There are many tough decisions that a young person will have to make as they are transitioning from high school to college. Among the toughest may be deciding what field of study to pursue or even what university to attend. But one of the easiest decision you will have in your entire life should be this one: deciding to rush a fraternity or sorority.
First, let’s examine the downsides to rushing (note: these have to do with pre and post pledgeship, as that process is an animal all to itself that will be discussed closer to the start of the ‘07 scholastic year). We hesitate to bring up the cons to fraternity/sorority life, as it is in fact our purpose to promote this lifestyle. However, we must retain our philosophy of always being truthful with you, and thus we will now operate with full disclosure. You will be faced with four years of mingling with attractive members of the opposite sex. You will have so many party opportunities that you will sometimes struggle to fit them all into your social calendar. You will be thrust into a social network which contains everyone from college freshmen to the elites of industry. You will have so much frat water that you won’t know what to do with it.
Oh…wait…those are all great things. In truth, there are very few downsides to joining the Greek community if you approach the experience with a good fratitude and a desire to be the frattiest human being you can possibly be. As your college years progress, your fratty potential will increase exponentially, and you will look back in awe of the doors that were opened that would have been closed had you decided not to rush. We will now examine some of the main reasons to rush in greater detail. Note: there are literally too many reasons to rush to fit into a single article. As experienced fratdaddies, your professors could write entire volumes on the pros of entering this community. In the short space we have here, we will attempt to highlight the greatest of these.
The Serious Stuff
Before we get into the incredible collegiate lifestyle that being Greek affords you, we will briefly tell you about the “big picture” opportunities that being a fratdaddy/sorostitute provides. Today’s business world is rife with fratdaddies and sorostitutes who love to help members of their organization reach new heights in their post-grad pursuits. The networking opportunities that your house will provide are limitless. Many a fratdaddy has landed their dream job not in the classroom or during a formal interview, but rather sharing a drink with an alumnus at a homecoming cocktail. In short, joining a house is a lifetime commitment that will also provide lifetime rewards.
Brothers/Sisters
The GDI often loves to chide the fratdaddy/sorostitute by accusing him/her of “buying friends”. However, this is far from the truth. Any fratdaddy or sorostitute can tell you that the main social function of a Greek organization is to bring together people with like interests. In other words, your house will be a collection of people that share your likes, your dislikes, and your perspectives. The rush process is an environment where houses pick you, and you pick them, because your personalities are similar. These will be people that you would be friends with even if no fraternities existed. Although the GDI does not want to admit it, even non-Greeks make most of their college friends through sharing activities, be it campus organizations or, in their case, intramural ultimate frisbee tournaments. In the same way, you will make lifelong friends in your house through shared experiences. Even when you are no longer paying dues, these relationships will remain.
Opposite Sex
There is no doubt that one of the greatest strengths of the Greek community is the way that it allows you to meet literally hundreds of like minded people of the opposite sex. We don’t care how hard you THINK you fratted in high school, we promise that your first semester on campus will make the girls/guys you went to high school with look like online dating fodder. The opportunities are so numerous that even the pledge class fat kid (and fratdaddies, you know who I’m talking about) is going to have numerous shacking chances that will have have him far outkicking his coverage. Of course, the same principle that applies to your brothers will also apply to sorostitutes; you will meet many people of the opposite sex who share your interests and ambitions. This will easily lead, if you so desire, to finding a sorostitute who will be perfect for a long term relationship. You’ll want someone to settle down with and start a fratling factory with later in life, and many fratdaddies can tell you that they met their future wives during their first semesters on campus.
Social Life
We’ve alluded to the many relationships you will form as a member of the Greek system. There is no better way to further develop these relationships than to take full advantage of the outstanding social opportunities presented to the Greek. Sure, anyone can go out to the bars, and believe us, you’ll be doing that plenty. However, not everyone can say that they go to the bars after they’ve already had a full night of pre-party, party, and pre-bar-post-party. While many of your classmates are celebrating a football victory with cranberry-vodka and Smirnoff Ice with the other members of their intramural field hockey team, you will sometimes be donning the coat and tie to sip scotch at your house’s post game cocktail. Of course, the lessons you learn during your ungrad party days will translate into making you the life of of the party at future post-grad functions as well. Like all other parts of the Greek lifestyle, your social life will reward you both in the present and the future.
When we began thinking of what to include in an article about rushing, our first thought was, “How you do instruct the masses on the art of rush when rush is so different at different schools?” But the more we thought about it, the more we came to the conclusion that there are certain rush truths that exist no matter where you decide to go to college. In this lesson, we will explore some of these time tested methods.
Thank you sir, may I have another?
