I started at a Big 12 school, then transferred to the smallest Div. I-A university in the U.S. and pledged my 1st choice.

Every year, there would always be a few sorority women who transferred over the summer to a large school where they probably wouldn't have gotten a bid to the house they joined.

Wouldn't say we were a feeder school as the top houses at my university were the same top houses at the large nearby schools. But, instead of 1000+ going thru Rush, there was only about 300.

I do know that at some of the big SEC schools, some chapters won't affiliate transfers from small schools (like, non-Division I-A universities).

Pretty much everyone has gotten hep to this and I don't think it really works anymore.

What's sad is that plenty of girls (and their mothers) still think it will work. I've known a few girls who went to smaller schools in GA with the plan to affiliate at UGA with their dream chapters.

But here's an Actual True Story that's even more bothersome (and I'm sure this happens more than the instance I'm aware of):
Girl goes to SEC U as a freshman
Girl rushes
Girl does not get into ABC Dream Sorority
Girl transfers immediately to Small U that has not started school yet
Girl pledges ABC Dream Sorority at Small U
Girl transfers back to SEC U as a sophomore
Girl is shocked when she is not able to affiliate with ABC Dream Sorority

It just seems like a lot of work to be able to say "I was an ABC." Then again, I wasn't raised by a family in which every living woman was an ABC.

This is what I gather from this thread.

A question: for those who transfer to another school and attempt to affiliate, and are unsuccessful, your greek life COMPLETELY ends? Like, could you wear letters and attend greek parties? Participate in other greek activities? Would you have to spend the remainder of your UG life explaining to people that "youre an XYZ, but not a State U XYZ?"

Does not affiliating = that chapter not acknowledging you at all? If I had a class with an XYZ there, would she shun me because I wasnt given a bid there? I just wonder what the overall consensus is, socially.

In the scenario dgdramadawg described, them not affiliating the woman is kind of exactly what you described in the first paragraph. As far as "Greek parties" it depends what you mean. She most likely wouldn't be allowed to go to closed mixers, and definitely not to date parties, but if NOP fraternity has a general party, she can go to that, the same as anyone else can.

Whether the sisters of the chapter would outright "shun" her is anyone's guess. I would hope not. But if she attempted to get into their group through nefarious means...I wouldn't blame them if they did. That's a 2 part crime. 1) Using a less-popular chapter to get initiated; and 2) trying to put one over on the sisters of the more-popular chapter.

I have posted this story as a cautionary tale elsewhere on GC, so apologies in advance to those for which it is quite repetitive.

I went to a southern school (TCU) with students that just "had" to be in certain sororities for their bloodlines/communities/etc. There were also just those girls who may have been big fish in their small (non-Texan) pond and saw themselves in only the most elite chapters on campus. A girl on my hall freshman year was one of those.

She came from out-of-state, which was not uncommon, but had her sights set on ONLY one chapter out of the 10 that we had. That one chapter traditionally pledged girls from specific Texas towns that came from a very elite social class. While this girl could have easily gotten a bid from any number of chapters on campus, she wanted no part of them. Once her dream chapter cut her (after 2nd round I think?), she dropped out of rush.

So, sophomore year she rushes again. Announces to anyone who will listen that she is rushing to be in that same chapter. This time she is cut after first round. Therefore, she packs up her bags, transfers back home before school even starts, and goes to the small, commuter school in her town. One guess as to the house that she pledges there. Guess who shows back up on campus junior year sporting her letters and wanting to affiliate? But... the chapter not only voted not to affiliate her, they basically shunned her. She also didn't get many (any?) invites to fraternity parties because the girls in that chapter made sure all the boys knew what she had done and that she was not a part of them since she wore letters every freaking day.

While I have no doubt that she joined an alumnae chapter the day after graduation, and probably has had somewhat of a fulfilling life as an alumna, I have to wonder if she thinks that it was worth it. She basically gave up her entire college Greek Life experience to get her prized letters.

But here's my question on a deal like the above.

