As tons of freshman girls flock back to Lehigh a week before classes start, the anticipation is almost too much to handle! The snappy casual outfits are coming together and the girl flirting is about to begin! It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting…formal PanHellenic recruitment!
No one has any idea what to expect or what this week will bring. All that everyone knows is that hopefully, come Sunday morning, they will be a part of a sorority that brings new friends, opportunities, and fun! I have to be totally honest and say that the week of rush was not anything like I expected, and I’m pretty sure most of my friends agree. There are a lot of things that I wish I had known that Monday morning when I came back for rush and these are just a few of them:
1. Even though everyone thinks they have some sort of idea where they want to end up, the best way to enter recruitment is with an open mind. Go to all of the houses, see what you think of the girls, and don’t consider sorority’s reputations as a part of your decision. If you like the girls in a specific house, it’s probably a good place for you to be!
2. Know how to girl flirt-but be yourself! Faking a conversation isn’t going to win anyone over. In my experience, rush was a lot more enjoyable when I just spoke to the girls as if they were one of my friends. Overthinking every word that I said certainly did not make the situation any easier to handle.
3. If you get cut from a house you wanted, it just wasn’t meant to be. I heard it about 20 times during the process, “everyone ends up where they belong”. I wasn’t sure I believed it, but seeing how happy everyone is in their respective houses has proven that most of the time, it really does work out. So stressing over being cut from one house is definitely not necessary. Also, going back to fewer houses than you “should be” is not a bad thing. Going back to 4 instead of 6 houses for philanthropy round, for example, is nothing to fret about. Maybe those 4 are your best options!
4. Make the decision about which houses you like based off of your opinions alone. Sure, it would be great to end up with all of the girls on your hall, but if you’re good enough friends with them, it shouldn’t matter whether or not you end up together.
5. Believe that rush is not the most important thing that will happen in your entire college career. In the grand scheme of things, what sorority you end up in won’t matter. What will matter are the friends you make, and the memories that you share with your sisters. It sounds corny, but it’s true. Realize that rush is not the most important thing in the world and what is meant to be will be. And in all likelihood, you will end up where you belong.