RUSH Tips Part 4: Surviving Recruitment Week

Skit Round! The most fun round for us, and the one with some of the best conversations! 

Hey y'all! Sorority Recruitment at Ole Miss starts this Sunday and I am so excited! For everyone who is about to begin the formal recruitment process, I was in your shoes just one year ago! I just wanted to share some of the things that helped me get through the week!

Going into RUSH week last year, I was a nervous wreck. The recruitment process where I grew up, is not super intense, and everyone told me how crazy RUSH is at a big southern school like Ole Miss. I had also heard a lot of crazy rumors including that being from the North, I would be cut from a bunch of houses right at the beginning. First of all, being cut just because you are not from the south is not a thing! I had an excellent RUSH week, and I was only dropped by like 2 houses throughout the course of the entire week. While it helps to know people who are already in sororities when you go through RUSH, I only knew two girls in sororities here at Ole Miss, and I can attest to the fact that knowing people isn't everything! So no matter, who you are, where you came from, or who you know, don't stress over it!

I can be shy sometimes, so I was worried as I walked into my first house, the very first day of RUSH. The thing that completely calmed my fears and made a huge difference for me was when the first girl I talked to said that she was just as nervous as I was! I hadn't thought about the fact that the people on the other side of the RUSH process were probably experiencing it for the first time from that side! After that I wasn't nervous and I just focused on having conversations with the girls and being myself! I ended up really enjoying RUSH because I love to talk and meet new people and thats literally what you do for a week straight!

Tips for Surviving the Week:

• If you have recruitment during the actual school year, get as much of your homework done ahead of time as you can. Rush is exhausting and it takes up a ton of time and I promise you, homework is the last thing you will want to do once you're done. You will probably want to head back to your dorm and sleep after each round. 
• Take care of yourself. There will be a lot of girls and everyone is in really close contact, it is so easy to get sick especially if you haven't been getting a lot of sleep. 
• You will be talking a lot. Like, A LOT, a lot. Drink lots of water and be prepared to lose your voice. I always drank warm water with honey and lemon last year which is great for your throat. 
• Be yourself. Don't say things you think a particular sorority would want to hear. People can tell if you're being fake and honestly its better to stand out. 
• Have an open mind. You never know what sorority you will end up loving. Just because you're a legacy or because all your friends are going a certain sorority, does not mean you have to! Trust me when I say you will know where you belong, and you will end up at the right house for you, it all has a way of working out in the end. 
• Have fun! It really is a lot of fun just remember to enjoy it! Its not worth stressing over! 

~Good luck to everyone going through Recruitment!~

*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 advise that other people gave me and things that I learned going through RUSH myself.