Advice~Louisiana State University Rush 2010

[jaylen17]

Hi!

I am planning on rushing this fall at LSU and was wondering if anybody had any advice. A little information about me is that no one in my family has ever been Greek so it is all new to me, I am a bit overweight (I know it's not something you throw out there, but since I am rushing at one of the supposedly more competitive schools I was wondering if anyone had any specific advice?), my total high school GPA was about a 3.0, I went to a pretty prestigious school and had nothing below honor level classes(Will sororities even take that into account? I wouldn't want to get the boot because my GPA is not as high as other girls from different schools). I do not wear makeup bc it tends to break my face out rather than enhance it, plus I do not want to give a sorority a glimpse of the girl that could be bc I don't wear makeup everyday. I am of minority status (not saying my race because it may give me away) and was wondering if that can give me some type of edge? I am only asking bc my friends who are my race have given me absolute hell for not joining an all minority or multicultural sorority and insist that I will not be accepted bc of my race. My basic comeback is that this is what I want to do and that it makes me more memorable during rush right? I am excited to be apart of the sisterhood I hear so fondly of from other friends of mine. I am not poor nor am I rich, but I do not care to shop for name brand clothes. I have some, but I wear little eccentric cheap dresses I find at the french market and designer dresses 200+ that I like. So it's all in what I want to wear, is that a bad thing? I have recs for all ten panhellenic sororities from alumnae women in my area, I do not know them very well, but they were all nice enough to write them for me. I have been researching and researching on proper rush attire and what you should do for the past few months now, but has never talked to a person who has gone through a southern schools rush yet. I do not have my heart set on any one sorority, open mind open possibilities. =)

My major is something with a pre med track.(I dont wanna give myself away until after rush comes.) Oh one thing that I was concerned about was that maybe I sent too many papers to sororities along with my recs... Basically what was sent was my unofficial transcript, a letter to the sorority on why I wanted to be apart of a sorority, a resume, 2 photos, and the recommendation of course. I did not put all my details on the rush application so I was trying to cover my butt. I move in this Friday and Rush starts Saturday, well technically Sunday. Sorry for such the long post and thanks for all you advice in advanced. I'm thinking I can probably make this into a recruitment story. =)

P.S. My Gamma Chi just recently contacted my and gave me such a sweet welcome and told me I could call her for anything and she promises to pick up. I heard that with your Gamma Chi you should basically act as if she was a job interviewer and only say things to her that are inquisitive, but that make her go "wow I want her in my sorority" so that you have at least one bid. Is this true? Also, is it possible for a sorority to have their minds made up about you before you even go through rush? Are you supposed to research each sorority and ask questions about their philanthropy and that only or just different aspects of sorority life in general? So sorry if questions come off as juvenile or stupid and for bombarding you guys with so much, but I am almost totally in the dark as to what to say or what to do during rush.

[knight_shadow]

I am not in an NPC sorority, so I can't give any advice about that, but as far as your race is concerned -- you should pursue an organization that's a good fit for you. I'm African-American and joined a predominantly Latino fraternity because it fit me. Tell your friends to mind their own damn business. If they're interested in the non-NPC organizations, they can join them themselves.

I don't often read PNM threads, but you seem to have a good head on your shoulders. Good luck

[Lightning Bug!]

Did you just write that you had 200+ designer dresses? I think I must be misreading this.

Your Gamma Chi cannot get you a bid to her sorority, nor should she even be thinking that way. Technically she has disaffiliated for the recruitment period. Just be nice to your Gamma Chi, as you would be to anyone with whom you will be spending an extended amount of time.

When you go through rush, please try not to think of yourself as "Jaylen17, who is [insert racial/ethnic background here]" but as "Jaylen17." This is the best way to ensure that the girls who meet you will see you as "Jaylen17" and not as "Jaylen17, who is [insert racial/ethnic background here]." The sisters are looking to admit nice, upbeat, well-rounded women, and if you present yourself as such, you have a good chance of finding a home.

I realize that it is naive to pretend that race is not a factor in southern rush (being a southerner myself), but sororities have come a long, long way in the past 15 years, and there are a whole lot of southern houses who have members who can claim minority status. Remember this, and go into recruitment as "Jaylen17" and nothing else. You can't do anything about the houses that still get caught up on race, but you can do a lot in terms of presenting yourself well to all the other houses.

As for your other questions, no, sororities have not made up their minds before recruitment. Certainly about some girls, whether positive or negative, you can make educated guesses about their recruitment outcomes, but the entire new member class isn't already determined by any stretch of the imagination. Yes, you have a good shot. Yes, you should do some research about the organizations, but don't whip out facts about each sorority during recruitment conversations. The sisters want to tell you about their sorority, so let them, and they want to know about you!

ETA - or did you mean you had dresses worth $200+? In any case, you should not be thinking about that or the weight issue in these terms. Bring a good friend over to your house, one who is kind and honest, and go shopping in your closet. Ask for her help in picking out outfits that look good on you and that are comfortable for sitting, standing, and even sitting on the floor. You and the friend should check these outfits against the suggested outfits that LSU provides in their recruitment guide. Then make sure you look clean and neat for recruitment, in terms of hair, nails, and accessories. That is all.

[jaylen17]

lighting bug!

thanks for the advice! =)

haha no I do not have 200 + designer dresses! I mean I have a range of dresses that vary from being 2 dollars to 200+ dollars. Sorry for the mix-up.

[Titchou]

Did you actually mail the recs yourself? If so, including that letter about why you want to be in a sorority could be a faux pas. When I was a rush adviser if we had received something like that it would have been rather off-putting, frankly. If the rec writer sent them, then she probably - hopefully - did not include it.

[jaylen17]

The rec writer sent the letter. But why would it be a faux pas? Just a bit too much information?

[Titchou]

Yes, tmi....

[jaylen17]

Oh well in that case I hope they did not send them.

[Lightning Bug!]

Good to know that you do not have 200+ designer dresses. I was wondering...

Anyway, what is done is done, in terms of what did or did not get sent in by your rec writers. Just don't send in anything else, and certainly don't rattle off a list of achievements during recruitment conversations. Good for you for getting all those recs ahead of time.

Since you don't have experience with southern recruitment, you might ask a friend (maybe your same outfit friend) to do a practice conversation with you. Even better would be a sister of a friend or a friend of a friend - someone you don't know as well as your friend. Yes, you may giggle a bit, but it's always worth it to hear yourself talking, and your friend and the conversation partner can give you tips - things like "don't twirl your hair while you're talking" or "you say "um" a lot" or "it is really freaky how you make no/too much eye contact." I don't think this is overkill - making good conversation is an important skill to have for just about everything you do in life, and if you have any issues with it, you might as well use recruitment as an opportunity to work on it. I know that when I did my first round of job interviews, all of which took place in a week's time, I kept thinking "Thank God for rush - what great practice that was!"

Anyway, best of luck, and let us know how it goes.