2012 Sorority recruitment

Colleges and Universities A-Z The University of Texas at Austin
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<p>This was posted on another website by a very informed poster...I wish every girl going through sorority recruitment at UT could read this...what she says is spot on!</p>

<p>University of Texas Recruitment August 21-28, 2012 </p>

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<p>As the weather starts to warm up we all know that the threads about fall recruitment will start to spring eternal. I have read on these boards for a fairly long while and they can be mixed with helpful advise, pure stupidity and whole bunch of craziness but the majority of PNMs come here looking for basic information. Recruitment at the University of Texas seems to be an annual topic of conversation so I thought I would compile some this basic information regarding UT’s recruitment in hopes to lasso it all in one place. (longshot I know) So lets go for the basics:</p>

<p>Make sure you register for recruitment. Online recruitment registration begins Monday, May 21, 2012 and concludes at 5 p.m. on Monday, August 13, 2012. Paper applications will not be accepted. This is very generous window. Don’t come here on August 5 and ask about letters of recommendation, etc, because it will be too late. The time to do that is now.</p>

<p>Letters of Recommendation & Registration </p>

<p>YES you need them. So this does not turn into a three page post, if you don’t know a soul who was ever in a sorority (not likely, but there is always someone that comes here and claims that) register with your local panhellenic organization and they will help you get a letter for each house. Greek Chat is NOT the place to hunt and gather letters. In Texas, the UT Office of Greek Life lists these local organizations here…</p>

<p><a href="http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/gli...pc_alumnae.php%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/gli...pc_alumnae.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>(see how easy this is)</p>

<p>Now go register with them and again…THEY will help you. Please do not confuse registering with them and registering with UT as the same thing. They are different. You should register with your local alumnae first, UT second. Why? Because your LOR should be written before UT registration even opens. </p>

<p>Even more about LOR</p>

<p>Please make sure you take the resume you used to apply to UT and fancy it up and have it ready for your local panhellenic. You will need at least 14 copies of it. They are here to help you but they are not your administrative assistants. You need your transcript too. Grades matter and to UT sororities they matter even more. If your GPA is below 3.5, you will already be on the short list before recruitment even starts. You will also need two photos of yourself. A close up. A full body shot. If you are sending hard copies to someone who is writing your LOR, they will need your resume, transcript and both pictures. You will probably not get them back so do yourself a favor and upload good photos of yourself to Costco and have plenty on hand. (This should be less tan $20 and if that kills your budget, you may want to rethink sorority life) Put your name and contact information on the back of each and every one. (Note: some ladies will have you email your photos, transcript and resume. If you don’t know how to attach things to an email, you need to learn this skill A.S.A.P.)</p>

<p>One last note about LOR. </p>

<p>Please take the time to thank each and every lady that writes a letter for you. The letters take time and the good ones take research. Not thanking them is bad form. Also, make sure you drop a note after recruitment to the person who you now share a sisterhood with. She should find out from you. And if you really want to be like Emily Post, a quick email to every lady that wrote for you telling them where you pledge is always welcome.</p>

<p>The When and Where:</p>

<p>Formal recruitment always occurs the week before classes start in the fall semester. For 2012, recruitment will be held August 21-August 28, 2012 and the schedule will be as follows:</p>

<p>Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Opening Convocation @ Hogg Auditorium
8:00 PM-9:30 PM </p>

<p>(If you are living in SRD or Hardin, this will be your move in day also. Get to your dorm early..if they say move in starts at 9:00, get there at 8 or earlier, get your stuff done and find time to chill before convocation. Look nice, but you don’t have to get dressed up. Girls will be in everything from Nike shorts to sundresses but make sure your hair looks nice and you have make up on if you normally wear it.)</p>

<p>Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Open House Day 1
10:00 AM-7:00 PM</p>

<p>(For both Open House days, you will be given a T-shirt to pair up with khaki shorts. They recommend tennis shoes, but many, many girls will wear sperry’s or sandals, and wear a belt. It just looks more finished)</p>

<p>Thursday, August 23, 2012
Open House Day 2
8:30 AM-2:30 PM</p>

<p>First Round of selections this afternoon </p>

<p>Friday, August 24, 2012
Pick Up schedules from counselors @ 11:00 AM (Your counselor and your group will have pre-determined meeting locations….typically in or around Hogg)</p>

