<p>Can anyone give info on how joining a sorority works? My D is rushing right now, she is under the impression that there is no pledging. Is this true? She gets a bid and is a member of the sorority without going through pledging. Any info is appreciated.</p>
<p>I asked someone who rushed and joined a sorority. She said: “pledging is basically about people giving you nice things and taking you places…you were basically just going to socials to get to know the girls.”</p>
<p>So there is pledging, but not really intense or tiring pledging. Just socializing and getting to know everyone before they initiate you. But of course, that is just one sorority, the others might be different.</p>
<p>Could you mean “hazing” instead of pledging? I don’t think of “pledging” as something one would want to avoid - I believe it’s the orientation process for new members, which culminates in the official initiation (or else it’s the official initiation itself). There is a time commitment for new members, at W & M and elsewhere, to learn the sorority’s history, rituals, songs, etc. During that time I think the member can only miss official meetings if a class conflicts. I seem to recall my d telling me that it was a 4-week period (maybe 6?) of weekly meetings. And there was a written test at the end! 
Though apparently the new member can take it as often as necessary to pass without any negative fallout. Apologies if you meant the pledging period - maybe your d is concerned about the time required. It’s not a ridiculous amount, but it did have an impact on my d’s schedule for the pledge period.</p>
<p>In case you did mean hazing, I can tell you that my d experienced none. D2, who was on the Panhellenic Council at another school, told me that W & M has a good reputation for running a legitimate recruitment and pledging process - no alcohol at official sorority events, and good compliance with the nine million rules imposed by the national sorority organizations.</p>
<p>justfine, feel free to PM me if you think I might be able to answer any other questions. Good luck to your d!</p>
<p>my impression, as an outsider, is that there is the rush process, which is 2-3 weeks. After that, there is bid day, where the sororities give out their offers. Then, there is a period of time between when you accept the bid and when you become initiated. You do not become a full member until you are initiated.</p>
<p>this matches with frazzled’s view.</p>
<p>so, if you described your daughter’s view accurately, I think she is misinformed. That said, there is nothing to worry about in the pledging process, assuming your daughter joins a sorority that matches her views.</p>
<p>I have to agree with all above. I have a daughter that has been through the process at William and Mary. It all went very smoothly. There is some time involved but it is generally the “getting to know each other and the organization” kind of time. The girls were great to her. She said there were lots of gifts and no hazing. She is one that makes very good grades but has to work long and hard to do it. The time involved caused her to be organized. She would tell everyone that the greek organizations are well worth the time. She says college would not have been the same for her without the experiences she had with her sisters and the sorority events. As a mom, I would add that I think it really helped her grow many ways. Great experience!</p>