If you’re anything like me, you’re probably obsessed with watching Bama Rush Tok. However, you may also know that formal rush is a lot. Days lasting 12+ hours, four rounds in which your house options get slimmer, and hundreds of other potential new members (PNMs) doing it with you, all with the blasting summer heat. If the process sounds scary to you, it doesn’t mean you can’t join a sorority! Maybe it means that you should try informal rush, also known as Continuous Open Bidding (COB).
Personally, I never saw myself joining a sorority. That was, until I learned about COB. Continuous open bidding is much more relaxed than formal rush, and I was quickly drawn into the idea of having a sisterhood of girls that I could spend my next four years with. Instead of the heat, hundreds of screaming girls, and being “on” all the time, I was able to go on sister dates to get coffee while we talked more about ourselves as young women and as students.
So, you think doing COB might be right for you? Let’s talk about the pros and cons. The biggest pro is that it’s much more easy going. You can select which sorority you feel fits best with you, getting to know the initiated sisters is a calmer process, and in my experience, doing rush with an informal class felt like I was able to get know the other girls in my pledge class (PC) on a deeper level. As an introvert, being able to still participate in Greek life experiences in ways that fit my personality has been one of the best parts of my college experience.
However, there are also cons to doing COB as well. The biggest one in my opinion is that not all sororities offer continuous open bidding. They may have either reached the limit for the number of girls they can take for that semester, or their chapter simply may not offer the process. Doing COB may also limit you from truly finding the house that is the best match for you. By only applying for one or two houses, you might miss the sisterhood, philanthropy, and friends that would provide you with some of the best college memories you will have.
With these things in mind, if you think joining a sorority is right for you, but you’re unsure of how well formal rush would suit you, reach out to your campus’s chapters to see who’s doing COB. Many sororities will make it well known through their sorority’s social media accounts if they’re doing rounds of continuous open bidding and they are always beyond happy to have PNMs reach out! Pledging a sorority through COB has been one of the best moments of my college career. It is an honor to have participated in my chapter’s round of fall continuous open bidding, and it’s one of the moments of my time on campus that I wouldn’t trade for the world.