Advice for high school girls??? From high school sorority sponsor

u4hnnsfh · #1 08-24-2004, 02:12 PM

Hi,

I'm the sponsor of a high school sorority in the South, and we like to think we are preparing these girls for college sorority life. We plan to talk to the girls about how to act when visiting our nearby colleges during this football season. Of course, no drinking, smoking, etc. But also things like: don't wear a sorority or fraternity shirt while visiting the college because other sororities might think that you've already "chosen" that sorority. Even stupid stuff like: Don't hang on the frat guys, because an ex-girlfriend might get you cut when you come through Rush. I'm basically just wanting some insight to keep them on their toes. It's been 7 years since I graduated from college, and it's hard to remember the petty (but damaging) things that came up about girls during Rush. I would appreciate any advice that you could pass along that we could give to these girls.

Thanks.

DZBookie · #2 08-24-2004, 03:26 PM

If you are looking for the little picky things....

1. Don't wear too many rings/necklaces. It is possible to over accessorize!

2. Matching underwear is a must. There is nothing stranger than being able to see vibrant underwear showing thru clothing. Being "trashy" will get you cut from most houses.

3. Make sure the picture submitted for rush is up to date and a "head and shoulders" shot. There was one poor girl who went thru rush when I was active that submitted a photo of herself posing on the hood of her car. She was known as the "hood ornament" all thru rush.

4. Start getting your references as soon as possible. Some schools only require a reference/recommendation from just the house you join while other schools want the recs/refs from each house before rush begins.

5. Buy your white dress as soon as you know you are interested in rush. Don't wait until you pledge to purchase! White means nancy nurse white, unadorned without any colored trim. Same for the shoes.

6. Don't assume that you will automaticly get a bid if you are a legacy. The path may be there but you still have to work to get in! Many schools have so many legacies going thru rush that no preference is given to them.

7. Make a list of your high school activities, honors and achievements as early as possible. Service to civic/school/church organizations is very big now. Making the list early will help to see what areas need to be improved. Put this in a resume format with your other personal information. You will need to provide this to each alumna who is giving you a rec/ref. If the alumna does not live near the school be sure to provide the chapter address.

8. Make a list of questions to ask during rush. If you are shy talking to strangers, this will help keep your thoughts organized as well as make you appear interested.

9. Practice applying your makeup in a natural light.

10. Do not over perfume yourself! Overwhelming the rusher with aroma will not leave a good impression.

That's all I can think of now. Hope it helps.

33girl · #3 08-24-2004, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by u4hnnsfh
But also things like: don't wear a sorority or fraternity shirt while visiting the college because other sororities might think that you've already "chosen" that sorority.

Not to mention that if sorority members see a high school girl (or anyone who's not a sister or pledge) WEARING THEIR LETTERS she might get her butt kicked into next Tuesday...are there really people out there who do this??

Another thing I can think of to add to the list is don't ever talk about any of the Greeks where you can be overheard - bad OR good stuff, you can talk yourself into a jam either way.

u4hnnsfh · #4 08-24-2004, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Not to mention that if sorority members see a high school girl (or anyone who's not a sister or pledge) WEARING THEIR LETTERS she might get her butt kicked into next Tuesday...are there really people out there who do this??

Sorry, I should have been more clear... I meant party shirts, not jerseys... Some of the girls have older sisters, and they will wear their party shirts to school, cheerleader practice, whatever...

_Lisa_ · #5 08-24-2004, 04:24 PM

Let these girls know that being Greek isn't everything. If they don't get a particular sorority or if they get cut it isn't the end of the world.

33girl · #6 08-24-2004, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by u4hnnsfh
Sorry, I should have been more clear... I meant party shirts, not jerseys... Some of the girls have older sisters, and they will wear their party shirts to school, cheerleader practice, whatever...

oh OK, that's better! *whew* I was very scared for a minute.

But I agree, it probably isn't a great idea to wear those either, unless their sister's in a sorority that's not at the college they're visiting.

Jill1228 · #7 08-24-2004, 04:30 PM

1. Don't bad mouth or give into nasty rumors of other sororities
2. Don't pay attention to the "top tier" or whatever tier BS
3. Keep an open mind
4. Read the "what PNM's shoul know" advice threads on GC

breathesgelatin · #8 08-24-2004, 05:28 PM

1. Don't make the first question you ask every woman at a party "What sorority are you in?" This comes off as petty, as if you're not interested in meeting anyone except for their sorority affiliation.

