New to the Sorority Process

Student Lounge College Life
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<p>Alright, so I am a complete newbie in terms of Greek. I didn't think anything about it last semester when I transferred over, but now I'm thinking this may be a great way for me to meet people, and put myself out there. I'm already joining 1 club, but I will only be able to attend 1 of the 2 meeting held monthly due to conflicts with class.</p>

<p>I didn't have the best first semester at my university, and my old university's gpa won't factored into the new so I pretty much started over. Sadly, for me I didn't start off on the right foot. Do sorority's have requirements in terms of gpa? The sorority I'm looking at is Gamma Phi Beta. </p>

<p>Is is better for me to attend all of the information meetings, and theme night? I thought theme night said it was invite only, but I could be wrong. I honestly can only attend 1 information meeting, and not theme night unless I ditch class early. I would be willing to do if invited. </p>

<p>What happens after the information meetings? As of now I'm only looking at 1 sorority, and I think I would be fine if no bid was offered. Being a sophomore I wouldn't be surprised to know I have a slight strike against me.</p>

<p>Any advice would be great.</p>

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<p>I went back through your posts to determine which school you went to, and you have an informal recruitment process so yes, you can rush just GPhiB</p>

<p>Yes, GPA’s are very important to sororities, and they are one big part of the overall picture. How bad is your GPA? Most sororities have a minimum GPA requirement that varies by school (as a ballpark, my school requires a minimum 2.8 to rush, but most chapters have minimum requirements of 3.0-3.2), and if your GPA falls below that, you are unlikely to get a bid. </p>

<p>You should attend as many non-invite events as you can, because the girls need to know you well enough to invite you back to invite-only events. If you don’t get an invite to invite-only events, it is highly unlikely (basically impossible) you will be receiving a bid. </p>

<p>In your posts, it seems that you are either busy with classes or inflexible about occasionally skipping them, and subsequently I’m not really certain that joining a sorority would be the right choice for you. When you accept a bid as a new member, you do have a lot of mandatory events. You’ll need to attend a mandatory pledging ceremony, pledge education classes, and initiation. In addition, you want to bond with your sisters and spend as much time with them as possible–meals, evenings, study sessions, parties, whatever. After you are initiated, you’re going to have a mandatory weekly chapter meeting, mandatory recruitment meetings, and recruitment…and that’s not even if you decide you want to be more involved in chapter activities by joining committees! In other words, if you’re having trouble going to a club because it meets twice a month, how are you going to be able to manage multiple chapter meetings/events a week?</p>

<p>If you’d like more school-specific information, visit Greekchat.com and search for your school, as well as read all of the general threads posted. You’ll learn a lot</p>

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<p>Thanks for the response.</p>

<p>If the sorority was to look at my overall gpa (including gpa from old university) then I would be fine. If I go to the meeting then I’ll ask them for specifics. </p>

<p>It’s not so much that I don’t want to leave class early, but instead attendance is a factor in my grade. So that is why I can only attend 1 meeting per month for the club. I would be missing bulk of the class, and I’m sure the professor would ask why. I now know for next semester not to schedule a class at that time. And the other class only meets 1 per week, but it’s so boring I would be willing to leave early, or skip entirely as all of the work is online.</p>

<p>I’m also not too inflexible it’s just I recently was in a car accident so I pretty much I was sharing 1 car with 4 people who needed to work, and go to school as well. In that respect I still have PT, Dr. Apps, and meetings with my lawyer every so often. On the plus side I did just get my car back after forking money over to the body shop. If I did get a bid, which I’m pretty sure I won’t just because out of the two non invite meetings I can only attend 1, I would be willing to go to meetings, and everything. Trust me part of me wanting to join is that it would keep me busy in between work, and school.</p>

<p>Although all of your points are valid. There has to be some sorority sisters who don’t participate in everything because of work, school, or volunteering if they are trying to go onto Masters, or Medical school. Who know’s maybe Greek life with the exception of any science sorority’s, are filled with business majors. At least that’s what I hear around my campus.</p>

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<p>It’s just something you have to learn to work around. Yeah, you can be excused from some things, but some things are flat out required. I managed to juggle a science curriculum, a lab job, a boyfriend, served as a tutor, graduate school apps/interviews/admissions, and a perfectly normal social life. If you can’t make things work this semester, ask if they do spring recruitment or COB (continuous open bidding). </p>

<p>I looked at the schedule that GPhiB posted on their website, and it appears there are 2 informational meetings and a theme night that are non-invite. Can you attend the theme night and 1 of the info meetings? That would be much more beneficial.</p>

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<p>Thanks! :] I’m glad to hear someone in a science major has been involved with a sorority on CC because honestly I rather hear it come from you then, sorry to say but, someone in a business major. Although, I’m sure they are just as knowledgeable. </p>

<p>I think if I see them on campus handing out flyers I will stop, and ask them my questions concerning gpa, and spring recruitment. I can def go to one of the information meetings, and theme night I just wasn’t sure it was invite only. The flyer just said the meetings after the informational are invite only. If it is/was I’m pretty sure my chances would’ve been slim. I might also send an email to the person listed on my flyer letting her know I’m interested, but at that this time I would not be able to give the time I would like.</p>