as an active member. I am going to be a recruitment counselor in the fall (someone who helps potential new members through the recruitment process), so if you have any specific questions about UGA's recruitment, feel free to shoot me a message.

[breukelen]

I have empathy for an academically minded girl who’s a bit nervous about “standing out” during rush. There’s probably a diagnosis for it now, but I like to call it being shy. Joining a sorority in college was the very thing that gave me the opportunity to come out of my shell.

Like others I would recommend the Dale Carnegie book. You can also get it on CD so you can listen to it in the car. Simplyaudio.com is a great place to rent audio books for a monthly fee. (I don’t work for them so this is not a promotion, I promise).
I also listed a few other books at the bottom of this post that are in a similar vein but were written more recently, sometimes Dale Carnegie’s style can be off putting at first but the information is quite valuable.

However don’t get caught in the studying trap. You’re probably great at reading and retaining information but what you need is some real-life experience meeting and making new friends to make you more comfortable, and not just for rush, but for your whole life. I would strongly suggest you do something that places you in the midst of your peer group. And by that I don’t mean renting a DVD with a group of your best friends. Do something that forces you to interact with people in your age group and especially with girls you do not know. You have the rest of this semester and most of the summer—that’s a good amount of time. I worked in retail at a popular store--that was a huge education. But there are plenty of other ways to do this. Camp counselors, life guards, all are opportunities to work and to get to know new people your age.

I also want to reiterate the importance of recommendations at a school like UGA. A “rec” in no way guarantees you a bid or even gives you a leg up in reality it just assures that you are on a level playing field with all the other girls that have them. It’s also another way of practicing being open and friendly. So get your resume together and have a nice picture of yourself that can be sent in with the rec. Just something simple and cute. Once those are done work rush into conversations with people--you never know who can help you with a recommendation. I would be especially chatty with your parents’ friends, there’s got to be some sorority alumnae among them.

One more thing, don’t just look into Greek Life. Take a look at UGA’s many, many student organizations. Plan on a few you’d like to check out regardless of how rush goes for you. Not as an “insurance plan” but as a way of keeping an open mind about your college experience. Too many women focus solely on greek life and forget they always wanted to write for the college paper or study abroad. Take a look at the organizations and make a list of what interests you and promise yourself you will look into it.

There’s 400 other things I want to say but I don’t like long posts and I’ve already violated that personal policy. But good luck, it’s a good experience.


The books/cds:
How to Win Friends & Influence People (Paperback) by Dale Carnegie
How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships
Leil Lowndes
Social Skills Survival Guide: A Handbook for Interpersonal and Business Etiquette
June Hines Moore
How to Make People Like You in 90 Seconds or Less
Nicholas Boothman
How To Start A Conversation And Make Friends: Revised And Updated
Don Gabor
Conversationally Speaking : Tested New Ways to Increase Your Personal and Social Effectiveness
Alan Garner
The Fine Art of Small Talk: How to Start a Conversation, Keep it Going, Build Networking Skills--and Leave a Positive Impression!
Debra Fine
RoAne's Rules: How to Make the Right Impression: Working the Room, or One-on-One,What to Say and How to Say It
Susan RoAne
How to Create Your Own Luck: The You Never Know Approach to Networking, Taking Chances, and Opening Yourself to Opportunity
Susan RoAne