Hey bucutie02,
I didn't rush till the very end of my sophomore year (well, I actually went through rush three times, but whatever), and honestly, I'm glad I waited. I go to a school that sounds similar to yours, a lot of commuters and not a very big greek life community (there's only 5 sororities total on my campus), so I knew a lot about reputations of different chapters, but unfortunately that didn't necessarily mean I got to know what everyone's really like. I did go through part of formal rush though early on in my sophomore year, so I had a pretty good idea of the chapters I wanted to become involved in and rush late in the spring.
Then, at the beginning of my spring semester, one of my friends invited me over to the AXO house for dinner (I think I was complaining about the lack of food in my room since I was off the meal plan), and while I had a bad impression of the chapter during formal rush, I ended up rushing and got a bid at the end of that year (they could only give out 2 the first time I went through informal and while I was upset that I didn't get one, what are you gonna do...they went to two of the sisters' roommates who had been over a lot throughout the year).
So there's my little rant. I am SO glad I waited till that point to join though, my only regret is that I didn't join sooner, but I have a feeling that I would've ended up elsewhere if I had jumped into things too quickly. I think many chapters would be glad to have a junior, honestly. After two years in college, I feel you have a better idea of who you are as an individual, so you'll be better able to tell which chapter is the best match for you. Plus, from my experience, a lot of younger students go through rush trying to find a chapter that they want to become like and end up getting a lot more influenced by their sisters, whereas you'll be finding which sisters are most like you, if that makes any sense (I didn't get much sleep last night, so I apologize if I've been rambling on). And you've been through college without being affiliated with a chapter, so you know the benefits of going through rush and joining a sorority, so I think you'd be a very dedicated addition to any chapter.
As for me, we got initiated last December and in January I was elected to our exec board as communications chair, and then at the end of the semester, I got elected as Vice President of Chapter Relations and Standards (which is basically the first vice prez.), so joining as a junior definitely didn't negatively impact my involvement in the chapter. Just keep an open mind and follow your heart, and I'm sure you'll have a great time at rush! If you ever want to talk, you can always e-mail me!
Best of Luck,
Liz
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Alpha Chi Omega - Why reach for the top when you're already there?
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