Rush, Rush, Rush!

As a sophomore it is possible to rush a sorority or fraternity. For some people this is a life long dream, for others the word sorority inspires groans of disgust and rolled eyes. I was somewhere in the middle when it came to rushing, not sure I would like it and not sure I wanted to spend the money to see if I would like it.

Growing up my parents were never gung-ho about the sorority scene like some parents can be (especially moms). My sister went through college at UNC and never joined a sorority. My mother always used to tell me that joining a sorority is just like paying to have friends, a total waste of money. So when I began my rush debate, I had to take all of these things into consideration. I had heard that it costs about $250 a trimester to be part of a sorority plus additional charges for clothes etc. But I had also heard about all the perks that go along with this fee such as the community service endeavors, strong bond with all the sisters, a room in the house, and the cool parties they throw. On top of all of this three of my close friends had already decided to rush and I had the extra pressure from them to try it out. Ultimately, I decided against rushing due to a new job I had taken on and the fact that Bio 101 wasn’t as easy as I thought an intro course should be. What I didn’t expect was to actually get first hand experience into what takes place during rushing.

My friends had a bunch of different events they had to go to to figure out what sorority they liked the best and to see what bids they got from what sorority. The first event was quite casual attire, but as the days progressed the attire got more and more dressy until the last day which was cocktail dress. My girls were out for about four hours in the evening going to meetings with the sisters, learning about the different sororities community service endeavors, and figuring out where they fit in best. After this week of meet and greets, the girls then waited up anxiously for bids from whichever sorority wanted them the most. I stayed up with one of my friends until 2 am waiting for her bid, while listening to girls screaming and running through the halls. I even peeked out the window to see a sea of girls roaming around yelling and singing together. I won’t lie, I was slightly scared. Right around 2 am we heard what sounded like twenty overweight men banging on our door. The door was thrown open and my friend accepted an invitation to the next evenings bid dinner along with a million hugs. As I sat on the couch I felt a mixture of emotions. Part of me had wished I could be part of something so intense and another part of me was glad I wasn’t involved in something so dramatic.

My friends are all in the pledge process now and can’t talk about what is going on with their respective sororities. Thus far they all seem to either be enjoying themselves or they are putting up with whatever they have to do. Pledging has proven to be very time consuming as I hardly ever see my girlies. I’m now very happy with my decision as I need to have a little free time on my hands to de-stress from the day. All in all, it is a very personal decision and is based solely on what the individual wants. I may have chosen not to rush, but all my friends who did really enjoyed it and met many new people. To each their own!

Back to the U

As I arrived on campus Tuesday September 6th at approximately 11 am, it felt like a homecoming. The entire month of August I counted down the days until my return to Union, the return to my friends, professors, and the gorgeous campus. I couldn’t wait to pack up my car on the 6th and begin my 30 minute trek down the highway. I was so excited when I pulled into the parking lot that the twenty five million trips it took to lug all of my possessions up the stairs felt like a breeze. After my long summer of non-stop work it felt incredible to finally be able to see all of my girls. The reunion was pure bliss especially because as a sophomore I could finally live with them in Fox Hall. After putting my things away (the process took only two hours as compared to last years four), I ate at Upper for the first time as an official Upperclass student. Although it really wasn’t much different from West, I enjoyed the ability to actually be able to eat there during the week. After a night staying up laughing with my girl friends, I finally fell into a sound sleep. My classes started promptly at 9 am the following morning and with my joy from being back on campus I didn’t even wince when my alarm went off at 8 am. In fact I leapt out of my bed and sped walked to my first class (Biology 101).

As the day progressed I noticed a couple things. One being that there seemed to be a billion new fresh faces on campus. I realized that I was no longer the naive, curious little freshman that I was last year. Hundreds of students had stepped in to fill those shoes. It felt good to be a year older, but also a little sad. Freshman year was full of highs and lows, but it was my first year at Union and therefore a year full of learning and understanding. Another thing I came to realize was that on my return I felt 100% comfortable, like it was really my college, my campus. Surrounded by my friends on familiar turf felt wonderful in comparison to last year when everything was a little scary and uncomfortable. For some it takes literally a week to feel comfortable on this campus, but it has always taken me awhile to adjust to new places and faces.

I have a lot of expectations for my sophomore year. Get better grades, work hard, meet new people, have fun, and most importantly not to take everything (myself included) so seriously as that only adds to stress. I’m excited for this new school year especially as the fall weather begins to set in and change the look of the campus. I wish everyone lots of luck this year and hope that the freshman are off to a good start in their classes and blossoming social lives. Until next post!