Rush week can be an incredibly intimidating experience, especially if you don't know what you're walking into! If you're thinking about rushing this year at Mizzou here are some helpful tips to help you get through it!

Dress to Impress: What to Wear 

When you start rush week people are going to tell you that you can wear anything you want. In reality, this isn't the whole truth! If you want to have the best chance of being asked back to houses you should dress nicely! While you should absolutely incorporate your own personal style into your outfits, you'll want to put your best foot forward when it comes to clothing - just like you would for any important event!

The Panhellenic Council will provide you with shirts. So, all you'll have to do is pick out bottoms, accessories, and shoes that match them! Feel free to put your own unique spin on whatever you're wearing that day! Later in the week you'll get to ditch the t-shirts and wear an outfit from your own closet! Keep in mind that the outfits get progressively nicer each day. So, a romper or dress would be perfect for end of the week! 

Source: Pixabay

Here are some ideas on what to match with the t-shirts!

Bottoms: 

• Jean skirts
• Jean shorts
• Flare jeans
• Flowy shorts
• Skorts
• Skirts

Shoes: 

• Converse 
• Cowgirl Boots
• Sneakers
• Sandals 
• Wedges

You'll definitely want to wear some comfortable shoes in the first couple of days because you may need to run from house to house!

Accessories: 

• Rings 
• Necklaces
• Bracelets
• Hair clips, bands, scarves, and scrunchies

Whether it means putting on your comfiest jean shorts and converse or a cute skirt and cowgirl boots, you should incorporate aspects of your personality into what you're wearing! This way you'll feel your most comfortable and confident walking into the sorority houses!

Remember, your smile is your best accessory! Try out the Novashine Whitening Kit if you want to bring your brightest smile with you while you rush! 

Make Time to Rest and Relax

Rush week can be both physically and mentally tiring! You'll have plenty of early mornings and late nights (with little to no rest in between). Make sure that you're eating well, drinking water, and getting rest at night. It's SO important that you take time for yourself when you can! So at the end of the day, throw on your favorite pajamas and a face mask so you can look and feel refreshed when it's time to visit your first house in the morning! Our favorite is the Novashine Green Tea Matcha face mask! It's super hydrating and leaves your skin glowing! 

Trust Your Pi Chi's! 

Rushing can be hard and it's often difficult to know which sorority fits you best! Luckily, you'll have help! Panhellenic Counsellors, better known as Pi Chi's are active members of Mizzou sororities who chose to become temporarily unaffiliated so that they could help you find the right sorority! They'll be the ones helping you get through rush week.

They've been through recruitment and already know how difficult it is so they genuinely want to help you. If you're conflicted, upset about something, not feeling well, or just need to talk they'll be there for you! 

Make Friends! 

Rush is an entire week where all potential new members have a chance to get on campus and meet each other before school even starts! It's an amazing opportunity to get to know the girls that you'll be going to college with and make new friends! 

Do your best to make connections! You can make life-long friends waiting outside of sorority houses, during lunch, and on your breaks. All of you are new to college and wanting to make friends, so don't be afraid to get someone's number or ask them to hang out!

Trust the Process 

One of the most difficult parts of rush at Mizzou is that you're going to get dropped from houses. There is literally no way around this. That's because every house is different and you're not going to be a perfect fit for all of them- but that's okay! You want to find the house that fits YOU the best. 

One phrase that you'll hear over and over again throughout recruitment is "trust the process". While this might sound a little weird, it's actually good advice. At the end of the week, you'll choose a sorority, they'll choose you, and somehow everything works out. 

So, if you get dropped from a house - don't sweat it! You're one step closer to finding your home!

Be Genuine! 

Rush week is designed help you find lifelong sisterhood and friendship! But, it's based in the idea that a sorority will pick you and you will pick them. Because of this you might feel like you need to put on a show or act how you think they want you to so that you'll be picked. You don't need to do this. 

The best thing you can do is be yourself. You want to find a sorority who likes you for who you are, not who you pretend to be! Even within a sorority you'll find that there are so many different women with different personalities! So, just be yourself. 

Don't worry about running out of things to talk about or conversations being awkward! The current members all practice recruiting so they'll know how to keep the conversations going!

Form Your Own Opinions!

You might be tempted to google how sorority houses are ranked or which houses are the "good" houses" - and we won't tell you not to! But, we want to encourage you to go into recruitment with an open mind and give every house an equal chance. The most important part of rushing is forming your own opinions on the houses. This shouldn't be based on the opinion of your roommate, sister, or anything you read on the internet! 

In reality, all the houses are good houses! Just because a house has a certain reputation (good or bad) does not mean that it's true or something that you should consider! Pick the house that you like the best and ignore everything else. 

Watch Out for Bid Promising and Dirty Rushing

During Rush Week, one of the things your Pi Chi's are going to warn you about is Bid Promising! Bid Promising is when a current sorority member does or says anything that makes you believe that you are going to get a bid from them or going to be invited back to their house. It can be as simple as saying, "I can't wait to see you on bid day" or even "see you tomorrow".

This might seem innocent, but it's harmful to potential new members because it leads them to believe that they're going to get to go back to a sorority when they may not get to. This can affect how they rank houses and lead to hurt feelings. 

Sometimes sorority members are genuine when they're saying this and sometimes they aren't! The important thing is not to think too much into it if you hear these phrases. Tell your Pi Chi and rank the houses according to how much you like a house and how much you think you'll like being a part of that sorority.

Helpful Tips for Ranking the Sororities

When you rush it can be so difficult to rank sorority houses- especially as it gets closer to bid day. But here are some important things to think about when you're picking which houses you want to go back to! 

It can be helpful to ask yourself...

• How do I feel when I walk in and out of a particular sorority house? 
• Do these girls hold the same values as me? 
• Could I see myself being best friends with the girls in this house? 
• Did I enjoy myself while I was at a particular sorority? 

Similarly, don't be afraid to ask questions. Once you join a sorority, you're in it for life. It's totally normal to  want to get to know the girls and what their sorority is all about.