Is ‘Bama Rush’ Realistic? The Truth About Sorority Life at a Small Liberal Arts College (2024)

As the dust of the first few weeks of school settles, sororities and fraternities have ramped up their promotion efforts to bring new people to their events. It’s that time of year again: Greek life around the country has either just completed or is preparing for this semester’s rush. I should know — I’m Lucy, a Contributing Writer Intern at Just N Life and also a member of a sorority.

When you think of a sorority, what do you picture? Most likely, you’re envisioning something similar to the sororities portrayed in Bama Rush: squealing hordes of Instagram models chanting their anthems and waving pom-poms. Especially when it comes to schools like the University of Alabama, where being part of Greek life is a clear token of status, sorority life can feel alienating and discriminatory — a valid observation, as white supremacy and classism are built into the development of sororities and fraternities altogether.

History of Sororities

There are many different kinds of sororities, including social, philanthropic, professional, academic, and cultural. Each sorority has their own history (which, in many sororities, members are supposed to memorize), but the very first sorority (or secret society for women), Alpha Delta Pi, was founded in 1851. Greek life was initially a way for members to meet secretly and have discussions that weren’t deemed appropriate by school faculty. Over the years, they became social groups that fostered leadership, philanthropy, and academic achievement. Baked into the official creeds of many sororities are messages of womanhood and empowerment, as sororities began during a time when women weren’t taken as seriously in educational settings.

The philanthropic, social, and academic focuses that sororities have today are set up to build up both the women in sororities and the people around them. However, it’s important to acknowledge that these organizations are tied to a history of racism. Sororities were heavily segregated for centuries; in fact, University of Alabama only officially desegregated their sororities as recently as 2013. After the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education ruling in 1954, many local chapters continued to favor white members, and others attracted mostly white members due to their explicit racist pasts. Racism is still a huge issue in Greek life to this day.

When I first entertained the idea of joining a sorority at my tiny liberal arts college (and I mean tiny — we’re talking a total of around a thousand students), I wasn’t aware of the history of Greek life. I had preconceived notions about what it meant to be a sorority member, most of which were negative, but the systemic issues of sororities weren’t something I knew about. This was probably due to the way that Greek life manifests on my campus. There are only two sororities (and three fraternities), and Greek life isn’t centered in my school’s social influence.

I ultimately decided to join a sorority because I was craving connections with other women, the sisterhood that many sororities advertise. When I went to some events, I was pleasantly surprised: there were members of all races, a good amount of women who identify as LGBTQ, and our sorority had also welcomed nonbinary members in the past. It totally dismantled my idea of sororities, which aligned more with the University of Alabama Greek life represented in Bama Rush. After recently watching Bama Rush, I started thinking about sororities as a structure, and the similarities and differences between sorority life at University of Alabama and my experience at a small liberal arts college.

“Rush”

Rushing is essentially the process of joining a sorority.At the University of Alabama, rushing looks a little like speed dating: the potential new members (PNMS) attend an orientation that introduces them to all sororities on campus. The recruitment process has four different rounds, where PNMs attend social functions and are interviewed. It’s a pretty cutthroat process – around 70% of people get dropped after the first round alone. Some girls even hire rush consultants way in advance, to go over what exactly to say and how to act in order to better their chances.

Since my school only has two sororities, the process is a lot less intense. We don’t refer to the recruitment process as “rushing”, and instead schedule a handful of hour-long events (such as bracelet making or game night) for PNMs to drop by. After they leave – and this part makes me uncomfortable – we do “vote” on the PNMs, but it’s more of a formality; everyone who shows interest in joining gets a bid.

Influence on Campus

Bama Rush makes it very clear that some of their 24 sororities are more prestigious than others. What exactly, you may be wondering, makes a sorority more popular than another? According to the documentary, it’s largely based which sororities fraternity members deem attractive.

In my experience, there is no on campus prestige associated with a particular sorority. Most people in my sorority are involved in other clubs or sports, and hold that closer to their identity. However, even on a smaller campus, there is definitely a level of networking involved. Being in a sorority has benefits beyond college years, giving people a leg up on their resumes and connecting with other women.

Performance of Femininity

From just one look at any University of Alabama sorority Instagram post, it’s clear that appearance is a critical factor for being involved. In fact, there’s a ⅔ rule that states you must have two out of the following three things when leaving your dorm room: cute outfit, makeup, or hair done. The way you dress during rushing and your subsequent years in a sorority impacts your status, and there’s only one acceptable way to look, which is being the perfect embodiment of Eurocentric beauty standards.

My sorority has no dress code, aside from wearing business casual once a month. Wearing expensive clothes and a face full of makeup isn’t the norm, let alone a requirement. We all come from different backgrounds and each person in my sorority expresses themselves differently — there is no rigid template of femininity that we have to adhere to.

I recognized a lot of the language used in the Bama Rush documentary, but was taken aback at how differently those sororities operated compared to my own. I don’t think I’d last a day rushing for a University of Alabama, and the Greek life culture there isn’t something I’d want to be a part of in the first place. The way it’s done at my school is a lot more casual, and we’ve deviated a lot from the traditional aspects of being in a sorority.

The core idea of being in a sorority — the idea of building other women up and giving back to the community — is something that I can get behind. Sorority life at my campus is a much healthier and more welcoming place than environments fostered by stereotypical sororities. My hope is that more sororities can operate in a similar fashion to the one I’m in — emphasizing diversity, empowerment, and community. In order to get there, we have to continue to be critical of the problematic roots of the Greek life institution.