Good to see that we're both on the same page! ;)

they asked us if they were coming but the other girl who was with us when they asked if we were coming said she would have to leave early (though i don't think its to go to the game with Princess) and they seemed pretty understanding--i think, especially since its the weekend and that it is informal, they understand that we might not be able to attend everything, and they seem pretty okay with it. I don't want to choose just to go to one and not the other because i really like them both at this point. I don't actually think Princess would be okay with us missing an event. they seem a little judgemental of that..i pretty much said that exact thing about loving to go to the house tour (which i am am excited about) and promising to go to the game with others--even though i just found out about it tonight.

anyways, have a good saturday and i'll let you know how everything went when it is all said and done :)

another question--do you think i am responsible for buying my own ticket?? they didn't say anything about it and im bringing money just in case but i wasn't sure..

I don't know if this is an NPC rule or a campus rule or if any NPC rules don't apply for informal recruitment, but at my campus we can't buy PNMs anything; if we go out to lunch, the PNM has to pay for herself.

I it's a sporting event for one of your school's teams then most likely there is no entrance fee. (At my school your student ID allows for you and a guest to enter for free). I find it hard to believe they would invite someone to something and then have it be a significant financial burden. They would (or should) have mentioned in the email or letter or whatever notice they sent you. Whatever the case, be sure to have fun and let us know how the events go!

Depends on the school and on the sport.

I'm sure since it's informal and not that many PNMs will be in attendance, they will pick it up. But, as you said, bring a little money, just in case.

Have a great time at the events. It's wonderful that you have two prospects

:( :( :(

I'm starting to think maybe if I get a bid, it might not be the best idea to accept it. Though originally I was told my family would be able to afford it, as much as I would LOVE to be part of greek life, things have come up recently that make me feel as though I really shouldn't be selfish with the money that my parents earn (I definately can't afford it on my own). Because I'm out of state, I'm already a burden because I'm paying almost double what I would be paying for in state, and though I feel like sometimes I might regret it, I don't know if greek life is the best thing for me to be participating in right now...especially because if I do get a bid from Emerald, they are the most expensive on campus. I'm still going to go through rush...but I have to seriously consider all of this now.

If you haven't, you need to talk to your parents ASAP and tell them what you just told us. Don't just decide to refuse a bid before you know how they feel about it. They may really want you to do this and want to support you financially. Or there may be a grandparent, aunt, etc. who wants to help you with this. If not, kudos to you for having your priorities straight, unlike some girls who feel "entitled" to whatever money Mummy and Daddy can dish out! I really hope this works out for you sweetie!

IMO, you could discuss it with the sororities (or maybe look online). They may have payment plans that could help out. I know you'd still be paying the full amount, but it could be helpful.

Do you have/could you get a part-time job? I paid all my sorority dues and extras by working 10-15 hours a week at the library. I had a payment plan and the treasurer really worked with me. Don't give up because there are a lot of options out there, but congrats to you for having your priorities straight! Just make sure you get all the info before you turn down a potential bid.

Agreed. Make sure you double-check the info. Sometimes the "rumor" about which group is most expensive doesn't match up to reality.

Also sometimes college Panhellenics offer scholarships to new members.

i don't know about your school, but at Washington State University for many of the sororities (don't know about all of them) it is cheaper to live in the sorority house with dues,ect than living in the dorm. So, if your parents are paying for you to live in the dorm then you might sell them on this angle. i don't know about your school, but I have heard this from many girls i know who go to many differnt campuses and the information is what I am saying here. If this is something that you want to do you should look into it. Most people at WSu don't realize the cost until they take a look. I mean that a lot of girls will say that they can't join a house becaues it is so expensive, but fail to realise that the most expensive is your first semester when you live in the dorms and have to pay initiation dues, but once you move into the house it is cheaper.

just a thought that you mght check into.
couggirl

I talked to my mom about it and she said that if I truly felt at home and like it was worth it, that she and my dad would be willing to help. they're very understanding that i want to go through it and i think my mom is okay with the cost because she thinks it will be great for networking later in life :)


i went to lunch with Emerald on Saturday and had a great time. Whenever I walk into the house, someone always greets me RIGHT away, which is nice. Their house is pretty, i've been through it before and thought so as well. I don't really get along with a few of the girls because they have a bit of a different lifestyle than me but thats okay, you wont always get along with everyone. i have a dinner here tomorrow!

