Quote: (09-07-2014 02:51 PM)scorpion Wrote:
Basil Ransom pretty much nailed it, he clearly knows what he's talking about. MidWest brings up good points as well.
The main thing you want to convey when rushing is the sense that you belong there, as if it was your destiny to rush that house, it was just a matter of you showing up. This means you appear interested but not overly excited or impressed. You don't want to come across as a try-hard who is making an effort to impress people. Don't try to act like you're the coolest guy in the room, but be confident and sociable. You want a nice mix of confidence (to show that you belong) and humility (recognizing that you would be coming in as a pledge and are willing to go through that process).
If there are hot girls present at the rush, it helps a great deal if you come across well with them. Do this by running a mix of confident nice guy and inoffensive cocky/funny game. Do not try to fuck or run direct game on any girls at a rush event. That's a quick way to accidentally hit on a brother's girlfriend and get shitlisted. The girls are there basically to vet the prospective pledges to filter out any who are either socially awkward with girls (no game) or too scummy (overly aggressive game that doesn't mesh well within the small Greek community).
One game trick you can use while rushing is flipping the script and getting the brother(s) you're speaking with to start qualifying their frat. You can do this by asking about what it's like to be a brother, what annual special events they hold, what sets them apart from other houses, what they think their reputation on campus is, and things like that. Note that I didn't say to ask them things like, "So do you have the coolest parties? Do you get the hottest chicks?" Those things should be obvious to you by reputation and visual evidence and go without saying. Having to ask about them marks you as being someone who doesn't quite fit in and who is more interested in taking rather than contributing value to the frat (it's sort of like walking into a job interview and fixating only on the salary rather than the job duties).
Ultimately, you just need to be confident and well-spoken while appearing socially well-adjusted and presentable. Rush is really a process to filter out the guys who have no business there, so you really just want to avoid fucking up rather than trying to make sure you come across as the most impressive guy there (which would probably backfire on you anyway). During rush, brothers are looking for red flags first and foremost. So it's better to be conservative in your approach. You want to come across well enough to be remembered rather than rolling the dice on trying to stand out from everyone else. Getting a bid just gets your foot in the door to start the pledge process, which if you are trying to join a good house will eliminate a lot of guys along the way who don't make the cut for a variety of reasons. A bid is a bid, and once you're in the pledge class you're all going to be dealing with the same shit. That's when you have an opportunity to set yourself apart.
Some more 'tactical' tips that may or may not apply today due to technology (i.e. Facebook wasn't a factor during my experience on both sides of a rush):
- Wear something that will help people remember you (ex: in my day when we'd have rush meetings we'd always be saying things like, "Was that the guy in the red polo? Was that the guy with the fancy belt buckle? Yeah? Oooh, ok yeah, that kid was cool."). This won't really apply if they take pictures of you as you come in or use Facebook.
- Get to the houses earlier rather than later. Don't be the first guy to walk in the door, but don't wait until the house is packed, either. Getting there early increases the likelihood that you will hit it off with one or more brothers, who can then help steer your bid through.
- Approach like crazy. Introduce yourself to everyone. Be fearless in this regard. Never let there be a moment where you are standing around by yourself feeling awkward.
- Some topics to avoid in conversation: video games, any of your personal weaknesses, game (or anything about learning to hit on women), drugs (even in houses with a drug presence, talking about that during rush is a no-no and makes you look untrustworthy or careless), excessive talk about partying (makes you look like a poser).
Basically, fraternities are a lot like women when it comes to gaming them: both are looking for naturals. Never let them see you sweat. Never show them your weaknesses, and never let them feel like you're trying to hard to impress them. Just show up confident and cool (with a dose of humility) and accept the inevitable bid you're due because you fit in with everyone else there.
I would give you more rep but I can't. Thanks for the advice.