Tag / rush

by Kelly Mattei

Amazon Prime Day Deals for Sorority Rush

Participating in sorority recruitment in the south this fall? Let’s get ready! Here are some deals from Amazon Prime Days that can help you during sorority “rush.”

  • Rush Bag. You’re going to need a bag to carry all your necessities on those hot days. And it’s hot in the south. I highly recommend a nylon bag with a zippered closure to keep your things dry during those inevitable afternoon showers. Get a great Prime Days deal here. It comes in seven colors, so pick one that’s probably easy to find when there’s a sea of bags. I highly recommend putting a luggage tag on it and maybe even an AirTag. I’ll provide links to both below.

  • Apple AirTags. Surely you’re familiar with the concept. Put an Apple AirTag in your bag so you can locate it with your iPhone’s “Find My” app. We have them in all our suitcases, and I have one in my wallet. I need to put one in my daughter’s wallet. I highly recommend you do the same for your college-age kids. Get a 4-pack of AirTags here. Personally, I would add AirTag holders. There’s a Prime Days Deal for that. Get four multicolored ones here. For my daughter’s keys, I got the Otterbox Rugged Airtag holder keychain. Purchase here.

  • Portable Charger. Because your daughter could be out and about all day, make sure she has a portable charger for her phone! Get a Prime Day deal on a great one at Amazon here.
  • Luggage Tag. You don’t need something fancy, but something bright-colored can help her find her rush bag when it’s in a pile. She definitely NEEDS a luggage tag to ID her bag. I highly recommend a colorful, inexpensive 10-pack, so she has extras to put on her real luggage, her school backpack, and more. Purchase here.

  • Mini Travel Umbrella. In the south, it can rain at any given time. Your daughter needs an umbrella that will fit in her Rush bag. I think her freshman roommate’s parents thought I was crazy when I gave the girls umbrellas, but they literally used them every day during rush.There are lots to choose from on Amazon. Get one with great reviews here.

  • Rechargeable Mini Fan. While this is not a Prime Days Deal, it’s inexpensive anyway. This is the one my daughter used. And it’s necessary on those sweltering August days in the south. Save your daughter some agony during recruitment. Get her a fan here.

  • Sharpies. They need to write their names on everything they own when they go to college, and all these things in their rush bags are not exceptions. You can check out the assortment of Sharpie products on Amazon here.

  • Comfy Shoes. Because recruitment goes on and on for days, the girls need to wear some comfortable shoes or slippers when they walk to and from the houses and between parties. They do not wear these into the parties. I recommend some comfortable flip-flops or slipper-type shoes. See some great ones here. Crocs also offers a wide variety of slip-on comfy shoes here.

  • Waterproof Changing Pad. Sounds silly, I know, but if they have to sit on the wet ground, they’ll thank you. Get one here.
  • Insulated Water Cup that closes securely. I know these girls love their Stanley and Yeti cups. If you need to purchase one, there’s a Stanley you can get with a Prime Day Deal here. There are lots of colors offered, but I could only find the one color on the deal. Yeti has one here.

What else will they need for their rush bags? You can see a previous post with links we made about it here. If you just want a quick list of the other things, here you go:

  • Hand sanitizer
  • Deodorant
  • Tissues
  • Breath Strips (no gum…nothing is uglier than someone chomping gum during a rush party)
  • Band Aids
  • Lip Gloss or balm
  • Blotting Papers
  • Small snacks
  • Safety pins
  • Feminine products
  • Painkillers like acetaminophen and ibuprofen and dose(s) of any necessary medications.

If you’d like to see previous posts we’ve made about sorority recruitment in the south, click here.

*Please share this information with anyone you know who is participating in sorority recruitment in the south! And feel free to send us a message if you have any questions about any of the above or anything else!

*We receive commissions on items purchased through our links.

by Kelly Mattei

Sorority Rush Resumés

Sorority Rush Resumés.

Every year, between March and July, I see lots of resumés for girls who are planning to participate in recruitment at various schools throughout the south. And every year, I have to tell almost every young lady to add some information, so I’m going to tell you now what type of information needs to be included on the resumé for recruitment. *Also, keep in mind that old-school “rush packets” are not necessary these days. Most alumnae simply want a digital resumé (not all that paperwork!), because they will be submitting them online anyway.

In asking an alumna to write a recommendation, it’s OK for Mom to make initial contact, but the girl needs to do the “official” ask herself. The girl needs to communicate with the alumna directly via phone/text/email. Also, unless the alumna says “no thank you necessary,” it’s a great idea to follow up with a thank you note. Now, onto the resumé information:

First, keep the resumé to one page if at all possible. In fact, I always say, “Just find a way to make it happen. No one wants to flip pages. They should be able to glance at your resumé and see how awesome you are almost immediately.” There are great samples and templates all over the internet. You can purchase templates on Etsy.com or use the Canva templates. It’s not difficult. See some examples at Etsy here. ***If you have already submitted your multi-page resumé, do not panic. It’s not a big deal; it’s just more ideal if it’s one page.***

So what needs to be included? All of these things:

