<p>My D is in a sorority in a small school in the Northeast. They rush in November, and it is much more laid back than some of the stories I have heard about larger schools. She has said that she would not have joined a sorority in a larger school with competitive recruitments. The house she is in now was initially not her first choice, but 2 years later, she loves her sisters and is very happy and involved with her sorority. She recently told me that she is glad that she didn’t get into her first choice, since she loves her house so much.</p>
<p>My D is a sophomore. On one hand I think it’s great that she waited. Some of her suite mates rushed as freshman and she has a much better idea what a sorority is all about and the houses that interest her. On the other hand she started college as a premed biology major and struggled academically (has switched majors). She’s lovely and social but I’m not sure how much a currently low gpa will hold her back.</p>
<p>Mother22 - in the system I was in, the house would have no idea if you “suicided” or not. It was all done by computer (punch cards, I’m dating myself). The houses would put together their lists in order and the girls would put their final 3 in order and the computer matched it up. I was a rush counselor and we always encouraged girls to go back to as many houses as they could, and not to suicide. There’s no benefit. </p>
<p>Every year there might have been a handful of legacies in the system (and in full disclosure, my son was a legacy at his frat - same chapter) but the idea that there are so many legacies a house could fill their quota with them? Just seems really insular.</p>
<p>My daughter’s gpa was also lower than the minimum for some sororities but I think they make exceptions. Most college students struggle in the beginning and may not have the high gpa’s they had in high school. That’s, I think, one of the disadvantages of rushing as a sophomore. After going through this week and talking to a lot of people on different forums, I think that if your daughter wants to be in a sorority, she will get a bid. It may not be her preferred choice. But she needs to continue to maximize her options and keep and open mind.</p>
<p>I “suicided” too back in the day. I was invited back to three pref. parties (out of six houses) and was allowed to go to two. I really liked both houses I preffed, but one of them had a girl from my high school who I was afraid might cause me problems. So I suicided for the house I joined and had a great sorority experience.</p>
<p>Sorry if my post conveyed the wrong message. I was attempting to say that if one looked at it based upon what others say rankings are, my chapter wasn’t considered the best at the time, but opinions change and national images are even different. BUT that none of that matters. </p>
<p>For me it was all about how much I enjoyed my time there and with my friends. </p>
<p>I didn’t mean to convey a message that rankings mean anything. They’re just made up lists but what really matters is personal fit. </p>
<p>Thanks for letting me clear that up.</p>
<p>Scrapgal gpa importance depends on the competitiveness of the Greek system. All sororities have a minimum gpa a member must have to be initiated. In a competitive recruitment (SEC) grades are incredibly important and are often used as a way to make the necessary first round cuts. When you have hundreds of girls to choose from who for the most part all have glowing resumes low grades can be a big stumbling block. Smaller school, more intimate recruitment = whole different ball game.</p>
<p>I second that - at my school is was like “grades, schmades.” As long as you had a 2.0 you could participate in all activities. But if it dipped below that you were put on probation, and pledges could not be initiated unless they had a 2.0.</p>
<p>^ I asked my D about this. She said you must have a minimum of 2.0 to rush, and that houses at her university do not enforce a minimum gpa to be considered, but that they do have a house average gpa that they are likely to take into consideration. Her first events are tomorrow (are they meet and greet parties? - I don’t know much about it obviously, and as she is three time zones away, most of our conversation takes place via text message).</p>
<p>My D originally had no interest in rushing, but on move in day when she met many of the girls she decided to check it out. She is thrilled she did because she discovered that not all sororities are like the stereotype she had in her mind. It showed me that at least she is wiling to check things out and try new experiences.</p>
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<p>Do you think it also depends on the selectivity of the school? I know that at some of the SEC schools, they care about the girl’s high school GPA, honors received, etc. At my school, which was highly selective, there was no point in screening for those things - we all obviously had earned good high school GPAs, otherwise we wouldn’t be there in the first place – it wasn’t a differentiator and no one cared since it was assumed of course you were smart and serious about your studies.</p>
<p>At my college, the minimum GPA to rush was lower than our nationally mandated minimum GPA to extend a bid to a PNM. This important fact was not shared with PNMs, because different sororities on campus had different minimums set by their nationals, and at least one sorority was as low as the Panhellenic rush minimum.
I always felt that this issue should have been disclosed to PNMs when they first registered for recruitment. We had to cut for grades after round one, and we did not have any discretion.</p>
<p>To answer Pizzagirl’s question, I think the grade cuts were mostly for sophomores, because many students have rocky freshman grades, even at highly selective schools.</p>
<p>Pizzagirl, I go to a state flagship that accepts around 79% of all applicants and whose greek participation rate hovers at around 25%. As far as I know all but the honors fraternity and sorority (typically reserved for national merit finalists or those close to it) don’t care about high school GPA. I’m rushing a non panhellenic sorority and it just requires a minimum 2.0 to be considered. Those who’ve rushed panhellenic ones report the same thing. </p>
<p>As a side note, non panhellenic sororities can be great options for many students, especially those interested in some aspects of traditional greek life but not others. Typically these organizations rush after the first week and have a more specialized mission than many panhellenic organizations.</p>
<p>Some groups have a higer GPA cutoff than 2.0 but it is not really advertised. That is a part of membership selection and groups can shoose to keep it private. </p>
<p>I will also add that there are several pitfalls with deferred recruitment. For better or worse, the sororities have a semester to observe the PNMs and the PNMs have a semester to hear the gossip about each house. I have seen wonderful PNMs damage their recruitment after a drunken incident and I have seen young women drop out of recruitment rather than go to “that house” even though the women are wonderful. I hate to see people miss out on Greek life based on a fraternity guy’s opinion and that happens a great deal at deferred schools.</p>
<p>My D had her first conversation meetings yesterday. I didn’t have a chance to talk with her at length but she said it went well.</p>
<p>At the Univ of KY, they inform pnm’s of the minimum gpa for each chapter in an informational booklet. It is 3.0 for almost all sororities (they rush the week before school starts). However, there is one sorority that requires a 3.3 for incoming freshman, and a 2.8 for sophomores. It is nice to go into the process informed.</p>
<p>Wow, I didn’t realize the whole rush could be so complicated. DH was in a frat back in the day but he was a founding father so no rush for him. DS wasn’t interested in joining a frat but went with a group of guys for the free food a week and half ago , ended up getting a bid from a frat that he thought he had things in common with. So he is pledging. DH is bummed its not his old frat.
I just kind of assumed that you just went to some parties and if people liked you that was it. I had no idea there were lists and recommendations and such. Maybe that’s more for the girls?</p>
<p>I have the impression that rush at fraternities is significantly less structured than at sororities, even within a single school. Doesn’t the national Panhellenic group impose certain procedures, with these official rounds of parties and so forth? Certainly, sorority rush was quite different from fraternity rush at S’s school.</p>
<p>Regarding recomendations, I find it hard to figure out how a girl gets them, unless she lives in the South and has family and friends highly involved in the whole SEC sorority scene. I mean, I don’t recall any women I know IRL ever mentioning that they were members of a sorority in college. I would think that the chances of finding a family friend who was a member of any particular one are slim. Do sororities have some kind of alumna referral service, almost like alumni interviews for admissions?</p>
<p>You basically just start asking around. A girl from our city just got a bid at Bama and that’s exactly what she and her mother did. I would have happily written her one if they had my sorority at that school.</p>