<p>Philanthropy Day 1
12:20 PM-9:35 PM</p>

<p>(Sundresses)</p>

<p>Saturday, August 25, 2012
8:30 AM-4:15 PM</p>

<p>Second round of selections this afternoon. This selection narrows the houses down to a maximum of 6.</p>

<p>Sunday, August 26, 2012
Pick Up schedules from counselors @ 12:30 PM (again, max schedule of 6 houses)</p>

<p>Skit Night
1:45PM-10:15PM </p>

<p>(Dress like you would wear to a graduation or early evening wedding)</p>

<p>Third round of selections this evening. PNMs are deciding which houses they would like to preference. This of course does not mean this is what they get.</p>

<p>Monday, August 27, 2012
Pick up schedules from counselors @ 3:30 PM (max schedule of 3….but remember…it only takes one)</p>

<p>Preference Night
4:45PM-9:45PM
(Black Dresses….think “Little Black Dress” think classy)</p>

<p>PNMs make their final selections after the parties. Rank houses 1-2-3 if applicable.</p>

<p>Tuesday, August 28, 2012</p>

<p>Bid Day @ 5:00 PM Hogg Auditorium-
Recruitment counselor’s house affiliations will be revealed and girls will join their new member classes and walk as a group to their respective houses. (A note about Moms. UT has not branched into family bid day as of yet, but more and more moms have been attending as of late. Mainly for a quick house visit and a few pictures and then the NMs attend bid day activities with their new sisters.)</p>

<p>Cost</p>

<p>How much does it cost to be in a sorority at UT?</p>

<p>For the first year the cost range in dues is from $2600-$3900 in the new member year (Fall & Spring) For the following year, dues will fall to $2200-$2600. If you live in the sorority house, the cost to live in most houses, plus meals, plus dues will cost just a tad more than room and board at SRD or Hardin. So the first year is really where the majority of the costs are. There are also other costs for merchandise and t-shirts. It is easy to spend $500-$1000 your first year on this stuff alone. Of course that is optional, but the fact is most girls buy the stuff.</p>

<p>What are the best Sororities at UT?</p>

<p>No one on Greek Chat will answer that question, because no one here, or at UT, or in Austin, or Dallas, or Houston, would ever agree. The best sorority at UT is the one that you feel like you can grow as a person and have a great time. DO NOT GO INTO RECRUITMENT HAVING TO BE AN ‘ABC’. If you do that, it will end in failure. It does not matter if your best friend is an ABC and all of her sisters “love” you. She has 200 sisters (and you can't know them all) and the process is so more complex than that, so don’t drink that turnip juice. Also don’t go into recruitment just knowing you have to be ‘AB’ because your mom was an ‘AB’ at Northwestern in 1985. Being a legacy can matter, but the reality is there are more legacies going through UT recruitment than there are spaces for all the PNMs. All that legacy status will do is keep you in the game an extra round but the reality is if you aren’t a match for ‘AB’ then you just aren’t a match, you just get to carry the hope stick around an extra day. Now if your momma and your grandmother were involved Texas ‘ABCs’ then your legacy status probably holds a bit more water. And that is just the truth. Not all legacies are created equal. </p>

<p>The Elephant in the Room</p>

<p>There is not one conversation about UT recruitment where the term “Big 6” does not come up. Full disclosure. I don’t like the term. It was created by a lady named Prudence Mackintosh who at the time was writing for Texas Monthly. She named names and called out 6 sororities at UT (it was the 1970s people) and what made them special or not so special. Each of these houses is still special today and so are the 8 others that form the University Panhellenic Council.</p>

<p>There have been many young PNMs who have come and gone pledging their faithfulness to only accept a bid from a “Big 6” to only be disappointed by what they got. The same can be said about the other 8 too. On the other hand, there have been girls that have been disappointed in the moment, that all of the “Big 6” released them, only to pull their head out of the sand long enough to realize that an amazing sisterhood wanted them to be part of their group and her experience was life changing. Reputation is a tricky thing. A good one can cover a flawed sisterhood and a bad one can cover a good one. Step wisely. Trust your heart.</p>

<p>Round Up</p>

<p>Round up is the weekend after Spring Break this year (March 23-25) and it can be a great opportunity to see Greek Life in all its glory. But again, step wisely. If you are a Senior and go to Round Up. BEHAVE. Everyone is watching. Recruiting is happening. It just is.</p>

<p>Facebook</p>

<p>For goodness sake. Clean it up. If you pretended to be a pregnant teen mom on Halloween, you might want to take that photo down. Out of context…well…awkward.</p>

