Sorority Girls Today: Rushing To Be Perfect?

The New York Times ran an interesting and in my opinion disturbing piece the other day on how girls today are rushing for college sororities. I rushed and spent some time pledging a sorority in college and it is baffling what girls are supposedly doing nowadays to get into the sorority of their choice.

So what are these desperate young college girls dumbing down to now? They ( and their stepford mothers) are PAYING people to "coach" them on how to be the perfect sorority candidate.

According to the Times, students and their parents are dishing out up to $8,000 for a weekend of services that include resume building, fashion and wardrobe guidance and lessons on how to make good small talk.

Now unless all of these participants have been home schooled their whole lives and have never turned on a TV or looked through a magazine or something along those lines, how the hell does any intelligent woman (I'm assuming intelligent because they did get into college) NOT know how to make small talk? What's even worse is the advice this so-called "image consultant" is giving out.

“I teach them how to make interesting small talk: what you saw at the cinema, a trip to Europe. I don’t know too many 20-year-olds who are having a debate about economics,” Ms. von Sperling told the Times.

Of course, why act like you are intelligent when you can chit-chat about the latest Katty Perry movie and the expensive trips your parents fronted for you.

Another prep-school for rushes, Mariette Studios claims that " Sorority members also have higher GPAs than a typical college woman, and have higher retention rates as well."

Though after looking through the National Pan-Hellenic Council website I couldn't find one statistic on how good sorority sisters' GPA's are... hmm I wonder why.. In my own experience I can truthfully say that many girls who rushed and then pledged were barely passing their classes because of all of the ridiculous pledge events and late-night hazing sessions. Then once you are in, you're constantly juggling a jammed class schedule with social events you "have" to go to. Though if you are one of the lucky ones its been said that many and I mean many houses have a long stack of old exams and tests for their freshmen class to cheat off of.

One last point I have to mention from the Times piece was their comment that, "Many aspiring sisters spend their summer working out and dieting." One rush told them, "Rushing shakes your confidence level, you are being judged on how you look.”

There was an on-going rumor at my college that one particular sorority would make their pledges stand on chairs in their bra and underwear while they circled their fat with sharpies- what a close and caring sisterhood right?

Believe me, I'm not some crazy Greek-hater here to bash those who want to join. Like I said, I too rushed and pledged ( well, half-pledged- I depledged after a few weeks for personal reasons), It only drives me crazy-mad that these old bats in the south are ripping off innocent and eager young women in their sketchy schemes that flood freshmen minds with thoughts on how they think you should talk, dress and act. Doesn't society cram enough perfect model-esque images into their heads already?

The full NY Times article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/22/education/edlife/prepping-students-for-sorority-rush.html?pagewanted=all