Very true. Even at my small rush, not-very-competitive school, GPA exceptions were rare. We had maybe a few (we won grades frequently so we weren't SUPER concerned usually) during my 3 years active. And I believe that some groups have to request special permission in order to invite GPA risks to pref.

A high GPA can make you stand out and can only be a benefit. A low GPA can and will hurt you. Some groups may just make a straight cut, right off the bat, of women below their grade averages. Especially at a competitive school with tons of great women rushing, initial cuts have to be made somehow. GPA isn't something that's going to change once other sisters meet a girl.

I think it's also fair to say that chapters could be worried that if a girl can't keep her grades up without the commitment of a sorority, how in the world are they going to keep them up AND be in a sorority.

I don't remember if you said originally ufpmn, but if there is some outstanding reason why your grades are low, such as a family problem or something like that, you may mention it casually in conversation if grades come up.

"well i had a rough semester because my grandma died and we were close and I had to go home for a while..."

We would even occasionally ask PNMs that we were interested in about their low grades. Most of these girls are smart, especially at our school, but everyone has a rough patch or two.

I agree. The decision to cut may not even be left up to them.

As I said I was only trying to put together some ballpark estimates based on my personal experience as well as annecdotal experience I've heard from other advisors across the country. Rather than using the word "probably" I should have said possibly.

While I agree whole-heartedly with your point, something else I pointed out was that if a Chapter has been consistantly in the lower GPA rankings it would be very hard for them competition-wise with new PNMs to make a drastic change in their minimum for one year. That's why looking at long term rankings and the movements up or down of any one Chapter is important. But it also doesn't reflect a renewed committment to academic excellence.

Folks are 100% correct in that sometimes these minimum cut off decisions can be taken out of the Chapter's hands. Of course the "public" will never know if/when that occurs.

All I was trying to do was to give folks something to at least look at, meaning the Panhellenic GPA ranks on the campus. It's a starting point, but is by no means accurate nor can it include in all the various internal factors involved.

One more thing that hasn't been pointed out, many of the PNMs are looking very closely at a Chapter's GPA ranking as well. A top notch GPA high school PNM with all sorts of honors and awards is often looking for a sorority that has similar academic priorities. I have heard of many PNMs that cut Chapters due to their GPA rankings in comparison to the other sororities.

Each UCF sorority has to make cuts after Round 1. Those who have had historically higher return rates have to cut an even larger percentage.

Typically, these cuts are made based on pre-recruitment data like your GPA. Similiarly, if you have a criminal record or a questionable character and this has been brought to the attention of a sorority, it will likely end in your being cut from that sorority. These are pretty straight-forward cuts. Being a legacy, having a rec, etc., will help get your through these first cuts, but don't guarantee that you will receive a bid. Some women who have neither recs nor legacy status AND who don't have the grades may get through this round, but she will have to be really outstanding in terms of her extracurriculars, have friends in the chapters, etc.

There are rare cases where a grade risk is invited back and some who are offered bids. This is the exception and not the norm.

The sororities whose minimums are a 3.0 are just that-- a minimum. It does not guarantee a free pass. They may actually cut up to a 3.5 if they have to release a high number of women.

That being said, there are other sororities whose minimum is lower than a 3.0. But I wouldn't worry about any of this-- whose minimum is what. Just be yourself at each sorority event.

No, it wouldn't actually. If they graduated a bunch of seniors who had low GPA's and brought on a bunch of freshmen with high GPA's, the chapter GPA would rise substantially. It's the one aspect of a chapter that CAN change dramatically.

Definitely. My chapter went from like next to last in grades (out of 11 groups) in the spring to first in the fall.

This deserves repeating........

If your grades are below the minimum, you will be the exception and not the norm. If there are TONS of girls with grades above the minimum why would a chapter take a grade risk? Most won't do it. Grade minimums are not simply important during recruitment, most organizations keep an eye on the chapter's GPA all year.

Agreed. And from personal experience, our grade risks rarely worked out in the long run... This isn't necessarily true of every UCF sorority, and I honestly think that if a woman keeps her options open, our Panhellenic will make every effort to match her with a sorority. She just needs to be open to the idea that it may likely not be her top choice.

The term Grade Exception should be fairly self explanatory IMHO. Any exception is just that, an exception to the rule. It's not the norm. It's a rarity, but not an impossibility depending on the GLO, the Chapter and the campus.

A little FYI - over the last several years my Chapter has been slowing moving up it's minimum GPA requirement. Months prior to Recruitment starting, our Exec Board determines whether we want to consider Grade Exceptions or not for the next Formal Recruitment. This way it's based on our current scholarship policy and program and not influenced by any individual PNMs the members have fallen in love with.

Probably half the years we've decided to allow exceptions and half not. In the allowed years though, we only considered GPAs a few tenths below the minimum. Ironically none of those candidates have made it into our pledge classes. Most of the time the PNMs ended up dropping us. Go figure.

Thanks for posting that link!!! Keep in mind, however, that this doesn't necessarily indicate their actual chapter/recruitment GPA requirements or minimums. The Office of Greek Life should have these numbers.

UCFPNM, I'm truly sorry if any of my comments have discouraged you. I hope you still plan on going through Recruitment. However I must remind you that you asked the question and I and others have tried to be straight forward with you.

I shall leave you with what all PNMs and actives need to remember and something I remind my women of all the time. Sororities and extra-cirricular activities a great and should be enjoyed. But one must never lose sight of the real reason they are going to school and that is to get a good education.

That's the best attitude to have for everything in life!