The whirlwind of sorority recruitment can be a very daunting experience, especially at Ole Miss. The pressure to have the perfect outfit and the desire to find one’s “home away from home” can be a very overwhelming experience for parents as well as students.
Here are some of the best tips and tricks to take the stress out of recruitment.
Pre-Rush To Do List:
Help your student get her outfits together for each day or recruitment prior to the week of recruitment. The week is far less stressful when she has all of her outfits planned out. Neilson's, Frock and Hinton & Hinton are a few of our favorite local shopping spots!
Book any beauty appointments (nails, hair, spray tan, etc.) in advance. These appointments tend to fill up quickly the week before recruitment! We recommend BloDry Bar, LaRousse Salon & Spa, Lacca Nail Club and RK Beauty Bar.
Prioritize class! If she has a class during a round tell her not to panic. She will be excused from that recruitment round. She should NOT skip class because she will be dropped from recruitment entirely. She should also prepare for any tests or projects she may have during rush week prior to that week.
Be there for support! This process can be very stressful and alienating. Be there as someone to lean on. * RSVP here to attend the POM MOMosas Brunch on Pref day (Saturday, Sep 28)!
Relax and trust the process! Even though it sounds cheesy, everyone ends up where they are meant to be and finds their home away from home. Trust the process and be encouraging to your daughter to go into the process with an open mind.
Day-by-Day Overview
Greek Day - Sunday
What to Expect: The first day of recruitment! Potential new members (PNMs) will attend all 10 houses.
What to Wear: Panhellenic will provide a “Greek Day” shirt. Girls typically pair this shirt with shorts, a skirt, or an athletic skirts and sandals or tennis shoes.
Tips: Dress comfortably! This day is the longest day and the PNMs will be walking from house to house all day long.
Philanthropy - Monday & Tuesday
What to Expect: Philanthropy round is spread out over two days. The PNMs will attend a maximum of 8 houses during these days.
What to Wear: Panhellenic will provide a “Philanthropy Day” shirt. The girls will wear this shirt for both philanthropy days. Girls typically pair this shirt with shorts, a skirt, or an athletic skirts and sandals or tennis shoes, similar to Greek Day.
**Wednesday is an off day. No recruitment rounds will be held that day.**
Tip: Girls should use this day to catch up on school work, sleep, and any other commitments they may have.
Sisterhood - Thursday & Friday
What to Expect: Like philanthropy round, Sisterhood round is also split up into two days. The PNMs will attend a maximum of 5 houses between these two days.
What to Wear: During this round, PNMs usually wear dresses/cocktail dresses paired with heels/wedges.
Tips: This is a great opportunity for the PNM to show off her style and personality!
Preference - Saturday
What to Expect: During Preference round, PNMs will attend a maximum of 2houses.
What to Wear: This round is the dressiest round. PNMs typically wear cocktail dresses.
Tips: Go for a simple yet elegant look!
Parents, are you planning on coming to town for Rush? Nothing to do while your girl is busy at Pref round? RSVP here to attend the POM MOMosas Brunch on Pref day (Saturday, Sep 28)!
Bid Day - Sunday
What to Expect: Last day of recruitment! PNMs will be instructed to go to the grove to receive their bid day cards.
What to Wear: The recruitment counselors will let the girls what to wear. Usually the PNMs wear athletic bottoms and sneakers because they will be running to her new home!
Tips: Enjoy today! This day makes the whole process worth it!
Lastly, make sure you have ordered Rush week happies and Bid Day Baskets for your daughter! We recommend The Lily Pad, Olive Juice Gifts and Katherine Beck Gifts. In the last few years, the local retailers have worked with the buildings on campus to streamline the process of delivering all of these gifts each day to the girls.
Olive Juice Gifts owner, Erin Young, filled us in on how the pickup process works for Rush Week “Happies.” Here’s the scoop:
Daily Good Luck Gifts are delivered to the dorms and designated areas on campus Monday- Saturday of Recruitment Week.
Each morning, local retailers deliver gifts to these areas on campus by 8:00am. They send a text to each girl who has a gift that day and let her know where to pick it up, at her convenience, from 8:00am- 4:00pm. These shops will have paid employees sitting at the tables of gifts to assist the girls.
If a girl is unable to pick up her gift during this time frame, they will be re-delivered the next day.
We wish all the PNM’s good luck and if any of you parents decide to come to town for the fun, we hope to see you at our POM MOMosas Brunch!