<p>motherMD, I think recs etc are more for those interested in joining a sorority.</p>
<p>To the best of my knowledge, freshmen are not officially allowed to party on the row for the first little bit of the school year. I don’t know how long it is exactly, I think it’s until bid night, but I’m not sure.</p>
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<p>Maybe that’s what the “story” for the Presents says, but traditionally white dress = virginity. Why do you think women are expected to wear white on their wedding day? It’s to uphold the idea that the woman has saved herself for her husband.</p>
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<p>■■■■■■ go around ripping everyone a new one. I only post on the USC board and I have (I hope) offered insight to housing, different awesome classes at USC, etc.</p>
<p>I didn’t mean dorky as an insult; I’m a nerd/dork in my own different way. The one girl I knew in band outwardly said her section was a “big group of nerds.” I thought that was the accepted consensus.</p>
<p>Hell, I was in jazz band in high school and I openly admit that being in band is a dorky thing to do.</p>
<p>The girls who have already been presented in my sorority wear black dresses for presents. Does that make them un-virginal? To the best of my knowledge, the feminists in my sorority have no problem with girls in white dresses on presents. It’s just a nice tradition, like Monday Night Dinners & deliveries. I don’t believe most schools have MND, and I love it! It’s a very fun tradition.</p>
<p>i wouldn’t stress yourself out about recs. Ask around, contact your local panhellenic group, and see if anyone is willing to write you a rec, but honestly they aren’t taken into HUGE account unless you have someone write it who knows you well.
Some more do’s and don’ts:
DO dress for girls, not guys. We won’t be impressed by mini skirts and 5 inch heels.
Don’t dress too casually (e.g. no jeans, no shorts in most cases).
Don’t make decisions based on your friends. Obviously the first girls you meet, you wanna stick with, but decide for yourself. A lot of my rush group girls are still friends, even though we all went to different sororities. Despite what people think, there’s very little animosity between different houses 
Don’t brag about how you blacked out the other night and it was “like sooo funny because my bff had to like carry me home”. I promise you don’t sound cool.
Do be classy and enjoy the experience. If you go in with an open mind, I guarantee you will end up in the right house! Or you may just decide a sorority’s not right for you, drop and live happily every after. Either way, you’ll meet an amazing bunch of girls and have a good story or two. Good luck :)</p>
<p>yeah, definitely, from the active side, we’re not allowed to talk about alcohol, guys, money (e.g. income–if you want to know how much dues are, we’ll obviously tell you!), etc, and I’m pretty sure that’s universal for all the sororities. You can talk about plenty of other things besides those topics and still have a great conversation, so I’d recommend doing that.</p>
<p>so how much ARE dues…when you’re not living in the sorority?</p>
<p>varies from house to house. Maybe contact the Panhellenic VP finance, she might have a specific range to give you. PM me if you want her email address.</p>
<p>To Mitch,</p>
<p>The dues do vary from house to house. But one thing to remember, at least at my daughter’s house, the dues include dinner 4 nights a week and brunch on Friday’s. They can choose to eat there or not, but a consideration when selecting a USC food plan. One house does charge about $7000, but most are in the $2000-$3000 range. This does cover other sorority functions as well. Also, the sororities offer scholarships, which can be applied for in December, I believe.</p>
<p>Freshman don’t live in the houses but can apply for a room as a sophomore. The acceptances for this are usually based upon “house points” (for activities, contributions-non financial- the first year).</p>
<p>And to Zelda, girls from a sorority don’t just associate with girls from that same one. My daughter’s best friend is not in a sorority, and she has 4 or 5 in other different ones. They all went to football games together, go out to dinner together, etc. </p>
<p>And as for the USC Marching Band, no way are they dorky. They are absolutely fantastic!!! Thanks to those of you in the band for spending the time you do at athletic and alumni events!</p>