School is officially back in session, and for some, that means rushing a fraternity or sorority practically within the first five minutes of stepping onto campus. Syracuse University, unlike many other colleges, uses a “deferred recruitment” system, which means students are not eligible to join a fraternity or sorority until their second semester freshman year.

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Students at SU and at other schools should follow SU’s lead and consider waiting to join Greek Life for a semester or two. You have to find yourself at college before you can find your community.

Rachel Becker, who graduated from SU in 2018, joined Gamma Phi Beta as a freshman. Becker said rushing in the spring allowed her to settle in at Syracuse first and learn about the sororities available to her in ways she wouldn’t have been able to in the fall.

“Rushing second semester genuinely made a difference,” Becker said. “Had I not had the first semester experience of friends, the process would have been very uncomfortable. In my opinion, it’s so great it is second semester.”

While she was at Gamma Phi Beta, Becker was also a mentor for potential new members during their rush process. That experience showed her the importance of getting grounded at school before entering a time-consuming and intimidating process.

“You’re not so fresh into college, so it’s easier to open up, and academically you are in more control,” she said. “I can’t imagine rushing fall.”

Maggie Hickey, a sophomore at the University of South Carolina, joined Phi Mu sorority fall of her freshman year.

“I found the summer before recruitment to be very stressful because I didn’t know what to expect being so far away,” Hickey said.

At the University of South Carolina, the rush process is open to freshman and starts before the start of the fall semester.

Hickey’s plan was to rush as a way of meeting new people when she first got to school — to make some friends before the chaos of classes began.

At SU, students have to make friends without Greek life their first semester on campus before having the opportunity to grow their circle by rushing. By rushing in the spring, Syracuse students get a better look at their workload and establish their own time management habits. And without the pressure of committing to a fraternity or sorority early on, students have the chance to try out other clubs and organizations on campus.

The hype about rushing a sorority or fraternity and finding your ‘home’ on campus is reinforced by popular culture likes movies and television from a young age. But resisting that hype for a semester or two can prove beneficial.

Even though a freshman year rush might help you easily find a solid, like-minded friend group early on, it comes at the expense of better acclimating to a new school. Freshmen need time to work out a balance between classes and homework and having a social life. And they need time to explore their campus and all it has to offer on their own.

Rushing can be exciting, but students should take a second to pull themselves together before that process starts.

Sophia Becker is a freshman. Her column appears bi-weekly. She can be reached at sfbecker@syr.edu. She can be followed on Twitter @sophiafbecker.

Published on September 8, 2019 at 10:22 pm