i left early so that i could go to the sporting event with princess. i noticed right away that NO ONE said hello or greeted me when i walked in, and it stayed that way for a good 15 minutes. however, i rode to the event with 3 of the girls and 2 other pnms and one of the sisters was the president and she was really nice. there are only a few girls that i like here so far, but i havent really met a lot of them because i don't really think they're concerned about pnms i guess. i got an e-mail tonight about an event with Princess tomorrow, and i'm going to attend after I go to Emerald. I'm a TAD nervous about this, because the event is karaoke...and though i middle school, my chorus sang at a college level, i haven't sang in years and i'm not good at it anymore so i'm not so excited about embarassing myself. but on a plus, i noticed that the invitation for the very first event they held, last week, had like 40+ email addresses on it...and this invitation was only sent to 12 or so. I think I'm the only one who wasn't invited by a sister and actually turned in a recruitment profile/application. neat.


i still can't decide on which one i am more drawn to. hopefully by tomorrow things will be more clear, but right now...its like, i can fit into Princess in one way and i can fit into Emerald another way. I'm pretty much being torn in two different directions.

so I'm getting ready to leave to go to dinner with Emerald! Its at 5 and my Princess karaoke night is at 7 so i'm hoping i'll be able to make that as well...though its getting a bit complicated because Emerald always picks us up and I have to find a way to make it to Princess afterwards, so i might have to walk. oh well! I'll let everyone know how tonight goes....bid day is in three days YAY!

good luck!!! cant wait to hear the rest of this story!!!

I just got back! Dinner with Emerald was wonderful. It was very low key, and while I thought it was going to be a dinner with a TON of girls, it was actually just two PNMs and four sisters, which was nice and very focused. I have to say that I was so reluctant about continuing with Emerald because even before rush, there was all kinds of tent talk and words flying about them and I didn't think I could fit in there at all. However, Emerald has done a GREAT job at trying to go the extra mile to make their chapter seem welcoming and fun, and I do feel at home here. Though there are some cons about the chapter, I'm not listing them because I don't really want to be pessimistic about it. Dinner was amazing and the sisters are very down to earth.

Princess' COR event tonight was fun. I made a fool of myself (don't worry! there were like four sisters up there with me!) by sining don't stop believing but i think it was worth it to get up there and show them that i could do it. it was definately a good way to have them show their fun side as well. i can't really say that they have been very personal througout this expirience as much as Emerald has, but i can see myself fitting in here still.

i'm getting really scared about the whole bid thing. i mean, if i DO get bids from both, who do i take? and what if i take the wrong one and wish that i had take the other? i'm sure i'd be okay at either but i keep having nightmares. i love both of them very much, which is weird because the two sororities on campus that participate are the ones i could see myself prefing if i had gone through formal recruitment and all 17 sororities had participated...





.........................by the way, a girl from one of them just walked into my room and handed me an envelope....... :)

You are a TEASE - what is in the envelope?? :confused: :D

^^^ Now that's just cruel....

WHOOOA.... spill the beans now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

come back and update for us!!!!

OMG I think your readers just died a little inside!

okay okay okay..i decided to organize my room and do a little stats homework before i told you that:


I am attending Prefs with Emerald on Wednesday at 7:30 pm. :) :) :)

the Emerald who delivered it was really cute and all dressed up from chapter and she had to actually come to my neighbors door because i was in their room watching the state of the union, i'm pretttttty pumped!


(c'mon..my story doesn't have cool twists and turns (that have come about yet, anyways) so i had to do something !)

Yay! Good luck and have a good time!

how exciting!! good luck with Emerald!

I'm excited for you! I can't wait to hear how things go. Keep having a great time!

Good luck! I've been following your posts and you have me hooked!

Remember to follow your heart and there will be no wrong decision.

I'm super excited if I do get a bid from either one, as I know there are MANY GCers from Emerald and even a few Princess'...................and i think some of you will be quite excited to hear where I am, as I don't think many people would even let this school cross their mind! :)

i'll update on Wednesday and let you guys know how prefs went.

I need advice.
Like, serious advice.
I have Prefs tomorrow with Emerald.
However, Princess just called me and invited me to a casual event tomorrow as well.
The times don't overlap or anything (thank god) but I am very nervous.

I'm stuck between both of them. I know that I shouldn't be thinking that I'm going to get a bid from both, but it constantly seems as though that is going to be what happens, and if it does....I don't know what to do. I love Princess. I do. They're fun, and very close to one another. They have a good attitude, and sometimes I don't think I could fit in there but at the same time, I don't know many of the girls well, but the ones that I have gotten a connection with, I love. love. love.

