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Even if you\u2019ve seen movies like Legally Blonde, Sydney White, <\/em>and House Bunny <\/em>a million times, and have a basic understanding of the Greek Life system from #RushTok, there\u2019s still a lot to learn for anyone who hasn\u2019t gone through it themselves. Of course, you know the basics around rush week and sorority life \u2014 at least enough to get caught up in the drama of #BamaRush TikTok<\/a> when it hits your FYP.<\/p>\n Though watching hopefuls show off their OOTDs<\/a> while doing dance trends is grade-A entertainment, chances are you\u2019ll encounter a term (or five) during rush that you don\u2019t fully understand. Like, what is a PNM exactly, and is there a difference between being a new member and being a pledge?<\/p>\n For anyone who\u2019s a little lost on their #RushTok journey, a glossary with some of the popular words and phrases popping up on your FYP will help you break down what\u2019s happening and navigate the whole process much more seamlessly. Plus, you\u2019ll find out how to use them in a sentence for when you really want to school your friends on the latest Bama tea. From pref night to pledge family, here are some sorority terms explained for anyone needing a Greek Life 101.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve got an OOTD picked out for each day of rush week. <\/em><\/p>\n Rush week is how a sorority recruits its new members. The term \u201crecruitment\u201d can even be used interchangeably with rush week, so if you hear both being thrown around, that\u2019s why. The reason it\u2019s a week-long process is that there are social events throughout the week that incoming hopefuls attend to get to know different members of various sorority houses. It\u2019s basically like an extended interview process that involves a lot of mingling and parties, which all lead up to Bid Day. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n Some rush weeks include a philanthropy round, which is in the middle of the process. At this point, you must be invited back to a sorority house for their philanthropy round party where you\u2019ll get to meet more members and find out about different philanthropy events each of the houses hold throughout the year. It\u2019s basically another interview and a way to find out if you really fit in with the houses you like. Along with learning about different events, TikToker @aanastasia.m_<\/a> shares that you\u2019ll learn about both the national and local level philanthropies that the chapter supports. <\/p>\n Philanthropy round made me realize how much I want to join Delta Zeta.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n I\u2019m a PNM hoping to drop the P to just become a new member of Pi Beta Phi. <\/em><\/p>\n PNM is short for potential new member. It\u2019s basically anyone going through the recruitment process in hopes of joining a sorority. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n I\u2019m hoping Pref Night helps me decide which house I want to join. <\/em><\/p>\n Pref Night is short for Preference Night, which according to TikToker @hallemeisterrr<\/a>, is the last round before decisions are made. Pref Day is a hopeful\u2019s final chance to make a good impression on the house of their dreams. While wearing formal attire, a rushee attends their top two or three houses for a party and ranks them at the end of the night. The same goes for the houses ranking the rushees, and these results are then used to try and match each person to a house. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n If Shelby doesn\u2019t get a bid from Phi Mu on Bid Day, I\u2019ll be so upset. <\/em><\/p>\n Bid Day is the final day of recruitment. It\u2019s when new members receive their bid to join a house. Bid Day reveals<\/a> on TikTok feels like watching the sorting hat ceremony from Harry Potter<\/em>. From there, the house has a fun Bid Day activity planned for all the new members to get to know each other. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n Actually, I\u2019m in the Alpha chapter of Delta Delta Delta, and I have to get to chapter. <\/em><\/p>\n A chapter is your university or college\u2019s part of a national sorority organization. Take Target, for example, which has a bunch of stores all over the country. Your hometown\u2019s Target would be your specific chapter of the Target organization. That\u2019s why you see so many Chi Omega sororities and Alpha Kappa Alpha houses. Each one is a different chapter. <\/p>\n Since sororities love the Greek alphabet so much, TikToker @uncutchristal<\/a> explains that they also use that to number each chapter instead of just saying something like the first chapter of Delta Delta Delta. What can also be confusing is that chapters are also \u201cweekly meetings<\/a>\u201d that you have with your sorority. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n You\u2019re looking at a new member of Alpha Chi Omega.<\/em><\/p>\n A new member is someone who has accepted a bid to join a sorority. You might hear someone call themselves a pledge, which is an outdated term, according to TikToker @claireliseg<\/a>. Pledge is just an informal way to say you\u2019re a new member, prior to initiation. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n What happens during initiation stays in initiation. <\/em><\/p>\n While you may have received a bid, you\u2019re not a full member until you\u2019ve gone through initiation. TikToker @claireliseg<\/a> simply describes initiation as the \u201cceremony where a pledge becomes an active sorority member.\u201d Along the way, you get to learn even more about your house before fully committing to it. <\/p>\n Depending on your university, this could also take a full week just like rush, but it\u2019s more secretive, so you won\u2019t be seeing it as much on TikTok.