Pink floral Lily dresses not your shtick? Don’t know your Greek letters? Just don’t care? Well you, my friend, are in the same boat I was in my freshman year when it was time to decide if I would rush or not.
As orientation begins to wind down, you start to hear whispers of “Meet The Greeks,” and your interest is piqued. Girls in your hall being to talk, “My mom was a (insert sorority name here), I will die if I don’t get a bid!” Perhaps rush is not a “do or die” deal to you, and maybe, much like I was, you are very confused on what to do. My advice: Go to Meet the Greeks. It can’t hurt. It may overwhelm you, and even scare you from rushing, like it did to me my freshman year, but go. And even after going, if you decide you aren’t the “sorority girl type,” I still urge you to rush.
Rush spans two weekends, one of which is free and you can drop at ANY TIME! So if you feel it is not for you, there is always an out. If you are turned off by the partying scene, know that is not what the Greek community is all about. Each organization has a charity that they raise money for through philanthropy events that are enjoyed by all students, Greek or non-Greek (Campus Golf, anyone?) As you go through rush you will get to see what each sorority is all about, and what is important to them. Through this you will inevitably find an organization that shares similar values and interests with you. You will hear throughout the two weekends of rush that “it all works out in the end.”
So again, I say go for it! You can always drop if you feel it’s not for you. If you later regret your decision, sophomores and juniors rush all the time! Not to mention, William and Mary is filled with hundreds of exceptional organizations that also have socials scenes, so fear not, you have lots of choices.