3 Rush Tips for December!

Photo credit: University of Arkansas Greek Life

Are you ready? We have 3 Rush Tips for December that you can do during the Christmas holidays of your senior year! Fall semester is behind you. Finally. Many of you are breathing a sigh of relief as early decision deadlines have passed and the much-anticipated December 1 application deadline is long gone. Semester exams are finished and now it is time for….RUSH PREPARATION! Wait, rush prep? That’s right…..the clock begins ticking now. So let’s go!

3 Rush Tips. You need them, we have them!

At this point in your senior year you may not know whether you are attending an in state or out-of-state institution next year. This decision may not even come to fruition for you and your family until closer to the May 1 decision deadline set by the universities. That’s ok. There are steps you can take right now – in December of your senior year to set yourself up for a successful recruitment next fall. This is ESPECIALLY true if there is even the tiniest chance you are going to a big SEC university with a competitive recruitment. The instate girls are getting their ducks in a row, trust me. You can, too!

3 RUSH TIPS TO DO IN DECEMBER OF YOUR SENIOR YEAR

1. Get your recruitment photos taken! You will need one head shot and one full body photo for each recruitment packet. Use the holiday festivities as an opportunity to get your head shot and full body photo taken. December is the PERFECT time to cross this component of your rush packet off your recruitment prep list.There are mixed opinions as to whether professional photos are needed, and part of the decision may be predicated on what size university you are attending. Cee Cee and I have discussed this at great length with other actives at large universities. Bottom line? No, you do not need professional photos. We will delve into this a little more in an upcoming post so stay tuned! December is full of social occasions warranting dressy attire – use them to your full advantage! If you are attending worship at your church or synagogue ask your mom, dad, sister brother or BFF to take a picture of you while you are looking your best. Or, maybe you are invited to a cookie swap, neighborhood open house, family Christmas meal, New Year’s Eve soirée ….you get the idea….have as many pictures taken of you as possible during December at as many occasions as possible. Then, when you are assembling your rush packet in January it will be a breeze to select your favorites & upload them to Costco, Walgreen’s or CVS for copies.
2. Collegiate Greek women are coming home for the holidays…..get together with them! I can’t tell you how many girls I have rush coached that have almost overlooked this critical step. It’s a big rush tip! Comments I hear on the front end include:

But I don’t know if I will even go to their university!
They never even spoke to me when they were seniors and I was a junior…it would be so awkward to contact them now!
I don’t know any girls that are in sororities….I guess it’s just a dead-end.
And the worst…..
She’s a Beta Theta which is awful at State University….I don’t think I’d EVER be a Beta Theta!

That last comment is something that we just don’t take very well, but more on that one in a moment. (It’s really tough not to touch on that comment right here and now, but I need to take you through the process of Tip #2 first!)

Let’s start at the beginning:  The point of meeting with collegiate Greek women is to network and to learn about their chapter on both the local & national level. What is their philanthropy? What part of sisterhood are they enjoying the most? How was recruitment at their college? Any tips?

If you don’t know where you are going yet that’s ok, because……….

Greek women LOVE to talk about their letters and they LOVE to recommend PNM’s to active sisters at other universities. There you go! That’s the golden tip. Not only will you need formal recommendations from alumnae but having an active send an email about you to the Recruitment Chair is a BIG BOOST. It gets you on that chapter’s radar. And that is precisely what you want.

Note: If recruitment occurs second semester at your university, your goal is to have alumnae recs at the houses by Dec 1, and active endorsements emailed before Jan 1. Use Thanksgiving break to your advantage when actives are home from college! Panhellenic may tell you a later deadline, but a successful recruitment hinges on timing. The earlier your materials are at the houses, the better.

Photo credit: Sorority Stylista

So, how do you handle this if you don’t really know the girls coming home for Christmas very well OR you don’t know any at all? First, remember what we said earlier about actives LOVING to talk to PNM’s (or anyone for that matter) about their sorority life? It’s true. All you need to do is establish contact & a point of reference for how they may know you…..and here’s the best part….it’s almost always done via social media. A sample private message would look something like this:

“Hey Cara this is Rachel – I’m finally a senior at Eastside High and I noticed you are at Big Time University now. I’m not sure where I’m going to school yet next year but I know I want to rush. If I have any questions while you are home for break can we text? Or, can we meet at Starbucks? I saw you were a Beta Theta & I’d love to know more about your sorority.”

So. Simple.

Photo credit: Sorority Stylista

Now, perhaps no one at your school got involved with Greek life after graduating high school. It’s rare, but it does happen. Here are some tips just for you:
* Use social media. Leverage the contacts you DO have to find some you don’t have….yet! Did the girl who sits next to you in biology, Monica, comment on her sister’s photo from that frat party? Ask Monica if her sister is in a sorority and ask her if she can connect you with her on Instagram, SnapChat, etc.
* Think about other small groups you connect with outside of school. Are you in a Youth Group? Club sport? Civic volunteer group? You would be surprised at the number of people you know who are involved with Greek life in some capacity. The Habitat for Humanity Site Coordinator you report to on Saturday mornings just might have a daughter who is in a sorority. And, chances are so was she! I think you can see where I am going with this……just start asking around!

Now, on to the comment that is beyond awful……

I really don’t even want to repeat myself but it is worth it to highlight the severity of comments like the one below back into focus for a moment:

Ew. She’s a Beta Theta which is awful at State University….I don’t think I’d EVER be a Beta Theta!

When I hear something like this I gently correct the young woman and wish her well. Time and time again, PNM’s who make comments like this are the ones who have the least successful recruitment.

Each and every house is a GREAT house. Each one offers sisterhood, philanthropy and lifelong leadership opportunities. And, each chapter is different at each and every university.

Never say never, my friend.

Keep your personal opinions to yourself. In public, the hard and fast rule is to only speak glowingly about chapter houses. Why? Because each chapter is part of Panhellenic and they all support each other. If you say nasty or condescending comments about a specific house to someone, it will eventually get back to that chapter. I’ve seen this happen.

Houses can spot superficiality a mile away and drop those girls immediately. Why? A top house is one that respects ALL the other houses and supports Panhellenic.

Photo credit: Oregon State University

Now for the last tip of the 3 Rush Tips!

3. Make a list of adult Greek alumnae that you know. It’s time for serious brainstorming! Ask you mom, you BFF’s mom, your teachers, etc. if they were in sororities. On your list you will put their names, their sorority and their preferred method of contact if you have it at this point. If you don’t have that yet it is ok. Some women you will know better than others. At this stage of your recruitment prep I would recommend having one alumna per sorority. After all, you may not know where you are going to school next year! Once you know where you will attend, you will make a list of all the chapters at that institution and focus solely on those house. At this stage, you will need to figure out their email address, phone number etc.

If you come up short for one house then move on to resources in your community. Let’s say you cannot find anyone that was a Gamma Gamma.  Google Gamma Alumnae Chapter and see what you find. Almost every urban city will have a local alumnae chapter. If you do not have one in your city find the one closest to you and email the president or membership chairman. Let them know you are going thru rush at XYZ College & are interested in a rec for their sorority. Bottom line, start making your list now and you will save yourself lots of time down the road!

You are now ready to start making your rush packets in January! And, it is never to early to begin thinking about your recruitment attire. You can see exactly how Cee Cee packed for sorority rush here!

We hope this helps you jump start your recruitment prep. Leave us a comment below if you have questions!