Everything you need to be prepared for Rush Week.
Rush can be a very scary and overwhelming week! It is portrayed as something that is so fun, which it is, but how you feel emotionally usually gets underplayed. I went into rush with the mindset of “this is the house I want to be in; I’ll probably end up in it” and I expected to have a perfect rush. While I know some girls who pretty much had a perfect rush, for the majority, it is a week of heartbreak, exhaustion, and burnout. It was especially like that for me, not knowing much except for watching a couple of YouTube videos here and there. At the end of this post, there will be a list of everything you’ll need in your rush bag!
WEATHER
Depending on which school you are going to, the temperature plays a huge role in what you should wear and pack in your rush bag. I rushed in the south, which was very hot especially during August. I needed lots of deodorant, perfume, oil blotting sheets, water, liquid IV, and having a mini fan was a LIFESAVER. I didn’t think the heat would affect me that much considering rush is spent inside the houses, but more often than not, you spend time outside waiting for the rounds to start and running from house to house. Hydrating is very important, so make sure you bring plenty of water and get enough sleep. I promise it will make your experience 10 times better!
BREAKDOWN
Prior to rush, I had no idea about anything greek life and if you are in the same position right now that’s okay. Typically your school will provide a guidebook of what to expect, dates, and outfits. Over the summer you will sign up and pay for rush (make sure to do it before the deadline!). Make sure to ask older friends, parents, family members, coaches, and teachers who have been in sororities to write a recommendation letter for you. This is key, as some sororities require a recommendation letter, but it is best to have as many as you can. When you get to school for rush you will be assigned rho gammas and a rush group. Typically, your rush group will be girls who live on your hall or in your building. Your rho gammas are upperclassmen girls in sororities that are there to mentor and help you. Generally, the night before rush you will attend a safety brief or overview presentation that will go over how the week is going to look. I am going to provide a brief overview of each round, as I don’t want to ruin any of the aspects of rush that make it special.
Extra Tip: Keep a notebook with you or take notes on your phone about the houses, what you liked or didn’t ’t like, and how you felt because it gets very overwhelming quickly, and having notes to look back at will help you remember your time spent with each sorority.
Round One is Open House. Depending on how large of a school you are attending, you will have 1-3 days of Open House. You will be in a group of girls arranged alphabetically. This round, you will visit every sorority for 15 minutes. You will talk to either one girl or multiple girls, depending on what the sorority does. The conversation is very surface-level/interview-type. This round, they want to learn about you. The most important part is to be yourself! On the final night of round one, you will get together with your rush group and rank your sororities in order from favorite to least favorite. Depending on how well the sorority liked you or thought you would fit, you will either get invited back for round two or they will “drop” you. Keep in mind that after round one, around 40% to 70% of the potential new members are dropped and will not return to that sorority for round two.
Round Two is Philanthropy. The morning of, you will receive your schedule from your rho gammas to see which houses you will be going to. This round focuses on the sorority’s philanthropy, which is one of the most important aspects of greek life. This round lasts for 25 minutes. The conversation gets a little deeper and focuses on the service you have done, and what you can contribute to your school and the community. It is important to be engaged and respectful while at each sorority. Again, at the end of this round, you will rank your sororities from favorite to least favorite, and the next morning you will receive your schedule for round three.
Round Three is Sisterhood. This was my favorite round. This round focuses on the importance of what makes a sorority a sisterhood as well as getting a house tour. This round is 40 minutes long. This round, you get to connect with multiple sorority sisters and learn about what they like to do and what makes their sorority special. They will share events and activities their sorority does, as well as get to know your favorite activities and what you value/are looking for in a sorority. After this round, you will rank your sororities once again.
Round Four is Preference Night. The morning of you will receive your schedule that will contain either one or two sororities that have invited you to their pref night. This is the final round and is typically the most intimate and special. This round lasts for 60 minutes. Typically, getting invited back for pref night means that these sororities are very interested in extending a bid to you and inviting you into their sisterhood. The night will consist of fancy dresses, songs, stories, and deep conversation. Typically, they will ask you if you have made a decision yet (about what sorority you want to be in) and if you are not sure (like them both a lot) don’t tell both sororities that you are 100% sure you want to be a part of their sorority. Let them know you have a tough decision to make and are not sure what you are going to do. If you prefer one sorority over the other and want to be a part of that sisterhood, let that sorority know! This is one of the most important parts because if they think you aren’t going to pick them, they are not going to give you a bid. Following your last round, you will vote by ranking them first and second or by suicide bidding on one sorority, which means if you do not get that sorority, then you do not want to be a part of greek life.
Bid Day! Bid day is the day when you will receive your bid! Depending on your school, it will either be a phone call, delivered to your room, or given to you in the stadium or auditorium. Once you receive your bid, you will then run home, which is where you physically run to your house, and there will be a girl with a sign with your name on it waiting for you. You’ll then spend the day getting to know members of your sorority and celebrating!
OUTFITS
Planning and preparing your outfits can be super fun and exciting. I know I enjoyed the opportunity to buy some new dresses. You’ll want to wear things that match your style but also make you stand out. Typically, girls will wear high-end jewelry, clothes, and shoes.
