what to wear during Umd rush

[BetteDavisEyes]

Paging violetpretty!

She went to UMD not too long ago and still has many contacts there. She can direct you accurately.

Good-luck!

[lindz0722]

I also went to UMD and graduated recently, so here's my input.
There's always a lot of variety in what people are wearing, and as long as you put yourself together well, you don't really need to worry about being in the "wrong outfit".

For round 1 (ballroom), jeans are fine. I've seen girls in everything from Juicy sweatsuits to casual dresses, but most people are in a nice pair of jeans and a cute top.

Round 2 (philanthropy/house tours), a nice pair of pants or a casual skirt. Plenty of girls are still in jeans here too. You will be doing the most walking in this round, both between houses and inside...something to keep in mind when choosing shoes!

Round 3 (skits), again, nice pants or a cute dress or a skirt is good. I believe at some houses you'll sit on the floor during the skit, so you might want to keep that in mind when thinking about skirt length.

For pref, you're good to go with your LBD. Keep in mind that many sororities wear black for preference also, so you might want to wear a fun pair of shoes or jewelry to stand out a little.



Hope that was helpful! Violetpretty will be able to give a great second opinion here.

[violetpretty]

Lindz is right in that there's a lot of variety, but here are my suggestions:

Round 1: Nice jeans or khakis and a nice top/sweater/button-down. A casual dress works too. I know I have seen Juicy sweatsuits, but I wouldn't recommend that. Some chapters might think that is too casual. Basically, think, something you'd wear to class when you want to look nice and polished but not turn heads for being overdressed. Flats, boots, low heels.

Round 2: Nice jeans or dress pants or a casual skirt/dress. Almost anything goes this round. Either the "snappy casual" of round 1, "business causal" of round 3 or somewhere in between. You will be seeing up to 5 chapters per night, with a lot of walking, so keep this in mind when choosing your shoes. Nice boots or cute flats are good, and if you do bring heels, I'd bring a tote that you can stash comfy shoes in for when you walk around.

Round 3: Casual dresses, skirts, dress pants, etc. Some PNMs do wear nice jeans this round, but they are in the minority. I'd say this is business casual, but you can go a little trendier than "business" if you like, just nothing too revealing. You'll be seeing up to 6 chapters in one night, so be mindful of your choice in shoes. And as Lindz mentioned, you may be sitting on the floor for some skits, so make sure your skirt isn't too short if you decide to wear a skirt.

Pref: Cocktail dresses. I have seen some PNMs wear very dressy satin pants with heels and that works too. Basically, what you'd wear as a guest to a wedding or a tiny step down. Do not wear a prom dress. You're set with your little black dress (and if you get a bid, you might be able to wear it for the next few years, as many chapters do wear black).

In general, err on the side of conservative. You're talking to girls, not boys. Trendy isn't necessarily bad, but classic always works.

Good luck!