5 Tips You’ll Want to Know for Rush

5 Tips You’ll Want to Know for Rush

Rush week is the week you will find a sisterhood that lasts a lifetime. It’s also the only thing between you and opening that bid card. If you keep an open mind and stay true to yourself Bid Day will be one of the happiest days of your life!

The best advice I can give is to be yourself. If you hate sharks, don’t say you went swimming with great whites in Hawaii. It’s important to know that rush is not about impressing people; it’s about finding your home for the next four years. Having gone through recruitment myself, here are a few more tips to live by…

Bring Flip-flops! When I went through recruitment I had to go all the way across west campus in just a few minutes. Rush requires lots of walking and yes… maybe even running, that’s what happened to me! I was bare foot running around Austin in a dress looking for my next house and just hoping my hair wasn’t loosing its curl. And trust me when I say if your feet hurt it’s really hard to keep a smile on and pretend like this is the happiest moment of your life. As for the shoe? If you want to wear a heel make sure its easy to slide right off so you don’t have to worry about spending time putting shoes on!

Get the Texas App! You already have so many things on your mind; the last thing you want to deal with is getting lost. Remember, on the back of your rush packet there is a map that labels the streets and sorority houses. A useful tool to navigate your way through rush is the University of Texas at Austin app! It will not only be useful for rush but also on your first day of class at UT! I still use this app and I am going into my Junior Year, lets just say I hope you’re better at directions than I am!

Don’t smack! Gum is never a good thing to be chewing especially when you’re having a face-to-face conversation. I realized a few seconds into a house that I had a big piece of peppermint gum in my mouth… There was nothing I could do. Spitting it out in a napkin would have been awkward with her looking at me and she had already seen it so if I swallowed it that would be obvious and gross. Is there any way to chew gum politely? The best solution to keeping your breath smelling fresh is breath mints! Altoids are the way to go.

Bring a fan! As you know, it’s going to be a hot week. Temperatures will probably be up in the 100s. Even if little portable fans are nerdy, you will be glad you have it! Trust me, it can get awkward when you ask a girl, “Hey can I borrow your fan?” because chances are she’ll pretend she didn’t hear you. It’s all about staying cool, calm and collected! Don’t forget to drink lots of water. 

Bring toiletries to freshen up! Oil wipes are always a good idea on a hot summer day; Sweat dripping down your face can be a huge buzz kill. Don’t second-guess yourself when it comes to deodorant; always bring it. A trial size is the perfect fit for your limited space! On nights like Skit and Pref when you may dress up more bringing a small tube of hairspray can keep you looking like you just walked out the door!

♛

I wish you all the best of luck and I am so excited to meet all of you!

ZLAM,

Courtney Norris PC ‘11

Recruitment Team

Rush ZTA 2013- What to Wear for Recruitment

If you are anything like me, you’re probably freaking out on what to wear for recruitment. To help you out a bit, I’ve put together a couple of outfits to give you a feel for what most girls will be wearing throughout the week!

The two biggest things to remember about recruitment week are that you will be HOT and you will be walking (running) A LOT! That being said, you will want to stay away from polyester (because it doesn’t breathe well) and any other material that easily shows sweat.  I’m not kidding about the walking, you will want to bring an extra pair of sandals in your tote bag each day to make your transition from house to house easier and more comfortable.

The first two days of the week are Open House. These are the days where you all wear your cute little Panhellenic t-shirts, a pair of khaki shorts and some tennis shoes. Because the shirts are provided, you don’t really need to worry about anything other than your shorts. Ideally, your shorts should have a three inch (or more) inseam; most girls find appropriate length shorts at stores like J. Crew, Old Navy, The Gap, etc. 

Okay, so moving on to your third and fourth day of recruitment - Philanthropy Day. Philanthropy Day is super fun because this is the day where you all get to learn about the awesome things that each sorority does to benefit their philanthropy! On these two days, wear a fun, summer dress with cute sandals or wedges, light jewelry and fresh, natural make-up. If you are a hugger (and Zeta’s are) be careful of jewelry that gets caught on hair.  Because Philanthropy Day is split into two days, you can always re-wear the same dress if you want to, buy two different dresses or switch off with one of your friends!

 

            The fifth day (and my personal favorite) is Skit Night. This is probably the most fun night of rush! Each house will put on some kind of skit for you, which is really cool because you get to see the different and fun personalities of each sorority. You will want to wear a dress that is a little dressier than the one for Philanthropy; fun cocktail dresses are appropriate.   It can still be a summer dress, but maybe dress it up a little with some jewelry and throw on some heels or wedges!

The final night of recruitment is Preference Night or “Pref”. Hopefully by this night you will have found your perfect “home away from home.” This is a cocktail dress event, and many girls wear a “little black dress”.  However, there are about a million black dress options out there. Some important things to remember when choosing this dress are that the dress should not be extremely tight or short. We find it is very difficult to maneuver during recruitment if your dress is too tight or short, so keep in mind all the sitting, standing and sometimes kneeling you will do in this dress.  Adding classic jewelry (think pearls), or something fun (think Kendra Scott), can really add some personality to your dress. Most girls will be wearing heels since it is the most formal night of rush, so do not forget your extra pair of sandals to wear in between houses!

I hope this has been helpful in making your wardrobe selection a little easier. 

I can’t wait to meet you all!!!

ZLAM,

Annick Rivas PC '11

Recruitment Team