Rush: Fitting in, standing out

fueliegirl · #1 08-13-2001, 09:17 AM

Hello, in two weeks, I will be rushing at a large midwestern university with a big greek system (there are 13 sororities, at least I think that's a lot?). I will be one of hundreds of girls, and I don't want to get "lost in the shuffle". Not to sound overly confident, but I think I have a pretty good shot of being asked to pledge. But how do I know that the current sorority girls will remember me after I leave the house? What's a good way to make a good first impression? Any tips whatsoever would be great, thanks!

)

PenguinTrax · #2 08-13-2001, 09:51 AM

Fuelie,
Read the topic "What to Talk About" and do your research on each of the 13 groups at your campus. By providing engaging conversation and showing a true interest, that will help you stand out amongst the others.

Barbara

LeslieEMU · #3 08-13-2001, 09:51 AM

Fueliegirl...

First, what school will you be attending? I ask because then others from that school can give specific imput, while I can only add my experiences.

That being said, I think to make a good impression you need to be yourself and find something that you have in common with the members. You will be more likely to be remembered if you had an interesting convo with a sister. You can also check out these threads for more advice:
http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/...ML/000514.html
http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/...ML/000458.html
http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/...ML/000085.html

fueliegirl · #4 08-13-2001, 10:20 AM

I am going to the University of Kansas, although I haven't seen it mentioned here in the threads I've been reading.

Thank you for the links! Looks like this is going to be an interesting few weeks!

)

PenguinTrax · #5 08-13-2001, 10:45 AM

ZTA will be colonizing at UK-Lawrence sometime this fall or spring!

Quote:

Originally posted by fueliegirl:
I am going to the University of Kansas, although I haven't seen it mentioned here in the threads I've been reading.

Thank you for the links! Looks like this is going to be an interesting few weeks! )

twinstars · #6 08-13-2001, 10:51 AM

Easy Ways to Be Remembered--

1. Wear one unusual piece of clothing or jewelry. By unusual i mean "unique," not "stands out because it's tacky or overdone or just plain weird." This means, wear a cute skirt that you found at this out-of-the-way boutique while you were on summer vacation (or whatever...), not that one skirt from ann taylor that you know will be the standard thing at your school this fall. You could wear an unusual (not tacky or cheap) necklace... something you can be pretty certain no one else will have. This would NOT be the Tiffany heart necklace (you know which one I mean). The sort of piece that other girls will notice and remember because it was so fresh and cute. I'm not trying to say that you have to go out and buy a funky wardrobe to be remembered in rush, but one unusual accessory can help you stick out in the members' minds after you've left the party. They're not going to remember you for your strand of pearls (as nice as those are) if 65% of the girls in the rush party were wearing one. Try to look classic, but remember to set yourself apart.

2. While you're chatting during rush parties, tell a funny story or discuss an unusual (but not inappropriate) topic. You can pretty much guess which questions the sorority girls will ask you... what you did this summer, what you want to study at school, if you like college so far... Think of how you would respond to standard getting-to-know-you questions like these, and see if you can't think up something funny or at least interesting and specific to you to throw in. It will help people remember you if you had something unique or memorable to say.

carnation · #7 06-28-2002, 07:05 PM

bump!

PhiMuNursie · #8 06-28-2002, 10:26 PM

This is a great topic and I'm sure it'll come up so I might as well add my two cents early.

I agree about having something unusual (conversation or outfit piece) because it does help you be remembered. I always think a funky/cute purse is the way to go because surprisingly after the outfit, it's the next thing I noticed. I'm assuming other schools are the same, but here the Rusher always holds the Rushees purse during the party, so if the purse is cute, then it's easy to remember the girl and have a good conversation topic if things aren't going so smoothly. Multipurpose!

Tara

I have a Phi Mu castle...

maggieaxid · #9 07-01-2002, 09:11 AM

If you are going to a school that doesn't let you carry a purse into the house (mine didn't and the rho chis had to hold them) i totally agree with wearing a piece of jewlery that makes you stand out, or really cute shoes.
case in point: when i rushed i wore this really cool necklace that one of my friends had gotten me from venezula. it had this really cool green stone and i wore it with this green dress i had. it matched perfectly!
Also, when i was a junior, this one girl came to our party and she was wearing this really cute red and white sundress and had the cutest red shoes to match! Everybody remembered her!

FuzzieAlum · #10 07-01-2002, 11:59 AM

Plus, assuming that your unique thing is tasteful, you can tell something about the sorority by their reaction! I had a sister with great taste who wore a cute pair of pink shoes to one rush party (she wears a looooot of pink). When one sister from another chapter had the nerve to tell her "Wow, those shoes are really ugly," she knew she had one more house to cut!

