Well, obviously we look for different things...Regarding the question about size, I think it just depends. I think you could be a really good fraternity at 30-50 people, if you were extremely exclusive, had very high dues, etc...But you couldnt just decide to do it, it would take time to build an organization like that. I think 80-100 is a good number, at my campus...It allows for the average 30 man pledge class, with room to drop pledges and for the brothers who may drop or leave school or whatnot.

So if i'm coming from another state to a new school and rushing to fraternities in the campus there is no way of me getting a bid because i don't know any of those guys even if i might be a great fit to that fraternity?

Yes, you could still get a bid from a chapter on campus. A lot depends on the chapter and location of where you are going. Many of the chapters and the larger southern schools will already have a good idea of who is getting bids due to summer rush parties. Does that me you have no chance? No. Go to the rush parties, talk yourself up (remember, you are selling you to them as much as them selling their chapter to you), and be open to all the different chapters on campus.

If it is a smaller southern school, being from out of state is not a problem at all. If anyone on here can give advice about the midwest, northeast, etc. please do so.

It's a californian school.

Here are the numbers i found for my school's IFC:

School: San Diego State University
Number of Rushees at the first event: 500+
Number of Rushees at the house tours: 330
Number of Bids Given: 475

It seems to me like almost everyone who rushed got bids, but some people received more than one.

I don't think you'll have any problem getting a bid at a CA school.

That's cool to know.

We have open first bidding. If we have met you, you're pretty much 100% getting a first bid. Many drop after the first education session when they learn about dues, requirements, etc. We then have a 2nd bid process by which, 2-3 weeks before initiation, each associate members comes up for review and must get a 3/4 affirmative vote to be initiated. If they don't make that vote, they are dropped.

GMU is...unlike most schools.

Other fraternities on our campus operate differently.

Good point.

Many IFC/NIC organizations have something similar. An "initial" bid is extended to, and accepted by, the pledge. National and/or chapter by-laws may then require an affirmative vote by the chapter at a later date for initiation. As such, an IFC/NIC bid does not guarantee initiation.

FYI, some IFCs/NICs have this information on their IHQ websites as well.

I would guess that most receive bids unless they are real tools or have a last names like Dorfman.

If a dude wants to be in a fraternity bad enough: he can be. There are usually enough "fringe" houses that will take anybody just to boost numbers or have a warm body to pick up cups after a party.

That said, the best scenarios are when both parties choose each other. Like 2 dogs sniffing each other out, they both have to be in agreement. They mutually select one another. The fraternity selects it's pledges and hopefully the rushees pick the same house. Any other situation and one likes another more than the other and it's not balanced...all in all...we used to give out bids to about 50% of the people who rushed...

As GreekHoodies said, it is a feeling out process between the Chapter members and the possible rushee. If neither feels comfortable then, it will not work.

No, not everyone will get a bid.

Just knowing someone in the chapter will not garuntee anything. But, it will help.

Alot depends on the size of the chapter and how selective they wish to be.

As far as "tools", there have been many marginal new members who have gone to outstanding members for the chapter, the organization, and the country.

It varies from campus to campus, but of the 500 some guys who rushed, 150 didn't get bids at my campus.

in another thread firehouse had proposed a rush schedule that sounded that it might be effective for some chapters desiring to raise their numbers .basically, the chapter would participate in formal recruitment, pledge the desired guys, get them started on their pledgeship and recruit another pledge class, and repeat until they were at the desired number of members.

he was not talking about "warm bodies", he was talking about guys whom one would be proud to call "brother", who would be an asset to the chapter.

i have heard ifc representatives on several different campuses(all in the south) lament,"we need more guys to sign up for recruitment". i never asked them how they go about advertising rush, or how they recruit-i wish that i had, just for curiosity sake. it seems that they have one rush and no matter what the outcome, they are done for the year.

do numbers not matter to fraternity chapters? large numbers in sorority chapters usually mean a strong, popular chapter. if a sorority does not pledge quota, or is under total, they work very hard to meet that goal, even if it means continual recruiting. what gives guys?

What campuses? Most of the big southern greek schools do fine. Most kids who don't rush are ones we don't really want. Sure there are some exceptions, but I'm not really sure what you're referring to when you say they need more people to go through rush.