What is Bama Rush? #BamaRush

Girl, let’s talk Bama Rush. It has all but taken over TikTok this week, and I want to help you understand what it is.

#BamaRush is short for Alaman University Rush Week. Watching it has become a worldwide sensation. While pretty much every university has one or more sororities, the University of Alabama has the largest. If you are watching Bama Rush tok, you’ll learn all sorts of new words like …

• PC – Pledge Class
• MC – Member Class
• PNM – Potential New Member

There are nearly 40,000 students who attend the University of Alabama, and about 30% of the entire study body is a fraternity or sorority member. Yes, that means one out of every three students are part of greek life.

• What are the qualifications to join a sorority?
• Where can you find those glitter fringe skirts?
• How much does it cost to join a sorority?
• How many sororities are at the University of Alabama?
• What is the most popular sorority at the university of Alabama?
• What is a rush bag?
• What is a legacy?
• How big is a sorority house?

What are the qualifications to join a sorority?

Alabama Panhellenic Association (APA) oversees most sororities at the University of Alabama. To be eligible to join an APA sorority through the Primary Recruitment process, you should:

• Consistently live and self-identify as a woman
• Have full-time UA enrollment, including incoming first-semester students
• Register no later than July 15, 2022, at 5:00 pm CST to participate in Fall Primary Recruitment In addition to completing the registration form, you will need to submit the required PNM video by July 15, 2022, at 5:00 pm CST. For additional information and instructions, please visit http://www.uapanhellenic.com/pnm-video-instructions.
• Pay a participation fee at the time of registration.
• Although the APA does not require a specific GPA to participate in recruitment, each sorority chapter does have a minimum grade requirement for pledging and initiation. Therefore, it is highly recommended that all prospective members participating in recruitment have at or above a 3.2 cumulative high school or college GPA at the time of recruitment.

Where can you find those glitter fringe skirts?

Now let’s talk about those glitter fringe skirts you see in almost all the #BamaRush videos on TikTok. Those are available from Amazon in every color you can think of. They are actually belly dance skirts. Aren’t they the cutest?

If you’ve been keeping up with Bama Rush Tok, then you’ve no doubt seen them in like every video. Here’s a #bamarush video with the girls wearing the gold version of the skirt.

Souce: Brooke Tresller

How much does it cost to join a sorority?

It is insanely expensive to join a sorority. In addition to all the things you need to be a part of the sorority (like all those clothes), you will have to pay $4,170 to $4,978 the first year and then an additional $3,600 to $4,575 each additional year if you don’t live in the house.

These include the chapter meal plan, chapter fees, and one-time fees associated with pledging and initiation.

If you want to live in the house, you will pay $7,400 to $9,400 a year, including your room, your chapter meal plan, and your chapter fees.

Now keep in mind, if you aren’t living at the sorority house, you will live in a dorm room, which costs a lot of money as well.

A dorm room at the University of Alabama was $5,900 in 2020, and the cost of a typical dining plan was $3,936. Housing costs vary by chapter, but the price of living in a sorority house is often much less than living in a dorm.

If you want to join a sorority, you must apply by mid-July. This means you must fill out the application, provide information about yourself, and pay the associated fees, which are around $350, just to rush (varies per school). If you don’t get into a sorority, you don’t get that money back.

How many sororities are at the University of Alabama?

There are a total of 24 sororities at the University of Alabama. The ones that you hear so much about from TikTok are the 19 sororities from the Alabama Panhellenic Association.

