Ladies of Northwestern, sorority rush does not have to be filled with powder-blue cashmere and perfectly applied makeup. While there are some “rules” to go by during each of the five nights of rush they should definitely allow for each girl to show her own personal style.

Rush is divided into four segments, each with their own “dress code.” Various nights require different degrees of formal dress from nice jeans to dresses.

I rushed last year, spent hours picking out my outfit for the first night…only to settle on jeans and a black sweater. Original, huh? I think I might have even worn pearls. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but I think that I let my fear of getting judged by my outfit get to my head.

So here are some general pieces of advice for the girls who will be rushing in the next few days…

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So there’s my advice. Have fun eating lots of cookies and flirting with girls…and check out the hats that your recruitment counselors have to wear and be thankful you don’t have to deal with that.

Flash production by Mindy Zacharjasz. Photography by Emily Vaughan.