By Josh Christian
The first time I rushed Alpha Kappa Psi was the spring of my freshman year. At the time I studied Biomedical Engineering, and I was looking for a way to round out my professional skills and to make more connections around campus. My first night of rush I was full of nerves, but I was determined to push out of my comfort zone and to meet as many people as possible. I remember walking into Kendall Cram Ballroom along with hundreds of other rushees and listening to Katy Scruggs and Brandon Ocheltree explain the rush process to us.
Over the next four days, I networked with a huge group for the first time in my life, learned how to build a resume, and survived my first professional interview. However, looking back on this experience I know I had a ton of room for growth. I used networking to show brothers that I cared about business and that I was professional, but I didn’t showcase my personality or the skills and experiences that I had to contribute to the fraternity. Plus, everyone gets better at interviewing and resume building with time and experience. In the end, I did not receive a bid to the pledge class that semester.
Even though I was disappointed that the rush process hadn’t been successful for me, I decided to continue to form relationships with brothers that I saw around campus and tried to set myself up for more success in case I wanted to rush again. The next fall, during my sophomore year, I rushed again. Thanks to the knowledge and experience that I gained during my first attempt at rushing I was able to grow into a much stronger candidate, and I received a bid after that rush process.
Once I entered the pledging process, I learned that tons of other brothers had a similar experience to me, and had rushed two or even three times. I saw that these multiple-rush brothers were some of the most committed and influential members of the fraternity. As a rushee I hadn’t realized this about the AKPsi membership, and it gave me a lot of encouragement that I was still a great fit for the fraternity even though I wasn’t accepted after my first attempt.
Right after I was initiated into the AKPsi Brotherhood, I decided to run for an officer position, and I was elected the Alumni Relations Chair in my first semester as a brother. After serving in that position during the spring, I was elected as one of the two Vice Presidents of Membership for our chapter. Looking back at how much I’ve grown in my personal life and at all the amazing relationships that I’ve built with my brothers, I am so thankful that I rushed AKPsi a second time. I hope that my experience can show others who are interested in AKPsi that it’s fine to rush more than once and that you still have the potential to be a valuable member or even leader in the fraternity.