1. Alpha Chi Omega – NPC Sorority – Alabama Panhellenic Association
2. Alpha Delta Chi – National Christian Sorority – Alabama Panhellenic Association
3. Alpha Delta Pi – NPC Sorority – Alabama Panhellenic Association
4. Alpha Gamma Delta – NPC Sorority – Alabama Panhellenic Association
5. Alpha Kappa Alpha – NPHC Sorority – National Pan-Hellenic Council
6. Alpha Omega Epsilon – STEM major Sorority – United Greek Council
7. Alpha Omicron Pi – NPC Sorority – Alabama Panhellenic Association
8. Alpha Phi – NPC Sorority – Alabama Panhellenic Association
9. Chi Omega – NPC Sorority – Alabama Panhellenic Association
10. Delta Delta Delta – NPC Sorority – Alabama Panhellenic Association
11. Delta Gamma – NPC Sorority – Alabama Panhellenic Association
12. Delta Sigma Theta – NPHC Sorority – National Pan-Hellenic Council
13. Delta Zeta  – NPC Sorority – Alabama Panhellenic Association
14. Gamma Phi Beta – NPC Sorority – Alabama Panhellenic Association
15. Kappa Alpha Theta – NPC Sorority – Alabama Panhellenic Association
16. Kappa Delta – NPC Sorority – Alabama Panhellenic Association
17. Kappa Kappa Gamma – NPC Sorority – Alabama Panhellenic Association
18. Phi Mu – NPC Sorority – Alabama Panhellenic Association
19. Pi Beta Phi – NPC Sorority – Alabama Panhellenic Association
20. Sigma Delta Tau – NPC Sorority – Alabama Panhellenic Association
21. Sigma Gamma Rho – NPHC Sorority – National Pan-Hellenic Council
22. Sigma Kappa – NPC Sorority – Alabama Panhellenic Association
23. Zeta Phi Beta – NPHC Sorority – National Pan-Hellenic Council
24. Zeta Tau Alpha – NPC Sorority – Alabama Panhellenic Association

While every school is different, at the University of Abalama, there are three governing bodies when it comes to sororities. These are the organizations that make up and enforce all the rules for sororities and their members.

• United Greek Council: Commonly referred to as UGC, is the governing body for the nine multicultural and special interest-based sororities and fraternities at The University of Alabama.
• Alabama Panhellenic Association: the governing body of the majority of sororities and fraternities at the University of Alabama.
• National Pan-Hellenic Council: A collaborative organization of nine historically African-American, international greek-lettered fraternities and sororities that were founded on the principles of service, sisterhood/brotherhood, and scholarship.

What is the most popular sorority at the university of Alabama?

This is a hard question to answer. I mean, most popular is really such a subjective term. But I did some research, and apparently, it’s broken down based on old row and new row. Which basically means the old row (the original sororities) and the new row (new sorority houses).

All of this is not ordered within the tiers because it’s up to personal preference.

Old row:

• Upper top – Phi mu, alpha chi & tri delt
• Lower top- Chi o, Kkg, Kd & alpha gam

New row:

• Upper middle- ZTA, pi phi, adpi & alpha phi
• Lower middle- Gamma phi, dz, dg & aopi
• Bottom- Theta, sigma kappa & sig delt

Of course, this is all highly disputed by anyone and everyone who has ever been in a sorority. But it was the best I could find.

Another ranking says ….

A LOT has changed since this was posted two years ago. Internal drama, grades, and recent scandals.

• top tier – axo, phi mu, ddd, xo, kkg, zta
• middle – ph phi, kd, agd, adpi, aphi, dz
• lower – dg, gamma phi, aoii, theta, sigma kappa

So to answer your question, which sorority is most popular? I don’t know. Instead, try and pick one that is best … as in best for you. You want a sisterhood made up of people with whom you have things in common.

Don’t rush a house you think is a top house. It won’t be worth it in the long run. Rush a house that has people with similar interests and values.

Take some time before you go into rush and think about the kind of girls you want to be surrounded with. Know what you want out of the sorority. If you love to party, then don’t pick a sorority that doesn’t drink. If you are all about academics, choose a sorority like that.

What is a rush bag?

A rush bag is simply a bag that includes everything you might potentially need during rush week. This includes but is not limited to a portable fan (it is hot out there after all), toiletries, makeup, and a tide-to-go pen in case you get a stain on something. Then you have other things like wet wipes, sunscreen, extra socks, your favorite lip gloss, a portable sewing kit, and anything that you might possibly need in a pinch.

Source: Gracy Nedmondson

What is a legacy?

You often hear about legacies when people are talking about sororities. If you are a legacy, that means you had a family member who was previously a member of that sorority. You can even be a triple legacy, which means you’ve had three members of your family in the past attend that same sorority. However that being said, while it can help you feel more connected to a sorority, it doesn’t mean that you’ll get in based on that. In fact, there are triple legacies girls who get rejected from a sorority for one reason or another. In short, being a legacy doesn’t guarantee you anything.

How big is a sorority house?

Many people are surprised to learn just how big a sorority house can be, especially at a school like the University of Alabama. They are mansions with a full-on staff. In fact, they are about 40,000 square feet. Yes, you read that right.

The Gamma Nu chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma boasts one of the biggest sorority houses in the United States, clocking in at 46,350 square feet.

So now you know more about #BamaRush, what do you think? Love it or leave it? Tell me what you think in the comments down below.