Sororities, Rush, and the Price You Might Pay.
By Brooklyn
    Each semester at West Virginia University women of all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds enter the Mountainlair auditorium with the intention of signing up for Sorority Rush week. They generally have no idea what they are about to embark upon. Sorority life is a completely different world. The first step is to take a tour of all the houses and meet some of the girls involved. It is very formal with beverages, small-talk, and tours. The motto is, "Smile, dress for success, and be yourself!" After the first day of tours the women must select a sorority to drop from the list. The next night it all begins again with the chit-chat and socializing, but this time when the night is over the sororites will choose to keep you for the next night, or discard you from their roster. This is where it gets interesting. After the second night you return only to the houses that invited you. Some girls do not get asked back to any, some decide to drop out of rush because the house they liked dropped them. The third night is philanthropy night. The returning rushees have to make crafts or decorate cards for the charities and programs that the sorority supports. This is basically to give the girls an idea about your willingness to help out with their projects. After a night of crafting in all the houses left on you list you go back to the auditorium to choose the houses you liked best for night number four. The next day the girls pick up the list of houses that still want them back for another night and head off to watch skits presented by the sororities to encourage sisterhood and friendship. After this hurrah the girls must choose two houses that they would like to attend on Preference night. This is an easy task for some because they only have one or two left, but for others that may have four it is a difficult decision. Preference night is a night for class, grace, and style. The rushees should dress up and plan to present themselves for the picking. After that the girls return to the auditorium to make their final decision. This is where they must pick the sorority that they feel comfortable with. They must choose wisely because these women they choose will become a part of their lives. The choice is overwhelming for many and takes two to three hours to finally make a choice. The next day is bid day where the girls find out if the sorority they chose also chose them. After they find out they meet with their new sisters and begin a day of fun. Rushing is a tedious and difficult task where only the strong survive. Hundreds of college girls put on their best outfits, crank up their smiles, and put on a show for a chance at the Greek life on WVU's campus, only to find out that after 8 weeks of hard work and countless hours of torture they cannot afford the membership fees. Heed this warning before jumping into a lifetime membership of sisterhood because you may not be able to pay that much money for friendships that may or may not last a lifetime.