Rush, also known as “recruitment” by formal Panhellenic terms, can be scary. True, recruitment is different at every school. However, the basic essence of all that is rush is still present in every school’s recruitment process. For all rushees, featured below are some helpful tips to make rush easy as pie.
1. Recommendation Letters
Try to have recommendation letters for the sororities you want to get into. Even if you’ve been told a recommendation letter isn’t necessary, recommendation letters will definitely be an asset. This means a letter from someone who was a member of your desired sorority in the past. At certain schools, some sororities won’t even consider girls without the proper recommendation letters. Try to have your letters sent in as early as possible. The more the better!
2. Bring a Travel Pack of Essentials
Most sorority recruitments take place during summer right before the school year begins. With the summer heat, you’re bound to sweat off all your makeup before you are finished with houses for the day. Pack a travel baggie filled with the necessary touchups. Some helpful items might include: deodorant, foundation, lipgloss and breath mints. You might want to also consider packing a pair of cheap flip flops for the long trek from house to house. Your feet will thank you after!
3. Posture
Look confident, be confident. Even if you’re more nervous than ever before, you don’t want to look nervous. Sororities are looking for confident and bubbly girls they can imagine will fit in with their friends.
4. Always Smile
Always -repeat- always smile! Members will look around the room at potential new members to see if they are having a good time in their house. If a smile isn’t on your face, the members will assume you don’t want to be part of the group. Even if members are clapping and singing in a less than comfortable way, keep a smile plastered on your face. Don’t be too creepy with said smile, but maintain an interested and entertained demeanor.
5. Ask Questions
Just as girls on the other side will prepare questions to ask you, come up with a few questions to ask the members of the sorority you talk to. Ask questions like “What year are you?” and “Do you live in the sorority house?” Have follow up questions to their answers like “Do you enjoy living in the house?” or “Why did you choose not to live in the house?” Asking questions gives them less time to ask you questions, which can make it a little less on the spot and less nerve-racking. It will also give you the chance to get to know more about the sorority!
6. Maintain Neutrality
The expression to not put all your eggs in one basket is key in the recruitment process. If you seem overly interested, it could come off the wrong way. Yet at the same time, if you seem too disinterested you will be written off immediately. Be sure to say things like “I could see myself here” or “Your house is so cute and homie,” but not “OMG this is my number one pick!” At the end of the day, you don’t know if you will like another house more or if this house could be your best and only option.
7. Flirt
This might seem odd, but think of recruitment in the same way you would think of flirting. When you are talking to someone of interest, you want to test the waters at first. Just like with a boy, the potential sorority is checking you out and testing you, but you should also be doing the same thing. Be yourself so you can be certain you will end up in the right place!
8. Follow the Dress Code
In most recruitment weeks, each day of the week will have a different outfit theme. Be sure to look up the theme for each day on your school’s Panhellenic website. The days usually get fancier as the week proceeds. Typically, the days will go from cute shorts and a shirt, to sundress to nice dress. Whatever you wear, make sure it’s cute and classy! This means avoid frayed edges, low shirts and super short bottoms.
9. Keep an Open Mind
Every sorority in every school has a stereotype, but that doesn’t mean the stereotype is true. Listen to the stereotypes, but take them with a grain of salt. Someone could hate a sorority you love, and someone could love a sorority you hate. Make up your mind on your own!
10. Look at the Whole Sorority
Engage in conversation with the girl or girls you are talking to, but be sure to look around the room at the chapter as a whole. You could be talking to a girl who doesn’t interest you, but that doesn’t mean you should judge the entire sorority based off that one individual.
