Thank you so much @CT1417 ! Rush sounds so exciting, wish we had it where I went to college.
I don’t really understand what the girls do in sororities, other than getting noticed for the wrong things as it has happened here and there. It seems like a club with some goals, but also most of the time a shared housing but without chores?? DD would feel very much at home if that’s the case 
I’m going to read up more about sororities.
@Mom22DDs --I will be interested to read what others with real experience about southern sororities say here.
As a no-nonsense and somewhat lower income student myself, I never had a sorority on the radar. I didn’t have the time or money and certainly didn’t have the clothes and the appearance.
Even now, as an adult professional, I STILL find the southern sorority types to be somewhat intimidating. I live somewhat near the TCU neighborhood area and shop there occasionally and ohmyword those women (the moms) and their daughters–let’s just say it is ALL about the outfits and clothes and having a completely polished appearance. I will be honest and say I am just assuming that Alabama would be the same way–and my daughter will most likely stay clear if she attends there. She would find teas and charity fundraising to be just----not something she would want to do. I am not mocking those, it’s just not her thing. She would rather just go volunteer for the charity and do the work on that end. She finds large groups of women and rules about appearance to be very off putting and just can’t see herself doing that.
On the other hand, I have two nieces who were/are in sororities in the midwest and it is a VERY different experience—it seems to be a true and not fake/appearance/clothing based type of group. My D would be somewhat open to that type of group.
At Pitt, we found materials about several different types of sororities–one for female engineering students and a few service sororities and those are most likely what she would choose if she were to do such a thing.
@carachel2 - we are from California, and DD is laid back even for CA. She is well groomed but not into looks or outfits, and usually gets help from the younger one, heh. She is interested in a service sorority too, but neither she nor I understand the concept of sorority much for that interest to hold value. Her current class size is small and her previous senior class was even smaller, and none of the past-seniors she is friends with are in a sorority, so we’re now more curious to learn about it as a concept than interested in exploring it as an option. i’m really enjoying this quality time of us sitting together and talking about these things.
I work full-time as does DH, so we barely get to spend much time with D, especially nowadays, but we try to make the most of our evenings together. For all those moms and dads that get to spend quality time with your kids reviewing their apps and discussing their options like we’re doing, it’s precious time to cherish, though it may not feel like that at times 
@cleoforshort s17 is not applying but if I recall correctly, they sent an email yesterday about the deadline for scholarship consideration is Dec 1. If your child got the email, scroll down as I think it was the school with an app waiver fee mid way through the email.
QOTD: yep, did the parent tribute. Yearbooks are buried into tuition bill so no discussion with S17 about ordering one. Everyone gets one and they actually enjoy them. It’s like the year in review. They get them every year. For senior portrait, yep, we did that too. However, it was self serving. I incorporated family photos into the shoot. S17 now has family photos with us, grandparents and the dog too.
S17 had his first car accident yesterday. School parking lot and orher driver was a teacher. No injuries just damage to S17s car so this is just for a laugh. There were lots of witnesses and school security Took witness statements. School is paying for the damage. The student yearbook editor wanted to take a pic and include it in the yearbook. He had some creative ideas of ways to discreetly include it. S17 is a laid back, easy going kid and said no way. He doesn’t want the incident to extend beyond today. Teacher was embarrassed. I am grateful no one was injured and grateful he is a level headed, thoughtful kid who shows respect for teachers at his school. I’m also glad the school is writing a check for the repairs. 
We saw similar sororities as described by @carachel2 at Case Western. I actually had trouble finding a blonde… =))
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnKqzgckTvA or search “CWRU Theta Recruitment Video 2016” on YouTube. Looks fun.
I took a full page out for DD14, it was a black and white photo of her standing with her hands in her pockets and laughing. The quote beneath it was “She knew she could so she did, and we are so proud” - with our names below. I had a local photographer take her picture, there was no portrait via the school. For DD17 we will do the same, a full page ad with her photo and lyrics from the song “There’s Music In You” from Cinderella, it makes me think of DD and I cry when I hear it. Yes, sappy.