(Although, trust me, most sisters know better than to say something that rude, even if the rushee is really wearing something hideous!)

LeslieAGD · #11 07-01-2002, 02:23 PM

Linking to what Maggie said, try to stay away from popular clothing items that are likely to be worn by other PNMs. For example, it's much better to wear a plain top from somewhere like Target/Kmart/Walmart and mix it with a unique skirt...or vice verse, a cheaper black skirt with a stylish shirt...than to show up in a trendy A&F logo top. Just my $.02

phisigQT · #12 07-03-2002, 09:36 AM

when i rushed i met every sister in my org the first night. they stood around the room (which had an enourmous table with all kinds of phi sig stuff and pics on it) and we made our way from one sister to the next, simply intrducing ourselves and they themselves. we then broke up into small groups and i didnt even have to do that much work to meet girls and find out more about phi sig. in my opinion it is the job of the sisters to talk to the rushees. a rushee should never ever be left standing by themselves! but you have to keep in mind that if you are visiting an org with 100 or more sisters vs an org with 50 some sisters there are going to be differences!!! in the short amount of time that you have you will proabably not be able to meet ALL the sisters in a large org...maybe not even in a smaller one!

twinstars · #13 07-03-2002, 03:20 PM

1. While there is a lot of mention being brought to the fact that a rushee should wear unique clothing... does the sorority really notice you that more than the girl in the black pants, blue shirt, and tiffany's heart necklace? Or do they like the girl that looks like everyone else better?

I don't think anyone has recommended that rushees completely go against what is considered "normal" clothes for their school. That's not to say you need to wear the "uniform"... like you said, black pants, blue top, tiffany heart necklace. You can get a little more creative than that. Like nice non-black slacks, interesting top, nice-but-unique necklace. You can still be in the general "look" of girls on your campus without being an exact clone of everybody else. You can show that you actually have some sense of personal style, rather than just unimaginatively buying what everybody else wears. You want to look like you'd mesh well with the rest of the sorority. I personally would rather see a rushee who's very well and classily dressed but showed some individual flair, rather than the 100th rushee of the night wearing the exact same black slacks/pastel top/tiffany jewelry outfit.

2. Also I was wondering if anyone had tips for meeting the largest amount of actives at a first round rush party in order to be invited to the next round and so on to pref night (since everyone is saying meet as many actives as possiable). Is the PNM usually introduced to each member by a host member, or do girls gently migrate to an active to chat with?

It is the members' job to take you around the room. You should NEVER be on your own to navigate a rush party. Someone will grab you by the arm from the moment you enter the door and they will usually show you around and introduce you. You don't have much control over how many actives you meet during a formal rush party. That is in the control of the active who leads you around. She might introduce you to officers or to her roommates or her pledge sisters. Don't freak out if you feel like you didn't talk to enough actives during a rush party. For some sororities, including mine, it doesn't matter how many girls you talked to during the party, but what counts is how well the girls you DID talk to liked you. You could theoretically be invited back for the next round even if you only talked to 2 girls. When people say meet as many actives as possible, they mean before rush begins, so you can get a good feel for what the sorority girls are like. Once rush has started, it's pretty much out of your hands. It's up to the sororities who and how many girls you'll meet.

BlondeGurl · #14 07-03-2002, 04:54 PM

Twinstars,
You said that 'When people say meet as many actives as possible, they mean before rush begins, so you can get a good feel for what the sorority girls are like. Once rush has started, it's pretty much out of your hands. It's up to the sororities who and how many girls you'll meet.' I was planning on rushing this fall and I know that where I am going to college people can only move into their dorms/houses for the fall 3 days before our first rush meeting. How would I meet some of the actives before the rush period starts?

I am going to be livving in a small house on 'the hill' where all the sorority houses are so maybe it will help me get to know them, but I have no idea how to approach them...can any one give some suggestions?

Brenda

twinstars · #15 07-03-2002, 11:40 PM

Brenda,
My advice about meeting actives before rush applies much more to girls who don't rush until their 2nd semester at college (this is called "deferred rush"). When you have the entire fall semester available, unless the school has strict closed-contact rules, rushees can often get to know actives through sports teams, or by working together on class projects, or by meeting them out at parties, or through various non-Greek campus extracurricular clubs. There are plenty of opportunities for freshmen rushees-to-be to get to know girls (casually). For rushees in your situation, there's probably not much you can do, and that's to be expected. But all the other girls at your college are in the same situation, so you're not at any disadvantage.