Okay, like many of you reading this, you’re probably just as freaked out about rushing in the spring. Today was Panhellenic Preview. For the first time we were able to visit four of the eight houses, and meet the girls one on one. This was one of many activities we’ve had this fall to “ease us” into the recruitment process and make us feel less scared. Personally, with each event, I become more scared! They want us to feel excited (don’t get me wrong I am excited) but I’m beyond terrified! Each time I meet a sorority girl, I’m immediately worried about how I look, if my hair is okay, and what I’m going to say. I obviously want to make a good impression, but I also want to be myself. They tell us to just have fun, and I am, but it’s so hard to have fun when you could think you’re friends with a girl from a specific chapter, that could ultimately cut you on bid day.
As I was walking around to the houses today I was beyond nervous! I kept my cool while talking to the different sorority girls, but I was just so worried. Do they like me? Am I pretty enough for them? Are they judging me? In a way it’s nice that we get to rush second semester so that we can get our grades up, and feel at home at SMU, but the pressure to be on our best behavior is very overwhelming. Especially with websites like “dirtydtown” featuring freshman girls not on their best behavior.
After all this I can’t help but wonder if it’ll be worth it. I can’t even tell you how much money I’ve donated to the different chapters philanthropy events, or how I’ve gone out of my way to impress the girls. I just hope that on bid day, I get into a house I want, and that I really do develop a special “sisterhood” bond with my future chapter.
4 comments:
One of the stranger cultural rituals of SMU Greek life is the sorority rush party week. If you happen to drive by the route between the freshman quad and sorority row, you see the first-year rushees en mass, a seemingly endless parade, all in their best clothes and high heels. Last January, the weather didn't cooperate, and it was cold and windy. Not a good hair day, and bad for those who didn't have a fur coat. I felt kind of sorry for them because I've heard how stressful the experience can be. You just have to put it in some kind of perspective, like it will work out for the best, no matter what happens.
I am in the same boat. Rush is so frightening. I think its crazy how we at SMU have such an intense greek lie and rush process, they are even making movies about it. Sydney White is a movie based on a soroity at SMU. I went to see that movie and it scared me. I think that teh most important thing is to focus on being yourself, because if they do not like you when you are yourself they never will. If everyone puts on this fake identity first semester how are we all supposed to find the right houses for us? I really focus on meeting girls and really letting them know about my life and who I am. Its easy to slip simple comments about your life into one of the fake sorority girl conversations everyone has. ex. soroity girl "Hi where are you from?" me "I am from blah blah which is very far, it makes it diffucult because I am very family oriented and miss my siblings." They then know somthing about you that you take interest in your family, even tell them how many siblings you have, or somthing else that means alot to you back home. I think that if we focus on being ourselves we will all be ok in the end.
Rush is totally freaking me out. I know a few girls who knew some sorority girls before they came to school, and it seems like such an advantage for them. When I came to SMU, I knew no one. Knowing no one has turned out to have both its advantages and disadvantages. Unfortunatly, in the case of rushing it is a disadvantage. Some freshman girls go out to lunch with the sorority girls, however, I am not one of them. Since rush is such a big event at SMU it is intimidating to not know anyone going in to the whole process. I keep thinking that next semester after rush all of that social pressure will be gone. We no longer will always be watched. However, sometimes I worry that at a school like SMU it will not go away.
I most definitely agree with everything said in this blog and the comments above. Like "ali" I came here not knowing a single person and knowing absolutely nothing about sororities, fraternities or the entire process. I was quickly thrown into the whole thing, and immediately intimidated. I'm usually not one to "suck up" or have to impress people; I am myself and was definitely not used to having to go completely out of my way in order to make a good image to these girls I don't even know, and who honestly for the most part don't seem to go out of their way to be all that nice to me when I do meet them. At first I thought it would be an advantage to have a whole semester to get to know these girls and get situated at SMU but as time went on I started to see it more as a whole semester of judgement; and whole 4 months of walking on eggshells and being on your best behavior. The time for rush has almost come and I honestly can't tell you whether I'm relieved or even more terrified to see where I end up.
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