Greek life. Do I want to be in it? Do I not want to be in it? These are questions that bombard girls who are debating sorority recruitment at University of Maryland Those who choose to try it out, huddle nervously at Ritchie coliseum. I am here to talk about what how UMD rush goes. However, this is based off of my friends and my own personal experience. Every person is on their own journey when it comes to recruitment. This can be different for every potential new member.
This is the time during winter break where you start to worry. Everyone gets their nails done and plans their outfits ahead of time for each round. This will be extremely useful and to me, would have made rush impossible without. You also receive your rho gammas who are girls in an unknown sorority that help you throughout the process.
This is the first round of sorority recruitment at University of Maryland, and most likely the worst one. You go and visit 7 houses with your rho gamma group. Each house lines you up in alphabetical order and gives you a slip with your name on it. Then they say, “party start.” The first sister meets with the first girl in the alphabetical order and takes her coat and paper slip. They go and sit, and then it continues until all the girls are paired with a sister. You talk for around 25 minutes, and most houses will have multiple girls talk to you. However, it gets dark early into the round and you are exhausted by the end due to it being late in the night. The process is also mentally challenging.
This is the second round, and is just a repeat of the first values round. The differences are that you visit 9 houses, and you do have lunch in the middle of the day provided by the Panhellenic association. Then, you go to Ritchie to rank your top 12 (these do not have to be in order) and then 4 that you would like to drop (in order).
This is the third round of sorority recruitment at University of Maryland. It takes place on Sunday, bright and early in the morning. An hour before you are supposed to be at Ritchie, you receive your schedule via the recruitment app. You can get up to 12 houses, but it is common not to get all 12 back. It is also very common to get some of the 4 that you dropped back, as well. Your schedule is personalized, so your rho gammas will not guide you to each house. You go by yourself. You will all have lunch at the same time regardless of the differences in schedules. This round is very similar to values, except most houses will show a video about their philanthropy. They will explain what their philanthropy is and what events they hold throughout the year to advocate for that service. This day is exhausting. Depending on how many houses you get back, it can also be the longest. When you wrap up your last house, you go to Ritchie and rank your top 7, and drop the others you have. If you have 7 or less, you cannot drop them.
This is the fourth round, and you hear the night before what houses called you back. You once again receive a personalized schedule and after classes, the rounds begin. This round can go until late in the night. Each house is different. Some will show videos, some will have activities, and some won’t do anything different than the earlier rounds. This depends on the house. This round of sorority recruitment at University of Maryland ends by going to Ritchie and ranking your top 2.
This day starts later, so you have time to get ready after the break of dawn. It is also a much more exciting round! You only go to 2 houses at most, and you spend a little less than an hour at each. You get ‘pref-ed’ by one of the girls you connected with in the earlier rounds. While each house does it differently, they usually sing songs or share deep memories of their sorority. After the ritualistic experience, there is food and drinks and you talk to the girl who pref-ed you. While you are dressed very formally, it is a much more comfortable situation than the previous rounds. You then go to Stamp and rank your top 2 in order of which one you would want to get when you open your bid day card.
Bid day best day! This is the day everyone waits for during sorority recruitment at University of Maryland. You go to Stamp where you sit in your rho gamma group. Then, you see the rho gammas reveal which sorority they are in. Finally, you open your bid day cards! You go to your new sorority standing on the perimeter of the ballroom and you get on a bus for your sorority. The bus takes you to the house where the sisters have plenty of food, fun, and activities for their new members!
Generally, girls do drop each round, and the process is draining and difficult. But it is worth it! You know yourself better than others, but if you get a schedule back and you have at least one house you love on there- go!
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