Hi, I will be attending a University in the Deep South this fall and plan to participate in sorority rush. I am most interested in the networking opportunities and greek league intramural teams. I am from the west coast so greek life really is not a big deal, but in the South it seems to be everything. I have heard a lot of horror stories about Southern rush weeks and also have a few of my own just from the informational meeting I attended (there is a “not required” but highly encouraged sandal we are all suppose to wear(???)). Anyway, does anyone have any insight into rush week in the South or tips to survive it? I am starting to have second thoughts about whether my personality fits sorority life (high school athlete, honor roll student, hates those suggested sandals…). Any advice is appreciated, thank you!
It’s a weekend of walking and talking. I’m sure the sandals are a suggestion so people don’t show up in 4" heels.
Go with the intention of having fun and finding a house that is what you are looking for. There are plenty of athletes in houses. There are plenty of honor roll students, both from high school and college.
I would suggest just having an open mind to joining and not joining a sorority. That’s what rush week is all about, exploring your options. Greek life in some southern schools is a bigger than others. S attends a Greek heavy school and is not Greek. He had a predisposition to not join. However, during the 1st semester he decided to rush (2nd semester at his school) as a group of friends and he thought they needed to because “that’s what you do”. I could tell he was a bit ambivalent about it. Long story short, he rushed, got a bid, (his other friends did not get bids or didn’t rush), pledged for a day or two and then realized it wasn’t for him and resigned his spot. So no Greek life for him at a heavy Greek school.
You know what, he loves it. Has tons of friends, both in and outside of Greek life. As a rising junior, he would tell you membership is less important to many of the kids as they get older and are involved in lots of other things.
People say it’s different for women. More pressure to join, form groups (cliques), etc. He would tell you there’s some of that with certain people, but they’re not the ones his female friends would want to hang with anyway.
The Bottom line is Greek life can be quite rewarding. Not being Greek can be equally rewarding. So check it out and decide what’s best for you. College is a great time to start learning about yourself and doing what feels right, not just going with the flow.
BTW - there will likely be plenty of intramural teams made up of dorm mates, clubs, independents, etc. Not just Greek. They’ll also be different flights (A, B, C) based on skill level. You’ll find your tribe either way. Good luck!
First, go to the schools Panhellenic page and see what they might have about rush for your school. Each one is different but sorority rush is pretty structured in how it is done. Some schools you need Rec letters and others don’t care about recs.
My D’s sorority is about 150 members so within that larger group you will find smaller groups of girls that are into things like athletics, arts, partying, academics, etc. so within the larger group you will find your smaller core group of friends.
Rush can be a brutal process and the best thing is to go in with an open mind and not just target a few sororities. Focus on your conversations during the rounds as you only have a short time to make a connection. Think of rush like speed dating, know what you want to get across and practice your responses. Don’t just wing it.
At the end of the day, if you don’t like what you see you can always drop out of rush or not accept a bid. Going through the experience will tell you if you think its for you or not. If you are interested, then go through the process and at least you will get to see what its like.
There are very real differences between the sororities and their priorities. Do some asking and some searching, both on their pages and in other places about what each sorority is like at your school. KKG at JHU and UT-A are surprisingly different.
Depending on your school and the sorority, there are some where you honestly won’t get a look-in, b/c they are all about legacy and the new intake are mostly known to the sorority even before orientation… Don’t take that personally.
Also, if you like a sorority that wants letters of reference, don’t be shy about reaching out to your broadest friends & family asking if they know anybody from that sorority- it’s common enough practice (I get messages most years asking if I know anybody who was in xyz sorority, and it’s surprising who turns out to have been in one). A letter from a friend of a friend is fine.