i read it as over the 4 years that the statistics were taken. as to the releases, we should remember that some of the releases could be dropping the wrong sororities in the early days of recruitment and putting the wrong sororities down on your card.

I'm pretty sure it's four year's worth as well. The math doesn't work with the percentages for one year.

The link in the OP says over four years.

From the website:
That 3.05% is made of 146 women (over a four year period), who all listed fewer options than those available to them in their final preferences. So, of the 146 women released on Bid Day, all were released because they chose to list only one or two sororities in their preferences and would have been placed in a chapter had they maximized their options for joining. In other words, all of them would have received a bid from a sorority had they simply been more open minded and listed all of their preferences.

So they made their choice; they could have been in a sorority.

Actually it was the 3.57% that were released that I was expressing compassion about. I used the 146+ number because it was easier than doing the math. However it appears that the 3.57% over 4 years is around 170 girls that were released by the houses. Yes, it could have been that they made poor choices early, but it is tough to know at the time that you might have a better chance at XYZ rather than ABC, particularly if you don't listen to the tent talk about which sorority is strong and which is not.

I find this attitude to be sad on the part of the men and women who participate and perpetuate it. I kicked a guy to the curb once because he thought all women who were members of my chapter were (insert stupid, hateful, ridiculous, immature, pathetic, untrue, etc. stereotype here) and I couldn't possibly be a member of my organization, and I had to be from another school. It is bad enough we have to deal with the stereotypes and inaccuracies from people who aren't members and want to bring us down, we shouldn't do it to each other and ourselves.

He is an alumnus and couldn't recall meeting or knowing ONE member of my chapter from his five years in school (that's NINE pledge classes), and my school is not that big.

At Iowa, something like 1/3 of the women dropped out of recruitment this year. It's in year 2 of RFM, and it's having some growing pains. But with all the talk about bottom tier houses, the part that seems to be lost is that if those 200 girls took those bottom tier houses, there would be parity, and thus, no more bottom tier. But that's a big leap of faith for an 18 year old girl who has always been top girl in school.

COB seems to be going well there this year, so maybe parity will be achieved next year or the year after that.

Completely agree. At my second choice, I talked with a girl who didn't originally want her sorority but grew to love it. It's really what you make it.


Yep. I think a lot of it stems from PNMs not truly knowing and understanding the process of recruitment and the true competitiveness of their school, in this case-Auburn. It could also be arrogance (I can make any chapter I want even if I'm a senior with a kid, 1.3/4 GPA, possess no social skills, talk about how much I like to get drunk everyday, etc) but I think ignorance is a kinder excuse than narcissism.



I am so glad my school is not competitive. I can't even imagine going to a school where it's such an important aspect of social life and something that has been tradition for their families. It must be so stressful and upsetting (at some points).

Ehh, I can understand why some of these girls drop out rather than join a sorority that is lower on the totem pole. Getting into top state schools is SO much more difficult and so much more competitive than it was when I went through. Most of these girls are top dogs in high school-they have the brains, accomplishments and awards-they have to be to get admitted to the school. I think it is more unusual not to come in with a set agenda ("I will only join certain sororities because I am a top dog") or listen to tent talk when you are 17-18. Unless they have an older sister/friend who can explain to them the ways of the recruitment world at that school. they might in for a rude shock. What they don't always realize is that everyone else has the same/similar credentials as they have. Since recruitment is in such a compacted time frame, if they get cut by the ones they want, they really don't have much time to get over it and move on. If they are unsure that they want to be in a sorority or are at a school that has an active social scene outside of the Greek system, I can understand how they would decide to bail. Maybe if they had a couple of days to get over their hurt and anger, they would have made a different decision, but unless recruitment is spread over a couple of weeks like some schools have it, that is not going to happen. Which is too bad for everyone, girls and sororities.

"Bottom tier" isn't just about size, but who's in them. I'm sure you could fill every sorority if you took just anyone.

What I find interesting is how at some schools (I think this is a Northeast thing) the fraternity that has the least members is sometimes the "top" group. That's because they are very very selective in whom they pick.