However..I have to say that Emerald has done a great, great, great job at reaching out to the PNMs. They pick us up, make sure our transition into the house is welcoming (basically, they go in with us so we aren't standing alone) and are always nice. However, they don't seem to do much socially around campus and there are some girls that make me question all of it because they seem...I don't know. I do like some of the girls here, but I don't know if they're right for me. And they are SIGNIFICANTLY more expensive. I know you guys said that theres probably payment plans and such, but in the long run its a few thousand dollars more than Princess.

I tried to figure it out by imagining what house i could see myself walking up to and being like "yeah! i love princess/emerald, and my sisters!" and just hanging out at, but it was impossible. both seemed perfect.


Tomorrow is the last day. Thursday is bid day. I don't know whats coming but if the secretary says I have two bids, I don't know what I'll do. I know I know I know you guys say not to assume things like that, but the way its going, I can't see myself getting cut. If Princess didn't like me, they wouldn't have invited me to four different events, especially because most of their PNMs were invited via someone they knew in Princess. If Emerald didn't like me, they wouldn't have invited me to Prefs.

Assuming you do receive two invitations, what a nice spot to be in, even if it's tough. The only thing I really see that differentiates them is that Emerald is really trying to make the PNMs feel wanted. Think about a year from now when the newness has gone away. Do you like the sisters or do you like feeling wanted?

If it's truly even, look at the national sorority. Whose motto, philanthropy, etc. do you feel most connected to? What opportunities does that sorority offer (internships, alumnae network, etc.)?

Have fun at prefs - for many people, the choice becomes clear during this round. Good luck!

Well, I wasn't Greek so I may not be the best person to give advice, but I say don't worry too much yet - you still have two parties to go. If you are still completely torn after that, I think you have a win-win, so pick one and don't look back. But read back over your own thread first and you may see the answer for yourself. :) It sounds like things are going wonderfully for you and I can't wait to see where you end up!

One thing I wish I had done when I went through rush is look how the active sisters treat each other. Will you find a niche for yourself in [insert chapter here] that will last well after you're through with rush and pledgeship?

Go with the one that feels the best for you. Nobody but you can really make that decision, IMHO.

since this is informal, you can take some time to think about accepting or declining a bid- you do not need to give an immediate answer(or atleast that is how it works on most campuses). if you want to attend princess pref. party(providing you are invited-and it seems that that is a good possiblity) and emerald offers you a bid, you need only say,"may i have some time to think about this". attend the other pref. party and see if the decision you need to make seems easier.

I also was torn between two great sororities at the end of rush. I would go to both pref parties if you are invited. A lot can be revealed there emotionally.

Next, I recommend listing everything you know about sorority life. List philanthropy, sisterhood activities, dues, mascots... Everything. Research the National Websites. Get more information. Now, decide which sorority you like better for each item listed. Use your first reaction, because it is usually the truest answer. One sorority should have more check marks and thus you should have your answer.

If this doesn't work, flip a coin. I know people are probably ready to jump out of their seats, but hear me out. If you flip the coin and wish the other sorority had won, you have your answer.

Good luck! Remember sorority is for life and it will have an impact that only an initiated member can truelly understand. I can't stress enough to follow your heart and you will have your heart's desire.

Since it seems to be a toss-up for you and you DON'T have a strong preference one way or another:

This is not going to be a popular answer on GC, but I would go with the one that is stronger as an overall organization for networking purposes, alumnae association involvement, advising involvement at active chapters, etc. You only have 4 years as an active, you have decades as an alumna.

ha ha ha, we MUST be sisters, because I do this ALL the time. :)

Like Fleur de Lis said - go to both pref parties - a lot of times you go into pref confused and come out knowing exactly what your course is.

i'm going to go to both tonight and see what happens. bid day is tomorrow!

princess doesn't seem to have a pref night. While Emerald's invitation is much more formal tonight, Princess invited me over for a "casual ice cream social"--which means i'll just be getting to know the girls better. I think the fact that these two chapters are handling rush so differently is part of what is making it harder for me---because I can't easily compare them.

I really can't thank you guys enough for your advice. I am / have looked into a lot of their national stuff, and I'm going to write a list of what I like of each. So we'll see where this goes tomorrow, I guess.

I'll update later tonight, I should be back around 9 or so. Maybe.


Thank goodness I found GC...I'd probably be going crazy (or crazier than I am) if I hadn't. :eek: