After watching the Bama Rush documentary, I thought about how people may question how different it is from ACTUALLY going through rush yourself versus watching a not-so-in-depth-but-tip-of-the-iceberg documentary. The answer is… not much.
To give my credentials, I rushed my freshman year in 2018, getting a bid but eventually dropping because I couldn’t see myself staying there. I then proceeded to get COB’d (Continuous Open Bidding) in 2022 to my forever home!
My rush experience was very similar to the women in the documentary. The nerves and anxiety are very real. Rushing means that you WANT a bid into a sorority, it means you WANT to be a part of something. The chance that you could be dropped can keep you up at night.
I remember waiting up each night to see if I get a call from my RC (Recruitment Counselor). She would contact us to let us know if we were not invited back, if you didn’t get a call by 10pm then you were still in. IT WAS NERVE RACKING!
And it’s not for everyone, as you can see two of the girls from the documentary dropped – one of them before it even started. Her reasoning was that she may have been blacklisted, (and according to her wording in the documentary – she ‘may have‘ been…) but she didn’t want to continue that journey any longer AND THAT’S OKAY!
It’s more common than people think for PNMs (Potential New Members) to drop out of the process on their own accord. Some people have their heart set on a certain sorority, and if they get dropped by said sorority then they drop entirely.
Others just don’t want to do it anymore – and that’s what happened with the other girl; one reason may be not connecting with the values of any of them. It really is a matching game!
Another thing about the documentary that was VERY REAL, is the nerves of the already active members. The anxiety turns into excitement once you get your bid, but it turns back into anxiety when you hear bad things about your sorority. You have become a part of this special thing and there are now rumors about you and your sisters, trying to use the stigma of Greek Life against you.
If we want PNMs interested in us, we don’t want negative rumors floating around. And if they are floating around, now we are worried that no one will want us when we want them. It can be disheartening.
They also talked about the friendships, and opportunities – the connections you make can help academically, be for networking, or just a study partner on those late nights. Sorority girls worry about their education and careers just like everyone else.
The stigma needs to be dropped, and this documentary did not help… or even hinder it to be honest!
The documentary was subpar, and while it was interesting to see first hand how the girls felt about rush, it never showed the actual process. So no, there is not much difference but that’s because Bama Rush only touched the surface, and mind you – they are only one university out of HOW MANY!?
But don’t let this deter you from rushing if you were ever thinking about doing so. Ask yourself why do you want to rush, why do you want to be a part of something bigger than yourself? Once you find your values, you can talk to the sororities at your college and find out which ones match the best. And hopefully, you can find your forever home, too.