<p>We were told it was competitive, but that was a vast understatement. If your daughter is not from Indiana or Illinois with a strong network of girls she already knows in sororities then she should be fully prepared not to get a bid. Don’t make the mistake of thinking “oh, but that won’t happen to MY daughter” because it does happen to a huge number of girls, no matter how smart, poised, pretty, etc they are. And Kelley students are rumored to have an extra hard time getting a bid because they are thought of as too academically focused to have the time for Greek life. Sorry for the harshness of this post, but I just want to spare others from the shock and heartache our daughter went through.</p>
<p>I’m out-of-state and I got a bid to one of my top choice houses. As long as you keep an open mind throughout the process and don’t have your heart set on one house or nothing then you should be fine. Many of the girls who go bidless are the ones that don’t keep their options open and drop when things don’t go their way. </p>
<p>The housed sororities are the more competitive ones. Theta Phi Alpha re-colonized this past year and had a really successful recruitment, and Alpha Sigma Alpha will be re-colonizing this fall. They operate and work very much the same way as the other Panhellenic sororities on campus; they just don’t have a chapter house. But until IU is willing to give up more land for Greek housing (highly unlikely), these chapters probably won’t be building houses in the near future. They’re still a solid option though and shouldn’t be discounted during recruitment. Just keep an open mind and the process should work itself out the way it’s supposed to.</p>
<p>Also, there’s only so much that knowing certain girls in a sorority can do for you. I can promise that our membership selection process is much more than that. Just because you’re from Carmel or a Chicago suburb that sends a lot of people to IU doesn’t mean you’re automatically guaranteed a bid.</p>
<p>I’ve got to say it, keeping an open mind does not necessarily mean you will be fine and I don’t want girls to go into the process without knowing how it could turn out. My daughter went through recruitment as a potential new member twice, and as a sorority member this year. Being on the “member” side of the process was just as shocking to her as it was the other way around. There are simply too many girls who want into houses vs. the number of open spots, so decisions are made at each cut that are really brutal based on nothing particularly substantive. It works out for many, many girls – especially if you don’t have your heart set on the “top” houses – but for many others they don’t receive a bid, or if they do it’s not to a house they think they’ll be comfortable in. It’s important to go in with eyes wide open so you aren’t caught off guard. As Leila said, keep an open mind and hope for the best.</p>
<p>IMHO, the “Sorority Parents” thread is a bit overdramatic. If you’re looking for realistic information, visit GreekChat and read their thread on IU.</p>