University of Virginia Rush

[deltaoutwest]

My daughter will be a first year at UVA in the fall and is planning on going through Rush, which is deferred rush in January.
If anyone out there in Greek Chat land is familiar with UVA Rush, can you help us out by answering a few questions? We are from the West Coast and don't know anyone from UVA to ask!
1. When should we get recs? Rush is in January. I understand that it is "strongly sugggeted" that the girls get one or two recs per house. True?
2. What goes on first semester between the first years and the sororities....do they invite the first years for dinner? Rush "dates"?
3. Tips for an out of state girl to have a successful Rush?
What else do we need to know??
Thanks so much!!

[Sciencewoman]

My daughter went through deferred recruitment at W&L in Virginia. We had the same question about rec timing. She had her recs sent in when school started in the fall. I would have her get recs...there will be enough southern PNMs and savvy PNMs attending, who will be familiar with the concept of getting recs, that she should definitely get them. They also help introduce the chapters to interested freshman well before formal recruitment in January.

That being said, deferred recruitment is a different animal and sorority members have the opportunity to get to know PNMs in the fall. They will be watching out and they will definitely look at first semester grades. A good rec won't counteract low grades or negative behavior during the fall. My daughter's experience has been that PNMs should be social during the fall...hiding out for fear of being seen at a fraternity party isn't helpful. PNMs have a semester to demonstrate that they can balance academics, a social life, involvement in campus activities, and have an easy-to-get-along-with personality.

As far as rush dates, wait until she gets to campus. W&L made some major changes in fall, 2014. They eliminated rush dates and instead scheduled more chapter-hosted meet-and-greets that were open to all PNMs. The old rush date system was not very egalitarian or open. I'm not sure how much anything changed...there was definitely some "who you know" previously, and there probably still is, but at least the open events give everyone a chance to present themselves and get to know current members in the fall. Some of the drama associated with UVa trickled down to W&L last year (Bid Night changes), so she should see what the latest policies are when she gets to campus. My guess is that there will be some kind of orientation in the fall, explaining the system.

If they are still doing rush dates, the rules for those will be shared. At W&L, they were very strict and everyone knew them (days allowed, start and end window in the fall, ratio of members to PNMs, everyone pays for themselves, etc.). There were also "unwritten" rules...sorority members initiate the rush date -- PNMs do not approach a sorority member for a rush date, invited PNMs may be encouraged by the member to invite a roommate or friend to come along, but invited PNMs don't bring another PNM friend along without being specifically encouraged to do so, and PNMs should not ask if they can bring a friend. The ball is in the member's court at all times.

Hoping someone with info specific to UVa posts, but I would work on the recs, then check the Greek Life website later in the summer and stay tuned for registration and orientation dates next fall.