RUSH Tips Part 3: What to wear for Recruitment

August 27, 2015

Some of the girls from my floor on Greek Day.

So every college does Recruitment differently but I wanted to share what I wore for recruitment each night here at Ole Miss for those of you who are thinking of rushing. At Ole Miss we have 5 rounds, but some of the rounds last two days. 

Greek Day is the first day (it used to be called water parties). This round is very casual and a T-shirt is provided. Some girls wear Nike Shorts and tennis shoes with their T-shirt, which is definitely acceptable. I wore plain Lilly Pulitzer shorts (they're very similar to J. Crew Chino shorts) and Tory Burch sandals. Whether you dress up the T-shirt or choose to make it more casual really just depends on your personality. (See above picture.)

Philanthropy Round is the second round of Recruitment and it is also pretty casual. You don't go back to every house for this round but you are at each house for longer so at Ole Miss they break it into two days. A t-shirt is also provided for philanthropy round. Since it is broken into two separate days some girls wear different shorts for the different days but personally I just wore the exact same outfit because you don't go to the same houses both days. I wore Lilly Pulitzer printed shorts because they happened to match but a lot of girls wear J. Crew Chino shorts or something similar. 

Philanthropy Round Day 1

Philanthropy Round Day 2

Sisterhood (it used to be called skit) is the third round of Recruitment, and it is also 2 days at Ole Miss. This is definitely the most fun rounds of Recruitment for most people because it is where you can really see the personality of each sorority. Each house puts on some type of skit where they showcase the talents of some of their members. This is a formal round and most people wear dresses. A lot of people also wear wedges but only wear them if you feel comfortable walking in them! This is a super fun and not too serious round so your outfit can definitely reflect that and you can use it to show off your personality! I definitely took advantage of being able to wear a fun dress and went with a bright pink one!

Sisterhood Round 

Sisterhood Round
Pref (Preference) is the final round and it is by far the most serious. This is the night when you decide what sisterhood you want to join and be a part of for the rest of your life. The sororities are making sure that you would be a good fit for their house and you are making sure that you feel like you would belong. This is the most formal night and most girls wear nice dresses and heels (but once again do not wear heels unless you feel comfortable walking in them). The serious nature of the night means that your dress should be serious--bright dresses would not fit in at pref. A lot of girls wear black or neutral colors.

Pref Night
Pref Night

Bid Day is basically a holiday in sorority world and it is one of the most fun days ever! It is when you get to "go home" and find where you belong! At Ole Miss (and at some other schools but not all other schools) they will give you a shirt with your new letters to put on that you get to wear all day, so just dress neutrally. It is very casual so nike shorts are perfectly acceptable and I just wore a tank top since I knew I would be putting a shirt over it!


Bid Day (before our "Bid Day Jerseys")

Here is the shirt they gave us, we call it a "Bid Day Jersey"
Honestly, you're going to see so many girls wearing pearls, monogram necklaces, Tory Burch shoes, Jack Rodgers, J. Crew, Lilly Pulitzer, etc. (especially if you're rushing in the south) but don't let what other people are wearing dictate what you're wearing too much! If you want to wear those things, go for it, I did! Your personality should shine through in whatever you wear. And if you don't want to wear those things, don't feel like you have to conform! The most important thing is that you feel comfortable in what you're wearing! If you're confident and comfortable, it won't really matter what your wearing.

**I have not yet been on the other side of Rush so I would like to say that none of the things I have mentioned or will mention in future posts are from the perspective of my sorority but rather I am sharing the advice that helped me have a great Rush. 

Freshman Advice

August 23, 2015


Tomorrow I begin my Sophomore year of college, and I have to say Freshman year was gone in the blink of an eye. I wanted to write this post to help calm the nerves of some of you who are about to start college and also as a reflection of my freshman year and what I learned. 

For starters, I promise college isn't that scary. Maybe you're not nervous at all and you're just super excited and if that's the case, good for you. If you are anything like I was, you are really nervous and have no idea what to expect. As you begin the school year, know that everyone you meet is currently in the same boat as you or was at one point. Everyone has been a freshman. 

I promise classes aren't that scary. Talk to the people you're sitting around, chances are you will find something in common with them and almost everyone is eager to have someone to talk to in the beginning of the semester. Who knows, you might even make a friend. 

Be a "Yes Man." Take advantage of every major opportunity that comes your way. If someone asks if you want to go to some type of welcome week activity, go! If someone asks if you want to join a club, do it! Always ask yourself "Why not?" and "What's the worst thing that could happen?" Don't be afraid to put yourself out there because that's what college is all about. 

Get involved from the very beginning of the year. If there is any type of organization or group that you are thinking of joining, join from the very first opportunity you have. While it's easy to tell yourself that you will join once you get settled or you will become more involved second semester, its so much easier to just join from the beginning of the year. Last year I didn't get involved in the beginning of the year and it was so much harder for me to get involved halfway through the year. 

Stay on top of your school work. Everyone will tell you this but its so true. Once your grades start to slip its very hard (though not always impossible) to get them back up. And take advantage of teachers' office hours. This was one of the most important things I learned all year. I was told this a million times but it took me really struggling in a class to actually go see a teacher during office hours. If you go in and at least introduce yourself to your teacher from the beginning and then go to them for help when you need it, it will really help you in the long run. When a teacher knows you are trying they are much more willing to help you out later in the year. 

It's okay to not be perfect. First semester I learned the hard way that no matter how hard I tried, I can't always have perfect grades. Learning this took so much pressure off of me, that I didn't even realize I was putting on myself. In high school I put so much pressure on myself to take only the hardest classes and to have perfect grades. I realized once I got to college that the important thing is to do your absolute best and that's all you can do. 

