Endless lines of girls wrapped in long black puffers hanging onto each other as they change from fuzzy boots into stilettos. Walnut and Spruce streets filled with squeals and shouts of opinions and upcoming houses. Yep, sorority rush is here, and from what it seems as a Potential New Member myself, it’s completely consuming campus.
So, what’s the deal with rush anyway? At Penn, Panhellenic Formal Recruitment is drastically different from whatever it is the guys are doing (Chick-fil-A and Laser Tag?). All the schedules, dress codes and rankings make for a much more organized experience, but it would be a little nicer if we didn’t live in a city with below-freezing temperatures and relentless rain – not that we let that stop us.
Winter break was spent poring over the recruitment handbook and sharing fervent text conversations as Penn girls tried to figure out what to wear to the Open House Rounds on Wednesday and Thursday nights. After all, the “dress as if you were going to a nice dinner with your boyfriend’s parents” guideline was more than a little vague. But from the looks of it, girls made a lot from nothing and came dressed as fabulously as only Penn women can. Some notable choices spotted included leopard print heels, black lace cocktail dresses, plenty of suede ankle booties, leather skirts, sheer blouses and fun tights. Though the girls huddled outside under umbrellas in Uggs and sweats, this year’s group of PNMs looked flawless when it came time to enter the houses.
Similar to the lack of direction regarding what to wear, there was very little communal information regarding the recruitment process. Other years have had online forums, such the once popular JuicyCampus, in which girls could share their opinions and come to some sort of consensus on their feelings on different houses, what to wear and what to expect in upcoming rounds of rush. According to most of the conversations had and overheard in line for houses, it’s clear that no such thing of similar popularity exists for the 2012 crop of PNMs.
But even if such a forum existed, it seems that there really wouldn’t be any juicy gossip to discuss this year. The consensus is that rush is a lot less dramatic than everyone thought it would be. After a semester of horror stories regarding tears over who got asked back where and standing in lines miles long for hours, the girls at the Open Houses found themselves particularly lucky to be going through rush unscathed. Of course, the expected issues arose – girls not getting asked back to chapters they thought they were perfect for, wardrobe malfunctions and running in heels – but there was very little scandal. When asked if she’d witness anything hugely terrible, freshman Mary Stachofsky said, “the lack of scandal is…scandalous”. As girls were expecting incredible amounts of drama, the absence of it goes almost unappreciated. Though it’s much nicer to have a stress-free rush week, everyone loves something to talk about.
Recruitment 2012 launched without a hitch and that allowed girls to focus on what rush is really about: finding which sorority best suits you, meeting new people and finally getting to wear that sequin t-shirt that you frustratingly bought after New Year’s. Best of luck in the rest of the process, and happy rushing!
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