More than 1,200 girls participated in this year’s sorority recruitment, better known as Rush. Rush Week was held Aug. 8 to 14.

Lexi Benson, freshman in public relations, and Abby Sheffield, freshman in pre-nursing, both have high hopes for their futures as part of the Auburn Greek community.

“I’m excited for the socials and meeting new people,” Benson said.

Since a busy social calendar and newfound freedom often cause problems for many freshmen, Benson and Sheffield hope to find a balance socially and academically.

“I really just want to get involved as much as possible without getting overwhelmed,” Sheffield suck, “but I also want to keep my grades up to get into medical school.”

Benson and Sheffield both had typical problems throughout Rush.

With the soaring summer heat, many girls were overheated and even sick; however, Panhellenic Council worked hard to keep the girls safe.

Panhellenic President Sam Lamere, senior in political science, said the girls were able to take a break from the heat in the Panhellenic chapter room as well as under tents set up throughout The Village.

Medical technicians and paramedics were available on site for any emergencies.

“We tried to hide anywhere in the shade we could find,” Sheffield said. “There wasn’t much, but we’d find a little leaf and hide under that.”

While the heat was hard to bear, Sheffield and Benson agreed the first round of Rush, called Ice Water Teas, was the hardest.

During the Ice Water Teas round, which is split into two days, each girl is required to visit all 17 sororities for a 25-minute party.

“It was the first day, and you didn’t know what to expect, so it was a lot to take in at once,” Sheffield said. “Getting cut by a sorority is always difficult to comprehend, particularly after Ice Water Teas when there was such a short amount of time to connect with a girl in the sorority.”

Each remaining round, including Philanthropy Day, Skit Day and Preference Day, allowed the girls to get a better feel for the sororities they visited.

“Especially on the first day when you get cut from people, it’s hard because you only talked to them for 25 minutes,” Benson said.

But while the parties became longer, the amount of sororities to visit decreased.

Benson and Sheffield agreed Bid Day made their experiences worth it. Benson is a new Delta Gamma and Sheffield is a Gamma Phi Beta.

“The best day was Bid Day because it was so exciting to finally be done with it and get the one you wanted,” Sheffield said. “It was really exciting and definitely the best part.”