Ever since #Rushtok erupted in 2021, TikTok dances have become vital recruiting tools for America’s sororities. The craze hasn’t faded. A recent post by the Alpha Chi Omega sorority featuring members dancing to Gwen Stefani’s song “The Sweet Escape” racked up eight million views. The twist? It wasn’t filmed at one of the southern hotbeds of Greek life but at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “Didn’t know MIT was hip like this,” read one comment.
Greek life is having a moment at elite academic institutions—even if many of the sorority chapters are younger than the women rushing for them. While Kappa Alpha Theta was founded in 1870, its chapter at Tufts University dates back only to 2013. Likewise, Dartmouth’s Kappa Delta, founded in 2009, and Brown’s Delta Gamma, in 2018. At southern schools, many recruits are legacies—daughters of former sorority members. At Brown, 70 percent of women who join are the first in their family to do so.
