For Hope College Greek life, rush is right around the corner! In fact, last week Thursday sorority Greek life had its fall rush event. Panhel representatives and rush chairs from all sororities joined together to eat snacks, chat, and make fun crafts with girls interested in rushing!

For anyone that is uncertain about joining Greek life, rushing is the best way to test it out. Rushing doesn't necessarily mean you have to join an organization. It means checking out all the different organizations, seeing which ones you're interested in, and continuing going to rush events if you find ones you like! Rush officially starts January 12 with the general rush meeting and then Round Robin is January 15!

One of the best things about Hope College Greek life, in my opinion, is that all the sororities are local organizations. That means none of them are national organizations like the ones at bigger universities. While I'm sure those are great too, it's nice being apart of a more intimate and personal organization. And you don't miss out on anything the national organizations get! Our sororities still have fun traditions, interesting history to learn, and so many opportunities to get involved.

For those who don't know, we have seven local sororities. Each one is incredible and offers their own unique touch to Greek life here at Hope. Each sorority has been working hard this semester to prepare for rush and gaining new members. I know we're all excited for next semester and all the excitement to begin!

To those that don't think Greek life is for you, what I recommend is simply trying it out. Going to the general rush meeting and Round Robin can never hurt. Both of these events will help inform you about Greek life, specifically sorority life, and help you feel out the environment. It definitely tells you if this is something for you or not!

The best advice I can recommend to those who already know they want to rush is to be yourself. Don't worry about impressing anyone or about what others will think of you. One of the most important things about rush is truly finding the sorority that is your home. Go in with an open mind about all the organizations, have fun, and be yourself!