Go out and meet people. Take yourself out of your comfort zone. I am generally really shy at first so this was very hard for me last year. The thing is though, when you're a freshman, everyone is going out and trying to meet people. No one has a really established friend group yet. By the end of the year your friend group will probably change significantly but some of the people you meed in the beginning of the year will be your lifelong friends. I made one of my very best friends in the beginning of last year. 

This is really long already so let me add one more thought: College is the time when you will probably change the most out. You will grow up and you will become the person you're going to be. That being said, take this time to think about who it is that you really want to be. This is your chance to become who you've always wanted to be. No preconceived ideas of who you were in high school. No reputations left over from something you did or the person you were in grade school. Just be yourself and recognize that not everyone will love you for it but most people will at least respect you for it. People will respect you for being true to yourself and for not compromising what you believe in to fit in. In college, people are much more accepting of who you are so be yourself. Always. 

Good Luck.

xoxo


Here's a picture of my from my first day of Freshman year. 


Erin Condren Planner

August 20, 2015


Erin Condren Metallic Planner Horizontal Layout

This year I decided to get an Erin Condren Planner! I was always hesitant to get one because I didn't like the layout of the weekly pages, but this year when they introduced the new horizontal weekly layout I just had to get one! The last few years I've had Lilly Planners but this year I wanted to mix it up. I always use Papermate Flair Pens so that I can color coordinate my planners. I ordered some different stickers from Erin Condren and I also use Lilly Sorority Stickers and Lilly Academic Stickers that I got off of amazon. 

I love my planner so far! It is very cute and has tons of space (which is beneficial because I'm so busy) and there's a space on the side of each day that is really nice! 

If you are considering investing in an Erin Condren Planner, you can use my code for $10 off! 


 Here's the monthly layout:

Erin Condren Metallic Planner Horizontal Layout

Here's the weekly layout: 

Erin Condren Metallic Planner Horizontal Layout

Erin Condren Metallic Planner Horizontal Layout


Here are some of the fun accessories that I ordered from Erin Condren! It came in a super cute box too! I ordered a personalized metallic cover for my planner but they were on backorder at first so they sent me another cover so that I didn't have to wait as long for my planner!


Erin Condren Metallic Planner Horizontal Layout

Erin Condren Metallic Planner Horizontal Layout


Erin Condren Metallic Planner Horizontal Layout

Erin Condren Metallic Planner Horizontal Layout

My first college home!

August 18, 2015

Cute room with Kate Spade Bedding Anchors and Pearls
I've been really busy for the past few weeks first with my musical and then packing to come back to school and move into a house! Most sophomores don't live on campus at Ole Miss because they don't have enough housing to support the rapidly growing student population. While I enjoyed living in a dorm, I'm so happy to finally live off campus and have my own space. One of my friend's Dads purchased a house for her older sister who just graduated so now we get to live there. It's the cutest little house and it has 3 bedrooms so I'm living with two other girls. I'm finally all settled so I wanted to share some pictures of my room with y'all! 

My bedding is Kate Spade and I got if from Bed Bath and Beyond. I got some pillows from the same Kate Spade collection, some from the website "Decor 2 Ur Door", and some from PB Teen. I got the prints on my wall from the History in High Heels Etsy Site (I found it after stumbling across her blog History in High Heels). I got the majority of my furniture from IKEA

Ikea Vanity with a Vanity Girl Mirror

Ikea Vanity with a Vanity Girl Mirror

Ikea Bar Cart Painted Gold

Cute room with Kate Spade Bedding Anchors and Pearls

History in High Heels Gallery Wall

Cute room with Kate Spade Bedding Anchors and Pearls

Preppy Closet

History in High Heels Gallery Wall

Preppy Bedroom


Cute room with Kate Spade Bedding Anchors and Pearls

Here's what the bathroom looks like, I wanted to share because I got a Lilly Pulitzer for Garnet Hill shower curtain! 

Lilly Pulitzer Shower Curtain

Lilly Pulitzer Shower Curtain

This is one of my roomies (our other roommate hasn't moved in yet but will move in later this week!)


Guys and Dolls (The Musical)

August 16, 2015


One week ago today was the final performance (out of 8) of Guys and Dolls, the musical I spent my whole summer working on. It is through a community theatre I've done shows with before but this show was different. The entire cast was supportive and positive throughout the entire rehearsal process. Everyone genuinely wanted to be there and everyone genuinely cared about each other which made it really special. I made so many incredible friends and I grew very attached to everyone in the cast which made it hard to say goodbye.

In Guys and Dolls I played a "Hot Box Dancer" and a "Havana Dancer" renewing my love of dance and my passion for performing. This show reminded me why I fell in love with the theatre in the first place and made me realize that I want to keep being involved with musical theatre for as long as I possibly can.








Here are a few pictures of me and some of my friends from the show! 




Fashion Friday: Black and White Dress & {Chicago} Broadway

August 7, 2015


I'm currently in the middle of a musical (Guys and Dolls) through a community theatre in my home town. I had a few days off so my mom and I took advantage of my time off and went up to Chicago for an impromptu trip to see Pippin which just opened. I was able to get student "rush seat" tickets the day of the performance so we got them for really cheap! I'm a huge fan of the theatre and I always try to dress nicely when I go to a show. This dress was perfect for roaming around the city all day while being dressy enough for a night at the theatre. I love this dress because it is very versatile and can be worn with a cardigan or on its own for different seasons. 

Outfit Details: