Sorry to hear that! :(

I really wish that wasn't the case at any school, for any organization. Orgs miss out on really great women just because they are a year or two older when they decide to rush. Just not fair.

On the upside you have a number of great organizations to choose from. If there are a few that cut sophmores I honestly believe that is their loss.

Keep your spirits up and good luck! :)

Well, that sorority does not know what they are missing out on! hmph! I personally think that attitude sucks!:mad:

ditto...ditto...ditto
don't let it rain on your parade.
just enjoy things and be surprised and pleased how good it could be.

I have a hard time understanding the idea of not extending bids to anyone who is not a freshman. My pledge class (yes we were pledges) was 14. We had 3 juniors, 2 sophmores and 11 freshman. We were pledges for an entire semester and all of us were active until we graduated. Most of us lived in the house through out our KD college lives.

DaffyKD

do your best...have some fun and wear comfortable, but stylish shoes.

I don't get that attitude. :mad: A sophomore still has 3 years left to contribute to her chapter - and may even have 4 years or more ahead of her, if she changes majors or something. My chapter has had sophomores and juniors pledge. Why cut fantastic sophomores just for their class standing?

Well, chin up - it's their loss. Like you said, you have a bunch of other options. Good luck! :)

I just found out on Sunday that my cousin is now a freshman at Michigan. I have no idea if she will go through recruitment. I hope so.

Pinklady, just go out there and do your best at recruitment!

don't worry!
 

Don't worry, there will be groups at Michigan who won't blink an eye at the fact that you're a sophomore! There are so many sororities there, you're bound to find one to call home!

Dee

As others have said, don't worry about being a sophomore....some sororities may cut you because of that fact, but it's THEIR LOSS!!!! I went through recruitment as a sophomore and was cut from organizations because of that, but I was able to find my home and I know that you will too!!! :)

Like everyone else has said, don't let that one house get you down. I went through formal recruitment last fall here at Michigan State and was worried that I wouldn't get a bid anywhere since I was a junior. But it all worked out in the end. I ended up where I felt most at home ~Sigma Delta Tau~. I am the oldest in my pledge class, but that's okay. And even though I will be graduating before many of them, I know that I will have a place to come stay at when I come back to MSU!!

i am so proud of your attitude!!! so many other people would be upset if someone told them that they were going to be dropped bc they were a sophomore!!! go out their and have fun! find a home that is a good fit for you!

Hey!

I hope you have a FANTASTIC time at rush! I probably wont' see you since I'm alum now but I'll be thinking of you. I know that there are generally a FEW houses on our campus that have that unspoken rule so pleaase don't take it personally. There are a ton of other great options here anyways. When you're going through the sets, see where you feel comfortable but also look at the girls you're going to each party with because the sorority isn't going to stay just like the girls who are there NOW but the sorority is going to be what your pledge class is. Some of the Big names on UM campus have stayed big names only bc people SAY so. if the girls who are rushing you aren't current sophomores or juniors, see if you can try to meet some of the younger girls coz those will be the ones you'll be spending most of your time with.

I hate to hear crap like that! Sorry, but it just makes me mad! I pledged as a sophomore...VERY close to being a junior...and I did my darndest everyday to show how proud I was to be there! It goes back to what everyone else keeps echoing: It's not just for four years, it's forever!

I hope that you won't run into this with many other chapters! I hope that everything works out for you!

aj

I don't the sophomore thing either (bc some of the coolest girls in my chapter pledged as sophomores), but it is usually for financial reasons (only getting 3 years of dues instead of 4) in terms of restrictions placed by nationals (that's what it is in our case and some of the chapters here I know at least). I had two sophomores in my rho chi group this year and they both pledged places that they're happy at. So, good luck! I'm sure you'll find the right place for you too! :)

Another reason they may do it is because their sophomore class is already big, and they don't want to hurt the chapter a few years down the road by just adding to it. If you have a chapter of 60 women and 30 all graduate at once, the chapter suffers. I can see why they would do it in this case. It's a concern I have for one of the chapters I advise.

