Greek life is a fixture on many American college campuses. Depending on where you go to school, getting into a top Greek house can be harder than getting into college itself.
Sorority rush consultants guide prospective Greek members through the recruitment process, helping them get into the house of their dreams. This guide will cover everything you need to know about sorority rush consultants and how to determine whether or not hiring one is right for you.
What Is A Sorority Rush?
To join a sorority you’ll have to go through a formal recruitment process known as rush. This is a way for prospective members and sororities to figure out if they’re a good fit for one another. The process culminates in bid day where houses extend formal offers of membership to new members.
Rush varies between schools. In the south where Greek life is a cultural staple of campus culture, rush is very competitive. At other schools where Greek life isn’t as pronounced, there might be less pressure to get into a good house.
Typically, prospective members rush sororities during their freshman year of college. Depending on your school, rush may happen at the start of the fall semester or in the spring.
While the culture can vary between campuses, the process is largely the same. Rush is broken up into different rounds: open house, house tours, philanthropy, and preference. As prospective new members – referred to as PNMs – go through each round, they cross houses off their list.
At the same time, sorority members create a list of their own, ranking the PNMs they want to join their house. After the preference round, both PNMs and houses make their final list. Bid day is the final step of this matchmaking process. You either get a bid from a house you want to join or you don’t. At schools where Greek life is very competitive, there’s a lot of pressure to do the right things to get a bid from the house you.
This is where sorority rush consultants can help. They provide mentoring and guidance to PNMs to navigate this process.
Related: Should You Go Greek Or Stay Geed
What Do Sorority Rush Consultants Do?
Sorority rush consultants play several roles during the rush process. They prepare PNMs for what to expect during each round while also helping them establish a personal brand. A sorority rush consultant can also provide support to their clients as recruitment can be emotionally and mentally taxing too.
Guides you through the recruitment process
Sorority rush consultants help PNMs through the process. They make sure their clients understand what happens during each round and come up with strategies to help them get into their dream house.
One of the benefits of this kind of service is providing emotional support to PNMs. This is especially true for individuals who are new to Greek life and don’t have family members who they can tap into for guidance.
Helps you establish a personal brand
An important element of the rush process is personal branding. Each round of recruitment comes with a dress code that becomes more formal as the rounds progress. Houses also have unspoken expectations for style and personal grooming. They may look for candidates who fit in with the house’s aesthetic. A rush consultant advises their clients on what to wear and how to set a good impression.
Another part of the personal branding process is auditing social media to make sure their clients are projecting a good impression digitally too. This might include recommending new types of content to create before rush begins or eliminating content that might cast their client in a bad light.
Develops communication skills
Sorority recruitment is similar to speed dating. During each round, PNMs are expected to hold conversations with sisters in the houses they visit. A sorority rush consultant can help their clients prepare for questions they may be asked while providing recommendations of questions to ask sisters as well.
With more and more college students spending time using digital communication tools like social media and Zoom, practicing in-person communication skills is becoming increasingly important. A sorority rush consultant can help PNMs learn non-verbal forms of communication that can impact how they’re perceived during rush, like making good eye contact and using confident body language.
Gives you confidence
The most important thing sorority rush consultants do is provide confidence to their PNMs. Rush can be competitive and intimidating. Fear of rejection can sting, especially if a PNM doesn’t get into their top house.
Regardless of the outcome, a rush consultant can help instill confidence in their clients. This is a valuable asset that will benefit their clients well beyond college.
How Much Does A Sorority Rush Consultant Typically Charge?
Sorority rush consultants charge anywhere from a few hundred dollars for a seminar to several thousand dollars for a tailored experience.
Webinars and seminars are usually the most affordable option. These services provide general advice on how to navigate the process and how to build a personal brand. It’s All Greek to Me, a sorority rush coaching service, offers a 2-hour seminar for $650 that covers everything from makeup tips to preparing for conversations.
The more personalized the service is, the more you can expect a sorority rush consultant to charge. Recruitment Ready, for example, offers a Bid Day Bundle that includes unlimited support, a social media edit, and styling consultations for $3,997.
Some consultants offer a la carte services for PNMs who are on a budget. Aside from the Bid Day Bundle, Recruitment Ready also offers one-on-one Zoom sessions for $175 and etiquette sessions for $210.
Related:
How Much Does It Cost To Rush
Are Sorority Rush Consultants Worth It?
If you’re considering rushing a sorority it might be worth hiring a sorority rush consultant, but it will ultimately depend on your goals. Similar to hiring an SAT tutor or a college admissions consultant, a sorority rush consultant can be an important advisor who guides you through the process, increasing the likelihood you’ll get into the house of your choice.
They can also teach you important soft skills like building a personal brand or improving your interpersonal communication skills. Because soft skills aren’t taught in college but often have tremendous value to future employers, investing in a sorority rush consultant to learn those skills can pay dividends in the future.
That being said, with hiring any coach or consultant there is never a guaranteed outcome. It’s possible to spend a lot of money and go through the rush process without receiving a bid at all. Before hiring one, make sure you’re comfortable with the risk and set your expectations so that you get what you want out of the experience.