DD14 got a class ring, simple gold signet, very timeless which she wears when she’s not in athletic apparel, so hardly ever. LOL, but she loves it. The school my other three children attend doesn’t offer rings, which kind of makes me sad but I realize it’s not a big thing anymore.
DD14 is not in a sorority, she has no time. This year she was asked to join a leadership group for athletes that does lots of volunteering so I guess that’s kind of like a sorority. My niece is a Theta at Dickinson and loves it. Probably lower key than the southern Greeks.
I have all my HS yearbooks and our kids do too. They enjoy them and they are fun to look back at, I think. However I truly dislike the ads.
Sororities. I agree, it will vary tremendously by campus, school size and type and region of the country. I went into rush really not knowing a thing but with an open mind.
Last night I had dinner with 8 of my sorority sisters, something I do twice a month as a dinner club, there are about 12 of us on a regular basis. It has been one of the greatest gifts of my life, having these sisters. In college it was a way to make a very large school small and to not worry about housing and has become so much more. As an adult we’ve seen each other through careers, marriage, divorce, pregnancies and adoptions, health scares, you name it. Different majors, different politics, different backgrounds and together I think we are pretty amazing. At the moment we are all helping each other through the college app process!!
S17 is unlikely to go Greek (my H was in a fraternity) but it’s not totally out of the realm of possibility if he ends up at a LAC, it’s a completely different vibe at the schools on his list than the Greek system I was part of.
As for sorority LOR’s. They are not required. Yes, they can help but are definitely not required. A sorority member/alumni has to write it for girl going through rush and to sorority the belonged to. They are fairly involved and unique to each sorority. I have never heard of it being from a friend of the mother unless those friends belonged to the sorority. @Mom22DDs of your list I also know young women at USC and would be happy to solicit info.
Athletic letters. SD14 didn’t do a thing with hers and felt she’d never wear the jacket so we didn’t bother. I expect S19 to do the same.
No one has wanted a class ring thank goodness!
Lovely one @showmetheMAC !! DD and I ended up watching this (and other CWRU sorority videos that followed) together and these sound like something DD would love to be part of. she’s trying to understand what the monetary implications are (i’m glad she’s starting to consider finance and budget), but looks like she’s going to learn more and hopefully make the right choices. Thank you very much for sharing this!!
@eandesmom - a teeny bit of envy here for the wonderful experience you had/have with your sorority I shared this with DD and she is already doing some browsing on sororities. I had to remind her that she still has some work to turn in for some colleges, and I think she is now motivated about the apps and looking forward to college.
@paveyourpath - glad your son is ok, and sane enough not to make a big deal out of a teacher’s folly - well done
@eandesmom — that sounds like such an amazing experience. What region of the country was your school? I would’ve loved that type of friendship but just not with the fuss and effort it appears to take down here in the south.
So, last spring we visited Clemson. Setup a tour and Honors College visit for early April. Today we received the very first email from Clemson since our visit. The first. I understand you’re a big flagship school Clemson, but c’mon! And, it was obvious from the email that they had information that we had visited It was targeted. It said: We’re glad you came. Make sure you apply by Dec. 1.
I am guessing they are not trying to drive up the number of applications. No matter, it turned out the lost her at ‘hello’.
@showmetheMAC - very surprising. we did our first ever college tours last week, and had signed up for 2 sessions (general and engineering) at UCLA. DD was starting to wear out, so we decided to skip the second session, especially because DD is going to the Science school (but they didn’t offer a tour). We were driving away when I got a call from UCLA asking if they should hold the tour for us or book us on the next one!! We didn’t expect that kind of personal attention, especially when you consider the general tour we took had 100+ attendees. DD had seen USC and loved it and wasn’t as keen on UCLA initially, but I have to say that the call changed our perspective. I can understand how a lack of engagement can totally take away interest.
@carachel2 it was in the Pacific Northwest. Which is part of it to be sure, but I also think each house has a personality and some lend itself more to those kinds of relationships than others.
There was some fuss, rush is still rush, but not remotely at the level of what I’ve seen in some of the southern videos and info and frankly once on the other side it was actually a lot of fun. If you like that kind of thing lol. From what I understand, at least at my college, it sounds about the same. It can be great for the right kid and not at all for others. The Greek system as a whole can get a pretty bad rap and some houses/schools really hurt the larger picture. They are social organizations but they are also service ones.