Hmmm. Isn't that special. Well, at least you know it isn't your grades, your personality, your ethnic or religious heritage, your morals, your activities, your finances, your attention to your appearance, your family's social standing, your ability to talk appropriately at rush parties, or whether you would fit in with the chapter and be a loyal, contributing sister! Sounds like checking out other options is a good idea -- gotta be something better out there!
On a related topic -- I've gathered that it's a Rush Infraction / Green Book No-No for a member to promise an invitation to a party or to promise a bid. Evidently it's okay to tell someone they will get the boot as soon as humanly possible. Right?
Of course I'm curious about what would be a "big name" chapter at Michigan. Thinking here about mottoes and songs and such: "perpetual bond of freshmen"? no . .. it's "friendship." "Freshmen hand in hand"? no -- it's "union." "I am so happy that I am a freshman"? no, no. "One heart, one bunch of freshmen"? no -- "one way." Aw, I give up.
:confused:

I hope it's not "We live for freshmen" :(

No polarpi, I don't think it's that . . . it's been "for each other" since 1851.
And come to think of it, it isn't "to be a freshman rather than to seem to be"
either -- "Esse Quam Videri" doesn't include the concept of freshamn status.

Y'all are cracking me up!!!:D

I can't wait for your recruitment experience to begin! Don't worry about what your friend told you. Any sorority with that kind of rule is missing out on possibly a wonderful new member, but you have to understand that for some reason they had to instate that rule. For example, the reason that lauralaylin gives. Best of luck to you!

Do freshmen?!? :confused: LOL

oh wait!

Its Do Good! phew! lol ;)

LOL!! http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/laugh1.gifhttp://www.handykult.de/plaudersmili...py/roflmao.gifhttp://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/rofl.gif

OMG- JDGS~ You are HILARIOUS!!! ROFLMAO!!!!

thats a good concern.

BUT I go to Michigan and I know that it is BECAUSE of that rule that we don't have many sophomores rushing at ALL. Alot of sophomores know about that rule and decide that they don't want to rush because they're discouraged from moment one. I can understand if a chapter says they'll only take a small percentage of sophomores but to say they won't even consider them is ridiculous. Especially if the house is one of the more popular ones that never would have a concern for numbers anyways.

But don't worry Lisa, I know ALOT of awesome girls who rush as sophomores and they get into houses that are great. There ARE even juniors that rush. There are some big houses that DO take sophomores and juniors and those are also some of the chapters that EVERYONE loves.

Thanks! :D

As long as it's not "Multa Frosha, Una Causa" :p

For everyone ragging on the "we don't take sophomores" sorority, I personally would be happy to have them out of the way and know why, rather than get sunshine blown up my butt (tm kddani) and think I have a chance when I don't.

Founded upon a freshman? Freshmen upon a rock?

The rock thing might work - kind of kinky. ;)

How about "Let us steadfastly love only freshmen":D

omg....

you guys are cracking me up. If I was in a really bitchy mood i'd type all of those and post it on the door of the OGL....lol

They all know the freshman only thing happens but they ignore it.

Funny too....alot of the houses known as the "popular houses" on my campus also have some of the highest deactivation rates too. Alot of girls join for the year to get popularity points or whatever and then quit before rush the following year. So yeah, many of the houses can brag "we have the most beautiful girls and every frat wants to party with us" but not many can brag "we have beautiful DEDICATED women"

Yikes -- no b*tchiness, please :)
Let's see, more information: Emma Brownlee entered Monmouth in the fall of 1864 and graduated in 1868, so she wasn't a freshman when she became a Founder of Pi Beta Phi (well, I.C. Sorosis). And Bettie Locke was a sophomore at Asbury (DePauw) when she turned down that FIJI pin and began the efforts that led to the founding of Kappa Alpha Theta.

In all honesty, I have to agree with what was said earlier: better to know at the outset that a chapter simply doesn't take sophomores rather than being deluded by pleasant conversation, songs, chants, and talk of sisterhood into thinking that there might be a chance.

A chapter at my alma mater ran a classified ad in the student paper today that read something like: "Who are all those cute freshman girls? They're (insert chapter's name here)!" Sigh.

why no sophomores somtimes??
 

pinklady23, I say this to give an explination I was given once about the 'no upperclassmen' "rule". Please do not take it as a discouragement from me personally against you. I hope you go through recruitment, U of M is a great school and has a great greek life from what I hear. All the best to you. <3!!

