FORT WORTH, Texas — For most parents, the toughest part about their kids starting college is just getting them into a university. For others, though, that's just the start of their concerns.
These days, some families are shelling out big bucks for consultants to help their daughters rush the sororities of their dreams.
Kristin Wallach and Suzanne Sanders, the co-founders of the Fort Worth-based Sorority 101 Consultants, launched their company in 2020 after noticing a rise in girls seeking vital information about how rush with National Panhellenic Conference sororities works. (Note: The rush process for these sororities is often vastly different from the process involving Divine Nine Greek organizations.)
"I would say it's probably no different than paying for a tutor," said Wallach. "Just like an ACT tutor is going to have expertise on how to take the ACT test... we have expertise in sorority prep."
Angie Hoang and her daughter Lia were Sorority 101 clients during the 2022 rush season. They reached out to Wallach as Lia was entering the rush process at University of Texas.
"I felt like it was money well spent," Angie said. "Because it did help Lia gain confidence, and helped her feel prepared. It helped me understand what everything from what sorority life is to the process of recruitment."
Sorority 101 offers service packages starting at about $500. Other sorority consultants charge as much as $4,000 for their expertise.
As for Lia? She ended up pledging with a sorority, and she believes the consultants helped her out.
"You see the Bid Day photos and you're like, 'How do I get there to that excitement of running home and finding a sisterhood?" she said.
Sorority 101 says it currently counts about 120 clients across 20 different universities. Its consultants help girls out with everything from what to wear to what to put on their resumes.
"We really encourage them to work on their conversation skills, especially with people who they haven't met before," said Wallach. "If you're used to texting... having a conversation one on one [can be tough]. You really need to have great eye contact with girls. And you really need to have, y'know, some things to talk about."
For her part, Lia is grateful to have had that help.
"Having [Kristin] help me before the week and help me like kind of navigate all the stuff for that week, it really helped me be more confident, more sure of myself," she said.