Rush is upon us! As a girl who rushed last fall, I am eager to attempt to impart wisdom on the incoming girls of the class of 2022. Rush is stressful, annoying sometimes, and is honestly all a blur in the end. However, once it is over, you are hopefully where you need to be and happy with the outcome. Here are some tidbits ya might need to know.

if you don't have recs yet, don't freak, but think about getting them.

There are many resources that teach you how to send out recommendation requests. Basically, you are just asking former sorority girls to write recommendations for you. Most people say yes, and there are typically online options that make it much easier for them to write them! Remember, though, that a rec, even from your mom, will not get you into a sorority! My mom wrote a rec for me, and the sorority dropped me the first day of rush! But it's no big deal. The world keeps turning.

don't freak out about what you wear.

I remember working over the summer at a boutique and friends constantly coming in and asking me if I had all of my outfits picked out. It is good to think ahead, but don't obsess. Wear what represents you best, not what you think the average sorority girl would wear. Own who you are! This is about finding people like you!

WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES.

I don't know how many times I heard this from other girls, but I clearly wasn't listening. I wore four inch heels one day and ended up walking back to my dorm barefoot with giant blisters. Girls are not lying when they say you'll be running down the street to get where you need to be.

don't be scared of one-on-one conversation.

I went into rush so acutely aware of what others would think of me. Smile. Maintain some eye contact. Just be who you are. The girl who is talking to you just wants to get to know you. As I approach rush on the other side, I am even more scared to have rush conversations. I have to represent my sorority when I speak to girls, all you have to do is represent yourself!

don't feel like you have to make a bunch of friends during rush:

You are your most stressed self during rush. It is great to meet people and have a few conversations, but don't feel like if you don't make any major friends during rush, you won't have any friends period. Being at college for the first few weeks feels lonely and weird. But you will make friends! That's what the sorority is for! And if you feel like sorority life isn't for you, there are plenty of other things to get involved with!

you don't have to rush! and if you choose to rush, you don't have to take a bid!

If you are reading this and you are still on the fence about rushing that is totally ok. Rushing is not for everyone, and you may feel pressured to rush because all of your friends are and that's what the "cool girls" do. Do not be tricked by the lies of this world. However, if you do genuinely want to rush, do it. Rushing does not mean you have to take a bid. Why not take a swing at it and see what happens? I, for a while, told myself that being in a sorority was a bad idea for me, but decided to rush and see what happened. Some of my best college friends were made this year in my sorority!

you don't get to choose as much as you think you do:

Walking into rush, I thought I would have a huge say in where I ended up and I honestly didn't. That does NOT mean I didn't end up where I wanted to be, but it did mean a lot more disappointment than what I was expecting during rush. Which leads me to the next point...

if you end up with sororities on your pref list that you don't love...

If I didn't end up with the sororities I loved during pref, I would have much rather dropped than joined somewhere that wasn't for me. I know plenty of girls that decided not to take a bid because they were not wowed by their final options. That is so fine! There is always on opportunity for snap bids, spring bids, and rush sophomore year! Everything will be ok!