If you have put preferences down on a bid card and signed the card, then you have in effect accepted a bid to the sorority that you match with, so if you do not feel comfortable anywhere that you pref, you should not fill out a bid card at all! You will be stuck for a whole year.

However, I think that you should stay in rush. I think that it is best for you to give every sorority on campus a chance and see what they have to offer. If after that experience, you still feel that DZ is where you want to go, then I would say it is okay to not put down anyone on your bid card.

Just because you show interest and go to informationals for DZ does not by any means guarantee you a spot. They will be holding the interested girls to a high standard in order to make the new chapter as strong and high quality as possible.

Hope this helps.

But what if you like only one of the houses you pref? Say for instant you don't like the other two but from what I understand it's not good to sucicide because you have a lesser chance of getting your number one pick. But instead of getting your #1 choice you get your 2nd that you dont care for, I couldnt not go and try Delta Zeta?

If you receive ANY invitation for membership during Formal Recruitment and decline it, you would be ineligible to join any NPC sorority for one calendar year. So yes, if you got a bid to your #2 choice and declined it, you could not join Delta Zeta during their colonizing year.

So if I were in that position then I would want to sucicide rather than list all three so that I would be able to rush DZ?

If you intentionally single preferenced and did not receive a bid, you would be eligible to attend recruitment events for Delta Zeta.

Consider this:

Do I want to be Greek or just a member of XYZ?

Is it more important to find sisterhood or to wear XYZ's letters on my chest.

Am I looking for a lifelong, supportive network that will help me advance myself is academics, philanthropy and my career or do I just want to say "I'm an XYZ".

There is no guarantee that you would become a member of Delta Zeta. Your chances of becoming a member of a sorority would be greater through formal rush (sheer number of choices).

I'm not trying to be cruel, but you seem to be very focused on Delta Zeta's colonization. UF Recruitment is very competitive, and there will be a lot of PNMs that do not advance to a preference round and may be contacted by Delta Zeta. If you go into Recruitment thinking that you will always have a second chance at DZ, you are going into the situation with the wrong attitude.

You need to work hard at showing the existing chapters that you would be an asset to their chapter. You need to evaluate the existing chapters to see if their sisterhood is something in which you want to take part. If, at the end of the week you truly can't see yourself at home in any of the existing chapters, you can then reevaluate the situation and possibly withdraw from Recruitment, thereby leaving yourself available to the possibility of interviewing with Delta Zeta or attending an Informal Recruitment in the Spring.

from what i remember
 

it's been a while since I went through rush, but the thing is chances are when you go through the entire Recruitment process and you're down to Prefs and ranking, you are so emotionally involved that often times you will accept a bid (sign the bid card) because the Rho Chi's and sorority members alike encourage you to try it out and see if you like it. Cards have to be turned in after 24 hours, so there's really no way to know at that point if you will be happy there or not.

I completely encourage you to go through Recruitment and keep Delta Zeta on your mind through the process. It's a really difficult game and not that easy to play, but be yourself and you'll get into the chapter that is right for you, be it through formal Recruitment or through intake later.

Best of luck,
Tara

i have a Phi Mu castle...

well said
 

Well said PnguinTrax! You summed up what I was trying to say but ended up deleting because I just didn't find the proper words!

I understand what you are saying. I was asking about these different scenarios because I do not fully understand how rush works. I have read through last years UF Rush thread and for some reason recruitment here seems really harsh and every person I have talked to this summer in school all say that is does a number on your self esteem, which has me worried. I have been here for a year and do know of the different houses. I do have some preconceived notions that I am trying to get rid of before Recruitment so that I do go in with an open mind and am not judgmental based on the things that I have heard. I definitely plan to go through the whole process and hopefully end up somewhere that I like. I was just trying to figure out what happens when a colonization takes place and how things work, like I mentioned before about the house, bid day, and bid/pref cards.

Way to Go DZ!
 

I am really glad to hear that Delta Zeta is expanding! I love the DZ's at my school, they are such an awsome bunch of girls!