In certain circles where people feel they HAVE to be an ABC, isn't it not just being an ABC, but being an ABC from YZ chapter? And if it's pretty well known that YZ chapter shunned your wannabe self, how are you going to explain that one?

back home (since it was out of state) she could sport her ABC letters and say she went to TCU and it would be a slim chance that any hometown people would know that she is not a member of the TCU chapter. if it's a sorority that is strong in that region, then she has the prestige of being an ABC, period. it might also be that the hometown folks don't know to be impressed by the TCU chapter.

This is pretty much what happened with the girl in the situation I described. Everyone knew she pledged ABC, so when she transferred back to her big SEC school, everyone back home assumed she'd affiliated. Only people who knew girls in the chapter in question knew the "whole story," and most of those girls were too ladylike to spread the story around back home.

In answer to tld221's question, I know that the girl still wore letters/shirts on campus (a source of frustration to the girls in the chapter, though they couldn't do anything about it). She wasn't invited to closed chapter events, but could attend anything alumni were invited to since she was technically an alum.

Okay, two different questions above. Yes, being an ABC from certain chapters carries more weight than being one from other chapters.

However, with the girl that I mentioned... she was from out of state. I don't know the sorority pecking order (yes, I shudder even typing that, but she is from a state well known for that type of nonsense) for the alumnae chapters there. I also don't know if ABC is well regarded in her area, or if she just was considering the reputation of them at TCU. I will say that ABC at TCU did not routinely bid girls from her hometown, so it wasn't like there was a pipeline of those who came before her that she felt the need to keep up with.

She came from a priviledged background, but just not quite that of the girls in ABC, and again, would not have had in-house support. She was a sweet girl, but her insecurities could be sniffed a mile away. Honestly, she could have fit in numerous chapters on our campus, just not in the only one she thought she was good enough for.

I am sickened by what she went through to sneak in the back door, but also feel bad for her as the whole shunning thing would have only served to exacerabate her insecurities. By junior year I was living in our house and planted in the small bldg where all my classes were so I didn't see much of her. Of course, every time I did, she had her ABC tote bag and letters. But none of ABCs, nor many (any?) of the fraternity guys gave her the time of day.

Finally, as for what her hometown thought- who knows? They had to have known that she went bidless twice and that she pledged in their small commuter hometown school. I don't know where she moved after graduation, but I suspect if it was anywhere but back home she could carefully craft her "I am an ABC. I went to TCU" and just gloss over that oh-so-important year in the middle.

Now my curiosity is up for whatever became of her...

ETA: I confess to just doing a search for her on FB. She is back in her hometown.

I'm still blown by the fact that one would do all this transferring back and forth JUST to become an XYZ. Not that this doesnt EVER happen in NPHC, but I'd imagine youre wasting a lot of time and money. I mean, transferring after rush week? You're gonna move into your residence hall, NOT get a bid to the ABC house, transfer to another school to try getting a bid, THEN transfer back? All in a year or less?

The fact that people (PNMs, parents/families, chapters) have this kind of money and time for this crap is nuts. I won't say anymore than that, aside from some people legitimately transfer schools for reasons independent of the choice they made in being greek.

Again, really blown by the lengths some will go for letters from a specific chapter.

I just talked to a friend of mine about a little different situation and wonder what your opinions are.
Friend called me because one of her friends grand daughters is coming to LSU from California. She has been helping find her recs and just wanted some up to date advise about LSU as her daughter has been out of school for awhile.
While we were talking she mentioned that none of the sororities at LSU were real big in Calf. ( don't really think that is true) Anyway I said that if the girl thinks that there is any chance that she might not stay at LSU she might want to think about what chapters are at the schools she would transfer back to.
Not to choose a chapter for that reason but if all things are equal and she likes any chapters that she is invited back tp maybe she ought to use that info to choose.
I know she would not be guaranteed to affiliate but her chances would be better than nothing. Was that bad advice???

She might want to use it as one of the myriad reasons for choosing a chapter, but not to the point where, she chooses ABC over XYZ just because ABC has tons of chapters in Cali, even if she likes the XYZ girls more.

That is why I said if alll things are equal. I wouldn't want her to join a chapter she didn't like just for that reason but I thought it would be something to think about if she was having trouble choosing.

you weren't off base. she is going to be far from home and in a different cultural environment, so it may be that she does feel homesick, not adjust well and decides to transfer to a school back in california. as 33 said, it could be one of the many tools she uses to help her narrow her choices.