Hi! I’m oos and everything about housing and sorority rushing is confusing me.
I know Hardin and SRD are the popular houses to live in for girls, but the spots fill out fast (apparently moms sometimes put contracts in when their daughters are born ???). Is it too late for me to apply or would I be stuck on the wait-list? What are other options? Is on-campus dorms really that bad, especially if I want to rush?
I know UT takes rushing VERY seriously. As an oos, I know I am at a disadvantage, but I still want to try because I've always wanted to join a sorority. Any tips? Also, with the recommendation letters, are they supposed to be from alumnis who went to that specific sorority in UT or can it be anyone? For example, I have a coach who was in alpha chi omega, but she went to a different university- can she give me a recommendation for the alpha chi omega chapter?
Hardin has not filled up in the past three years. The only benefit to being on the list early is room selection, but, if past years repeat getting a room will not be a problem if you put a deposit in now. SRD went to waitlist in each of these years, so a deposit there sooner rather than later is more critical if you believe you would like to live at SRD. I would encourage you to find a connection to anyone who is currently a Freshman and visit Austin during a weekend in the Spring – especially one of the few weekends that tends to attract a lot of incoming Freshman girls due to popular fraternity parties. The Freshman girls in sororities are always very happy to host, so reach out to even a remote acquaintance and plan a visit. Any sorority alumni can write a rec - it doesn’t matter if the alumni attended UT or not. For recs, it really is just “checking a box” , getting to know some actives in the Spring of your Senior year is more important.
Your local Panhellenic will help you get letters of recommendation. These groups usually hold events in February or March that walk you through their process. Also- make sure you sign up with UT Panhellenic. That registration opens later in the spring.
@CollegeParent123@gettingschooled Thank you so much for the advice, I feel less stressed! I just had one more question: I heard that a lot of freshmen UT students refuse to live on-campus and tend to not. Is that true? If so, why do students not like living on-campus?
Most freshmen live on campus. The issue is that UT runs out of space leaving some to find an apartment or other arrangement. It’s not the end of the world if you end up in that situation but, if you want to maximize new friendships, a dorm, UT or private, is the better choice.
Austin has a lot of private dorms -SRD, Hardin House, Callaway, Castilian, University Towers, Dobie. Some are better than others. While many students who live in them do so because they did not get housing on campus, many students opt to live off campus due to better rooms, amenities or family tradition. Most of the private dorms are just off campus and offer good communities.
Both of my sons chose private dorms because they could have their own bedrooms and bathrooms. That was not guaranteed for them on campus.