<p>with rush week in a little over a week, i have a few questions about the process (for fraternities in particular):</p>
<ol>
<li><p>what kind of things should we be prepared to talk with brothers about at smokers? clearly the whole "be yourself" thing applies, but what are conversations like? i guess i'd like to have a few things in mind beforehand so i'm not standing there awkwardly the whole time.</p></li>
<li><p>is it weird to go to events alone? i'm interested in a few houses that some of my friends dislike and vice versa.</p></li>
<li><p>i know this is a serious issue for girls, but are guys required to wear anything? obviously i plan on dressing well, but are there any formal events where i'd need a tie?</p></li>
<li><p>any news on the whole "dry rush" thing? is there going to be anything going on at night?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>1) Most important thing is to always be talking to someone and be good at initiating conversation. It’s a long week from our side also and if brothers aren’t going up to meet you it doesn’t mean they aren’t interested in getting to know you, they’re most likely just worn out. In general I like talking to rushes about things like sports, the basics like major, residence hall, clubs, etc. It can also help to talk to people in groups since the focus won’t be always squarely on you (but dont be too quiet as to not be noticed)</p>
<p>2) Not really, but again it depends on how social you are. If you show up and don’t make an effort to talk to anyone than it could be awkward. But generally people won’t think you are weird for rushing alone if you are confident in yourself and social.</p>
<p>3) I’d maybe try to dress the part for the houses you’re looking at. For the first few days the brothers will be wearing jacket and tie, but as a rush I’d just recommend a button-down or polo. Don’t try to dress overly ‘fratty’ (IE show up in critter pants and a pink polo), but look presentable especially on day one since that photo will be looked at all week.</p>
<p>4) Now smokers will be conducted from like 6-9 for north and 9-12 for west and it will rotate throughout the week so there is really no time for drinking events to take place unfortunately. That said I think frats will have some creative ideas and it should be kinda fun.</p>
<p>this is probably a weird question, but i’m not all that into watching professional sports on tv (i just find it boring and never saw the appeal). is this going to be a problem?</p>
<p>Every fraternity is different and has its own bunch of people. The challenge is to find the one where the people will actually accept you and hopefully extend you a bid. You shouldn’t have to pretend you’re into something (such as sports) in order to appease anybody. That’s just my two cents.</p>
<p>Ya it may only be a 10-15 minute conversation but if you do that with a lot of brothers (or at least some of the more influential ones) and they all say “ya this kid seems cool” then you’ll get a contact. You can generally tell who you will get along with by talking with people.</p>