The only thing that ever annoyed me at a rush party was boredom. It never happened during conversation but during skit one year we were performing and we saw one girl with a bored look. Trust me, we notice these things.

I'd say picking your nose is probably going to get you the boot pretty fast!! Or mentioning how you hooked up with the President's boyfriend at an XYZ party last night... :rolleyes:

James has a point, we do a lot of chit chatter at recruitment events, and not a whole lot of in depth, but when you're one on one with a PNM, you can get to know them much more than in a group, and there is time for that during each party.

The Name Game
 

Well, this has been debated many times before, but I would say to avoid the name game, unless you are asking about a VERY close friend or sibling. There is a possibility that you will throw out the name of someone your rusher does not like, and that is not worth it if it is someone you had tap dancing lessons with in the third grade. OTOH, one of my rushers at Phi Mu was showing me some pictures, and my brother was in one of them, so of course it was okay to point that out.

*bump*

I know that in my chapter, we aren't allowed to talk about the 4 D's:

Drinking
Death
Divorce
Daddy's money

They are pretty safe topics for everyone to stay away from. One other thing, when asked about specific fraternities or sororities (So, I was talking about XYZ at another rush party, what do you think about them?) We steer the conversation back to our paticular chapter house. If it's guys, maybe start to tell about a philanthropy you did, if it's girls, maybe you did a sisterhood with them, there are tons of topics. In general, almost any topic that you can bring up, we can make it a safe one to talk about.

Even if you have been asked the same question 10 times already, don't get too tired of it, we don't know the answer, and we still want to know. And you never know, maybe someone will have a different response and you wil have an entirely different conversation! I once was speaking with a PNM about where she was from, and it turned out we grew up in the same area, so we had a lot to talk about and reminice. She turned into my rush crush that year, and was a great girl!

The four D's that's funny. We have the 3 B's: Boys, Booze, and Bucks.

Ours is the four D's:
Drinking
Drugs
Daddy
Doing it

If you have a rec for a certain group and you know it don't feel neccessary to tell the sorority girls. They will know it and if they are on their game they'll know what you like to talk about during the party. The religion thing is important too. One of my sisters told me during rush that a girl from XYZ asked her what religion she was. I was like in shock!

Y'know, I don't think we had a version of the 4 D's / 3 B's / whatever - we were just told what topics to stay away from, and to use our own judgement.

We did have the 3 C's - attitudes not to display during rush:
- Cute
- Crude
- Catty

That would be a good thing for PNMs to keep in mind as well.

For Potential New Members:

Please sit like a lady. I had a girl during one round of recruitment and she sat like a "truck driver!" Granted she did not pledge with us or any other house, it was just gross and I found it offensive.

Please be yourself and remember that the active rushing you might be nervous too, especially if it is her first time rushing.

Don't wear perfume! Believe it or not when there are tons of girls coming into the house with perfumes on it makes us sick and the PNMs sick sometimes. (but don't forget the deodorant!!!)

Smile even if you aren't that interested in the house. Smiling is just polite and plus, why not look happy!

Make sure you eat something before you attend your parties. I have seen girls pass out during recruitment while walking from house to house. I realize you are probably excited and nervous but eat like a bagel or a something light.

Put all of her makeup (for touchups in between parties) in a zip lock back with your name on it. Don't bring a purse! You don't need it! (well unless it is for that "special time.") Your Gamma Chi (Rho Chi) should be willing to hold your bag for you.

Finally, make sure you have fun! Recruitment is a great way to meet girls and to make friends!

Besides... A lot can happen between first round and pref night... you may end up loving a sorority that you thought you were going to hate and vice versa.:)

CarolinaDG
 

I tried to private message or email you to ask, but it said your mailbox was full. Where in South Carolina are you? I just moved to South Carolina from Georgia and was curious. Email me if you see this: Kristi_Ann81@yahoo.com.

Kristi

I know some have already been covered, but here's my two cents...

*DON'T dress provocatively. You're going through sorority recruitment, not clubbing. ;)
*DON'T wear perfume. At least at my school, you're packed in fairly small rooms with lots of other people. If everyone is wearing perfume, it can get a bit overwhelming.
*DON'T discuss how much you want to hang out with fraternity guys, get drunk, etc. It makes the rusher wonder what your motivation in joining a sorority really is.
*DON'T talk about having a rec.

*DO show interest. Real interest, not faked. :) Boredom shows.
*DO BE YOURSELF!!!
*DO have fun!!

Thanks for all the insight! I deal a lot with guys for a team I work for (honeychile would know...yes honey...I'm working for them now...hello nate! ;)), so I tend to talk about them a lot. I guess I should steer from that a little. I'm thinking of starting a new thread to answer some more of my questions.

Welcome back USChica! We've miss you!