Sorority Life

As women growing up in our society we are often told to be strong, independent individuals to prove that we are equal to men. We are told to take no bullshit from others, and always stand up for our wants, our beliefs, and ourselves. We are told to embrace our differences and go against the “typical woman” stereotype. Yet here are twelve hundred young, bright women at the University of Michigan standing outside in rain and shine, getting shouted at, and forced to conform to a system that can end in an unbelievably high levels of stress and dejection. And there I was questioning this process while in the cold as number 1047, behind Stuart and in front of Sweet at 7:50, when I should’ve been sitting around a table in a tiny hot- box, located in the basement of Angell Hall, learning how to write this essay. If I’m questioning this process, I wonder how local bystanders are handling this. It must be an interesting sight seeing hundreds of girls dressed up with nametags around their necks and a map glued to their faces as they rush to the next house. I asked my friend, Sydney, who lives down the hall how she felt about rush and why she dropped after the first round. Her main reason for dropping was that the whole thing was too time consuming and expensive. Sydney said she didn’t like the idea of being judged after only ten minutes. How could they know whether they liked you or didn’t like you after only ten minutes? She felt they were judging on purely superficial things during first round such as looks and the clothes you had on. “To be honest I don’t even know how the rush process goes, but I do know that I’m happy I’m not a part of it anymore. Its crazy and so intimidating. You see girls just lining up in front of all these houses and I couldn’t help but compare myself to them. The only reason I wish I did it is so I can go out with y’all, but I know there should be more to it than wanting a social life.” And she was right. I knew I wasn’t just going through