2. Don't get super-wasted, make-out in public, etc. That's pretty obvious I would think.

3. Judge where you're going before you dress to go out. At a small southern school like mine, dressing like you're ready for a club when you go out to parties would be a major faux pas.

4. Don't constantly reference your awesome friends in XYZ or your family connections to ABC. This comes off as desperate and annoying.

BIG PIECE OF ADVICE EVERYONE SHOULD LISTEN TO:

When you go visit a college and attend a fraternity party, if you've never drank before in your life, DON'T CHOOSE THAT NIGHT TO START. Every year, my college has two major weekends that freshmen visit: a scholarship weekend, an an accepted students day. What you do this weekend, if it is stupid enough, can and will influence your recruitment. (If it's a scholarship weekend, you can even jeopardize your acceptance to that college!) If you don't know your limits, don't test them! Just be your winning self. I have seen women break this rule over and over to their own detriment.

ThetaDancer · #9 08-24-2004, 05:44 PM

co-sign to everything breathesgelatin wrote.

while i think this is all good advice so far...i could relate to a lot of the situations breathesgelatin wrote about. the mistakes that people drunkenly make are horrible first impressions and often very difficult to forget. also, the advice about not name-dropping, and not being overly eager to know about sorority affiliation, should definitely be passed on.

CarolinaCutie · #10 08-24-2004, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by breathesgelatin
When you go visit a college and attend a fraternity party, if you've never drank before in your life, DON'T CHOOSE THAT NIGHT TO START. Every year, my college has two major weekends that freshmen visit: a scholarship weekend, an an accepted students day. What you do this weekend, if it is stupid enough, can and will influence your recruitment. (If it's a scholarship weekend, you can even jeopardize your acceptance to that college!) If you don't know your limits, don't test them! Just be your winning self. I have seen women break this rule over and over to their own detriment.

Actually, this applies to college freshmen as well. Those first few parties at fraternity houses can DEFINITELY influence whether or not you get a bid and from which house. If the sorority sisters themselves don't see the unseemly behavior, keep in mind that fraternity guys DO talk to us and tell us what freshman girl threw up and then tried to sleep with half the fraternity.

Speechpath · #11 08-24-2004, 07:30 PM

Yes, watch your behavior carefully, don't use those weekends as an opportunity to go wild! It will come back to haunt you as news can travel very far and very fast.

AUDG · #12 08-24-2004, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Speechpath
Yes, watch your behavior carefully, don't use those weekends as an opportunity to go wild! It will come back to haunt you as news can travel very far and very fast.

Co-sign. We let someone go ASAP because of something a few of us had witnessed last spring.

JaimeNicole · #13 08-25-2004, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Speechpath
Yes, watch your behavior carefully, don't use those weekends as an opportunity to go wild! It will come back to haunt you as news can travel very far and very fast.

Just to take this one step further, sometimes its not enough to just watch out for yourself. When I was a freshman, I knew 2 girls from the same team going through formal. These girls would party together, one in control, one....not so much. When it came time for recruitment, the "in control" girl's top choice saw her as a "package deal" with the other girl, since they were always out partying together. It kind of became known that both the girls were major party animals, when it was really only the 1 girl. In the end, they both got cut.

I am NOT trying in anyway to say "change your friends", just want people to remember that "you are the company you keep" and maybe this girls need to help remind their friends that before recruitment, someone is ALWAYS watching!

princess1705 · #14 03-06-2007, 04:58 PM

ok i need help.
im a junior in high school and i want to join a sorority. Im not really sure which one but i have one in mind. I just want to know what i have to do starting now so i could get ready.
Someone please help me.

PenguinTrax · #15 03-06-2007, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by princess1705

ok i need help.
im a junior in high school and i want to join a sorority. Im not really sure which one but i have one in mind. I just want to know what i have to do starting now so i could get ready.
Someone please help me.

Start by reading the FAQ announcements at the top of the forums and doing your research. If you haven't even selected or been accepted to a college, that should be your priority.