University of Texas- Austin Rush
 

Any general advice for rushing at UT?

Do freshmen enrolled in summer school in Austin have an advantage over those who do not?

What is the UT quota and does it include freshmen and sophomores?

I have looked at a few other threads but I am still not certain on how many recommendations are required at UT (and other big Texas schools) in order to have a good chance for a successful rush?

Thank you!

My cousin went to UT and enrolled in summer school prior to her freshman year. She was there because her high school grades were less than stellar. She said it did not give her an advantage during recruitment, primarily because, like the SEC, many of the houses target PNMs from specific high schools or suburbs.

Another cousin went through but dropped before Pref because she only wanted in one specific house, but was cut. I don't recommend going into recruitment with this mentality.

Certain houses could fill their new member classes with just legacies. Bottom line is that it is very competitive. Recs are pretty much required for most houses. I would have 2 recs per house.

Quota isn't set until recruitment is underway. I don't believe that UT has a separate quota for freshmen and upperclassmen like they do at (I think it is) Baylor.

I think they still use the 2 free juniors rule. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. As of Friday, 751 have signed up. The chapters do do a bit of summer rushing but summer school usually means your HS grades did not allow you to enter without summer school. Usually, there are few grade risks however because Texas only admits students in top 10% of class. Small town girls from , small unknown HS suffer the most.

Most of UT summer school freshman are kids that just missed the "top 10%" cutoff--kids in the top 11th % to about the top 18th %. Strong students & alot of them from extremely competitive high schools.
Summer rush is a double edged sword. It can be a huge advantage-if you behave yourself... It can also kill your chances if you make poor choices. There seems to be something going on every night. It's a great way to meet tons of girls from different houses and get yourself on their radar screens, as well as get a feel for the different groups. Also, who wouldn't love summer in Austin?

Not totally accurate - currently about 80% of the freshman class is admitted via the top 10% rule. Meaning that 20% are not.

How is the decision made for that 20% ( Family connections?) I had a feeling it wasn't just based on top 10% as advertised.

Athletes.
Only 42% of UT's football team graduate

Actually, according to UT President's newsletter, 91% of this year's incoming freshman class came from from the top 10%. That is why UT hates the "automatic admit for top 10%" rule. Then they have 5% reserved for out of state/foreign students. So you can see that it was extremely competitive to get in if you're not in the top 10% this year. Family connections don't seem to cut it like they used to. Now it's a combination of class rank, test scores, essays and letters of recommendations--as well as figuring out which specific college-i.e. natural science, education, business, etc would be the easiest route to gain admission. Very rare to see anyone out of the top 15% get in from our area.

Yeah - I know all about it. I think it was 87% for the class that entered in fall 2007. Didn't realize we'd broken into the 90th percentile on that. It's been rising and rising - I think when the rule was first put in place it was only 40-50% of the entering class. I believe that A&M only admits around 50% of their class with the top 10 percent rule.

There was a recent thread where we discussed the top 10% rule ad infinitum. I don't really know that we need to here again.

Good luck southerngirl55!

Thank you! Yeah UT is very competitive... I was accepted as an International student (although I have lived in Texas my entire life) and that is supposed to be even more competitive!

I am not in for summer school but I know there is a lot of rush summer events that help PNM to get to know some sorority girls. Visiting is still fun but I just wonder how much more attention the girls who are at Hardin House for the summer get...

Also, how beneficial is it to be a legacy? If you are not a legacy to certain houses, should you be realistic and not expect to get a bid?

I know some threads consider big southern texas rush to be superficial... but are we talking about a cute outfit and nice Tiffany jewlery? or all out Chanel, Gucci, Manolos, Saks, Niemans shopping spree?

Let's say a PNM LOVES XYZ ...and their colors are...Orange and White. Would it be a good or bad idea to wear those colors during rush? If bad, which colors would be OK to wear and not attract negative attention? I heard solid dresses are the best bet.

If I join a sorority I plan on being very dedicated and I want that attitude to show through my rush experience. I want to be prepared but I definitely do not want to/ or hopefully do not need to! go completely all out.....or do I?

Also, how beneficial is it to be a legacy? If you are not a legacy to certain houses, should you be realistic and not expect to get a bid? It helps but being a Legacy does not guarantee a bid.

I know some threads consider big southern texas rush to be superficial... but are we talking about a cute outfit and nice Tiffany jewlery? or all out Chanel, Gucci, Manolos, Saks, Niemans shopping spree? Cute outfit and nice jewelry (not necessarily Tiffany) is fine. UT typically puts out a Recruitment Guide that will help you. Also, many local panhellenics have teas for PNMs.

Let's say a PNM LOVES XYZ ...and their colors are...Orange and White. Would it be a good or bad idea to wear those colors during rush? Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad. Get the idea? If bad, which colors would be OK to wear and not attract negative attention? I heard solid dresses are the best bet. Wear something memorable, whether it's a print or a scarf or a cool pin, but nothing revealing.

In terms of clothing, some very tasteful examples were posted by VandalSquirrel in another thread. These would be dresses that would be appropriate for preference night at Texas and most other schools:

http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...ad.php?t=97970

The Texas 2008 Greek Guide is available online here:

http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/gle...s/GrkGde08.pdf

The Texas Panhellenic council website is here:

http://www.texaspanhellenic.org/index.htm

You can download the 2008 Panhellenic Recruitment booklet here:

https://webspace.utexas.edu/rau64/Re...f?uniq=-9dd49l

The clothing suggestions begin on page 20 of that booklet. Definitely follow their suggestion about packing a pair of comfy flip flops to walk between houses in.

Overall, in terms of clothing, I would focus less on specific brands and more on overall style and elegance.

Also, it's *possible* that your status as an International student could benefit you. You'll certainly have a lot to talk about during the parties - it's an instant conversation starter! :)