Transfer Student Sorority Question

<p>Hi, I currently attend Villanova University and begin rush tomorrow. I am applying to transfer to UVA for fall of 2008. I heard today, that whatever sorority I join at Villanova is the one I have to join at UVA, is this true? If so, since UVA has more sororities than Villanova, can I not join one at UVA that Villanova didn't offer? For example, Villanova does not offer Sigma Kappa or Kappa Alpha Theta, does this mean that I would never be able to join those sororites at UVA? Please answer because your response might influence my dropping out of rush this week! Thanks so much!</p>

<p>So, you are willing to drop the sorority that you accepted a bid from, pledged for the better portion of a semester, grown bonds with the sisters over that pledging, and become a full-fledged sister just for a chance to be in another one that may or may not give you a bid?</p>

<p>Forget it. Don't even bother rushing at Villanova if you are going be at UVA next year. Either way, rush next spring because Greek organizations make bonds that last a lifetime. </p>

<p>Brothers and Sisters for life.</p>

<p>On the other hand, are you sure you're gonna get into UVA as a transfer? Are you not able to rush when you come here? If you'll know by the spring whether or not you're into UVA then that would be the best time to rush. Otherwise that's something to consider. How do the other schools you're applying to transfer to handle this? And yea, are you sure you're gonna want to leave these people you've formed great bonds with? I took Calc classes at Villanova through high school, I know it's not UVA but it's a respectable school. Any particular reason why you're transferring?</p>

<p>I think your best bet is to speak with someone who is an authority with Panhellenic at Villanova....real quick. There are specific rules re: this type of situation, and you need to find out what they are. Sounds to me like you have a lot of unknowns right now (including where you will be next year), and to the best of my knowledge, you never pledge two different sororities. Once you have accepted the bid to one, you don't "try again"-even at a different school. But don't take my word for it...check with knowledgable people (not your girlfriends--they don't know) ASAP-within the next day or so. If you know you aren't going to be at Villanova for long, I think you should probably hold off and Rush when you get to your transfer school. You only wanna do this once--and for keeps.
Good luck.</p>

<p>I know of one instance where a girl transferred from Villanova and she just joined the same sorority at UVA.</p>

<p>Once you are initiated into a sorority, you can never join a different sorority. However, because sororities across different campuses still all consider themselves "sisters," you will be welcomed into your chapter on a different campus. So, if you pledged XYZ at Villanova and XYZ existed at UVA, you would become a member of UVA's chapter of XYZ when you enrolled here. However, if you pledged ABC at Villanova and UVA did not have a chapter of ABC, you would be out of luck.</p>

<p>You can wait until after you are accepted at UVA to rush here instead of at Villanova, if you would prefer. Many second-years rush and still get bids to lots of different sororities!</p>

<p>D has several transfers in her pledge class that went thru rush at different schools before transferring to the SAME sorority at UVa. (In fact, I think one might have been from Villanova!) You could certainly do that. However, since sorority chapters can be very different from one campus to another, I would think twice before rushing at Villanova if you are absolutely certain that you are transferring. Like semiserious says, quite a few second years rush (at UVa, you would do it next January) and make great adjustments. </p>

<p>I believe there are also rules that prohibit (under certain circumstances) someone from rushing twice within a calendar year....? I don't know exactly when that rule applies, which is all the more reason to get clarification quickly from Panhellenic at Villanova. IF you transferred, and ended up at a school that rushed in September...you certainly wouldn't want to be penalized because of what you began earlier in the year at Villanova. You may need to drop out of this rush by a certain time if you want to possibly try it again at a later time....</p>

<p>you can join whatever sorority you want to--just keep it to yourself that you are a member of a different national sorority. also--if you want to be a member of one of the "better" sororities at UVa, it might be advantageous to join that one at villanova so when you transfer you don't have to worry about getting into it.</p>

<p>Here's another problem with switching sororities, some, if not many, have a requirement that pledges cannot be sisters of certain sororities. The National Pan-Hellenic Council goes farther by expelling members from organizations if they pledge for another organization in the council, even if you transfer to another school.</p>

<p>Some people seem to not realize the national aspect of Greek organizations. You can't hide from anyone. There are at least yearly regional and national meetings, chapters that make occasional visits, and a written record of your brotherhood or sisterhood at your local chapter, regional office, and national office. Plus, someone is going to notice you sooner or later if you hiding your sisterhood.</p>

<p>Thank you all for your responses, and how quickly too! I am at Villanova now (because I had agreed to drive another girl up, am already registered to rush, etc.) I decided to give rush a chance here, but would dropping out of rush here affect my chances of rushing another time, here or at UVA? OR, if i finish rush, and decide not to pledge, could I rush again or would it look bad that i didn't pledge and hurt me? Sorry for all the questions everyone, but i'm in a very confused position because i'm pretty sure that i'm transferring out of here...for financial reasons...so these questions pretty much apply not only to transfering to UVA, but anywhere else too.</p>

<p>No one will look down on you if you drop rush and try again next year. It's not like there is a record of rushing, and they double check to see if you rushed the previous year and dropped at the end of it. You'll be fine.</p>

<p>What if i finish but don't pledge? There's no record of that either, right?</p>

<p>No, but there will be a record once you start pledging, though.</p>

<p>Thanks for the info, seriously you helped me a lot.</p>

<p>Correcting misinformation: </p>

<p>If you pledge and initiate and NPC or NPHC GLO which we will call XYZ at Villanova you may never join another NPC or NPHC GLO at a different school. So if you transfer to a school without an XYZ chapter, you have no one with whom to affiliate. Theta is an NPC GLO and they do have a very strong chapter at UVa.</p>

<p>If you are initiated into XYZ and you do transfer to a school with XYZ:
Membership selection is made by a specific chapter. The chapter at your new school meets the initiated sister several times to get to know her and decides if she is a good fit for their chapter. Chapters vary from campus to campus and two different chapters of the same GLO may have very different girls.</p>

<p>If you do pledge but ultimately don't go through with initiation and end up depledging, you can go through recruitment after one calendar year at your current school. If you transfer, you can go through rush the first chance it is offered (even if it's less than a year).</p>

<p>Sigma Kappa - obnoxious, weird girls who think they're hot (just WEIRDOs)
Kappa Alpha Theta - not-as-anorexious, wannabe kappas, very rich and conservative + southern</p>

<p>My advice: As you probably were in a sorority in Villanova, how about going for a change to disengage yourself from the greek system? I don't think you need to be with a group of girls to make yourself happy and socially psyched.</p>