Assuming that you are rushing in a reputable Greek system (and we pray that you are), there is no doubt that alcohol will be served at whatever function you attend. Going out with your brothers/sisters will be a big part of the fraternity/sorority experience, and the people rushing you will want to show you this. However, you must remember: you will have plenty of time over the next 4 to 6 years to get as drunktaneous as you wish. Therefore, this is not the time to test your limits. The last thing that you want to do is be that kid that everyone is talking about because they, despite the fact that they had never had anything harder than wine cooler in high school, decided to take 9 shots of tequila and ended up puking on the house president’s girlfriend’s shirt and passing out in the middle of a bar. Believe us, having to be drug out by current brothers to the dumpster out back of the bar is not the best way to get a bid. Girls, you must be even more careful. Reputations are very important for sororities, and it is incredibly easy to kill your chances with a great house if you are that rushee that goes out on the first night and ends up showing the world her thong as she does her 6th keg stand. The best advice we can give is to tell you to look at what the actives around you are doing, and under no circumstances surpass them.
Boon, I anticipate a deeply religious experience.
Keep in mind, rushing is often a coed activity. You will no doubt be around members of the opposite gender during a good part of the experience. At some point, there is a good chance that you will even be presented with shacking opportunities. Again, you must be mindful that you are in the middle of one of the most important interviews of you life.
For guys, there are three simple rules. The first one is obvious: absolutely, positively, do not try to pick up one of the actives’ girlfriends. You may say, “Doug and Eric, why do you even say that? No one is that stupid.” Believe us…there are people that are that stupid. The most common way that this happens is when a rushee prepares for their “deeply religious experience” with a girl they don’t know much about. If she is at an official fraternity rush function, there is a good chance that she knows someone who is already an active in that house. Before you shack with any current sorostitute, make absolutely sure that she is not someone’s girlfriend. In fact, make sure that she is not someone’s prospective girlfriend. A couple of nights of self control can pay off for four years to come. The next rule doesn’t have to do with your shack chances, but rather with the shack chances of the actives around you. Want to make a impression? Be that guy that they have to take care of all night when they could have been cashing in a prime shacking opportunity. You’ll make such an impression that you’ll never hear from them again. There’s a two word term for this, and the latter word is “block”. You can figure it out from there. The final rule is also simple: if you are going to shack with a chick that you have confirmed is a safe find, make sure she is fratdaddy quality. A lot of fratdaddies have some rendezvous that they are not proud of, but this is not the time to have yours. Again, you don’t want to be “that guy” that has the nickname, “Free Willy” before you even get a bid.
Girls, again, we realize this is a double standard, but it’s just the way it is…do not shack with anyone during rush. We hate to bring up the “reputation” word again, but it is really the essence of the sorority rush process. Like the guys, you’ll have all the opportunities you wish during your college years, but you stand to lose even more if you can’t wait until you’re safely in a house.
Ninety percent rayon! Very nice!
Or should we say, “Abercrombie muscle shirt! Very nice!”
No matter what your high school girlfriend that’s attending the local community college says, you need to be mindful of what you wear in the college environment. The first thing you should do before you rush is to read our Fratting 101 lecture series. These lessons will form a solid basis of knowledge for your wardrobe decisions. However, this primer will not be enough. You must also realize that you have to dress for the occasion. We have unfortunately witnessed many rushees who tried to “overfrat” their attire for the rush experience. The easiest way to fall into this trap is by making yourself a walking Ralph Lauren (or Vineyard Vines, etc.) billboard. If you’re wearing a Polo shirt, you don’t need the Polo hat. Leave that seersucker jacket at home. Take off that ridiculous bow tie. Again, don’t look like you’re trying to out-frat the actives around you.
Girls…this should be easy. Your outfit should not solicit monetary offers from guys around you.
Eric Stratton, rush chairman, damn glad to meet you!
Most likely, the first active you meet, and the one you’ll spend the most collective time around, is the rush chairman. However, this should change the way you act towards him/her or any other active. They should all be treated with the same level of respect. Although you may become more comfortable around this person than any other active you meet, you should still be mindful of how fast your mouth is running, which leads us to…
I hate to seem…you know, pushy.
One of the biggest mistakes you can make as a rushee is attempting to convince the house that you are such a bad ass that they should take you to the chapter room and initiate you immediately. If you get a bid (and we say if, because we can assure you that just because you are there for rush doesn’t mean you will), it will be because your true self is worthy of being in the house. The best Greek houses do not get to where they are by not being rush experts; don’t think that you will be able to put on a front and sneak in the back door. It’s not a good idea to bring up the H2 that daddy bought you in every conversation. It’s not a good idea to brag about how much money you have. If you do, you may be shocked to learn that these attributes don’t set you apart from anyone else in the room…other than the fact that you’re the only person who is insecure enough to have to brag about it openly. Oh, and for the love of all things fratty, don’t go on about how cool you were in high school. We don’t care how many touchdowns you scored, how many beauty pageants your girlfriend won, how many wine coolers you drank on senior trip, or how you got voted “Most Muscular” in your class. Finally, do not even think about asking an active something like, “So, when are you going to start giving bids?” That is for them to worry about…not you.
In closing, being a successful rushee is all about exercising good common sense. Be mindful of the tips above, and you’ll have a great chance of landing in a good house, and you won’t end up sitting on the couch with Jugdish, Sydney, and Clayton.
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