i just wanted to hear about your experiences

smiley21 · #1 12-03-2002, 05:37 PM

that is all i wanted. just your experiences with rush. maybe i am just a little crazy and expect too much. i just really would like to know all i can about axo

AXO Sweetheart · #2 12-04-2002, 12:19 AM

Hiya,

I'm new to this site and to Alpha Chi, but I'll tell you about my rush experience.

My name is Shainna, and I was recently initiated into the Gamma Omicron chapter at Marshall University.

I always thought I might want to be in a sorority, so when I decided on a college, I checked out the websites. I really liked what I read about Alpha Chi. It also turned out that my uncle's new wife's daughter is an Alpha Chi. Before "strict silence", she talked a lot about her sisters and stuff, but she never tried to pressure me to join AXO or even rush.

This fall, my freshman year, I signed up for rush (well, here it's called "recruitment"). There are 5 sororities on my campus, and I was a legacy to one of them. I decided that I would keep an open mind, and see where I liked it best.

I'm really glad I went through recruitment, because I got to see that we have great organizations on our campus. I liked the girls I met at each house, but Alpha Chi was the one I didn't want to leave. The girls are so diverse and friendly, and I just feel like I click there.

One thing that impressed me about my chapter during rush was the involvement of the chapter advisors. I saw them constantly during the "parties". That was a good sign to me - it meant that they liked AXO enough to be actively involved as alums. I was also interested in the philanthropy (domestic violence), and since joining, I've enjoyed the work we've done at a local shelter.

When it came time to figure out where I wanted to go, I put down Alpha Chi as my only choice on my bid card. I decided that I didn't want to join a sorority just to join one, and that Alpha Chi had stolen my heart, so that's the only place I wanted to go...

...and they picked me too and the rest is history!

My advice is to go in with and open mind and choose where YOU fit. You might be surprised. One girl in my rush group was die hard Alpha Chi all the way through and ended up going Sigma Sigma Sigma, and she's loving it... So who knows what might happen.

Like my recruitment counselor (who turned out to be one of my sisters said)... Pick a house where if you had to show up sick in sweats, no make up, messy hair, no shower... You wouldn't be embarassed.

I haven't, but I wouldn't be.

aggieAXO · #3 12-04-2002, 02:46 AM

That is such a nice story Shainna

. Welcome to greek chat!

Karen

AXO Sweetheart · #4 12-04-2002, 01:51 PM

Thank you! Very glad to have found it.

AXO_MOM_3 · #5 12-04-2002, 03:54 PM

What a great post Shainna!

axotiger · #6 12-06-2002, 01:45 PM

Let's see, my rush story... no biggie. Well I rushed back in the fall of 2000. Rush started BEFORE classes even started.. which was a lil crazy, but also cool because I met hundreds of girls in the same boat as me... not knowing anyone, and going into these parties scared as hell. (it's not bad). We have 10 sororities on campus, so the days of parties were LONG. And they made us walk all around campus... which was good because (a) i had a bunch of girls to follow so I wouldnt get lost and (b) I got a crash course in the whereabouts of everything on campus. On my hall, my rush group started out with about 25 girls, but ended with probably 20 who stayed. The first few days were kinda hazy, I kept a notebook with notes about each party right after I visited it. Alpha Chi was top 5 through out the entire thing. By pref round, however... it was number 1 all the way. I knew where I wanted to go... it was cool because each round, my girl would be like.. oh YOU'RE stevie.. I've heard so much about you... (which ALWAYS made me smile). I just felt comfortable, and knew that was where I wanted to go!!

Since then, I've been Asst New Member Educator, Orientation Coordinator, and webmaster for 2 years [even though im not taking classes now because of co-oping] . Updating our webpage last year got me SO involved in alpha chi... and since I looked at nearly EVERY webpage I could find, I am pretty much obessed (well not REALLY) with alpha chi.

It is quite possibly the best thing that I've ever done....

