From the glitz and glamour of the outfits to the buzzing excitement of recruitment week, rushing at the University of Alabama is more than just a tradition — it is an integral part of the student experience that shapes women in unique and powerful ways.

Sororities tend to be seen as purely party culture and mean girls. From the “For You” page on TikTok, it is viewed as a world of extravagant parties and full glam, when that is truly the opposite of what they stand for. However, it’s also a journey that fosters personal growth, life skills, and builds lifelong connections throughout the business and personal worlds.

 The University of Alabama is home to the largest Greek life community in the nation, with 71 fraternities and sororities on campus. When I applied to the University of Alabama, “UA”, the thought of rushing for a sorority was the last idea to cross my mind. Rushing is the week-long, high-stakes recruitment process for any university, not just UA.  I just assumed what I saw online was the truth, but that is the opposite of what I encountered as soon as I stepped on campus. When I went to my campus tour I learned that Alpha Chi Omega, a very popular sorority at Alabama, had a cumulative GPA of 3.83 across all 467 members.

As I got to see how sororities really influence these women. I spoke to one of the Greek ambassadors on campus, and she spoke about the women in these chapters who were placed in leadership positions within their sororities, such as Social Media Chairwoman.

In addition, the sorority parties are typically to raise money for each chapter’s philanthropy. Each sorority has their own philanthropy, which is their chosen charity for which they raise awareness and money. Tri Delta, a sorority housed at Alabama, partners each year with Saint Jude and helps raise their 10 year goal of 60 million dollars across all chapters across the US, not just at UA.

However, you can of course prove there are instances where women are treated unfairly in sororities, especially in the infamous documentary “Bama Rush”, that graced streaming services in 2023. Which focused in on the cliques within the sororities which are bound to happen, but the good they do and how they can be beneficial outweigh the negative.

Sororities are set in place to bring women together in sisterhoods, to teach women to be strong leaders, and to make friendships that last a lifetime. All of these purposes led me to flip my perspective. But would my peers’ perspectives change as well? Especially with sororities and rushing not being popular up north, the stigma around sororities would be put on me. And then I was left with the final decision “Do I rush?” After much tossing and turning and asking everyone’s opinion under the sun, I came to the conclusion that I am going to rush at Alabama! There are just truly too many pros rather than cons for me, and I can’t wait to be a part of Greek life.