Husband and I are both Iowa grads and love Iowa City but our daughter would get a lot better scholarship money at UNL but we’ve never been. Anyone know both well enough to help us out with a compare/contrast? She would probably go through sorority recruitment so any summaries on how hard core that is at UNL also would be appreciated. Our experience with older siblings was at an SEC school with not enough spots for all the kids going through recruitment and only 2/3 of potential members got bids which is honestly just awful. Many kids came in with pre-bids due to prior connections but we wouldn’t really have any. Would love any insight anyone wants to offer.
I don’t know U if I at all but have a freshman daughter at UNL. She did not rush but sounds like A LOT of the females are in sororities. They also have “open recruitment” after rush or in the spring, I’m not sure…so there must be spaces available in some houses. One of my daughters friends did not complete the whole rush but joined a sorority a few weeks into the freshmanyear, after rush.
I cannot compare U of Iowa but I can attest that UNL Sororities are nothing like SEC sororities. My daughter was considering U of Arkansas at one point but after having more than one good friend go through rush at UofArkansas, she decided against attending there altogether. Her friend who was top of her class, over achiever, great family, involved in sports, charities, etc was dropped from all of her top five choices. She ended up joining another new sorority and loves it now, but the experience was not positive for her. I went through rush at UNL (albeit about 28 years ago) but I do believe that most girls going through rush are matched with a sorority. Also, as previous poster mentioned, there are some that don’t fill all their open spots so open rush does occur throughout the year (my niece did this a few years back). DD will be a legacy to my sorority, however she is keeping an open mind when it comes to pledging next year. I would definitely think that UNL sororities are much the same as other midwest universities including U of Iowa.
I think sorority recruitment is very competitive at Lincoln, but that there is enough room for everyone. She might not get into her first choice but if she keeps an open mind she’ll find the right place. Many years ago, every house took 25 freshmen each year as new members. My house was very popular but had 33 legacies going through rush. They sent telegrams (I SAID it was a long time ago) to the mothers and grandmothers and sisters of these legacies and said, “Sorry, this is the situation. We aren’t going to take only legacies, and even if we did there isn’t enough room.” IIRC, they took 16 legacies and 9 other new members. I’m sure the others went to very nice houses.
I’d still pick Iowa over Lincoln. I’d pick just about anywhere over Lincoln. Long time sports rivalries live on and I can’t get over it. Nebraska is the red-headed step child of the Big 10.
I attended Iowa for a while years ago, & have visited Iowa City several times in recent years. Also, I have a daughter who graduated from UNL last year.
My daughter was in a sorority. It was fine, not too crazy like in the SEC. There were definitely some girls who didn’t make it into a sorority in the August rush (I saw some of them walking away in tears as the others ran to their new houses). Legacies & other girls from Nebraska who had high school friends already in sororities seemed to have an advantage in the rush.
From what I have seen, UNL & Iowa are both extremely well organized, & if you apply yourself, you can get a very good education at both of them. My daughter was in the business school–classes were small, professors were congenial, and we had zero complaints about the biz school or university. The city is big enough that internships in many fields are available during the school year. Lincoln isn’t Chicago, but I spent quite a bit of time there and never got bored. I mean it’s a state capital & has several hundred thousand residents, so there is stuff to do if you look for it. And Omaha is only 50 min away. Iowa City is a lot fun, but Lincoln’s Haymarket offers at least as much nightlife.
The biggest difference I found between the 2 universities was the physical layout. UNL’s 2 campuses are flat & very compact. Most classes are on the City Campus, & its academic buildings are conveniently concentrated in the campus’s southwest quadrant. In contrast, at Iowa it seemed like getting to every class was a hike, & involved trudging up & down steep hills.
Totally agree with moooop that “other girls from Nebraska who had high school friends already in sororities seemed to have an advantage in the rush.” The high school connection is a big thing at UNL which is very different from other similar size universities. Very easy to get around UNL main campus. It’s been said that the main UNL campus is getting too small (I don’t see that) and that’s why more events have moved to UNL’s East Campus, home to the Dairy Store and the bowling alley.
Sororities at Nebraska have always been competitive for admissions. Years ago each house could take only 25 new freshman members. Being a legacy (mother, sister, grandmother) was a very big boost. However, one year the sorority I’m a member of and which is big in Nebraska had 33 legacies going through Rush. They sent telegrams (yes, I’m that old) saying “This is the situation, and we’re not going to limit our choices to just legacies. Hope you understand and encourage your relative to be open to all houses.” IIRC, they took 16 legacies.
Things are different today and the pledge classes are much bigger. They also try to have open spots in the sororities to accept all potential new member. There is a formula that is very successful in making it work, and they also try to add new houses as demand increases. If a school is adding a new house, that Rush may be after the formal rush and it can take almost a full house of new members. Great opportunity for leadership positions or for an upperclassmen to join a house.
They try to keep those tearful bid day girls to a minimum. You can ask about the numbers who do not get bids and it is very small. At Alabama, for example, a few years ago they had 2500 girls sign up for recruitment. and had 2200 receive bids. Of the 300 who didn’t, most had dropped from the recruitment process or had opted to join a different organization, like an historically black sorority or one with a special focus (music, public service).