Like AXO Sweetheart said, go in with an open mind, and don't worry... you'll end up where you belong.. GOOD LUCK!!

italianaxo · #7 12-30-2002, 01:06 PM

Hi smiley
Its great that you are doing so much research before rush. I sort of went blindly into the whole thing. Really look at the houses and try and keep an open mind, because when I first met the alpha chi's on my campus I thought "no way. these are not the kind of girls i am usually friends with." Now when I look back on that I can't imagine what I was thinking. I have been so happy as an Alpha Chi and I love my sisters. The past 2 and half years (since I got my bid as a freshman) have been great and I really can't imagine being in another group on my campus. I know now the sorority i thought was "perfect" and so wanted to join was DEFINITELY not the place for me. In fact one of my best friends started pledging that house and dropped out.
Don't let things other people say, at your school or on greek chat influence you too much. You know what's best for you.
I read the greek life link about race and sororities (that def got way expanded from your first topic

) People here seem to get caught up in things and use greek chat as a forum for whatever is on their mind, and there are always a few people looking for conflict. Don't take it as a reflection on sororities in general.
Sorority life varies so much school to school and by area.

Both NPHC and Panhellenic sororities have a lot going for them. I don't know what your school is like but i can share my experiences. I am part Italian and part Chinese, and from NYC. While my chapter has less minorities than the total campus, it is pretty diverse. But what I love is that even if no one else in the chapter "looked like me" and if only the white sisters remained, I would still feel comfortable as a part of the house because my sisters are great people. I don't mean to overidealize things. There are still a few people who I don't necessarily want to be friends with and am not that close to but I still respect them and see that they meet alpha chi's five membership criteria (academic interest, character, personal developments, financial responsibility, and leadership ability). When I joined there were a few people who I really didn't like. I thought to myself "do I really want to join this group" the answer was yes. I realized I could watch my back. Those 3 seniors graduated and our chapter is headed in a great direction. I love axo and the friends I have made. I feel like I can be myself around them. I don't feel uncomfortable cooking foods they have never heard of before in the house kitchen and while many still think some of my food is odd, some of my sisters are hooked on my dumplings and ma po dofu. I bring my sisters home for an Italian Christmas eve, and Chinese new year celebrations. And from them I learn about their cultures and interests. I love my chapter because it is diverse and open, not just in terms of race, but in terms of places people come from and their interests. I have learned a lot about the south, texas etc (and believe me its def different than ny) and gone to support my sisters at sports event, concerts, student government stuff, and community service events.
Sorry bout the long post... Good luck with rush. Give sororities a chance, because you never know what you'll find. If you are comfortable.

justamom · #8 12-31-2002, 08:53 AM

My rush was rather uneventful due to the nature of the campus and the "era". Sororities were frowned upon in the early 70s.

I KNEW NOTHING! Just went where I felt the best place for me would be. No cuts, a few hard decisions but all in all, NOTHING like I've read on these boards, or what my daughter went through on the competative campuses.

Many on GC have said they would have liked to experience a true "Southern Rush". Sometimes, I just wish I could have experienced a true GREEK CAMPUS!

I would bet though, that ALL of us at our Pref felt those same goose bumps...

AXO Sweetheart-Like my recruitment counselor (who turned out to be one of my sisters said)... Pick a house where if you had to show up sick in sweats, no make up, messy hair, no shower... You wouldn't be embarassed.
Smiley-This is one of the most repeated bits of advice. I think we would ALL agree this is so important. When its all said and done, being able to be yourself and allowed to grow is what really matters.

AXO Sweetheart · #9 12-31-2002, 11:53 AM

I'd also like to add this: If you join, no matter what sorority it is, don't expect everyone to get together and get along magically.

What I mean by that is, when you first join a sorority, you are likely to have an "awkward period". This ladies do love you, and they want to share their experience with you, but it's hard. They're used to it being them (which they've had to adjust to as well), and now there's a new group of wonderful girls that they know very little about, and have to get to know. They will have their inside jokes and cliques. You may feel a little out of the loop at first, but that's temporary. Sisterhood events (like Big/Lil, and we have a New Member Sleepover for everyone), and hanging out at the house or spending time with the girls will cure that.

I mention that because I was worried in the beginning, then I realized that was completely normal, and temporary.