This is so complicated! But Pnguin Trax is right...don't put all your eggs in one basket...on the other hand, don't stop thinking about DZ just b/c it's one more step in the process...it's obvious you've got DZ on the mind...(during recruitment I was so into the idea of joining a sorority and getting into the whole Greek thing as the days went along, that when I only had one strong favorite, I thought to myself, "What am I going to do if I don't get my first choice? I still want to be in a sorority..." but it ended up that my first choice from the whole week became my second choice at final ranking...divine intervention...luckily I got my first choice ;))

Anyway, I just wanted to warn you about informal rush, if you think it's something you can fall back on. From what I've gathered it's not very common at UF.

The problem with informal rush is that you will automatically be limiting your options, since not all chapters participate.

PnguinTrax is right on the money here. I suggest that you go through formal rush and focus on the existing chapters at UF, and see what happens... just make your decisions based on what you'd do if DZ weren't colonizing. If you end up not receiving a bid, then pursue DZ... if that falls through, pursue informal rush.

As for dues being cheaper for an unhoused sorority (your earlier question) - YMMV. At my school, 3 out of 5 sororities had houses. If you were in a housed sorority, you paid for room and board if you lived in the house, or for a meal plan if you didn't (I think every non-resident had to eat 1 dinner a week at the house, and could opt for more meals if she desired). One of the unhoused sororities is actively looking for a house, and requires all freshmen and sophomores to pay a "housing fee" each semester, that is being saved for house start-up expenses. The other is not, so there are no house-related fees. If you do end up pursuing the new DZ colony, it's a question to ask.

So what kind of things do you think that the DZ reps are going to be looking for? Someone spoke of "the highest standard?" What exactly do you mean? Involvement? Friends? Grades? How would their standards for a freshman will differ from those for a junior? Do you think more freshmen and sophs will show up at the interest meetings as oppose to Juniors and seniors?
ok sorry about the questions, inquiring minds (my friends and me) want to know... hehe
thanks :)
alison

No problem with the questions!!!! I'm not on the expansion team, but was once a chapter consultant...we didn't have any huge expansions during my year, but from what I understand expansion teams look for much the same things as the other groups, but will be very particular--especially with such a high-profile Greek system. Since recruitment will be done interview style, they will be able to pay more attention to the potential members than formal recruitment usually affords. I don't think standards will differ b/t year classifications, although upperclasswomen will probably benefit fromextra-curriculars & leadership experience. There will be interested women from Freshman to Senior!

In general, they will be looking for high academic standards, personal achievements, extra-curricular activities & leadership skills, as well as a neat, well groomed appearance. Remember-they are building something amazing & new, and will be looking for movers & shakers!

I don't know much about the housing situation...whether they will build or renovate, but they will go first class. I hate to say it, but I don't think dues will be less for the colony members. ALthough they won't have a house to begin with, they will begin contributing to the national housing corporation from the get go.

Enough from me...

lower dues
 

Yeah, now that I think about it, "parlor dues" for out-of-house sisters isn't that much...less than $200, I think (at least with my chapter, and we have a pretty new house, so supposedly we're paying more than other sororities on campus for our house). So there probably won't be much of a difference between the new DZ's bill and other houses' bills just because they don't have a house yet. You still have to pay dues to nationals, panhellenic, pay active sister dues and social fees, etc.

I am coming late in this converstaion but we all know exactly what your going through..You are going to go on a emotional roller coaster as recruitment is happening..It is normal just listen and feel the energy of all the girls and imagine yourself being a sister to each one that interest you..It helps a lot when you are yourself and these girls can really see what your all about and base good judgments on you.

As was mentioned earlier by someone, you do not want to get "Letter Hungry" I refer to it as..That would be your biggest mistake b/c you become blind to what your sorority may really stand for and they may not be right for you.

When you get your bid card and if you are satsified with the choices you got then go with what your gut says..Would you want to accept a bid and become part of that group OR do you want to wait a year and go DZ?...It is fine with whatever you do I am sure...b/c as long as you make your decision and your happy with it then things will fall into place for you.

As far as dues go with not owning a house there is not much of a difference in that.. Maybe you can bring that question to Rush or somehow contact the DeeZee's at your school..Well I wish you alot of luck this fall..Good Luck!! :D

Chi Omega- "Womanly Always,Discouraged Never"