I Went Through Sorority Recruitment, Here’s Why I Wouldn’t Survive Bama Rush

“Rush” is the perfect word for sorority recruitment, because that’s what it feels like: a rush of emotions, feelings, and exhaustion. 

I went through sorority recruitment my freshman year of college. It took place in the spring semester as outlined by the university, so students had a chance to feel settled before joining sororities. My college had 10 panhellenic chapters, and on the first day of recruitment, the possibilities of joining them felt endless. 

I’ve been watching Bama Rush with the same excitement, awe and bewilderment as others, but as someone who went through rush outside of the South, I don’t think I would have survived it. 

At my school, sorority recruitment was a four-day process that took place in one of the local hotels. Instead of sororities being able to have on-campus houses, each one was designated a conference room, enshrined with life-sized Greek letters, the colors of the sorority, and enough tables and chairs for potential new members (PNMs) and already initiated sisters to talk.

Similar to Bama Rush, you go through the process of meeting the sisters, and through a semi-mutual agreement, get invited back to certain sororities as time goes on. 

For those going through Bama Rush, the process starts months in advance. Some girls begin by obtaining a letter of recommendation from friends and family. Then they start planning their outfits, some of which can run the PNM up to $19K, as soon as possible.

In the meantime, the already initiated sisters are memorizing choreography for viral TikToks and making sure their voices are loud enough to be carried down Greek row — a stark contrast to my recruitment cheers, which consisted of clapping and smiling at the same time, and nothing more complicated.  

When I went through recruitment, I picked out the outfits the morning of, did my usual makeup and touched up during the day. Without dating myself too much, the only social media that was accessible at the time was a combination of YikYak, Instagram, and Facebook. I didn’t have to make outfit videos, get ready with me videos, or think about making content during the process. 

Even without all that, I still barely had the mental energy to set an alarm for the next day, let alone post a video debrief on how each day went.

The physical and mental exhaustion tied to Bama Rush alone would be enough for me to likely drop out. During rush, ambulances are frequently stationed on campus due to the intense summer heat, which can often cause girls to pass out. The PNMs wait outside the houses in the August Alabama heat, in their carefully curated outfits and fresh faces of makeup.

Aside from the blazing temperatures, rush is already a very physical process, as you have to talk for hours on end, actively listen, engage, and decide if you want to keep going. I don’t think I have a setting spray good enough, or shoes comfortable enough to last the day. 

The process itself has gotten more elaborate over the years, with PNMs increasing their spend and already initiated sisters taking on more responsibilities in order to bolster themselves as a top house before the process even begins. What happens if you’re in the sorority and can’t dance? When you join the sorority, do you start learning the dances? 

All this to say, it feels like some of the key elements of why I joined a sorority get lost in the glitz and glamour of Bama Rush. Of course, joining the right sorority can determine your social life for the coming years, but there still should be a focus on the people behind the door, the philanthropies you want to be involved in, and the sisterhood bonds you’re going to make that “last a lifetime.”

I’m grateful that my recruitment was before #RushTok.