Sorority rush week is back on college campuses across the United States — and on TikTok.
The online phenomenon known as “RushTok” — a once-a-year look inside the rush process at large U.S. colleges and universities — draws billions of views and likes on the app, allowing some big-time, Greek Life influencers to earn enough money to put them through four years of school.
“I’m very grateful. I’m very appreciative. … I’m excited to graduate and not be in debt from student loans,” Kylan Darnell, a junior at the University of Alabama who has been dubbed the “queen of RushTok,” told Fox News Digital in an interview. “It’s definitely very freeing, very relieving, and I’m just very grateful for anybody that takes the time to go on my page and follow or watch a video or leave a comment. It’s just, wow. I’m just very appreciative.”
Darnell’s influencer-type social media presence has become a job for the college junior, one that she could pursue full-time, but she said she wants to finish school and follow her dreams of becoming a sports broadcaster. Originally from Ohio, Darnell called the “queen of RushTok” label “funny” because she never imagined she’d be pursuing social media stardom.
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The online phenomenon known as “RushTok” — a once-a-year look inside the rush process at large U.S. colleges and universities — draws billions of views and likes on TikTok. (© Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK)
“I think people like to watch my videos because I’m truly having fun,” she said, adding later, “RushTok is my favorite time of year.”
University of Alabama sorority members and recruits, specifically, have been drawing the masses to “Bama RushTok” as the top recruitment school in the country, making national headlines last year when HBO Max came out with a documentary called “Bama Rush” detailing the drama of the selective recruitment process.
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Some users watching videos under the #RushTok tag on TikTok are seeking inspiration for their own Greek Life pursuits, while others with no interest in sororities watch the stream of videos as a form of real-life entertainment, much like reality television but online.
University of Alabama sorority members and recruits specifically have been drawing the masses to “Bama RushTok” as the top recruitment school in the country. (© Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK)
Most videos are only seconds long, showing coordinated dances, dress-up themes, outfit reveals (some of which are sponsored by fashion labels), tips for getting into one’s No. 1 sorority house and more.
Here is a list of the five craziest RushTok trends of the 2024-2025 school year so far:
1. University of Oklahoma’s blue costumes
The original “blue” theme from the University of Oklahoma’s Kappa Kappa Gamma chapter took RushTok by storm this season, featuring creative outfits centered around the color blue — some dark, some funny and some downright weird.
“{N]ow this is the rush content i want,” one TikTok user wrote on a video showing the sorority’s outlandish blue costumes.
“You have us wanting to rush kappa,” wrote another user.
More than 500 women received bids to 10 sororities after George Washington University’s chapter of Delta Gamma was shut down last week. (Al Drago/CQ Roll Call)
2. Grandma costumes
Sororities gather for what they call “work week” — the week before rush begins — to set up for the upcoming recruitment process. To make “work week” more fun for members, houses pick themes to follow. One of this season’s most popular themes on TikTok was the “Grandma” theme.
Some houses dressed up as grandmas but danced like they weren’t a day over 21.
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3. Sorority rap songs
Darnell highlighted a song made specifically for her sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha, on TikTok. The song by YOUNG036 is called “Great Day To Be A ZTA,” and members of the sorority have been sharing videos showing coordinated dances to the exclusive song on TikTok.
Seventeen sororities welcomed new members on the University of Alabama Panhellenic Association Bid Day, Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. (© Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK)
And it’s not the first time YOUNG036 has created a song for ZTA. The rapper has songs dedicated to other sororities as well, including Chi Omega, Tri Delta, Gamma Phi Beta and others, according to his Spotify account.
4. Designer clothing and room decor
Sorority members and recruits have been sharing their OOTDs, or outfits of the day, on TikTok. Some of these videos — like those on Darnell’s account — feature sponsored content, which is why she and other RushTok influences have made something of a career out of their social media pages.
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Some of these videos feature price breakdowns for recruitment outfits that have eye-watering price tags, ranging from a few hundred dollars to more than $10,000. A TikTok user named Destinee Moreh has made her own brand, analyzing the cost of other girls’ outfits videos on TikTok.
Darnell flew to London on Monday — the same day she reached a million followers on TikTok — for a “brand trip” with a women’s clothing company called Peppermayo.
Seventeen sororities welcomed new members on the University of Alabama Panhellenic Association Bid Day, Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. (© Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK)
And it’s not just clothes that come with a heavy price tag.
Sorority members have made it a point to show off their trendy house decor and dorm room setups, complete with neon signs, monogrammed pillows, matching duvets, canopy beds, armoires, Hollywood-style mirrors and more.
5. Professional recruitment consultants
Some sorority hopefuls hire professional sorority recruitment consultants to help them get into their top sorority choices.
“Greek life provides … an invaluable set of transferable skills because Greek life is the entry point to their college and then professional careers. This is often the first time girls learn how to network, prepare a resume and learn how to market themselves, which can be used long into your professional life,” Hiking in Heels CEO and founder Stacia Damon told “America Reports” last year.
The eccentric RushTok videos garner billions of views each year and lots of praise, but also a fair amount of judgment.
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Darnell encourages users to be kind and respectful, noting that sorority members and recruits are young — many still teenagers — trying to make the most of their college experiences. Some are staying away from home for the first time in their lives, trying to meet new friends, while others are getting ready to graduate and start their careers outside school.
“Just remember, these girls are very vulnerable and that your opinions, what you say about their outfits and stuff like that, can hurt them. So, just remember, be positive,” she said.