First-year students sound off on Panhellenic recruitment

<p>Panhellenic recruitment this year concluded Sunday with bid day.&nbsp;</p>

Panhellenic recruitment this year concluded Sunday with bid day. 

With bid day behind them, first-year students who participated in Panhellenic recruitment talked with The Chronicle about their rush experience.

Nerves?

“At first, I was a little bit nervous that it was going to be overwhelming, but as I walked into the room, I had the opportunity to meet so many nice, interesting girls and have a bunch of interesting conversations.” —Alex Linares

“I think one of the best things to do for rush was go in with zero expectations. I wasn’t originally considering rushing, but then I thought that maybe I’d go for it. Going in, I definitely was kind of scared and nervous, because I didn’t know a lot of people, but it’s so nice to talk to people and get to know people.” — Maddie Braksick

The process?

“Originally, I was a little skeptical of the system in general, because especially with Round 1, it’s an exhausting process. You see a whole bunch of people — it’s like speed dating essentially. You talk to countless girls in 35 minutes, and from there they make their first cuts. A lot of times, you have your first impressions of sororities, and a lot of times it’s based on reputation. So on that first round, you get cut from [sororities], and it kind of hurts, because you feel like you get cut from [sororities] you really liked. You figure, 'how do people get to know you in 35 minutes?' I think people have different experiences. I know a lot of my friends kind of used that as a coping mechanism when they got dropped from groups they really liked. They said, ‘you know, they don’t really know me, because it’s a short process.’” — Sabrina Maciariello

“Rush wasn’t that bad for me, because I ended up getting a sorority that I really liked from the beginning, but I know a lot of people were really upset on my floor. It’s very emotional when you get cut from sororities, because you don’t really know what happens in the process. It’s all behind closed doors, and they say that there’s an algorithm, but you don’t really know what it is. But it was really fun.” — Jill Jones

“You go into this windowless facility and you come out and it’s dark—you lose track of time a little bit, and it’s a lot of talking. For me, it wasn’t that awful, because I do like to talk to people, and I do like to meet people, but there comes a point when all the different conversations can run together. But for me, I definitely knew which sorority I wanted to be in on the first day.” — Alicia Porile

Difficulty?

“It was definitely a difficult process. When you get cut from places, even though you know it’s not personal, it does feel personal at the time. There’s definitely a lot of things that happen, and people slip through the cracks, but really, I feel like most people could be happy in any of the different sororities. There’s no ‘good’ sorority or ‘bad’ sorority in that way, but it’s a very stressful process.” — Alicia Porile

“Tenting made the process harder, but it was worth it in the end.” — Mallory Hahn

“The only downside was that it was a long process, and while I had energy inside, I came out and I was exhausted.” — Alex Linares

“It’s very exhausting mentally, physically and emotionally.” — Avani Desai

Superficiality?

“I think that a lot of people really demonize the process, and say things like ‘Oh, it’s the most awful thing that you’ll ever experience at Duke.’ There is some truth to that, because it is very stressful—especially because I’ve never been graded socially. It was very strange to talk to people and to try and be the best version of myself, and yet still remain authentic. That was very bizarre to me. I try to be genuine with these girls, but it’s hard to do that because the first time that you meet them, you can’t help but be a bit superficial.” — Rachel Kim

“I am really happy where I ended up. I think everything did work out, but I think that the system is a little flawed, in the sense that it’s kind of impossible for everyone to be happy. I do think that people slip through the cracks a lot, and most people do end up happy where they belong, but I think [rush] should be a little more based on a personal level, or maybe extended more, just on the basis of it seeming superficial, because it is such a short and almost snap-judgement kind of process.” — Sabrina Maciariello

“While I found the rush process really exhausting, it wasn’t truly that awful for me. I know for some people, they really found it extremely hurtful. I think the rush process is for sure the most superficial part of Greek life. I think once you actually find your place within the system, things become a lot more real, and you do have the opportunity to meet really great people and people you might not have met otherwise. It is just unfortunate that the entry process is so superficial.” — Alicia Porile

Overall impressions?

“One of the greatest gifts of rush is just having these conversations with incredible girls who have achieved so much that you probably would have never met before.” — Maddie Braksick

“Overall, it’s pretty cool to be able to meet people you wouldn’t be able to meet otherwise. A lot of people I met are super cool and really accomplished­, like studying abroad here and there. Just to be able to talk to new people is pretty interesting. Sometimes around campus, I’ll recognize a couple of girls from my Gamma Chi group now, or just sisters that I remember talking to and having a good conversation with.” — Rachel Kim

“Overall, I had a really great experience with rush.” — Alex Linares

“I ended up in a really nice group of girls, and I think every sorority has something to offer.” — Jill Jones

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