For my open house outfits, I went with ruffled black and white skirts, the t-shirt they provide, Golden Gooses, bracelets, a Tiffany necklace, and Altar’d State earrings.
https://www.amazon.com/SheIn-Womens-Shirred-Layered-Ruffle/dp/B07TFGRPRZ
https://www.altardstate.com/as/clothing/bottoms/shorts/kristina-lace-skort/1003282967.html?gclid=CjwKCAjw0ZiiBhBKEiwA4PT9z_f6ZALkhMCi8liQsbC0qUN3AYzyB-vNdUnSZA7592cGslxQO7yYXBoCR2UQAvD_BwEhttps://www.neimanmarcus.com/p/golden-goose-superstar-leather-glitter-low-top-sneakers-prod251920168?utm_source=google_shopping&ecid=NMCS_GP_NC&gclid=CjwKCAjw0ZiiBhBKEiwA4PT9zwAMubitDcoJORJ9ZFA80I3DsuXa8OPfErv-sgb-X8kaNp4A9OZocRoCY7kQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
For philanthropy round (round II) I wore more of a conservative dress but changed halfway through the day to a cuter dress because I wasn’t feeling comfortable in my original dress. I wore Kendra Scott jewelry and white braided heels.
https://www.hellomolly.com/products/just-a-second-playsuit-olive
The other dress I purchased was from a boutique.
For sisterhood round (round III) I wore a cute dress with heels, and Kendra Scott/boutique jewelry.
Lastly, for pref night (round IV), I wore my nicest dress/my favorite one, so I felt the most confident.
And white boutique earrings.
Remember, your outfits won’t make or break your rush experience!
FOCUS ON YOU
One of the hardest things to do is not let the opinions of others get to your head. In your rush groups or just listening to girls around you. You’ll hear chatter and gossip about different sororities and what people liked and didn’t like. If you really enjoyed a house and you hear girls talking badly about it, don’t let it get to you because it might not be the perfect fit for them, but it is for you. The best thing to do is to stay true to yourself and your personality, because at the end of the day, you want to be in a sorority with girls that are similar to you. Being in a sorority due to “status” or the opinion of others will ultimately lead to having a worse overall sorority experience during your four years in college.
MY EXPERIENCE
I had little prior knowledge about greek life and sorority life. My mom and older sister were not in sororities, so rushing was a new thing in my family. I had a good amount of recommendation letters but I was still really nervous about the whole experience. I remember on day 1 the first house I went to was so different than I expected. It felt like a scene from a movie. Once I got some practice after the first couple of houses, I started to gain more confidence and had fun with it. I am an introvert who recharges by resting and having alone time. After the first round was over, I was exhausted and took a four-hour nap. When it was time to vote that night, I had four houses that I really enjoyed. I was hopeful and excited to see my schedule in the morning. When I got my schedule back that morning, I was devastated that only two of the four houses I liked invited me back. My confidence level dropped because I did worse than I thought. I was hopeful that I still had two houses that I enjoyed but still upset that my round two houses weren’t what I wanted them to be. During round two, I proceeded to put a fake happy, confident face on while at the houses. Now I was scared of voting because I was really worried that the last two houses I liked would drop me. After round two, there was one sorority I really, really liked. When I got my schedule back the morning of round three, that sorority dropped me and I was absolutely crushed. I was exhausted and burnt out from the week and did not even want to keep rushing, but I fought through it and held onto the hope that the other sorority I liked would be a good fit for me. Durning round three I really connected with the girls I spoke with and felt comfortable being with them. This is when I knew that I was supposed to be in this sorority, and I hoped I would get them back for pref round. It was very hard to be confident that I would, considering the disappointment from the previous rounds. When I received my schedule for pref night I was excited finally that I got a house back that I liked. This was the first time since open house round that I felt excited again. I was nervous because I knew I needed to make a good impression on this sorority if I wanted to be back on bid day. Pref night went well, and I really enjoyed my conversation with the girl I talked with. I then went and voted and made a suicide bid for that sorority. This was nerve-racking but I was willing to not be a part of greek life if I wasn’t given a bid by that sorority. Luckily on bid day I received a bid from that sorority! Even though I was still hurt from things that happened earlier in the week I was grateful for still getting a house I liked because I knew many girls that got dropped by all of their houses. This was heartbreaking to me because I know being in a sorority is very important to several girls.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED
Your best friend for the week will be your rush bag. It it best to purchase a medium-sized waterproof tote bag rather than a nice purse in case of rain. This was the bag I purchased from Target.
The things I purchased from Target to put in the bag were:
Deodorant
Perfume
Hair Brush
Umbrella
Chapstick
Lipstick
Water Bottle
Snacks
Liquid IV
Sunscreen
Mini handheld fan
Power bank and charger
Notebook and pen
Flip flops/tennis shoes
Compact mirror
Listerine strips
Hairspray
Oil blotting sheets
I hope this post will help prepare you for rush and that you’ll have a great experience and enjoy sorority life!
