i’m a going to be a freshman next year and i’m OOS. i’m really interested in rushing but recently saw online that at least one recommendation letter (for every house- which is 14 sororities) is basically a must going into rush. is this true? what is the real rushing process at UT? is it truly as competitive as it’s hyped up to be? i’m not a legacy and have no connection to any of the sororities currently but going greek is something i’d really like to do
In our area, the local panhellenic association will help you obtain recs for the groups on campus . You should contact them in your area and see what they are able to do for you. Yes, they are necessary. Yes, it is competitive. Visit Greekchat.com and search for threads on recruitment at UT and you will get some good info.
it is a very very competitive process. EVERY sorority at UT is extremely hard to get into, each with varying preferences and criteria. those you do not have references for will drop you almost immediately. however, references don’t get you in. knowing people in the chapter REALLY helps, and if you don’t you need to wow them during the rounds. the real problem that makes rush at UT so difficult is the amount of girls who are “cross cut”, aka they cut some houses and others cut them, and they end up with nothing. rush, however, is less scary than i just made it sound. if you get references, dress the appropriate way that they tell you for each round (in the south, this includes full hair & makeup, pretty sundresses/cocktail dresses and wedges/heels), and let your personality shine, you really are likely to end up with a bid to where you are meant to be.
I would love to know how high school girls can meet college sorority girls. There are not many girls from our high school who attend UT and pledge a sorority. So how does one meet UT sorority girls so you have inside connections? Obviously it’s a little late to be making friends at summer camp, etc.
When I was in a sorority at UT (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth!), the larger metropolitan areas conducted summer rush events at home. This was a great way to get to know a few girls from your area in a smaller, more relaxed setting. The sorority girls then talked up the hometown girls they had gotten to know pretty well once rush was rolling in Austin. I assume the summer rush events still happen – the number of girls involved certainly hasn’t gotten smaller!
thanks for all of the info!
i’m from the NY/NJ area. i looked on http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/ which had a list of alumnae panhellenic organizations to reach out to with help of finding alumnae for recommendations for each chapter. the only one in my area was for NYC though, and it didn’t seem very active. there was no contact information on the website. a couple of other girls with similar situations to mine had left comments over the past couple of years and didn’t seem to ever receive a response. i really want to rush but don’t know how to find recommenders for all the chapters.
does anyone know any chapters in my area that may be able to help me?
Collegegal, reach out to women you know…teachers, guidance counselors, your hair stylist, women at your house of worship, etc…and let them know of your interest to go through recruitment. Many might be alumnae themselves or know women who are.
My daughter is OOS and successfully rushed at UT this past Fall. We are also in an area that does not have a big Panhellenic Alumni presence (Northern California). However there are sorority women everywhere - tell everyone you meet/know that u are going thru Rush. Teachers, coaches, mom’s friends. Post on Social media that you are looking for recs. I would also reach out to UT alumni groups in your area to try and meet local gals that are current sorority women at UT. Networking is key here. You want to meet some sorority girls over the spring/summer.
Great ideas from rainh2o and Gigem86 – the chapters at UT are national sororities, so recs from alumnae anywhere will help you. You will be surprised how many contacts you have that you didn’t realize. Did you see this website when you found the deanofstudents one: http://www.texaspanhellenic.com/ ? Good luck!
Hi,
I am currently in a sorority at UT and am an OOS student. I can confirm that all of the above advice is good. Getting letters is a huge part of the process, it took me 2 to 3 months to get them all in place. Definitely reach out to everybody you know, have your parents contact all of their friends. My mom really helped putting me in contact with her friends who were alums of various sororities. You can get lots of info online about what to wear. I would call it classy/cute. Google and youtube are your friend. Have all your clothes lined up for recruitment in advance. (you do not want to be thinking about putting an outfit together each day) Finally be open minded, you will find a match for you and you will get a bid. Each sorority has something to offer that you will enjoy, as the poster above mentioned being to selective will work against you. Good Luck
thanks for all the advice!