Sai Kulkarni ‘23
Culture Editor
Like many of my friends, about a week ago, my TikTok feed was inundated with videos of (and parodying) University of Alabama’s sorority rush process. At the time, I was still in the dumps, also known as dealing with the residues of OGI. While living through one of the most stressful times in law school, I was struck by the remarkable similarities between the rush process for frats/srats and OGI. Perhaps it was interview-induced delirium (I used that excuse a lot in the last month), but I decided to share those thoughts with my adoring fans: you. So I present to you a step-by-step comparison of two processes that feel earth shattering but are not as terrible as participants view them to be.
Pre-Process
Older students will tell you about their Greek organizations. You’ll be told to do some quick research about the groups you may want to join. But no matter what, you won’t actually know what the brotherhood or sisterhood is like until you actually start the process. Unless, of course, you are a “legacy” and have a firm idea of what it’s like already and where you HAVE to go. Sound familiar? Our glorious leaders in job applications (OPP) recommend that we learn about firms, network, and just get out there and figure out what we like. But as every interviewer says, you can’t know what it’s really like until you get into the process. The websites look the same and it’s hard to parse the specialties available. Unless, of course, your parents are/were firm lawyers, then you already know a bit about the field. But we first gen attorneys are sometimes lost in the sauce. We can’t be lost for too long before the next step arrives.
Open Recruitment
The next step is the common experience for everyone: open rush. It’s easy to get invited to a house at this step. You party hard and see if they like you. “Just be yourself” is the common advice given. It’s as much about you feeling the vibe of the group as it is about them vibing with you. This element of rush tracks directly into the actual max-21 interview OGI process. If you use all your bids, and you want it, you can get a lot of screeners. Some will be based on people liking you (pre-selects) and some assigned at random (lottery). You have brief conversations with interviewers and try to get as much of yourself out there as possible. After you feel like you’ve found some good fits, it’s time for some heartbreak. There’s a lot of waiting unless they give you a quick timeline (which is rare). But then comes the next stage.
Formal Recruitment
This process is really identical for both rush and OGI, but dressed up differently. Both firms and Greek orgs are interviewing you. It feels intense. It feels isolating. And oftentimes, it feels like you have to keep your progress at this stage a secret (seriously, my best friend from college was so hush-hush about it, he went to his room immediately after coming home rather than joining a round of Mario Kart. Smh Nate). But at the same time, it’s a time when you feel like your effort can make or break you. The truth is, however, there’s Third Year recruiting for both processes. And with OGI specifically, outside applications are amazing and can be the success makers (I speak from personal experience here). At both points in life, you are smart, capable, and great students in a stressful process. And as your reward, at some point either immediately in the weeks after OGI or after a while, you get rewarded with the final, shortest stage.
Invitations
Most people only get one invite from Rush and are very happy with that opportunity. Getting a single offer from OGI is, similarly, enough to change everything. For those lucky enough to get multiple, they have the opportunity to make a more informed choice. But overall, the process is done here. No matter how long your process stretches, you are done. You will be successful. And you will have fun celebrating your success.
Final Thoughts
From what I’ve observed, the two processes are remarkably similar. They even have similar people on the outside that reap the benefits but get to make jokes as people who didn’t suffer through it (“friends of the frat” vs. PI students, both getting free alcohol). Regardless, I stand by what I said earlier. Even if your process isn’t done, that’s the fault of the firms, not you. All of you are incredibly capable, awesome students who will do fantastic out there and get what you deserve. But really, what do I know? I’m just a “friend of the frat” who decided to write about an organization I never joined.
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omk6cg@virginia.edu