There is no junior quota at U of I. All classes are lumped into one quota.

Don't worry that you have screwed up your chances of pledging at U of I, as you certainly have not. Again, almost nobody gets dropped entirely, and those who do usually get snapped up on bid day. You will still have options, just fewer than those that a freshman may have.

I think the "most desirable house" would be the one where you fit in the best. And part of that would be who wants you in their chapter.

I only said "more desireable houses" because that was what deltababy referred to them as. I really don't know the status of the houses at U of I...and I certainly don't have any preferences at this point in time.

Right, those were my words, not yours. And I probably shouldn't have confirmed which ones they were, so let me just reiterate that in no way do i think these are the 'best' houses, they are just the ones that tend to have high return rates and really wow the rushees. bottom line is that u of i has 18 chapters with over 100 girls each...you can't go wrong with any of them

not to mention all the non-NPC orgs on our campus as well!

Ditto, ditto on making sure you let them know that you will still be in school for another 3 years-being a juinor with 1 year to go and being a juinor with 2 years to go are A LOT different, and that may make you more competitive for shapters who are concerned about getting too "top heavy"

Honestly, every junior transfer coming through rush says she has three more years. It is not so much about your time left, but on how you fit in with the chapter. Even if you are going to be around, do you really see yourself in your fifth year of college, at the age of 23 wanting to hang out with 18-year-olds? Chapters expect that upper classmen will not be involved as long.

Now, some chapters feel that two good years out of a woman are worth it, because of all the other things that woman brings to the table. Other chapters have different priorities.

I say go for it. If it's something you really want then you should just go through recruitment. You may find a home. You may not. No one here can give you a definitive answer. Not even the ladies that go to school there. Yes, they will know the system much better, but even they can't be 100% sure what will happen.

You'll never know unless you try.

Well, I honestly will be there for 3 years. My dual degree kinda leaves me with 90 hours left to complete once I get there :-( but, yes, I do see myself as a part of a sorority in my 5th year. I'm only 19 right now, my birthday is at the end of the summer...so I'm young. And it's something I've always wanted, I really don't think my interest is going to wane just because I'm 22 years old. It's not like I won't have the girls in my pledge class there with me...the girls I will have bonded with. I know things will work out the way they are supposed to...but thanks for all of the input!

You have no idea what your life is going to be like when you're 22. A lot of things are going to change for you and in you in those 3 years. I changed SO much during that time. I pledged when I was 19, graduated when I was 21. Even by that time I found that I didn't have as much in common with the younger sisters. Forget about after I was 22!

You may not have the girls from your pledge class there. People leave for all different reasons. By the time I graduated, out of my pledge class of 15, about half had left the sorority- graduated early, quit for various reasons, etc.

And you may not "bond" with your pledge class like you think. There would still be an age/experience/maturity difference.

I'm in a gambling mood tonight (just won poker over a bunch of people who play all the time and this was my first night playing). I'd say IF you got a bid (which there is no guarantee of), you wouldn't last until you graduated. You'd resign, go alumna early, or just go MIA.

I know it's hard to realize and think about now. But people replying to this thread have all been there and done that, seen that, seen people who've gone through it. Believe it or not, we do know what we're talking about. :) You may think you're special, but there's nothing all that different than those who have done it before.

Membership is for a lifetime.

I say go for it. You may change a lot in 3 years or you may not change, but if this is what you want to do then do it. It is hard wanting something and not getting it. I personally always wanted to be a summer orientation leader and never got too (long story). I kinda of still regret not having done that. Even though i still have changed I still wish that is the one thing in college that i wish i would have done. So, if you want to do it, then do it. I say that you will always regret not doing it.

You might change and you might not want to be super invovled in a sorority in 2 years, but you want to do it now. DO it, Just do it. Don't look back, if you change and go beyond sorority life then that might happen, but right now you want to do this so, again, JUST DO IT and don't look back.

Good luck and i really hope that you find a nice sorority to be a member in for a lifetime, college years and beyond.
debbie

I'm not saying that I won't change my mind in a couple of years...but I know myself and I don't think that is going to happen. I understand that membership is for a lifetime...but that's exactly why I want to get involved. Who knows, maybe that will change with time, but I really want this now, and I want to give it my all. Thank you to those of you who have wished me luck.

Definitely go for it; I never meant to imply that you shouldn't. My point is simply that there are chapters that usually take juniors and chapters that usually don't.

Statistically, your chances of a bid are good as long as you are really willing to consider every group.

Wow, you make 22 sound over the hill.

I completely disagree with this. I pledged when I was 21. I bonded with my pledge class and my other sisters. A few were older than I was, but most of them were younger. We found common ground and bonded over that. Yes, I did only have 1 year as a collegiate, but I am now back as a chapter advisor. It's still possible to be active. She says she still a few years left, she can be a fully active member if this is something that she really wants.

I'm not suggesting that we sugar coat everthing and tell her that she'll find a place. She may not. We all know that. But don't discourage her from even trying. She may or may not find a place, but she definitly WILL NOT find one if she doesn't even give it a try. What's the worst that can happen? They say no, and she moves on.

No one ever told her not to try, so not sure where you're getting that from. Please point out where that was said.

I'd rather her know that her chances aren't the best and then be pleasantly surprised then pump sunshine up her ass and have her be extremely disappointed. Especially with U of I being a competitive school

A lot of GCers like to do that. :rolleyes: