<p>Can someone explain how the whole sorority-rush happens? I haven’t read at great length here, but I’m guessing that the girls (and guys) rush before school even begins?? Does mean those of us out of state would need to fly out before school even begins and make the trip again later closer to when school starts? I’m not sure we can afford that if my D gets accepted and attends. And, yet it seems like it would be too late for her to join a sorority if she waits? I thought most Greek life started in the sophomore year. Or at least second semester. I’m just clueless about how this all works. I certainly wouldn’t want her to miss out because we live so far away. :(</p>
<p>Regarding sororities…I watched some tv movie the other night called ‘Sorority Wars’ and it sure didn’t give the whole Greek scene a positive feel. There were major snobs in some of the sororities. And, their mothers were even worse! (They had been in the same sorority years before.) Talk about pushy! Having never been in one, I just have no idea how it all works. I definitely would like my daughter to have the wonderful friendship and sisterhood, but not if it means having to become arrogant or stuck-up. PLEASE tell me that’s not the way it is! I know the South really love their Greek like and debutante balls…but I would hope there wouldn’t be the back-stabbing or gossip you often see when you think of sororities. Or the binge drinking, ‘bad boy’ frats. I’m just curious! ;-)</p>
<p>Rush happens a week before Wow week…see below for schedule. So, you don’t come out twice in August. You move in at one time and that’s it.</p>
<p>Aug 8 - move in for Alabama Action week, Roll Tide on the River, & Sorority Rush week
Aug 13-17 - Week of Welcome - ice breakers, bands, BBQs, movies, etc.
Aug 18 - first day of classes</p>
<p>the frats rush later - I think sometime after labor day.</p>
<p>I was in a sorority in Calif. The girls were not mean at all. That is drama for TV. Remember the movie Animal House - LOL - but totally silly and not real.</p>
<p>However, if you don’t want your D to rush, that’s fine, too. There are many other activities at the school. IF you don’t want her to rush, I recommend that she be in one of the residence halls on the north side of campus. Many of the girls who want to rush choose to live on the south side of campus because those halls are near the greek houses (makes sense).</p>
<p>Don’t forget that belonging to a sorority isn’t cheap…so that is another consideration :)</p>
<p>If your D wants to pledge, I’ll write her a rec for my sorority which is on UAs campus. :)</p>
<p>But … there are sorority events in the spring and summer, I believe, long before the one week of formal rush begins. And it may be important to try to attend one or more of these events. In the case of fraternities, which I know more about, there are several events in the spring and summer, and most of the top shelf fraternities have already extended their bids by the time that fall semester begins. (The Bama website even references this process.) The administration encourages the fraternities to hold back at least 10% of their bids until the week of “formal” fraternity recruitment, which begins very soon after fall semester begins, but not all of the fraternities do so. Not sure how critical the spring and summer events are to the sororities, but I can confirm they are critical on the fraternity side.</p>
<p>My D has just decided to attend UA next year and will be going through sorority recruitment (aka rush, for us old school types!). Like mom2collegekids, I was in a sorority many moons ago (albeit at a midwestern school), and it was a very positive experience. That said, I am NO authority on rush at UA. I repeat, I am NO authority on rush at UA, LOL, but I have researched it ad nauseum, since by all accounts, it’s a very different animal than rush at most schools in other parts of the country. There are usually 1500-1600 girls going through at UA in a one week time frame…giving new meaning to the term “rush”! </p>
<p>There is a lot of valuable information on various threads here on CC, particularly from moms who have sorority D’s at UA, (and from mom2collegekids, who knows so much about everything at UA, she ought to work in the recruiting division! Huge compliment, btw!) And as I mentioned before in one of my posts, there’s a site called greekchat.com that will give you more information than you ever wanted to know. To sort through it, look under the heading for sorority recruitment and search for threads pertaining to UA. You’ll hear again and again about the need for your daughter to have recs or references. Those are written by sorority alumnae (not necessarily UA alumnae–these ladies can be alumnae from any school) on behalf of your daughter to the chapter of their particular sorority at UA. Don’t despair if this sounds totally foreign or like an impossible feat! Many girls go through rush who have no family connection to sororities, and many go through who don’t have family friends who can write them recs. There are LOTS of other ways to get them, and, as crazy as it sounds, we sorority alums often write them for girls we don’t really know. </p>
<p>Feel free to PM me, if you’d like, and I can answer any questions you have. If I don’t know the answers, we can find them together. There is one woman, in particular, on the greekchat site that is an alum advisor to one of the sororities at UA. You’ll see her name repeatedly, and she is very willing to give great advice on the rush process. Or if you have any questions that would be of interest to the rest of us, post them… There are a lot of informed people here who can undoubtedly answer them!</p>
