<p>Hey guys,</p>
<p>Fraternity rush week begins January 15th, and I highly recommend attending, regardless of any plans to join a House. It is an overall great time where you get to tour lots of Houses, eat free food, go to fun free events (paintball, casino, etc.), and get a taste of what Greek life at Cornell is actually like. </p>
<p>Here's the 2014 schedule:</p>
<p>Cornell</a> University | Interfraternity Council </p>
<p>I went through rush last year not entirely sure about joining any fraternity, and I actually came to my decision a week after rush. I went into both Rush and the pledging process with a fair amount of trepidation and am now the incoming president of my Fraternity (not going to say which). Joining my house was quite honestly the best decision I made at Cornell. I would wager that most Greek members would say something similar. </p>
<p>RANKINGS:</p>
<p>I will not be giving a ranking or even descriptions of any specific Houses. Anyone who professes to be able to "rank" Cornell's 37 social fraternities is full of crap. Rankings are bases largely on existing perceptions of Houses that take years to change. For example, Cornell's "official" fraternity ranking site (which no longer exists) contained information that was years old and featured Houses that had been kicked off campus years before. It, or a superficially modified version of it, usually makes rounds on this forum and others like ezrahub. That list may have accurately ranked sorority relations of fraternities at Cornell in 2010, but in a system that experiences ~100% turnover every 4 years, it is of little value to today's rushes. </p>
<p>FIRST FEW DAYS:</p>
<p>Instead, speak with brothers at many tables during Meet the Greeks (the first event of Rush week, where rushes can speak with representatives of each House at Helen Newman). Get a feel for the Houses, pick up a schedule, and get to know some of the Brothers there. During the first few days there are a series of open "smokers" where rushes can visit any House, meet brothers, eat their chef's food, and tour the physical house. These events are generally stilted and awkward. Usually, rushes outnumber brothers or brothers outnumber rushes. Try to speak with a lot of different brothers (if you join the House, you will be spending time with EVERYONE). Ask questions about the House, the brother, the food, Cornell, whatever, but don't dominate the conversation, especially in a big group. The first round of contacts for most Houses will include any guys who came down and seemed socially competent, so you don't need to try to stand out during the initial smokers. </p>
<p>Go to as many Houses as you can during these few days. Get a taste for what you like and don't like about each one and use it to come up with a shorter list to focus on during the coming week. Don't just consider what you want, also consider the amount of interest you feel from the House. Many guys make the mistake of "suicide rushing" a "top" House that receives hundreds of interested guys each year. These guys will go to every event, at the expense of all other Houses' events, only to find out they didn't make the next round of contacts, or didn't receive a bid. This puts you in the awkward situation of trying to get back in the good graces of Houses you previously spurned. Otherwise, you may end up not going Greek or joining the community a semester later than you would have liked, missing out on the chance to live in the House (a pretty wild experience). </p>
<p>At night, most Frats will have unregistered events at their house or annex in Collegetown. These offer you a chance to get to know the brothers better and see the House in a more natural (and honest) context. Be prepared for a lot of drinking games and man flirting. </p>
<p>FIRST CONTACTS:</p>
<p>First round of contacts will occur on Friday the 17th. This is where Houses will send up teams of 3-4 guys to "contact" rushes who they want to get to know better. This will usually include an invitation to a more selective, intimate, and expensive event such as paintball or a long party bus ride to watch elderly gambling addicts at Turning Stone Casino. The House will treat you to whatever food you get along the way and give you some money to lose at the Casino. These events are generally pretty fun and are designed to make you feel special and wanted.</p>
<p>More smokers and night events will happen, if you are rushing more than one House (generally recommended, unless you've received fairly explicit interest from your favorite House), you will need to decide between two conflicting events. Our schedules are very limited in when we can have certain events. Missing a dinner or party can knock you off the list at some Houses, others don't care as much or understand your position. </p>
<p>SECOND CONTACTS:</p>
<p>These will happen on Sunday the 19th. After these, all events will be informal, often unregistered. This means they will actually be fun and often involve alcohol. You should narrow your interests down to about 3-4 Houses at this point. Maintaining a House's interest in you at this point will require attendance of most of these final events, unless you have built a strong relationship with them during the first semester, or they're really desperate. </p>
<p>You can try to balance a few House's events, but it will start getting stressful/awkward/guilt-inducing managing, accepting, and rejecting invitations to do informal lunches with a few brothers, dinners out with the whole House, and more intimate events. </p>
<p>FINAL CONTACTS:</p>
<p>These are nearly tantamount to a bid. They will go down on Tuesday the 21st. You will probably get a few heartfelt speeches espousing the values, benefits, and exclusivity of the House. You will receive an invitation to the bid dinner, often a pretty fun event where the House goes all out to convince any fence-sitters. </p>
<p>It is pretty difficult to receive more than 2 bids, due to the mutually exclusive nature of the final few days of rush. Houses that you may have had a good relationship with during the semester, but then neglected during Rush week, expecting to receive a bid, may surprise you. </p>
<p>DECISIONS:</p>
<p>When you're deciding between Houses at all stages, there are a few things to keep in mind. Many will be drawn to a House's social prestige, sorority relations, popularity, and its physical house. This is understandable. It does, however, lead to a lot of competition for certain Houses. Keep this in mind as you rush. You may think top house X really likes you based on your conversations and drinking game success at their annex, then find yourself without a contact or a bid. </p>
<p>It's also important to remember that the 4 factors I mentioned above matter very little in your actual experience with the House. All of them mean nothing if you don't actually enjoy spending time with your Brothers. Your fit with the House matters more than anything else and cannot be determined by rankings, reputation, or hearsay. It can only be determined through actually spending time with a number of different Houses. </p>
<p>The Rush process is exhausting, a lot of fun, and can determine your next few years at Cornell. Almost every guy who joins a Fraternity gets a lot out of it. Those who don't probably rushed for the wrong reasons or went for the wrong Houses for them. </p>
<p>I've tried to be as exhaustive as possible in one post, but have missed a lot I'm sure. Post any questions you have below or PM me.</p>