My D is going to PSU UP next fall and may want to rush a sorority. Is rushing only in the Fall or do they rush in spring also? My older daughter goes to UDel and they only rush in the Spring. Also, does pledging take a lot of time?
Formal rush is in the fall; there is also informal rush in the spring. Since I have a boy I know much more about fraternities. From what I have heard, sorority rush is pretty intense and time-consuming for girls (at least formal rush; I believe informal rush is more relaxed) but being a pledge is not so bad. Now, fraternity pledging on the other hand…
Thanks. Yes, I imagine formal Rush is busy. It’s the same as my daughter’s at UDel. I was more concerned about actual pledging. How intense is that?
@Aida could you uh “expand” on the fraternity pledging? Haha
I can’t speak to the specifics of PSU, but if your daughter is pledging a National Panhellenic sorority, the pledge process has undergone a lot of changes in recent years. For one, “pledges” are now referred to as “prospective new members.” The “pledge” period has been shortened greatly - just a couple months. Sororities tend to have much more oversight than fraternities and I would not consider pledging a sorority to be intense at all. There are expectations that come along with any club as far as attendance at meetings and whatnot, but nothing outside the ordinary. Even when I was a pledge at a similar large university a few decades ago I did not find it intense in any way. The rush process can be a little intense, but it is over pretty quickly so it does not drag out into the semester.
@pitt2021 I just pledged a fraternity here. I won’t go into much detail but it’s a huge time commitment (I was constantly doing something, whether it be schoolwork or being at the house). Also, some fraternities are known for hazing very hard. For fraternities, rush is fun, but the minute you start pledging, the semester seems almost endless…
@ChrisF thanks that’s what I was looking for. Do you think it affected grades a lot because that’s mainly what I’m worried about?
Penn State students can rush either Fall or Spring (sorority or fraternity). The sorority rush process is time consuming but brief (10 days). Here is a link to the sorority info for Fall 2015:
You can view the recruitment process and schedule, as well as other info. My D thought the formal rush process would be extremely time consuming, so she rushed one of the associate sororities. The rush process was briefer, but the time she spent “pledging” was actually greater than that of her roommate who joined a traditional sorority. (The associate sorority she joined is involved in all panhellenic activities and does not seem to be any different than the other sororities.) The pledging time/requirements vary significantly by sorority, so if possible, it is helpful to get some inside info prior to rushing/pledging.
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@zipbags The main sorority rush is in the fall. Some sororities rush in the spring if they still can take new members, but it is definitely not all of them. Something to consider. It was time consuming for my daughter, but she was still able to do well in her classes. Hope that helps!