Hello! I’m interested in rushing to join a Panhellenic sorority. Every once in a while, you hear a story about racism in Greek life (not as much in sororities though). I am just curious as to know what the rushing experience would be like for me and if I would potentially struggle receiving a bid. No one in my family was in a sorority, so this is still fairly new to me. The college in question is the University of Florida, but if someone has experience with other SEC schools, or just Southern schools, that will be fine. I know how big Greek life is down there 
Thanks!
The UF Panhellenic’s website has an [FAQ[/url] which discusses recruitment. Read over it, and maybe check out some other pages on the website or the one for general [url=<a href=“https://www.studentinvolvement.ufl.edu/Sorority-Fraternity-Affairs/How-to-Join%5Dgreek”>https://www.studentinvolvement.ufl.edu/Sorority-Fraternity-Affairs/How-to-Join]greek life](http://www.ufpanhellenic.org/#!faq/c16cv).
Personally race doesn’t play a role in how my sorority selects its members, nor do we try to discourage non-whites from joining. I would imagine that most other panhellenics at UF follow a similar protocol.
http://www.ufpanhellenic.org/#!chapters
http://www.mgcuf.org/chapters.html
http://ufnphc.org/about/
The photo galleries indicate that many of the sororities are highly racially segregated. This does not necessarily mean that they practice racial discrimination (they are not supposed to), since there could be lack of interest by potential new members to joining a group where they would be the only one of their race or ethnicity – of course, this perpetuates the segregation.
ΘNΞ (Theta Nu Xi) advertises itself as a multicultural sorority, if that is a criterion for you.
@rayneshadow1 Um… childish much?
I don’t have info specific to UF, but years ago my child went though recruitment and I had some concerns about us having no ties to sorrorities and being Jewish.
One thing I had no idea of was letters of recommendation from other sorority alums. Some of my friends offered to do this and I didn’t have any idea what they were talking about, and since she registered late there wasn’t time. However, if you, or your family, know alums of any sororities, they can write a letter on your behalf.
The other is clothing. Some are specific, such as a white dress for induction, a black dress for a dressy night and so on. It is an investment, but these are dresses that you can wear for several years to other events on campus. Check the clothing requirements for recruitment.
Also know that admission to any sorority is a social consideration, based on numerous factors, not only race. Having one’s sights on a certain one is more likely a heartbreak than to go through recuitment open to the experience and seeing what you like with the intent of matching where you are most comfortable. It reminded me of the cliques in high school where people hung out with their own group, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing as college is where you meet all kinds of people and sororities are just a part of that. Some girls choose to make Greek life the center of their social life and some don’t. Sororities choose different philanthropies, some are more academic, some are more culturally mixed than others.
One factor is personality. You have only a few minutes to make an impression during recruitment. Some girls are better at this than others. I think being shy would be a drawback for any student. It isn’t impossible to join as a student of color. I know a student who was matched with what looked like mostly, but not entirely, caucasian students in a sorority a while back. She is very outgoing, and enjoys meeting new people, which I am sure was an asset to her during recruitment. She would have fun in this kind of situation and I think this draws people to her.
The take home message I would have for a student interested in recruitment would be to go through it with an open mind, enjoy meeting people, see what it is like, and then consider the results. Before recruitment there was a parent meeting where the parents were warned that each year, some girls do not get in, and are crushed. However, I suspect that one factor to this might be personality, as someone who is shy, doesn’t enjoy small talk, or isn’t comfortable in these kinds of social situations would not do as well as a student who is comfortable with them.
If you do plan on rushing, think about staying at Jennings, Broward or Beaty Towers. They are located near the sororities and will make rushing a lot less painful. Also, think about taking a lighter load of classes (12-13 credits) in the fall. Pledging a sorority is a major time commitment for most new rushees.
Good Luck!