Exactly :)

I think you make a really good point here. It's not only the conversations PNMs have with sisters that matter, but they manner in which the sisters interact with each other! Good advice for PNMs AND actives alike.

Also, I only caught your post after your edit.... so the cat remains in the proverbial bag for me (although I do think I know the school. Of course I won't say).

Even though I got invited to all of the invite only parties by Hoobastank I never recieved anything telling me if I did or did not get a bid so my assumption is that I didn't get a bid; which kind of sucks..

Informal in the fall is supposed to be really laid back and all but it was still stressful (at least for me). I mention that because apparently formal rush is way more hectic and stessful...I haven't made up my mind as to whether or not I"ll rush again in the spring.. i mean if I wasn't able to grab a bid with no more than 300(not an exact number just a guesstimate since mostly sophmores and juniors do it in the fall) girls I'm pretty sure I won't do too well in the spring when hundreds of freshman are eligible for rush along with upperclassmen who like me weren't successful in the fall. But like I said I have no idea whether or not I'm going to rush (right now I'm saying I won't because I'm a little bummed) but most likely I will because I don't want to wonder "what if"...either way if I do decide to do formal I don't think I"ll share my story on GC.

Well, good luck with whatever you decide. I don't know your school, or could tell what you "let out of the bag."
One thing that I think would be a definite benefit of Formal Recruitment would be that you would visit ALL the organizations. As folks here will tell you, be prepared for tougher cuts as an upperclassman, etc. And still keep an open mind, since like you said, at any house, you might click more with different sisters than ones you had this (informal) time around.
So I'm sorry it didn't work out as you'd hoped. Good luck with whatever you decide. I personally joined via partially structured/informal recruitment, and there are times when I wish I'd gotten to experience the huge production that is Formal Recruitment as a PNM.

Ok, Im pretty sure I DEFINITELY know where you go to school, so I think I can answer your questions for you.

Informal recruitment is TOUGH. The chapters can ONLY take as many members as they need to fill total. From my understanding, many if not MOST of the chapters at this school are VERY close, so competition is pretty fierce in the fall. In the spring, there will be more spots open per chapter. They base the number of women a chapter can take during formal on the number of potential new members going through As far as being an upperclassmen, if you're only a sophomore, it shouldnt hurt you too much. Not saying that it wont hurt you at all, but sophomores have successful recruitments at this school all the time. I would also say, you probably have a better shot in the spring because at least then you will be able to see ALL the chapters. There are at least HALF that you havent even seen yet, who knows one of the ones you didnt get to see might be a perfect fit!

If you really want the greek experience, I say go for it in the spring.

^^^thanks...

i did alot of thinking about whether or not I'm going to go for it in the spring and I think I will since I don't have anything to lose. Luckily, since the semester just began I can use this time to try to get more involved on campus and to make sure my grades are in good standing(they already are but theres always room for improvement in that department). ZetaGril I think you're soo right when you say I'd probably have a better shot because I would be able to see ALL the chapters...even if I'm unsuccessful in the spring I'd feel better at least knowing that I explored all my options. So that puts me back at square one, which is being excited for recruitment to start in the spring.. lol

Good for you! I'm glad you're giving it another try!

Let us know how it goes!

Well then make sure you let us know how it goes in the spring :)

^^I will.. but since my school is no longer a secret to most I will be sure to wait until after it's over to post anything

Yay I'm excited for you to go through in the Spring! Think about it this way, many of the chapters you liked could have liked you back but maybe they only had 3 spots open and there were 10 women that had been on the chapter's radar for months. You never know. You'll get to see more chapters and maybe even have another shot at the chapters you visited since quota will certainly be higher than the spots open for informal.