We know that many of you are still in the process of sending off your sorority packets and gathering Recs + Letters of Support, which is great! Somehow, though, it is already MID JUNE. Meaning the start of fall recruitment is right around the corner. (What?)
With that said, over the next few weeks we'll begin to really dig into the ins and outs of rush week.
RUSH ADVICE YOU SHOULDN'T BE TAKING
1. "Avoid bringing up the five 'B Words': Boys, Ballots, Booze, Beliefs, and Bucks."
Okay...this is a "yes and no" kind of thing. The "B Words" list—comprised of topics that PNMs should supposedly "never ever discuss" during recruitment week—has been circulating for years now.
To be fair, we agree that there are some subjects on this list that probably won't help you form the most worthwhile types of connections.Take, for example, booze. Whether or not you specifically mention alcohol, if the ONLY questions you ask during recruitment week have to do with parties and social events, you risk sending a message to chapter members that sounds something like this: "I want to know what YOU can do to help ME have fun during college." A better message to send: "I'd love to learn how I can contribute to the type of community your chapter has already established."See the difference?
On the flip side, we couldn't disagreemore with the idea of cutting out conversations that have to do with your beliefs or faith! If your goal in going through recruitment is really to find a group of women who you can learn, grow, and connect with over the next four years, then by all means, show them who you really are during recruitment.If a sorority "cuts you" for discussing your faith, that's 100% their loss. Remember, recruitment is a mutual selection process.You shouldn't have to hide or compromise what you believe in order to find a meaningful community in college...so decide right now that you won't!
2. "Set your social media profiles to private."
If your profiles are already set to private, no worries! You don't have to make them public for recruitment. On the other hand, if your profiles are currently public, there's no need to go into lockdown mode. Having your profiles on a public setting means that current sorority members have the opportunity to do a little research (AKA, friendly stalking) prior to recruitment. Don't let this freak you out, though. Chapters will often reference social media as a way to get to know you better, take a peek at what you're interested in, and discover topics of mutual interest for upcoming rush conversations!
With that said, if there's ANYTHING on any of your social media accounts right now that doesn't accurately represent who you are (ahem...overly aggressive subtweets), or any photos or videos you would be embarrassed for your mom, dad, or a future employer to see, delete it now. You'll thank yourself later.
3. "If you don't get into sorority X, Y, or Z, just drop out of rush altogether."
Is it bad to research sororities in advance? Well, that depends on the goal of your research...and the methods you use to obtain information. Referencing "Greek rank" -type websites is nevera good idea, but it can be especially damaging (and time-wasting) prior to recruitment. During rush week, we also recommend limiting (or completely skipping) conversations about how you're planning to rank each house you visited. It can be tempting to discuss your preference order with other PNMs in your rush group, we know. But we can't over-emphasize the importance of focusing on YOUR individual experience and going with YOUR gut instinct following each round of recruitment.
In short: Throw out everything you've heard about "top houses" and rankings, and do your best to go into recruitment with an open mind. The overall experience will be so much better if you do!
PS: Our Sorority Scoop group members (a community of 9,000+ PNMs from around the country...and counting!) are always the first to receive rush tips and advice just like this. Sign up here to get the scoop in your inbox each week, too!
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Want more advice like this? You'll find 50+ pages of completely current, totally comprehensive information about the sorority recruitment process in our eBook, Everything You Need to Know About Sorority Recruitment!
