At Miami, greek life is huge.
Four sororities/fraternities were founded at Miami University. Phi Delta Theta, Sigma Chi, Beta Theta Pi, and Delta Zeta helped give Miami it’s nickname “The Mother of Fraternities”. So, at times it can feel like there isn’t a world outside of being greek.
My friend Taylor even compared pre-rush life to “looking through a keyhole into a better life,” because you don’t get to experience a lot of the fun parties and events since rush takes place second semester.
Once rush finally came around for me last year, I was eager and ready to join a sorority – and I did. As someone who has gone through this crazy process at this crazy greek school, I have some helpful tips and tricks to conquering rush. Call it Mal’s Declassified Rush Survival Guide (trademark pending).
Dress for Yourself
So, let’s just assume you want to join a sorority to actually make friends and have a good time, right? Crazy concept, I know, but let’s pretend here.
So, if this is true, then you’ll want to present yourself in an honest manner. Aka don’t pretend to be someone you’re not just to fit into what you think the chapter wants you to be. If you hate wearing dresses, wear pants. If you think high heels are evil torture devices created to be the downfall to women, wear flats. As long as you’re following the dress recommendations in some way, you’ll be fine.
Light Makeup
Each round of rush is long as heck. Some days you’ll start at 8 a.m. and finish at 11 p.m.. You don’t want to look like a raggedy cake face who just fell into an oil pit, so go light handed with the makeup.
Yes, you want to look your best, but lean to the more natural side if you can. Your face will thank you.
Comfortable Shoes
Again, these are long days, my dudes. You’ll be walking from hell and back, and the last thing you want is to be cranky because your dogs are barking!
If you must wear heels, pack some comfortable slippers in your bag to wear from party to party.
Stand Out
Whether that be with a cool story, a statement piece of jewelry, a unique fashion item or a bold lip color, making a lasting impression is important. The members of each house are meeting just as many new faces as you are and they have trouble remembering too.
I wore my favorite vintage Levi’s denim jacket a few rounds of rush, which really helped me emerge from the crowd.
Take Notes
Remembering each little conversation with every girl in every sorority you go to is hard. Trust me.
After each party grab your phone and jot down some memorable parts of your time there. Write what you talked about, the name of a girl you liked (or didn’t like), how you felt there, and even rate them out of 10. This helped me so much after each round because when I was ranking, I was able to recall details about each sorority.
Factoids
A 30-minute conversation with a complete stranger is bound to hit a few slow patches at some point. To ease the awkwardness, have a few talking points lined up! It’s totally okay to brag about yourself during rush, so if you were team captain of your soccer team or you were first-chair violin all four years, tell them.
Make Friends
The entire point of joining a sorority is to build relationships, so don’t be so worked up about joining the “best” one that you forget to have fun.
Talking to the girls in your rush group makes the day go by so much faster. You can be sitting outside a party for a long time, and refreshing Instagram gets old quick.
Also – and this is looking into the future a bit – if you join a sorority, you’ll be getting a big. So, while you’re in a party, look around for potential friends, and hopefully family members.
I’m rooming with a girl I got close with in my rush group this year. So seriously, look around you and make a friend or two!
Schedules
Do not share your schedule unless someone asks you.
If you are super stoked you got asked back to Kappa Kappa Gamma, that’s great! But, the girl next to you might have just been dropped from them, so be mindful.
On the other hand, if someone does ask you about your schedule and you aren’t comfortable sharing, then don’t. If you’re upset about getting dropped from your dream house, it’s okay to be embarrassed. Don’t tell people until you’re ready.
It’s really best to keep the whole process to yourself, but I know that it’s nearly impossible to do that, so just be courteous and kind!
Drugs
You
will
get
sick.
In order to fight the rush flu, stock up on Emergen-C, Day-Quil, Advil, decongestant etc. to keep yourself alive.
Aside from drugging yourself up, be clean during rush. Wash your hands and use hand sanitizer. Meeting all those people in such a short period of time means there will be a lot of germs floating around, be protected!
Finally, get some rest. It is incredibly tempting to stay up all night gushing about your day with friends, but you’re going to have to wake up early and do it all over again, so go to bed at a reasonable hour. You’ll look and feel better if you do.
Go With Your Gut
You’ll know where you’re supposed to be.
Don’t let stereotypes, rumors, or friends get in your head. You’ll know what feels right.
I got extremely lucky. I didn’t pick the sorority that felt like home in the final ranking, but thankfully I ended up there anyways. I got caught up in what I thought was the better choice and ranked incorrectly. Bless up that the process worked out in my favor, but save yourself from any regrets and go where you know is for you.
Trust the System (Sometimes)
For me, rush worked out really well. I had an amazing experience and I’m so thankful for it.
But I’m also thin and conventionally attractive.
Sororities are catty. If you don’t fit their mold, then rush might not go as well for you as it did for me. I know girls who are the nicest, funniest, all around best people, but because they aren’t traditionally pretty; they didn’t get into the sorority they wanted.
So trust the system, but sometimes the system is fucked.
Don’t Stress
….too much. It’s totally normal to be stressed about where you’ll end up, but know that everything happens for a reason.
Yes, I love my sorority, but I would be fine without it. It isn’t the end all be all to having a full college experience. You will be A-okay in or out of a sorority. If rush doesn’t work out for you, go do something else – you might even like it better.
Feature Photo: https://cbsradionews.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/selena-neighbors-2-yout…