<p>Best of Luck to all the Texas PNM and Hook'em!</p>

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<p>This is spot on!</p>

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<p>So if you go to community college and your fall GPA was 2.8 but spring was 4.0 they will look at the cumulative, right? Fall semester was harder than expected but spring will give me a 3.6 or 4.0. Should I take summer classes to get it even higher? Is the GPA requirement the same for sophomores? Will summer class grades be in time for cumulative GPA?</p>

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<p>I think it depends on the chapter. Each house has their own rules. Your GPA will be its average. Summer grades will not make it before rush. If you go here:</p>

<p><a href=“http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/glie/downloads/2011FallUPCGradeReport.pdf[/url]”>http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/glie/downloads/2011FallUPCGradeReport.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>it will show the GPAs for each house for Fall 2011. By looking here you will get a good idea where you stand.</p>

5

<p>I just wanted to bump this thread for those of you that are planning to go through sorority recruitment for 2013. The first post is VERY informative and should be taken to heart! </p>

<p>***Please note that the dates will be different for this year.</p>

6

<p>Agreeing with SWTCAT when it comes to everything today! The post she is referring to is one of the best I have ever seen when it comes to recruitment at UT. </p>

<p>And do get those recommendation packets to the alumni as early as you can. Those alumni who do several each year know it is important to do the recs early and get them to the sororities quickly. And do keep in mind that Facebook recommendation as well as Instagram and any other social media!</p>

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<p>Schemgel is correct…Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can either be your friend or your enemy. Take a real hard look at the pictures that are on these social media sights. They tell a story about you, and it might not be the one that you would want told. </p>

<p>If you have pictures of Halloween and you are in a skimpy or revealing costume, holding a red solo cup…that is not good. Even the so called “party” girls cannot afford to pledge girls that might be a hazzard to thier chapter’s reputation. Sure, there is partying in every sorority, but recruitment is not the time to convey that you are that type of girl.</p>

<p>I can tell you that every single sorority is looking at facebook. Social media has become one of the best ways to try to get to know potential new members before they ever walk in the doors. Just make sure your’s tells a postitive story and not a negative one.</p>

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<p>No internationals in sororities then? Must be impossible as all this preparation and having contacts is essential it sounds like a parallel universe. The only information I have about Greek societies comes from the movies Legally Blond and Man of the House which of course can’t be true there has also been publicity about sexist abuse by Frat boys at other universities in our media. The houses looked nice when I visited campus but it is all a total mystery and seems very strange to a European eye. U of T seems large and inclusive enough that it wouldn’t be a problem to be outside the Greek system though.</p>

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<p>UT is very inclusive and has many groups to belong to outside of Greeks. The greek population is around 12-15% of the total student body. This makes it a very tight knit community where everyone that is greek knows each other. In the big picture, it is a very small percentage of the student body. </p>

<p>With that being said, it is very difficult for those that want to join a sorority, if they dont have recommendations. It is not impossible, but one would have to have a very open mind when going through the process. In fact, an open mind is IMPERATIVE for anyone going through the process, recommendations or not. LOR’s will not guarantee anyone a bid and neither will legacy status, but they will both give someone a second look at least.</p>

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<p>Hmm sounds pretty cliquey to me "who you know "rather than “who you are”. I will definitely give it a wide berth. Thanks for the info.</p>

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<p>There are international students in sororities. The question boils down to if you want to join or not and if you are willing to do the vetting it takes to make it happen. There are US panhellenic alum chapters (for Letters of Recommendation) overseas, and if you can’t find someone over there, Austin Pan Alum chapter will help you here, they are very nice and very helpful. Google is your friend. And as far as it being about “who you know” than “who you are”…well sort of and sort of not. It certainly helps if you know girls inside the chapter, only because you have someone on the “inside” fighting for you. But there are 100s of girls that rush that don’t know a soul, and it works out just fine for them. Trust me, you could know 10 girls in a house, yet not have great success if you don’t have the grades or the personality. Like SWTCAT said, go in with an open mind and you’ll be fine.</p>

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<p>Can LORs come from women who are currently enrolled at a college (not UT) or must they come from alums?</p>

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<p>That depends on the chapter. Some allow active LORs some only take alum LORs.</p>

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<p>Hi, is the GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale? My sister is deciding on where to go and really wants to go to UT and join a sorority. We are from OOS and she has a 4.4 on a 5.0 (she did get a 33 on ACT) Does she already have two strikes against her (grades and from the north)?<br>
Thanks!</p>