Rush. The time period on college campuses when girls and guys try to figure out if Greek life is for them, and if so, which group in Greek life. Rush. The time where you once again ask “what’s your major” an abundant amount of times. Rush. Possibly one of the most exciting times of the year. Greek life is handled differently at my school than it is at state colleges and universities. We have our own set of Greek groups that are not affiliated with the national groups. Grove City College also handles the rush process differently than most colleges and universities, and I hate to be biased, but I think it is a much better system. Here, girls (and guys) are given half a semester to get acclimated to the school before rush is mentioned to the new students. After that, the rush process lasts over half a semester. This allows the girls and guys to really get to know the different groups on campus. They are given time to go on meal dates, spend time with the different groups and really pray about this process. I went through the whole rush process and joined a sorority last year, and as rush begins this year, I thought I would write about what I think is important to remember during this time.
Throughout this process, it is so important to be yourself. The great thing about Greek life is that you are surrounded by people who share common interests and have complementary personalities. Pretending to be someone you are not will only make this process more difficult as you try to figure out where you fit best.
A big positive of rush is that it's a time where you can meet so many different people, whether they are other girls (or guys) rushing or the members of Greek life. Take this opportunity and go on plenty of meal dates, talk to everyone you can at the different rush events and really get to know some new people on campus. You can establish these relationships and begin to form lasting friendships through this process, whether you join their group or not.
As you begin to meet new people and are introduced to the different Greek groups on campus, it is so important that you keep an open mind. Groups may surprise you. You may think you know what each group is like based on what you have heard on campus, but you can’t rely on or trust everything you hear. You may be going into this process knowing exactly which group you want to join. It’s great to have an idea of what you want to do, but you need to keep an open mind when it comes to this process. I know a handful of people who had a set plan of which group they wanted to join going into rush last year, but by the end of rush they completely changed their mind and are loving where they are at now. On the other hand, I know plenty of people who joined the group they were planning on joining from before rush even started and they are also incredibly happy. It is important to be open because you never know what could happen and you don’t want to miss out on where you could really thrive.
Just like anything you do in life, it is so important to pray about and throughout this process. Joining Greek life is not a life or death situation, but it is one that will immediately impact the next two or three years of your life and will leave a lasting impact as well. This is not a decision that you can make on your own. You need to bring it to God and listen to him throughout this whole process.
My final tidbit of advice goes along with prayer and that is to remember where you find your identity. Our chaplain mentioned this at our rush event the other night, and I think it is so important to remember. At the end of the day, you don’t need to be in a sorority or fraternity. They are not where you find your identity. Do I think Greek life is great? Yes. I’m in a sorority and I love it, but that is not where I put my identity. First and foremost, I am a child of God and so are you. Your identity should come from Christ and nowhere else.
Rush is an exciting time, but it is easy to get caught up in the craziness of the next few weeks. Enjoy these next few weeks, but remember to stay focused on the Lord and true to yourself. It will make this process so mush smoother.
Have fun, and happy rushing.