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n That group over there are actives from Kappa Kappa Gamma. <\/em><\/p>\n Anyone who has been initiated into a sorority is an active, so a group of members would be considered actives. While you may be a lifelong sister, once you graduate, you\u2019re not an active anymore.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n My house is having their meeting at the house tonight.<\/em><\/p>\n Sorority houses are those giant mansions you may see driving down Greek Row at some universities. However, a house can also mean your sorority chapter. So, if someone says their house is in Miami this weekend, that just means their chapter is on vacay and the physical house didn\u2019t move to Florida. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n I think I have the best Big in the house, because she\u2019s always there for me. <\/em><\/p>\n A Big is an active member who is assigned as your mentor. They act like your older sister in the chapter, and are there to kind of show you the way. Each sorority has a different process for assigning Bigs, but TikToker @ashleyydey<\/a> says her chapter gives new members temporary Bigs for the first four weeks. After that time, they get to decide who they want their Big to be. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n The best part about being a Little is getting presents from my Big.<\/em><\/p>\n When you\u2019re given a Big, you become their Little. It\u2019s like sisters in a family. The older one who has been around longer is the big sister, while the new one is the little sister. Once it\u2019s your turn to go through recruitment as an active member, you\u2019ll get to be the Big who then has a Little.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n We\u2019re all one big happy pledge family. <\/em><\/p>\n When you\u2019re a new member, you\u2019re considered a pledge. A current member of the sorority (usually one grade ahead) will become your pledge mom or Big once you join. Your Big will act as a mentor to you (their Little) and look out for you during the rest of your time in college and beyond. The two of you (and any other Bigs or Littles) are called a pledge family. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n I\u2019m on a tight budget because I have to pay my sorority dues for the fall. <\/em><\/p>\n While the friendships you make joining a sorority are priceless, it does cost money to become a member. When you become a full member, you must pay your dues. These funds per semester help to pay for your chapter\u2019s day-to-day expenses such as housing and food. It goes into things like social events and philanthropy work to make your university\u2019s community better. TikToker @8kateee<\/a> shared that one year she had to pay a little less than $3,000 for the fall and spring semesters at her sorority.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n I have to find my badge so I can wear it to chapter. <\/em><\/p>\n Each new member receives a badge \u2014 or pin, according to TikToker @julia_adavis<\/a> \u2014 from their sorority once initiated. It\u2019s usually jewelry with the chapter\u2019s letters on it, and the design includes an insignia of your sorority that members can proudly wear. The design is unique for each sorority, and carries different secret meanings that you\u2019ll only understand once you\u2019re initiated. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n Sydney is a Kappa legacy, so she really wants to get in like her mom. <\/em><\/p>\n If you\u2019re a legacy to a particular sorority, that means your mom, sister, or grandmother was an initiated member of that sorority. You\u2019ve probably seen in movies where being a legacy is a big thing because it can mean you are a shoo-in to get a bid. However, it\u2019s not always a guarantee, and as TikToker @claireliseg<\/a> shares, many sororities have \u201celiminated their legacy policy.\u201d This is to help sororities become more diverse and inclusive. Even if there is a legacy policy, you still need to fulfill certain criteria, like your chapter\u2019s GPA requirement, in order to get in.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n You wouldn\u2019t understand my sorority\u2019s rituals. <\/em><\/p>\n A lot of the Greek system is based on traditions that go back for years. When you join a house, you\u2019ll be getting a history lesson right away from the different rituals that your specific chapter adheres to. Since the rituals are private traditions, they\u2019re more secretive, but could include different chants, creeds, or songs that you must memorize<\/a> as a sister. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n I\u2019ve decided to drop my sorority because I can\u2019t afford it anymore. <\/em><\/p>\n To drop your sorority means you\u2019re quitting that sorority. It\u2019s like dropping out of college \u2014 you\u2019re leaving. You can also get dropped by a sorority during rush week, which means that chapter has decided not to offer you a bid. While a new album drop is a good thing, usually sorority drops can happen because of issues like money or not getting along with your sisters. You also can\u2019t rejoin the Greek system once you drop a sorority you\u2019ve been initiated into.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n My OOTD is sweatpants, because I\u2019m a basement girl. <\/em><\/p>\n During rush week, actives are split into two groups. There are the girls who are representatives of the house and meeting all the PNMs for the events. Then, there are basement girls, who are the ones working out all the logistics and behind-the-scenes of recruitment. They input all the scores that help to determine who gets a bid and who doesn\u2019t. They\u2019re known for keeping it casual, which is why a lot of them joke about wearing sweats during rush week<\/a> on TikTok. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\nNoun<\/em><\/h2>\n
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