St. John’s University is filled with opportunities to take advantage of. Particularly, greek life is huge factor within the SJU community. While there are many diverse options, each organization has a unique perspective that can fit to anyone’s personality, if they choose to be apart of greek life. For sorority organizations on campus, we have two councils that all the sorority organizations run under – the Panhellenic Council and the MultiCultural Greek Alliance. There are many things to expect when searching for the right organization for you. Here are some tips on what to expect during SJU rush week!
Walking into the activities fair or the greek fair, you’ll come across a wide-range of personalities; some of those personalities resemble the sisterhood you may want to be a part of and most come across as uninteresting and “fake”. Regardless of what you perceive, it is always best to go around to see which organization fits you best. The fun part of both councils is that they require each organization to present what their sorority is about, what they stand for, and how they can benefit you as a person.
Many, I assume, look for “what can this sorority do to benefit me and help me grow as a woman” while deciding which organization to connect with during rush week.
As a freshman, SJU has rules about taking in first-year freshmen to join greek organizations. You may take part in fall rush, but don’t expect to go straight into greek life as a first-year freshman. Don’t worry, you have second semester and the rest of you college life to decide if and which greek life is the best fit. You have to have at least a G.P.A. of 2.5. SJU is still a school of learning, so greek life is the least of your worries if you think you could skip classes like you did in high school.
When going out to rush events, there are different environments depending on which sorority you rush for. For the traditional sororities, there are more people within each organization at a rush party and it may sometimes tend to be overwhelming, claustrophobic, and occasionally fun.
For the cultural sororities, these events tend to be a smaller and more relaxed setting. Many of the times, everyone already knows one another. Cultural organizations tend to be closer because of the similarities and general things in common. Both settings are overwhelming at times, but it is nothing some encouragement and friends can’t solve!
For some organizations, this is a rush tactic that is very helpful to get-to-know a person on a different level than trying to get you to come out to rush events. Don’t be frightened. They were in your position once before and they are usually friendly people trying to welcome you to St. John’s and see if you’re interested in what they’re interested in as well. Social media is definitely an ice-breaker to get a conversation started with a new person.
For the Panhellenic Council, they require every organization to attend “bid day” – the day where they reveal who they gave their bids to (obviously).
You may or may not qualify for some organizations’ standards or preference, but always keep your head high and do your best throughout rush week!
Rush week is a stressful week for greek life, so don’t be afraid of getting out of your comfort zone and meeting new people! These organizations are going to be there with open arms and friendly smiles.
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