Female, Junior, 21, Human Ecology

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Tuesday - Panhellenic Rush Round One Day One

7:30 a.m. The sound of my alarm makes me want to kill myself. I am in shock how hung over I am. It speaks to my Christmas break away from alcohol. Pop two tylenol and lay down, waiting for them to kick in. I have no recollection of drinking so much last night.

9:16 a.m. We are practicing screaming and dancing. This is so not working with my hangover.

10:07 a.m. Sit down with the first rushee. I am already out of conversation topics. Ask her about her break even though I could not care less. I love when girls say they did nothing over break. Give me something to work with!

12:43 p.m. All I can think about is lunch. I have a delicious sandwich in the fridge and it’s all I want. I am convinced it will erase the last strands of my hangover. The girl I’m talking to has stringy gross hair and speaks so softly. I pathetically just talk about how hungry I am and how lunch is the best part of rush. I am sure she will be back for round two.

1:15 p.m. Finally check my cell phone. I awkwardly have a text from this guy I forgot I had texted the night before. Clearly a reminder I was somewhat blackout. Fortunately I didn’t embarrass myself too much in the 2 a.m. text.

2:17 p.m. Actually having a decent conversation with a girl. She has personality (a true rarity during rush) and I don’t want to kill myself. Kind of pissed when I have to talk to another girl, especially because the next one has a high pitched annoying voice and an obviously fake tan.

3:38 p.m. Oh good, my voice is going out. This is going to be a great week. I sit down to talk to a cute girl with unfortunately bad skin. I politely do not hold this against her and have semi-normal conversation with her about Bristol Palin. Who would have thought Sarah Palin could be worked into rush conversation.

7:14 p.m. Sit down with my roommates for a relaxing evening with my TiVo machine. Ignore all text messages from guys looking for girls to come to rush events. All I want to do is watch last nights Gossip Girl and sleep.

9:52 p.m. Sleep.

Wednesday - Panhellenic Rush Round One Day Two

7:31 a.m. Pull myself out of bed after a long night sleep. I can sense that the day will be a little easier when I am not hungover.

10:02 a.m. This is some sort of cruel joke. I am talking to the one freshman I knew from a slew of bad rumors. I had already decided I hated her and now I have to spend the next 10 minutes pretending to not know about her spotted past.

11:36 a.m. I can’t help think while I talk to his one girl, “why are you rushing?” I almost feel like someone paid her off to wear the most heinous outfit and say all the wrong things.

2:17 p.m. Start recognizing girls from people’s Facebook pictures. Props to them for looking dramatically more put together when sober.

3:09 p.m. Amazing girl. I want her in this house so badly. She is fabulous. Cute and has personality. She even cracks a few jokes that have me genuinely laughing. It feels good to stop doing that fake laugh.

Thursday - Panhellenic Rush Round Two

6:15 a.m. It is still pitch black out, how the hell am I supposed to get out of bed?

9:29 a.m. Sit down to have a conversation with a rushee I know from outside of rush. It takes a minute for my fake voice and feigning of interest to wear off. Talk to her about her boyfriend and New Years Eve. I am sure Panhel would be delighted.

10:51 a.m. While the girls scurry outside I keep repeating one girl’s name over and over in my head. I cannot wait to write down how miserable she was. Every question I asked she gave me a one word answer. Longest seven minutes of my life. Cutting her.

12:17 p.m. This girl is literally spitting on me. I am tempted to say to her in my best second grade voice “I want the news, not the weather.” She is oblivious to my repeated winces when her spit hits me.

2:16 p.m. Overhear the girl next to me flat out tell the sister she is talking to about how much she loves another sorority. I hope she gets cut from it. Truth be told, I can’t see her there.

5:43 p.m. I meet a legacy. There is no way I am letting her be in my house.

Friday - Panhellenic Rush Round Three

10:58 a.m. Arrive at sorority house.

12:30 p.m. We open the doors for the next girls to come through. I immediately spot one of my favorites. So glad she’s back.

12:38 p.m. The rush chair points out a girl she claims everyone loves. I look over and almost gag, she looks like a human Q-Tip. I see one of my sorority sisters laughing during the conversation. My immediate thought: Is she laughing with her or at her?

2:15 p.m. Watching skit for the second time today. I still love it.

7:17 p.m. We’re voting, and I am bored. I text my friend from another school about how sick I am of sororities. She laughs, she still cannot believe I am even in a sorority.

9:48 p.m. Still voting. I’m starved. I have been thinking about food all week.

Saturday - Panhellenic Rush Round Four

11:58 p.m. Choose three girls to speak to during the three final rounds. I already know I love two of them and vehemently hate the third. This should be fun. The first girl I know from a group I’m in on campus. The girl I hate I know from home. The last girl is my absolute favorite from rush.

6:29 p.m. DONE.

Want to share your diary? Send us an excerpt of your day, week or month at eclipse@cornellsun.com. RLD

Reader Reactions

“I can’t figure out why ­people want to join [the Greek system], to be honest.”

— Emily Lyons ’09

Emily Lyons

“I just went through the rush process, and it’s funny to see the other side of it. ... However awkward it is for us, it’s just as awkward for [the sisters]”

— Natalie Raps ’12

Natalie Raps

“This girl is an idiot. She’s a conceited, superficial ­sorority girl who needs to learn a lot about the bigger world and get off her high horse. She thinks this rush stuff is so important. ... She’s obviously intelligent. You can tell from reading this, but her priorities are too into all this; it’s disturbing. She’s the ultimate hypocrite, because she says she doesn’t like [the process], but she keeps doing it.”

— Andy Ben ’09

Andy Ben