A student got real about her Bama Rush experience, saying it was 'hot,' 'sweaty,' and 'miserable' trying to get into a sorority
Brynn Anderson/AP
- It's the time of year where Bama Rush takes over social media.
- One creator who goes by Bama Morgan has become a favorite for her candid recaps of the challenge.
- She said day 3 was "miserable" and she was exhausted, but still had one more sorority house to visit.
A student hoping to get recruited by a sorority at the University of Alabama documented her disappointing experience.
Day 3, she said, was miserable and exhausting, and she now understood why people quit the challenges half way through.
Sorority recruitment rituals are currently taking over TikTok, known as RushTok, where students vie for a coveted place in a sisterhood at southern colleges.
The challenges at the University of Alabama are known as Bama Rush, where PNMs — potential new members — are vetted over a week-long process, before a select few are accepted.
A TikTok creator who goes by Bama Morgan has been posting vlogs about her rush experience, hoping to give a more relatable side to the ordeal.
She posted her first video from her dorm six days ago, showing her "rush bag" that only contained a pen, and asked viewers to "send help." At the time of writing, the rush is still going on, so it's unclear whether Morgan got a spot.
It offered a completely different perspective on rush week, which over the past couple of years has traditionally been inundated with hopeful sorority candidates who made the experience seem like a glamorous reality show. Increased attention to rush week thanks to social media also brought on discussions about racism and elitism in sorority culture, which may be why an alternative to the idealistic aesthetic of previous years is so popular.
On day 3, Morgan updated her followers on how she had been coping.
"There's no way today happened," she said, seemingly struggling to stand. "I'm so tired, I'm so convinced today didn't happen. It was so hot, it was so sweaty, it was miserable."
Morgan said all of the students who posted videos of themselves smiling after rushing were "crazy."
"Get them help, because they need it," she said, while chugging orange juice.
The day wasn't over, she said, because she still had one more sorority house to visit.
"It's just so hot, and I'm nasty, and I want to go to bed, but I'm nasty so I have to take a shower," she said. "It is so bad."
Morgan said she used to make fun of girls who would drop half way through the first day of rush, but she understood why now.
"You guys are all justified," she said. "Justice for those girls, because they knew what was up, they knew what they were doing when they quit."
Morgan's video amassed 1.6 million views, and brought her tons of new fans who said they wanted to follow along with every moment of her rush experience.
"Now THIS is the Bama Rush Tok I'm here for!!" one comment reads. "The drinking straight from the orange juice bottle is everything."
Hundreds of people in the comments told Morgan they were rooting for her, and appreciated her candid and relatable approach to the rush.
"She's so real like she's giving more that the HBO documentary," one person wrote, referencing the documentary "Bama Rush" which was widely criticized for not delving deeply enough into the realities of sorority recruitment.
"You are exactly what we've been wait for from Bama Rush!!" wrote another viewer. "Cheering you on, you've got this, GIRL!!!"
In a subsequent video, Morgan said she had taken a 5-hour nap before having to go to her next house. Her posts also got her some gifts from brands, including the hair tie line Teleties, which Morgan was wearing around her wrist.
In a TikTok posted on Wednesday, Morgan said she was "completely overwhelmed (in the best way)" at all the attention she had received, and "so grateful for everyone."
"Once this crazy rush week ends, I want to thank each of you properly. Your support means the world to me! Love you all."