First of all, what exactly is a sorority?
Most think a sorority is nothing but partying and hazing and “paying for your friends,” but in reality a sorority is nothing like that at all. There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to sororities.
A sorority is an organization of young women who share the same values and beliefs on life and who share the bond of a sisterhood for life. Yes, there are some parties, but they are actually called “socials,” which is where a sorority and a fraternity set a date to get together and have a good time with a theme and fun games. Nine times out of ten there isn’t alcoholic beverages involved.
As far as hazing goes, sororities have never been big on this action. It is strictly prohibited as far as sorority rules and university rules go. (Truthfully, hazing is often found only among the fraternities.)
One of the biggest and over-looked aspects of a sorority is the charity work being done. Each sorority has a special charity organization they associate with. Sororities don’t just give back to one organization though. They are always involved and giving back to their community and school every chance they get, and this is one of the best feelings someone can have: giving back to your community with your sisters by your side.
Joining a sorority also helps students to get involved on campus. When in a sorority you have the opportunity to meet so many people, and through these people you can hear about leadership opportunities, on campus jobs, and much more.
Unfortunately, nothing in life is free, and that includes sorority life. Yes, you have to pay in a sorority, but you aren’t “paying for your friends.” You pay to be in other clubs and organizations on campus, so why should a sorority be an exception? If you hire a tutor to help you with your math test, are you paying for good grades? Basically, being in a sorority has more positive opportunities than not, and can be a life changing experience.
So, what exactly is rush?
Well, rush, or Formal Recruitment, is typically a week long event (or a couple of days depending on the school), where young women who are interested in joining a sorority get to experience a little taste of what each sorority has to offer by going to the different houses. Its also a great excuse to buy a few new outfits!
Each sorority holds a little get together every day where the new girls and active members have a chance to talk and get to know each other. Each day of rush normally lasts a little bit longer. The active members already in the sorority want more time to get to know the new girls in hopes of maybe having them as a sister later on. Every day has a different topic of discussion, like Philanthropy, Sisterhood and more, so the new girls can get all of the right information about each sorority.
Unfortunately, the sororities can only have so many new girls per semester, so they do have to cut girls each day. Sometimes they cut for grades because each sorority has a certain GPA, but other times they have to cut girls simply because they only have so many spots available. Nonetheless, most sororities encourage girls to go through Rush again if they don’t get in the first time! Rush is definitely a great experience even if you don’t end up in a sorority. You get to meet tons of young ladies who will be attending your school and might even have classes with one day. This is a great way to start building new relationships in college!
If you do go all the way through rush and the sorority you want chooses you, you will receive a “bid." This is a formal invitation to join the sorority. With the acceptance of this bid comes Bid Day. This is one of the most memorable days of a sorority girl’s college experience. Knowing that you will be a part of an organization that has so many opportunities is so rewarding. Once you receive your bid card you get a shirt or tank with your new sorority’s letters on it. You change into your new shirt and go meet a few of your new sisters who will deck you out in your sorority’s colors with face paint and all kinds of fun accessories that go with the theme of that year's Bid Day! This moment is so overwhelming that it almost seems unreal. The feeling of now having so many sisters is really something special.
