Rushed rushing is for the best

Female students often lament that sorority rush has to coincide with the first week of class. Yet, contrary to popular belief, this first week could actually be the perfect time for rush. It’s just hectic enough to test a girl’s commitment and time management skills, but not so busy as to be overwhelming.

For the past week, we’ve seen these prospective sorority sisters “rushing” into the evenings: girls looking picture-perfect, poised in sky-high stiletto heels and glimmering cocktail dresses. Every hair’s in place, every lash lined with mascara. But it’s not all glitter and glam.

From hour-long dress-ups to house visits that last till one in the morning, the behind-the-scenes work consumes hours on end. On top of that, rush-ees, many of them first-time college students, have an entirely new and demanding schedule to adjust to. But the process may not be as dire as it seems.

Early rush allows sororities to get the recruitment process out of the way before the full onset of heavy studying, ten-page papers and nerve-racking midterm exams. For many Trojans, the first week of college consists only of syllabus-overviews and introductions, leaving ample time for rush.

Why not during Welcome Week then, you ask? The answer, with a twist of irony, is because the first week of school poses the perfect time challenge. The added obligation of class makes rushing a test of will and commitment to the sisterhood. Holding rush the first week gives girls a taste of the time and effort they will have to sacrifice for the sorority year round. Thus, sororities can attract the right kind of people for their lifestyle: social butterflies who can manage their time and who are undaunted by a busier agenda.

So, to future generations, as much as it screams “overwhelming,” rushing while trying to adjust to the new semester may be a blessing in disguise. Besides, acquisition of time-management skills is always a plus.