Oh yes I have one word of advice (literally)

DISCRETION!

Or as R Kelly would say: "keep it on the down low"

Bump, especially for Jill's last post.

Excitement about a particular sorority is wonderful - but keep it to yourself. Some chapters may love it, but some chapters may not - and by making clear to the world what you "really" want, you may have ruined your chance at any other sorority.

I'm not trying to be mean or scare anyone, but think about how you would feel if there were people randomly posting on the internet saying "I am going to be insertyournamehere's friend."

Oh my god, i was in our skit last year and there was this girl in the front row frowning and with her mouth open, looking like this was weirder than aliens landing on top of her dorm. it was so distracting and i purposely asked people who she was just so i could know for my own benefit. so the moral of the story is SMILE even when you think no one's watching...that can be the hardest thing of all.

And another piece of advice...sure, it's not cool for you to go around proclaiming your undying love for XYZ, but when you know that you love a place, TELL the sisters is a non-awkward way, like "I could really see myself fitting in here" or compliment them by saying "You guys are so nice and down to earth, you make recruitment fun for me, etc."...but don't go overboard and say "I LOVE you all! Where can I sign right now? You are my best friends" because that would be stalkerish...but if you compliment sisters in a sincere and simple way, they will remember you and think "Oh, she's so sweet!" and they'll know that you're really interested. :)

bump

Don't roll your eyes at a skit even if it is the hokiest thing ever. I was singing for our "A Phi Idol" skit last year and one of the girls was rolling her eyes because she thought it was cheesy. I was way pissed that I had put a lot of effort into learning my lines, learning 2 songs and teaching the rest of the girls the song, and this chick was like "You are so lame". She's a sister now, but my first impression of her was not good because of that.

Wow, I can't believe no one has said this yet...

DON'T let your roommate or Rush Buddy pressure you into joining a house together. I've seen a lot of girls de-pledge or deactivate because they joined the same sorority as their new roommate/new best friend and were miserable. Things may seem great with your roommate the first week, but you don't know all of her weird habits and annoyances yet. You two may end up hating each other and then you have to put up with her for 4 more years!

On that same token, DON'T NOT join a house because you hate your roommate. My roommate and I, while good friends now, were just not fit to live together and could not stand each other. I almost didn't even consider Alpha Phi because she was dead-set on them. I would have missed out on some of the best memories of my life.

that sounds about right to me.

sad, isnt it???

I just wanted to repeat the thing about schools with deferred recruitment - please remember that we are in the same places as you and we do know that you're freshmen and we are paying attention. I definitely am going to have an opinion of you going into recruitment if I've seen you dancing on bars, puking in the bathroom or hooking up all over the place first semester, and I can pretty much tell you that it won't be a good one.

Also, I totally agree with the "be careful what you say in public" concept, continuing through recruitment. I have definitely been around campus and heard freshmen talking about recruitment and specific GLOs and even knowing they have no clue I'm there/ am greek, it looks really bad. A lot of greeks know eachother and we talk.

At my school, we're not allowed to talk about boys, booze or other GLOs. I don't think this prevents you from learning about someone/ getting to know them because my opinions of people and friendships aren't based on any of those topics. We generally try to avoid controversial topics but really who meets someone and jumps into talking about abortion?

And finally, on the subject of talking about how much you love an organization, I agree that it's great to compliment sisters on skits or tell them that you're having a great time or that someone is really sweet, but PLEASE don't go overboard because it makes it awkward for the sister who obviously can't promise anything and shouldn't even if they could.

DON'T correct a recruitment counselor or active about Greek life. These women have been in the system far longer than you have and they certainly do not appreciate being told they are wrong by someone who is just testing the waters of the Greek system.

Or just don't go back if you really dislike them that much.

That's a good idea too. :)

Well, we can't be giving the impression that girls are forced into joining a house they don't like. ;)

Please please please don't do this.

Last year, a gal would not even set foot into the house. She sat on the porch looking mutinous and kept glaring at the girls going in. When asked why, she kept saying, I'm gonna go XYZ. Nothing will change my mind so I'm not going to waste my time. I'll be in XYZ.
If you really don't wanna go in, don't bother showing up instead of trying to make everyone else miserable.
F.Y.I. She did NOT get into XYZ. I heard she's gonna try again as a sophomore this fall.

I just wanted to reiterate what someone said about not choosing a particular house because there's one person you don't like.

There was a certain RA who wrote me up on the first weekend of school;) ...

I almost didn't pledge AOII because of her...I'm so glad I did because two years later she became my roommate and now, 10+ years later she is still one of my dearest friends.

Moral of the story--things change! If you like the group overall, don't let one person keep you away.

Re: Rush - What to NOT do or say
 

I would say DON'T BE RUDE to the sororities.

It sounds weird, but seriously, don't do it. Every single one of the women in all the sororities has worked countless hours to help prepare decorations, practice rotation, and make you feel comfortable. Even if you dont see yourself in one particular chapter or two, be a young lady and be polite. Carry on a conversation, don't sit there starring at the ceiling or appearing aloof, or talk about how you want to be an XYZ sister.