Our chapter had 20seniors graduate one year. Total was 42 on campus and we were at 45 when they graduated. They had all been part of different NM groups near the beginning of our chapter's history. The following semester we filled those spaces with great girls. Most of them were sophomores so we had a chapter more than half made up of sophomores. We were told that for the next two semesters we could not take any sophomores. Reason being this...those girls are graduating this year and will leave a HUGE gap in the chapter. Not only quantity wise but quality wise. These girls rocks. But, having too many members in one class makes it difficult for the following class to regroup when that class graduates.

It was also explained to me that membership should look like a pyramid of sorts, with the base being the greatest numbers and all freshmen if possible. Or I guess at chapters with large numbers like UofM a square. And if one class is larger it throws things out of wack.

It was nothing personal for us when we didn't take juniors or sophomores those two following semesters, we knew we could benefit from the girls who wanted to join but it would NOT be beneficial for the class of girls coming up. Sometimes I guess a chapter has to think ahead and plan for the underclassmen and not take everyone they would like to. It sucks sometimes, but I guess it's part of the politics of sorority life.

Again, I really don't mean to discourage you I hope you Rush and find a home...not EVERY chapter goes by this and it may be something only we were told bc we were a newer chapter.

I understand about not wanting "lopsided" class sizes (believe me, almost every class at my chapter was lopsided, and this year will be the hardest one!), but at the same time you don't know the specifics of when a student will graduate. Say you take on a new PNM who's a sophomore by credits, but she actually won't graduate until the year after or two years later (i.e. 5-6 years to complete their degree). Technically, they'd be in a different class based on graduation, so I think it takes a little more "digging" to determine whether or not to retain the woman to later parties.

That's just my .02 :)

My apologies to the AXOs out there, but in rereading this thread just now, the first thing that popped into my mind was:

"Together Let Us Seek The Frosh"

1 word
 

TACKY!!:eek: :eek: :eek:

Hehe, that sounds like a good fraternity rush slogan. It's certainly better than "Freshman girls: get em while they're skinny"

I think SigEp would be a good quote also: "Virtue, Diligence, and Freshmanly Love"

That is true, but it's also assuming that they will be active as a super senior. I obviously don't know how things are in other sororities, but in Alpha Phi sisters can go alum after their 4 years in school. I've seen sisters stay longer, but often times they feel old and want to move on. I think if the potential new member indicates that she wants to be active until she graduates, even if it is longer than four years, that would make a difference. But not all older rushees to let us know that so it's hard to assume.

That has got to be a new rule. Because even in my Senior year, every house was accepting sophmores and quite a few even juniors. It was something like, Juniors and Seniors didint count for towards total. They were considered freebies. But most houses didnt take them beacuse they felt they didnt have that much time to contribute.
Designergal is right thought when she says MANY of the popular houses have high de-active rates though.
Either way, go in thinking with an open and positive attitude for all the houses. Reps, where good or bad can be misleading. Think friends for life, not for an hour. GO BLUE!

In ADPi they can go alum status after four years...my chapter, we had many sisters who remained active after their fourth year so that they could give as much as they could to the chapter....you're right that it does depend on the chapter, and that a number of PNMs don't talk about staying active past their "senior" year, but I really feel that as more and more "older" PNMs are going through recruitment, this is something that we as sorority members need to ask and find out what their goals for involvement is....it's a two way street, they should feel open to talk to us about what their plans are, but we need to be interested enough in them to ask if they don't volunteer the information.

We had Mass Meeting for rush today. All the girls that hadn't registered yet got to sign up and we heard quick speeches from some of the panhel officers and then we broke into small groups to ask questions. In small group I found out a girl from my high school, also a sophmore, is rushing too! I guess she is only interested in 2 of the houses becasue she knows lots of girls in them, but at least I know someone else and I dont feel like the only sophmore going through.
I don't get to meet my rho omega until an hour before mixers start, and that is when I get to pick up my schedule. I haven't figured out what I'm going to use for each house, maybe colors or something with 15 types...