Guide to Rush at Clemson University

Congratulations! You have officially decided to join Greek Life at Clemson, and as a member of a sorority here on campus, I can honestly say it is one of the best choices of your life. Unfortunately, recruitment can be a very stressful and emotional time for girls transitioning into their first year away from home. I, personally knew absolutely nothing about sororities or Greek life coming into recruitment and it was a very confusing time for me. However, I have put together a guide for all the PNM’s so you can all be a little more prepared than I was and have a smooth and exciting recruitment process!

Before Rush Begins….

1. Register online
Registration usually begins in the first week of June and ends right before rush begins. However, it is better to sign up early because prices go up the closer it comes to the time of actual recruitment.

2. Look for letters of recommendation

I did not have any letters of recommendation and I did not feel like it hindered me in the process in any way. However, if you are a legacy or you already know a lot about Clemson’s Greek Life and what sorority you would like to join, it would definitely help to ask for a letter of recommendation from a member you know personally!

3. Plan out your outfits!

It is definitely not a good idea to stress out about what to wear to each round the night before it comes, so definitely plan out your outfits before you get to school. As I discuss each round in detail I will give tips on what to wear for each day.

During Rush….

At most schools there are sorority houses and during recruitment the girls going through rush go around to each house; however, at Clemson we do things a little differently. Rush is instead held at different meeting rooms throughout the school and your Pi Chi, which is a disaffiliated member of a sorority who is there to help guide you through rush, will give you your schedule of which sorority’s round you will be attending at what location for every day so you will not be confused about what room you are walking into!

ROUND ONE

This day of the recruitment is hands down the most exhausting day for both PNM’s and active members. Luckily, the first round has now been split into the first two days of recruitment so it will not be as draining as in the past years. In these two days you will visit with all 12 sororities on campus for 25 minutes each and talk to 2-3 girls in each sorority.

A couple days before you will be given a t-shirt to wear during the first round. This means that in order to show your personality or fashion sense during that first round, you will have to plan the rest of your outfit wisely. I would recommend wearing shorts or a skirt of an appropriate length because it will be very hot during these two days with nice sandals. Remember that accessories could be talking points! A necklace that says something about where you are from or something you care about could be a great conversation topic that will set you apart from the thousands of other PNM’s these girls will be talking too.

During this round, you will mostly be talking about yourself and showing the sorority who you are as an individual and why they should be interested in inviting you back to the next round. I would definitely advise coming up with some interesting topic points to make yourself unique to the girl you are talking to, as I’m sure she is tired of talking about majors or hometowns. Having a conversation that flows easily and feels comfortable will make the time go by faster and make the experience more enjoyable for both of you! Whatever you do, be honest and DO NOT lie about yourself because the sorority will find out and you may be cut from the next round because of it.

ROUND TWO

If everything went perfectly, you should have 9 sororities ask you back to round two, which is the philanthropy round. However, it is very common for girls to get back less than 9 sororities so don’t feel bad if you do not get back your top 9 that you voted for.

These rounds will be on Sunday of recruitment and will last 40 minutes each. Don’t worry about the longer amount of time, this is simply because the sororities will take some time out of individually talking with you to give a presentation of their philanthropy.

This round is still casual, but slightly dressier than the first round. Do not wear wedges or heels because not only will you be very uncomfortable walking around all day, but you will definitely appear more dressed up than most girls in recruitment. I would advise a skirt or nice shorts with a blouse and sandals or a casual sundress that would be comfortable sitting down in.

Whereas first round entailed talking a lot about yourself, in this round you will ask more questions about the sorority’s philanthropy, what it means to them to be a part of it, and what kind of events they hold for their philanthropy. Ask lots of questions and show genuine interest in any philanthropy that speaks to you personally!

ROUND THREE

The third round will take place the next Saturday and will last 45 minutes each. You will attend a maximum of 6 sororities third round, which is known as the sisterhood round. There will be a full week of classes in between the time from second round to when you find out which sororities have asked you back, which can be very stressful, but try to focus on school and the time will be there before you know it!

This round is a little more dressier, but not as dressy as the final round. This is the time to break out booties or wedges, but I would save heels for the last round. A dress or nice skirt is advised for this round and you will be sitting in a chair for part of the round so make sure it is comfortable to sit in.

As the first round was all about showing the sororities your personality, this round is all about showing you who they are as a sisterhood and organization. In the past this round involved a skit and recruitment video; however, this year things have been changed by the Panhellenic Committee so each sorority will do something a little different to communicate their personality to you! This round is extremely important in deciding which sorority you actually see yourself in because at the end of the day you will be voting for your final three, and you could potentially end up being a part of one of those three sisterhoods after the next round is over.

ROUND FOUR

The time is finally here, Preference Round! You will be invited back to a maximum of three sororities, and you should be incredibly excited as this is pretty much the sorority’s way of saying they want you as a part of their organization and from here on out it is up to you to decide. This round will take place on Sunday and will last 50 minutes.

This is the most formal of rounds so wearing a dress and heels or wedges is strongly suggested. You will be sitting down for a majority of the round at a table but you will still be walking in and out of the rounds so make sure you are comfortable walking in whatever heels you choose to wear.

This round can get extremely emotional, and by that I mean both PNM’s and active members have been known to cry. This is the time when the active member will tell you how much this sisterhood means to her, how she chose her sorority, and will basically sell you on the organization. This is the time for you to make the decision on which organization you truly see yourself being a part of and letting the active member know how interested you are in joining the sorority.