What is Rushing and Pledging?

So you're thinking about joining a sorority or fraternity? That's great! But how do you know which one is right for you? By rushing and pledging! These are two of the madatory time periods one must go through to becoming a brother or sister. I will be talking about this subject as I know it for sororities, but I doubt there's a huge difference for fraternities.

When thinking of joining a sorority, one goes through a RUSH PERIOD. During this time the organization holds sisterhoods, philanthropies, and mixers with the members of local fraternities for you to come and see if that partiular sorority is a good fit for you.  For the sororities around Ottawa (where I am from), the rush period tends to last 2-3 weeks.  This is your time to bond with the sisters and see if this is something you truly want to pursue.

If the sisters of the sorority believe you would make a good sister and mesh with the organization well, you will be invited to become a PLEDGE. This means you will have tasks to do to show your dedication and how much you want to become a sister, while also learning the history of the sorority.  This time period tends to last a few weeks and can be a very emotional time for the pledges. During this time, you may be asked to not continue on as a pledge, or you may decide to step down yourself for whatever reasons. In the end, there is an INITIATION that happens with the pledges who make it this far. Most sororities (and fraternities) have many personal traditions that are top secret for initiation, and should never be shared! It can jeopardize the chance of becoming a sister. At the end, if you make it through initiation, you will officially become a sister!

These times are ones that you will remember for the rest of your life and treasure forever. It's also important to go through all of this to become closer to your pledge class as well as the active sisters of the sorority.  Like I said, most of this is similar for fraternities, from what I have heard anyway. And there is no better thrill than being pinned and told you are officially one of the newest members of such an amazing organization that a sorority is...

So if you want to find sisterhood, new friends, amazing experiences, or just something new, rushing a sorority or fraternity may be the thing to do! Trust me, I'm the shy type until I get to know people, and it was the best decision I ever made and it's now one of the most important things in my life. :)

xo.Jay