true insight and advice from a recent grad

I haven't been on gr since I was a freshman, but it just crossed my mind so I thought I'd check it out and it's just how I remember... As a recent grad (who was in a sorority for all 4 years) I'm gonna give some advice I wish I'd known back in the day.

For those who say "house reputations don't matter" eh... you can go both ways. People do sometimes make assumptions about a person based on what house they're in, but it is not a definite judgement and you can always just prove people wrong (if you even care to). But most people don't even know the "reputation" of every house, just the ones they actually know people in. Like I truly couldn't tell you the reputation of half the fraternities cause I only knew the ones of guys I was friends with. Along the same line- boys don't care about which sorority (or no sorority) you're in as much as you might think they do. By sophomore year, people won't even ask.

"Old row doesn't matter" - definitely agree with this one EXCEPT old row sororities just tend to be the "popular" ones. But you will NEVER hear actual students talking about "tiers" of sororities... Nobody cares that much except on here lol. There are generally agreed upon "popular houses" (just old row plus zeta) but seriously, nobody talks about old row versus new row or "tiers". My only benefit of being in an old row house was that I got to buy the t-shirts and one extra swap freshman year. Also nobody actually talks about ranks. Nobody argues about which house is the "number one house" because there truly isn't just one (and also who cares).

A "good" house is completely subjective. I was in a very "good" house that is considered hard to get into. I totally didn't fit their vibe and often thought that I would've had a better experience in a "lower tier" (still hate that word) house with girls I meshed more with. I made it work and made friends from in my house and outside my house but it would've been easier if I'd joined a house that matched me better from the start. But also, with a pledge class of 120+ there are plenty of other girls who feel they don't fit the rep. Find them and you're set.

Along those lines- be authentic during rush. Yes, it's essentially an interview and you're nervous, but if you treat it like a job interview and show zero personality, how's anyone supposed to know what you're like? Actually be yourself or else you'll end up in a house where you don't belong. I know "be yourself" can seem vague, and you obviously still want to make a good impression, so here are some do's and don'ts surrounding etiquette of rush:
Don't talk about boys or alcohol lol.. girls in every house party and hang out with fraternities, you don't need to ask. Rush is about girl friendships, focusing on partying or boys will seem weird. Do keep it positive- don't talk super negatively about other girls, dorms, your highschool, etc., nobody likes a complainer. Keep it light and upbeat. Do talk about religion if that's something important to you. Don't lie about your interests, it's not helpful for anyone. Doooooon't talk about other houses, it sounds gossipy. Do ask questions, and maybe think of some beforehand, it helps the conversation flow and will prevent any awkward silences if they happen.

To girls rushing- have fun and stay calm. I promise you as much as it feels like your sorority is the most important thing right now, it really is not. It's just a social group, don't stress on it too much.

Hopefully this was helpful :)