[We scoured the country to find the ultimate sorority girl to share her expertise with you. After reading through tons of applications followed by hours Facebook-stalking all the candidates (which proved difficult thanks to FB's privacy settings....), we found her. And now, with sorority recruitment under way at many schools across the country, she's getting down to business and sharing everything you want/need to know about going from scared rushee to enthusiastic active sister.]

To protect the traditions and longstanding process, sorority rush is inherently shrouded in secrecy. Every chapter keeps their plans hush hush, current members can’t talk to potential new members, and everything – from rush songs to what snacks they’ll be serving – is kept on total lock down.

And to a nervous rushee with no idea what is about to happen, it can all be quite overwhelming.

To ease your minds a bit (and stop all the rumors about fat circling….), I’m going to open the doors of those palatial sorority houses and let you see things from the other side. So here it is: what every girl about to go through rush wants to know. Read More »

[We scoured the country to find the ultimate sorority girl to share her expertise with you. After reading through tons of applications followed by hours Facebook-stalking all the candidates (which proved difficult thanks to FB's privacy settings....), we found her. And now, with sorority recruitment under way at many schools across the country, she's getting down to business and sharing some tried and true rules to ensure you make it from random PNM to adored active sister.]

As a die-hard sorority girl, I have no problem admitting that I know exactly what it takes to successfully join the sorority that is right for YOU. And trust me, there is one. It might not seem like it on the first day of rush when you’re being shuttled from house to house and having 3 minute conversations with tons of girls, but there is.  And when you get in there and connect with the members, you’ll know it.

But let’s get something straight. Everyone might be telling you how sororities are ‘values based organizations’ and members choose new members based on what’s on the inside.

And we are….
And we do….

Most of the time. But, much like in every other aspect of your life, first impressions are important. If you want to put your best foot forward/make that gorgeous old Victorian mansion your home for the next few years, be on your best behavior and avoid these 5 MAJOR don’ts for PNMs (potential new members). In Boilermaker Country, we call these no-nos the 5 Bs.

(Keep in mind, even if you don’t want to be in a particular house, it’s good to avoid these topics out of respect….or just to keep the convo from getting super awkward.) Read More »

Hello future, present, and past college sorority women (and creepy guys trying to get in on the juicy sorority gossip)!! My name is Megan, I’m a Junior, I go to Purdue, and I am so excited to be CollegeCandy’s Ultimate Sorority Girl! (Also, I like exclamation points.)

Being the official voice of Greek Life on this very (fabulous) website, I’m sure a lot of you are wondering about my sorority experience…. and I’m sure a lot of you aren’t. But too bad -  here it is:

I wasn’t far into my senior year of high school before I began creepily stalking the Purdue sorority websites and dreaming about what sorority I would soon be in. I registered for sorority recruitment the first possible day online and counted the days until it would all actually begin (while also researching every last bit of information I’d need to know to succeed and become the best sorority sister these girls could ever meet). Embarrassing, yes, but a steady form of entertainment for the summer before my freshman year of college

When I got to campus, I jumped into recruitment head first (with a totally new wardrobe for the occasion) and  when it was all said and done, I was an official ‘Baby Owl’ for Chi Omega’s 2008 pledge class. Hoot, hoot!! Read More »

We have incredibly exciting news coming straight from the CollegeCandy headquarters. This just in: CollegeCandy is  launching  a brand new column this fall for sorority girls across the country. We’re looking for the ultimate sorority girl, a Greek life die-hard willing to dish out an honest perspective on sorority life.

She needs to have strong writing skills, a sense of humor, knowledge on all things Greek (from rush etiquette to theme parties), and an overall willingness to give advice to sorority girls (and soon-to-be sorority girls) from all over America.

Does this sound like a girl in your house? Does this sound like you? Read More »

[It's pretty obvious that the average CollegeCandy reader has some very strong opinions. Opinions that she likes to share with everyone on the site. We love a strong woman, so we thought we'd give her a real forum to discuss her thoughts, feelings, and perspectives. Every Friday I'll be featuring a hot topic (like dating a geek!) and leaving it up to you, the readers, to duke it out. So, read it and get your debate on in the comments section below!]

Having spent my college years at a *ahem* non-traditional school, sororities were never something I considered – we don’t even have a campus, let alone a Greek system. But nonetheless, I suppose I’ve always looked down a bit on sorority girls… at least until recently when one of my best friends told me she was going to rush this year. So now, in all fairness, it seems like I owe it to these Greek girls to re-examine my thoughts.

I can certainly see the appeal of a sorority - the belonging, the sisterhood, and it would definitely have been handy to have some older girls around as a kind of mentor for those times when I let myself get out of hand. You have a place to live (a place that’s probably nicer than the dorms); you have a choice of what kind of group you want to be with, so you probably have some things in common. By being thrown into a sort of automatic family, you up your chances of making friends, moreso than in most ordinary social situations, and you are more bonded with those friends because of all that you share. Read More »

I always take the joke too far. If there’s a line, I soar right over it. So it was only natural that when people joked about me rushing a sorority as a senior, I went home, paid the fees, and signed up.

Even though I was rushing as joke, I still took the actual process very seriously. I showed up to all the pre-rush meetings, attempted to make friends with my group, and agonized over the perfect outfit for the first day (the decision between jeans and leggings kept me up). As the first day of rush approached my only problem was that no one in my rush group liked me. I had assumed that because I was a senior they would all gather around me for my insider tips and Greek wisdom.

Instead they stayed away like my awkwardness was contagious. Because they all insisted on ignoring me, I would just sporadically leap into conversations without even turning around to face them. I’m pretty sure that even though they refused to show it, they appreciated my Wizard-of-Oz-like- advice on sophomore housing, the grossest dorm food, and hazing. I’m hopeful that one day I’ll overhear one of the freshman saying “that awkward-senior in my rush group did always say to stay away from quesadilla night at the dining hall.” Read More »