Ready to run home? Millions of women decide to rush a sorority as part of their American college experience ever year. Sorority recruitment can be a super intense period of time that any potential new member (PNM) in Greek life has to experience with their new sisterhood. Rush week is a 24/7, weeklong ordeal where you have to see whether you fit the mold to be accepted into your top house. Sounds stressful, right? Well, that’s where rush consultants come in.
During sorority recruitment, PNMs have to market themselves to Panhellenic chapters month before rush even begins. Students are required to provide resumes, essay responses, headshots, recommendation letters, and videos, among other things. Each day during rush, PNMs will also dress up in themed outfits, all with the hopes of being picked by their top house.
Sorority rush coaching company Hiking in Heels states on their website, “At some schools, 15-20% of PNMs will go home empty-handed.” Fortunately, there are now a number of consultant groups like Hiking In Heels being created to help PNMs achieve getting accepted into their dream sorority.
What is a sorority rush consultant?
Sorority rush consultants are sorority alumni that coach young women on how to be prepared for the rush events at their university. Rush consultants provide step-by-step guidance for PNMs on what to wear, where to get recommendation letters from, how to curate their social media pages, and what to expect during recruitment. Pat Grant, the founder of Rushbiddies in Birmingham, Alabama, told Town & Country in 2017 she tells her clients they have to abide by what the sorority expects them to be like. “Maybe back in high school cowboy boots were your signature. But here, you don’t have a signature. You have to meet what’s expected until you’re established,” she said.
Sessions may include activities like rewriting your resume or participating in mock rush rounds. The goal of the practice rounds is to figure out what elements of someone’s personality should pop out and others the PNM should steer clear from promoting during the recruitment process.
How much does a sorority rush consultant cost?
Sorority consultants can be expensive. Coaching company Getting The Bid has a program available for PNMs for $649. Sorority Prep offers one three-hour class for $500. According to a 2021 Fortune article, Hiking in Heels offers two packages to PNMs — one premium package for $1,496 and another elite package for $2,975.
Although it’s expensive, it’s nothing compared to the money PNMs are paying to actually rush. Between the fees, clothes, dues, and more, the Bama Rush documentary on HBO Max, which premiered on May 23, valued rushing at the University of Alabama to cost $8,300. So, if you’re thinking twice about spending the money on a sorority rush consultant, you may want to think about whether rushing is something in your budget, too. Hiking in Heels co-founder Stacia Damron told Elite Daily, “The sorority views recruitment as an investment … if someone is going through [college] on full scholarship and plans on working the entire time they’re in college, recruitment might not be something that they’re seeking out.”