  • Full name along with the name you prefer to be called. For example, you could put “Mary Ann Jones (Mary)”
  • Full street address, including zip code (you’d be surprised at how many don’t include the zip code). If you want, you can add your dorm information for freshman year, but it’s not necessary.
  • Contact info: email address, cell phone number, and any social media accounts
  • Photo: include a headshot photo of yourself near the top of the resumé.
  • Education: This should include the name and city of the high school (or high schools) you attended. Also, include your year of graduation. THEN put the name of the college you will be attending and what your major is, if you know it.
  • GPA and test scores. It needs to be included. If you don’t put your test scores, they assume they are way lower than they probably are.
  • Family information: Parents’ names, colleges attended, and their Greek affiliations, if applicable.
  • Honors/Awards: This is where you list any and all honors you received in high school, beginning with the most significant! They can be school awards, awards from an athletic club sport, musical awards, theatrical awards…any awards. Remember to include Honor Roll (9,10,11,12), any honor societies, any all-conference or all-state athletic awards, and even any superlatives. If your classmates named you as “Most Likely to Succeed,” put it on the resumé! Add any award that makes you stand out! If you received an award from a volunteer organization for “Outstanding Volunteer,” put it on there.
  • Scholarships: List any scholarships you received for college. If you didn’t receive any, no big deal. Just don’t include the category on your resumé.
  • Leadership: List any leadership positions you have held during high school years. Captain of the volleyball team? Add it. Sunday School leader at church? Add it. Camp counselor? Add it. Secretary of student government? Add it. Swim lesson teacher or coach? Add it.
  • Activities: This is where you list your extracurricular activities…pretty self-explanatory. List any sports, clubs, or anything you are a member of.
  • Service: This is where you include information about your volunteer work during high school years. They like to see that you care about your community. Volunteered to coach little kids in soccer? Add it. Volunteered for Meals on Wheels? Add it. Get it?
  • Work Experience: Had a job? List it. Worked at a Christmas tree lot? Add it. Babysitting? List it. Sold items online for extra cash? If you were doing it as a job, you can count it. Add it.

If you haven’t built and distributed your resumé to alumnae who can write recommendations for you, do it today! It’s officially July! Get it done today! And remember: KEEP IT TO ONE PAGE!

by Kelly Mattei

Sorority Rush: Last Minute Items

Sorority Rush: Last Minute Items.

If you’re planning to participate in sorority recruitment in the fall at a southern school, you likely registered already. Mark that off your checklist. You likely have your recommendations done. You probably have picked out your wardrobe and are just finishing up assembling your rush bag. What else is there to do?

Well, you have to wait, of course, but while you wait, there are some things you can do:

  • Shore up your wardrobe. Yes, you have a few dresses for rush, but depending on the school you are attending, you might need/want more than one dress per round. At The University of Alabama, for example, Philanthropy Round takes place over three days. You won’t know your schedule until everything gets started, so right now, you don’t know if you’ll have parties on one day, two days, or all three days. It’s best to be prepared for all three days. Sure, you can wear the same shorts/skirt to all three days of Philanthropy Round, but what if you sweat a lot in it? Will you want to wear it again? What if you spill something on it? Same for Sisterhood Round: if it takes place over two days, can you wear the same dress both days? Yes. Do you really want to? There’s still time to purchase another dress or two if you think you need it. Just remember, it’s hot in the south in August! Amazon has some cute dresses at these links:
    • Smocked Mini Dress. Y’all this inexpensive dress comes in several colors. I love all of them! They’re great for those really hot game days too! Priced under $30, these are adorable! See them here.
    • Love Shack Fancy. I know lots of girls love their Love Shack Fancy dresses. Get their cute Russ dress here. It’s pricy, but it’s cute!
    • One shoulder dress. Pretty Garden has an adorable one-shoulder tiered dress in several colors for under $50. Check it out here.
    • Another one-shoulder dress that resembles Love Shack Fancy, in my opinion. It also comes in lots of colors and is less than $50. See it here.
    • Amanda Uprichard dresses. Amanda Uprichard makes lots of great dresses for rush. See a selection here.
    • Belle Maison Collective. This boutique is out of Huntsville, Alabama, and they have some great options for rush…dresses, shoes, skirts, and shorts. Take a peek here.
    • Revolve. Check revolve.com for some great dress deals, since they have put a lot of seasonal items on sale! Click here.
    • Shopbop. Another great resource is shopbop.com. Click here.
    • Zara. At our house, we love Zara. Click here to see what they have.
  • Pick shoes. When picking which shoes you want to wear with which outfit during rush, remember you don’t need to be uncomfortable. If your feet are hurting throughout the process, you won’t feel your best, and likely won’t project your best self. This is not the time to try a new pair of stilettos. Also, don’t forget to have some comfy slippers/Crocs/flip flops in your Rush Bag, so you can wear them between parties.
  • Accessorize. It’s important to accessorize but not over-accessorize. Understated elegance is best…pearl earrings, small gold hoops, etc.
  • Rush Bag. Don’t forget to put together a Rush bag to help you freshen up between parties in weather so hot it feels like the surface of the sun! To see what you need for the bag, click here.

It’s almost time! So exciting! When my daughter went through the recruitment process last year, she made some great memories!