<p>Try to get recs submitted well before Aug 1. </p>
<p>Last year, the girls at my son’s high school who wanted to rush at their various future colleges asked the other students if their moms had been in sororities. From that they were able to easily locate some moms to write recs for them. :)</p>
<p>Since the student provides a resume and school transcript (just an unofficial copy) to the person who’s writing the rec, it really isn’t hard for the person to “pull” info from the rec and write a nice rec, mentioning the girl’s qualities - academic, community service, extra-curriculars, etc. </p>
<p>2Leashes,
I was not in a sorority in college and attended a large northeastern university, so I certainly understand how overwhelming this info is! I have a OOS daughter who rushed at UA in 2008. She had no contacts at any of the sorority houses, but did have recs for each of the houses. Many cities and towns have a Panhellenic women’s organization with representatives of many of the sororities at UA. If your DD is interested, she may want to check that out to see what rec help she might get from them. My D provided a resume, transcript, and several copies of small photo (headshot - which doesn’t need to be anything formal/fancy). The Panhellenic ladies from each sorority wrote the recs from that info and sent them directly in to the chapters. In addition, we had some family friends who were in sororities and they also wrote a letter for my DD. </p>
<p>My DD did not attend any events (parties, teas, etc.) her senior year before the no-contact date went into effect, since nobody in the sororities knew her! We did attend the Panhellenic weekend in April, which was alot of fun because the girls got to tour each of the lovely sorority houses and meet (very quickly!) some of the sisters. That event was beautifully done and very organized, with lots of info imparted. I’m not sure if the parents (we had our own large group) get to tour the houses anymore. Panhellenic at UA puts out a wonderful rush guide, with all the info you would ever need. It probably stays about the same from year to year.</p>
<p>My DD had a great rush, and has really enjoyed her sorority experience at UA. With houses that have membership of 200+, there are all kinds of girls (scholars, athletes, artists, leaders, etc). She won’t be friends with every single one, but it will give her the opportunity to meet some great friends. As far as social life, the schedule was pretty structured in the fall, with “swaps” with many of the fraternities, plus meals and meetings at the house. We’ve eaten lunch with our daughter at her sorority house prior to football games, and met lots of her pledge sisters and older members. As far as grades, I think there are mandatory study hours for pledges, which is great. Good grades are rewarded. </p>
<p>Joining a sorority was a good choice for my DD, however not mandatory for enjoying being a student at UA. It is certainly possible to have a good rush with a little preparation!</p>
<p>It gives extensive experience about the process; while I expect that there may be some changes from year to year, I would have to think that the general process remains the same.</p>
<p>Bama has one of the most competitive sorority recruitments in the country. Nearly 1500 potential new members (aka PNMs, formerly called rushees) went through in fall 2009. Quota was 72 for freshmen and 5 for upperclassmen with 15 NPC sororities participating. So while upperclassmen have a separate quota, a PNM’s best chance is still her freshmen year. </p>
<p>With so many quality PNMs going through, getting cut (not invited back to a particular sorority) is a common occurence. For many young women this can be the first time they have ever experienced rejection and that can be very difficult. Perhaps they are used to being a “big fish in a small pond” and don’t realize they are now a small fish in a big pond. There are scores of valedictorians, National Honor Society members, SGA Presidents, cheerleaders, prestigous scholarship winners, etc. all rushing as well.</p>
<p>Letters of recommendation from alumnae are critical. Not having one is an easy automatic cut. Make sure you have at least 1 for every chapter. Anyone with below a 3.0 HS GPA will face heavy cuts. Sororities pride themselves on academics. Panhellenic average for last spring was 3.24. A strong and well rounded resume is vital.</p>
<p>For those who are legacies, you need to know that UA has a ton of legacies rush every year. Many sororities have more legacy PNMs going through than quota. Legacies can and will be cut. It’s a simple fact of math.</p>
<p>As another poster mentioned, greekchat.com is a great source of information. Just search the Sorority Recruitment and Recruitment Stories subforums in the Recruitment forum and you’ll find a ton of information and advice.</p>
<p>Great post! I’ve been reading everything I can find on the sorority recruitment process at Bama, and you’ve summed it up in a nutshell. Well done! :)</p>
And, yet it seems like it would be too late for her to join a sorority if she waits? I thought most Greek life started in the sophomore year. Or at least second semester. I’m just clueless about how this all works. 
I certainly wouldn’t want her to miss out because we live so far away. :(</p>
You move in at one time and that’s it.</p>