It is kind of cool though, many of my sisters daughters have chosen to rush and pledge at their colleges (though not necessarily to our house) because they want what we have. My SD14 would have liked to, but financially it was soccer or sorority and for her, her team is her sorority!
LoL. The academic letter now under the piles of paper in nightstand drawer will go to a box in basement :))
I have my HS yearbook with last newsletter. Yes, very short awards list and I was the val. Only one Val.
IDOC - I do them right away, but getting them in by the FA deadline is good enough.
QQTD: Yearbooks… Bought my D12 ones all 4 years. Thus I bought one for my S17 his freshman year. He told me he didn’t need it, so he didn’t get one his sophomore or junior year. But he is getting one this year… We paid at the beginning of the year. For him his band pictures mean more than the yearbook.
As to an ad in the back. Nope. S17 would KILL me. I almost bough one of those cheesy “Mom loves you” announcements they make at his last band competition just to embarrass him. But then they were only $1.
More on yearbooks: My family purchased every middle and high school yearbook for me and my sisters. I find them a waste of shelf space, and so we haven’t bought any, but will be getting our kids’ senior-year ones (and possibly D23’s 8th-grade one, since that’ll be the culminating year of a K–8 program with a student cohort all from the same kindergarten class).
Class rings: My parents bought one for me. I never wore it. We’re not buying any for our kids (and besides, D17 thinks they’re inherently ugly).
Letters and jackets: I had the cheap school jacket, with letters for debate and drama (yes, I was a nerd extraordinaire). D17 has no letters; D19 has letters and pins for band, but that’s pretty much the only thing you can letter in at their school, anyway. (They have no sports—kids who do sports have to play for other schools, which they’re entitled to do.) Neither of them has or wants a jacket, particularly since they can’t imagine continuing to wear a high school jacket at college, so what’s the point?
Sororities: No interest from either of my high school kids, and I doubt there’ll be any from the younger ones. I’ve jokingly told D17 that if she does end up going to Alabama she’ll feel left out, so I’ll need to have a sweatshirt made with ΓΔΙ emblazoned across it so she doesn’t feel out of place amongst all the other Greek-emblazoned students.
I finally booked D’s graduation trip for early August. There was only one option still available that works; the rest were sold out. If anyone else is planning a trip, I’d recommend booking as soon as possible.
" As for sorority LOR’s. They are not required. Yes, they can help but are definitely not required. A sorority member/alumni has to write it for girl going through rush and to sorority the belonged to. They are fairly involved and unique to each sorority. I have never heard of it being from a friend of the mother unless those friends belonged to the sorority."
Perhaps I worded this poorly. I believe we are saying the same thing. I have written LORs to my national for girls rushing the chapter at their universities. These young women have been either daughters of my friends or friends of my son, so all first hand acquaintances. I think the LORs matter MUCH more down south, although there seems to be a push on some campuses to have one LOR for every house on campus. We read very few LORs when I went through rush many years back.
High school year books: Mine are in a box somewhere,but I never looked at them once I graduated high school. My kids are homeschooled, but I have a book printed up for them upon their graduation that contains memories of events throughout their homeschooling years that were important to them.
Letter and jackets: My kids have varsity athletic letters from the public school and S17 also has a letter jacket. The other two didn’t even keep the letters.
Frats: My oldest joined a fraternity. He had the choice this year of living in the dorm or moving into the frat house. He really enjoyed his dorm freshman year, but in the end decided to move into the house. Cost wise it was cheaper for us to have him move to the house, and he is happy he made the move. He has made a lot of great friends through the fraternity and keeps in touch with a couple of the brothers who graduated last year. S17 will be attending a college that doesn’t have Greek.
Yearbooks: I get them every year for each of my kids. I probably enjoy them more than they do! We don’t do tribute pages, I’ve never heard of such a thing! We do make a big deal about senior photos, professional photographer, changes of outfits, off site locations.
Letter Jackets: D got one freshman year and it’s basically her everyday winter jacket. They are so expensive, with the leather sleeves, and getting them customized, but I do feel like it’s been a good value for us.