My Advice to Sorority Rushees.....

[33girl]

Originally Posted by gagirl224

Hey ya'll,
Thanks for all of your advice, its been really helpful! I'll be staring rush in less than a month and I'm SO excited! I have one question though- if a sister asks you which sorority you like the best and you really like their sorority should you tell them theyre your favorite? I've heard that that's really bad and makes you seem over-eager about everything. I've also heard that you should definitley tell them you like them at Pref. Night, but what if they ask you on the first couple of days? I've been wondering about this for awhile so any advice would be appreciated! Thanks again girls, hope youre having a wonderful summer!

Don't ever tell a sorority that they're your favorite on the first day or two. It will make you look creepy and stalker-y.

Aside from that, no sorority members should be asking you questions like that - it's a rush infraction. If there's a group that persistently asks things like this, let your rush counselor know.

[dgdramadawg]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Don't ever tell a sorority that they're your favorite on the first day or two. It will make you look creepy and stalker-y.

BUT if you feel really strongly about a house during round three or prefs, make sure you let them know how much you like them! Sometimes it can be hard to tell for sure where a house stands with a rushee and during prefs a simple "I'm so glad to be here" or "I really love it here at XYZ" can let the rusher know that they're a favorite of yours without giving off a stalker vibe.

[UGAalum94]

This may have been said before, and if so I apologize.

Some aspects of recruitment might seem weird. No social event or organizational interest meeting that I had gone to up until rush or have gone to since involved door stacking, singing, chants, clapping, yelling, etc, as prospective members came to show interest.

Don't be weirded out if that's not your thing. Try to enjoy it and share the enthusiasm of the girls rushing you, but know that it really has almost nothing to do with day to day life in any of the chapters.

This warning never would have occurred to me except that one of the girls I know who dropped out of recruitment last last mentioned it to me after she dropped out. She is the kind of girl who would have made a great member, but I think she thought that if this kind of zany activity was typical, it wasn't for her.

[Fleur de Lis]

At schools where tons of girls are going through, I would make a point to stand out in your wardrobe. You may talk to 4 or 5 girls at the first round, but probably half the chapter sees you enter or leave. We rushed in January, and I remember one girl wore a really bright, pretty scarf. So when a sister described her after the round, we all knew who she was and it was easier to put a face to her name. And you're more likely to vote for a girl who you remember (seems obvious!). So dress to impress, and maybe add a unique touch to your outfit, like jewelry, fun shoes, etc. This also makes a great conversation piece!!

[AChiOhSnap]

Originally Posted by Fleur de Lis

So dress to impress, and maybe add a unique touch to your outfit, like jewelry, fun shoes, etc. This also makes a great conversation piece!!

That's a great idea, but make sure you're adding unique touches appropriate to the style of your campus. "Fun shoes" might mean something totally different to the Chicago or New York PNM (Jimmy Choo snakeskin stillettos anyone?) than to the conservative Atlanta or Dallas PNM. If it's a very conservative, traditional recruitment, you'd probably be better off in adding something like a piece of jewelry that's unique in how gorgeous it is, not unique in how "different" or funky it is.

And this should really go without saying, but your conversation piece should under no circumstances be a straw hat or purple feather boa unless you're rushing on Mars.

[carnation]

Originally Posted by AChiOhSnap

And this should really go without saying, but your conversation piece should under no circumstances be a straw hat or purple feather boa unless you're rushing on Mars.

LOL. If anyone needs further clarification on this, please refer to my post in "Weird Rush Stories" about the PNM who decided to be memorable in orange and purple.

[AChiOhSnap]

Originally Posted by carnation

LOL. If anyone needs further clarification on this, please refer to my post in "Weird Rush Stories" about the PNM who decided to be memorable in orange and purple.

Your story really does take the cake in terms of weird recruitment outfits, but I was also referring to my OWN experiences with recruitment!

The year before that, a woman wore a straw hat (not even like a little feminine cowboy hat when cowboy hats had an unfortunate resurgence in popularity a couple years ago but an actual old-timey farmer's straw hat) because she grew up on a farm and figured that would be a good way for the sorority actives to remember her... She was right about that! She became known as "Farm Girl" or "The One With The Hat." She ended up transferring after freshman year and unfortunately became a "what not to do" story during recruitment orientation.

The following year, a PNM apparently heard this story and thought to her misguided self "Well of COURSE I wouldn't wear a straw hat, that would just be silly! I'll wear a PURPLE FEATHER BOA instead!" She came through wearing the boa and a rhinestone tiara! We were like "This isn't a bachelorette party, girlie..." Apparently her Rho Chi pulled her aside after the first rounds and insisted that she not wear anything weird the next day.

Her response? "I was just wearing something that reflected my personality and made me stand out!!!" Mission accomplished, Boa Girl. Mission accomplished.

It's amazing how some PNMs are just entirely lacking in common sense about this kind of stuff. A nice rule of thumb is that if everyone is looking at you sideways and the other PNMs are trying to distance themselves from you, you're probably wearing something dumb.

Oh, and here's another, related suggestion for PNMs going through traditional/competitive recruitments: If you aren't the most fashion-savvy young woman or you have a rather "awkward" sense of style, get your fashion conscious hallmate or roommate to help you out. Seriously. Go to the best-dressed girl in your hall, be like "I love your sense of style, would you mind helping me put together some outfits for recruitment?" She'd probably be so flattered that she'd do it in a heartbeat (unless she's a huge biotch), and maybe even lend you some stuff.

It's fine to have trouble with fashion and style. It's tricky, and everyone struggles with it from time to time. What's NOT fine is not doing anything about the fact that you look outdated/matronly/skanky/sloppy/mismatched or whatever. In a competitive recruitment, you need to look like you took your time and that you care enough about yourself to look your best. If that doesn't come naturally to you, then there's no shame in asking for help.