I recently got accepted into the University of Alabama for fall 2017 as an electrical engineering major. I would really like to rush a sorority but my parents say I shouldn’t until sophomore year because they think my GPA will suffer and I need to adjust to the whole college life first. How much of a time commitment are UA’s sororities? Do they take up so much time that it would be too difficult to keep up with my difficult engineering classes as well? I am just afraid that at a Greek-centered school like Bama, I will be an outsider if I don’t pledge. Also, how common is it for sophomores to rush? Thank you in advance!
Let’s answer your questions from bottom to top. Sophomores DO pledge. It’s not uncommon. Probably 10 to 15% of the new members pledged this year are upperclassmen. There’s even a separate upperclassman quota so that sororities are encouraged to take upperclassmen…but they’re not required to.
No, you will NOT be an “outsider” if you don’t pledge. About 1/3 of the student body belongs to a Greek group of some kind. That includes the engineering co-ed Greek group, Theta Tau, which in many ways functions as a social fraternity/sorority.
Do sororities take up much time? They do take time, and probably the most time is required the first semester when you are attending both new member and most of the member meetings. There are certain times you are required to be present - meetings, of course, but also philanthropic events hosted by your house, and of course the recruitment week and the work week prior. BUT - dozens and dozens of women engineering students are in sororities, as well as women in other demanding majors. It’s a matter of managing your time, prioritizing your tasks and using time wisely.
Keep in mind that first semester is when your classes are probably going to be the least demanding, since you’ll be taking pretty much basic courses.
If you haven’t yet visited the university, when you plan your visit ask if you and your parents can arrange to talk to a sorority student in engineering. Even if you do wait until the following year, it would be good for your parents to learn about the Greek system, too.
Good luck - Roll Tide!
I am by no means an authority - but I do have some experience. I was (many years ago) Greek and also a EE major. Let me be blunt - your parents are 100% right. There is simply no harm in waiting a year. I have to admit that being a freshman pledge had significant impact on my grades. There was simply no way around it. LOTS of late night activities that often conflicted with a solid study routine. I made it work, but in hindsight, it was not the best choice. “Guys I have to study…” was not an acceptable option…
Southlander addressed all of your points extremely well.
The only downside that I can think about waiting is that you will sort of be the odd duck out in the following rush - not that it is a bad thing. I bet if you wait, you will find that you are totally connected in so many other ways that a traditional social sorority may not fit where you want to go.
Unless you are dead set on being Greek, there are lots of other ways to deeply connect that are much more conducive to what will be a very challenging curriculum. Theta Tau is a fantastic option - that is worth looking into.
Good luck!
The above posters have made good points, however, girls at schools with competitive recruitments like Alabama are generally advised that their best shot at pledging is as a freshman. Something else for you to consider is that if you wait and rush as a sophomore, you will have one less year to bond with your pledge class.
If you do decide to defer going through recruitment until your sophomore year, you will have an opportunity to get to know sorority members in your first year classes and extracurricular activities. These actives can advocate for you during recruitment if they think you are a good candidate. As an out-of-state student, this may be particularly helpful for you, although most chapters at Alabama have roughly equal number of in and out-of-state students as the student body has become more geographically diverse.
No matter when you go through rush, it is crucial to get at least one rec (and preferably two) for each house. It is not too early to begin asking your teachers, friends’ mothers, parents’ coworkers, etc.