Exclusive | What it takes to prep for sorority rush week in the SEC: 12-hour days, bouncing and clapping and lots of tears

BATON ROGUE, La.— Sorority rush week at Louisiana State University comes in with a roar and leaves with a hoarse whisper.For eight days before hordes of young women lined up outside the houses on sorority row to make their bids to get in last week, sorority sisters spent 12 hours a day preparing to welcome — and ruthlessly vet — the next generation of wannabe Greek leaders.The older students perfected their “bouncing and clapping” cheers to welcome the prospective members, refreshed themselves on the 1-to-10 ranking system they would use to evaluate them, staged mock rushes with other chapters — and, of course, churned out perfectly curated social-media content every step of the way. In the high stakes world of sorority rush, nobody does it quite like the big schools of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) — including Alabama, Ole Miss, Georgia and LSU.“So much money and time goes into work week and actual rush – it’s crazy,” said LSU sophomore and Tri Delta member Mary Macie Ezell.And it’s become big business.

Arizona-based Dutch Bros.coffee and Kourtney Kardashian’s Lemme gummies brand both sent swag to help the Tri-Delt gals power through.It can also mean fame and success — beyond the sorority.

Ezell gained more than 1,300 followers and 40,000 likes on TikTok since she began documenting her LSU experience – helping her land brand deals and an internship. By the end of rush, almost everyone is crying — and all the members have lost their voices from the hours upon hours of peppy cheering.Ezell and fellow Tri Delta sophomore Nora Fettig, both 19, gave The Post a rare behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to survive the wildly demanding recruitment process at one of the country’s biggest SEC schools – from strictly matching outfits, gallons of energy drinks and painstakingly rehearsed chants to the moment hundreds of wannabe sisters descend upon their Baton Rouge mansionWhen the throngs arrive, little is left to chance.�...