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Preparing for Rush: Questions to Know

posted by ChickSpeak
Monday, August 23, 2010 at 2:31pm CDT

With the fall semester quickly approaching many young women are preparing themselves for one thing, rush. Whether you are a new face in the crowd looking to receive a bid or a seasoned sister who’s going through her last sorority recruitment, rush is important for all Greek women.Every rush class brings something new to the sorority’s organization. Each new sister brings a new fresh perspective to the group and different talents she can offer. With that said, most women believe that finding the right girls to rush and eventually pledge the sorority is a crucial part of recruitment.

The most important thing to take into rush with you is knowledge. It can be knowledge of your own sisterhood or knowledge of what you are looking for in a sorority (if you are rushing this fall).

Here’s a list of questions that every sister should be able to answer about her organization and every young woman rushing should feel comfortable asking a potential sister:

What will the sorority do for me?

This is one of those questions where you may or may not have a straight answer to give. Each organization means something different to each woman so the answers may vary, but the overall concept should be the same. Most organizations provide leadership opportunities, sisterhood, friendship, social settings and service opportunities, if not more.

How much does the sorority cost?

This question is probably the most important, but the most uncomfortable one to answer or ask. Obviously money is one of the main concerns for you, especially if you may not be paying for your fees, so it is an important point to cover during rush. There’s nothing worse than falling in love with something you cannot have, which I’m sure we can all relate to. The topic may be sensitive but it something that every sister should respect and answer truthfully. Everyone’s money situation is different, so it’s best to put all of the information out there and then let her decide if this is something she can financially handle. Many sororities have started compiling a budget for potential pledges, this way the information is in writing so there’s no confusion, everything is upfront.

What is the time commitment to the sorority?

Everyone’s time is precious and its important to understand what you are committed to when you join an organization. Sororities can be extremely time demanding and may not work with everyone’s schedule. It’s important to remember that the reason you are at the university is in the first place is for school, so you need to be able to balance all of your responsibilities.

What is your philanthropy?

While sorority’s are a great way to traditionally meet people, they are based on the service they provide to the community, known as their philanthropy. It is important that you care about your philanthropy because you will be dedicating a good amount of your time to fund raising for this organization. A sorority’s philanthropy is something you should really take into consideration before joining the organization.

What type of requirements do I have to fulfill by joining the sorority?

This question is very similar to the commitment question, but can involve different things than just your time. Many organizations have mandatory study hours, rules regarding living in the sorority’s house, etc, depending on the sorority. It is important to know this type of information before you join.

These five questions are a good base for getting to know the organization you are interested in joining. It’s it OK to ask a lot of questions, it just means you are interested. From both sides of rush, the viewpoint of a sister and the curiosity of a potential pledge, this is an exciting time of year.

Recruitment is a wonderful tradition that sorority’s take part in. Christie Myers, a sister of Epsilon Sigma Alpha at East Carolina University, remembers when she went through rush two years ago this fall. “Rush was easy for me because ESA was a great fit for me, they understood we are college students so we don’t have a lot of money to spend but it also offered a great opportunity and sisterhood for me,” said Myers.

Katelyn Crouse is an upcoming senior at East Carolina University and sister of the Epsilon Sigma Alpha sorority chapter at ECU. She is currently serving her second year as the Editor in Chief of the school’s newspaper The East Carolinian and will continue until her graduation in the spring of 2011.