Don't bash me because I'm a newbie..
 

You should be focusing on graduating high school, but you seem to have a good head on your shoulders (since you actually READ the threads lol).

Check this link out: http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...ad.php?t=54403

I'm sure some NPC-ers will pop in to give you some more advice.

Good luck.

Focus on school first. You have years before you have to even consider going Greek, but you need to do well enough in HS to get into a school of your choice. So don't even worry about rushing yet at all, not like it would do you any good at all.

Use your last two years to polish your resume- community service, leadership positions, etc.

Put out your feelers now for those who could write you recs for each group. Ask teachers, those at your church, friend's mothers. This will make the summer before your entrance into college easier.

However, focus on getting into school first. Sorority comes later.

Also you might change your mind about going Greek in between now and going to school. People can change quite a bit in two years.

Your question is very broad and probably won't be answered with any great detail.

Take the advice that's been given to you, and take some breaks from all of that schoolwork and community service you'll be doing to read posts here. I've been a member of Greekchat for about a year now, and I now know a whole lot of information about the Greek system that I never learned in the 5 years since I first became a part of it. If you just read, use the search function, and learn, I'm sure you'll be well-informed come two years from now when you start recruitment.

Good luck :)

All very good advice! Just don't get too caught up in getting into a sorority that you mess up in school:)

QFP.

Honestly, this isn't a particularly endearing approach when you're asking people for help and advice. Newbies don't get bashed unless they're rude or incessantly stupid. I don't think your questions are stupid, but I do think your approach is quite rude. You may want to rethink your tone and approach because you'll get more helpful answers.

what she said. plus, keep your grades up.

Ditto grades. Too many times I have had to tell lovely young women (including family members) that they are at grade risk. The minimum grade to participate in recruitment is far lower than the minimum grades sought by many of our chapters.

Glad I read ahead.

Yet another "OMG, meanies, I really need help" thread.

My 2 cents for an upcoming PNM for a large competitive SEC Recruitment:

GPA - The higher the better. If you are worried about any Chapter or Panhellenic minimum, it is probably not good enough. Find out the Panhellenic average for that campus (often on their website) and strive to surpass that.

Extracurricular Activities - Many and diverse. If for example you are a superstar volleyball player and volleyball is the only thing you have done during HS, this may pose a problem. Many Chapters are looking for multi-faceted members. Also remember that while everyone in your HS/town may know what the ABC club is, the Chapters may not have a clue. Briefely explain what this is on your resume.

Leadership - Not everyone can be the HS SGA Pres, but there are tons of ways to demonstrate leadership. Almost every club/org has committees. Also, if it's not something obvious (like Treasurer) explain what your responsibilities were and how you showed leadership.

Community Service/Volunteering - Again, many and diverse. It should show a commitment to helping others.

Network - Look for alums now who may be willing to write Recs. Also, as an upcoming HS Junior neither you nor Chapter members are bound by Panhellenic "No Contact" rules. Do you know any active Greeks or did anyone recently graduate from your HS go Greek? Regardless of which University or GLO, reach out to them because they've got friends. I've often heard comments like "My boyfriend's sister knows this PNM and says she's really great!"

My advice? Read my signature.

I do mean this in this nicest way possible: No one will care what is on your resume if you can't spell basic words.

I'm being nosey (since this is obviously not my lane), but her post didn't come off as rude to me. Are you commenting on the fact that she asked not to be bashed?

I didn't get that feeling while reading it. I got "I'm not like other newbies. I actually read, but I still would like some additional advice."

Oh well. Not that big of a deal, I guess.

I got the same impression...

I just wish the thread title had been different. No big deal, though.

Love how it's the guys saying how they don't think it comes across rude/snooty.

What's with the influx of testosterone in the sorority recruitment forum? Usually you guys stay far away.

Entertainment value?

Just asking, because I wasn't seeing what you all were seeing. Usually I can tell when PNMs are being rude, but I didn't get that impression this time.

This is your forum, though, so I'll politely drive back into my lane :)

Well, I lack a Y chromosome, but I didn't find it snooty. Perhaps an attempt at humor that didn't quite come off?

Your two biggest pet peeves in one sentence!

Ditto to what everyone else has said. You are a rising junior. You have 2 years to get the best grades you can and to participate in activities and service. So, even if your grades and involvement aren't so great now, you have time for improvement, because only half of your high school career is over.

Also, you'll want to have recommenders lined up to write you recs in the spring of your senior year, so make a list or a notecard for each of the 26 NPCs and note when you meet someone/discover someone in each (and contact information--phone number, address, email).

Oookay, I'm NOT trying to come off as rude at all! That was never my intention. Just trying to say I'm hoping not to come across as a newbie that you all mock. From my general browsing of the GC forums on advice, many spiral off into other topics of conversation. I'm sorry that I don't have all day to devote to devouring GC threads.

By the way, the thread title was sort of a way just to make it seem appealing. My assumption was that most of you would not give a second look to newbie threads.

Ps: Thank you, Knight_Shadow, for saying that my post didn't come across as snobby.

:)

But you didn't need to rush into it either. Pretty much everything you asked can be found in other threads, and you have a lot of time before recruitment so you have time to read them. There are people who don't post for months when they first join as they try to read everything.

Now to bring my Y chromosome out of here.

Do you just read posts in hopes of finding the ones that you can answer in a rude manner? You are not a credit to KD at all.

QFP, just in case.

The OP may have started on a questionable path, but now it's guaranteed to head downhill due to another newbie. :rolleyes:

What's interesting is that she's read enough to know that sometimes newbies get jumped on, but didn't pay attention to WHY. She's read posts, but still wants general advice. General questions get general answers.

FINALLY!!! Can I just say that I LOVE your signature! I just had this discussion with another co-worker the other day.

So THERE GC meanies!

So THERE GC meanies!

Ahh, I seriously didn't mean for this to turn into some sort of drama.. Thank you to all of those who think I didn't come across as snooty, and for those of you who do.. Whatever :)

also, thanks for your insight, violetpretty.

I'm not asking for your advice that is already out there on the rush process. But what is your advice for things for me to do in advance to prepare myself for this process? Not when I'm in the process of rushing.

Probably should have clarified.

Then it's a good thing your recruitment isn't tomorrow - you have TWO YEARS, start reading!

Ok.

This is when newbies need to stop while they have gotten good advice from some and move on.

I agree that the OP's original post came of as slightly snooty, and here's why:

A sweeping generaliztion - many people don't appreciate those.

A defensive assumption of GCers - again, not much appreciated.


While I don't see this as snooty, I don't agree with this. You should care. Why would you want to take advice from people not in a sorority? The women who are in sororities are the ones who will be able to guide you best.

I don't mean my post to come off sounding harsh, so I hope that hasn't happened (it's so hard on the internet), I just wanted to clarify something that I didn't feel had been yet.

With that - the advice you've been given is good. Make sure you have excellent grades, a diverse and plentiful amount of community service and involvement, and get those recs lined up in time. Good luck to you.

I can guarantee you that 90% of greekchat members have lives outside of the forum. Probably more, actually. You need to remember that we're all members of fraternities/sororties/greek organizations, which implies that we tend to be involved in things.

You are not unique in "having a life."

Lovepinkxo-I want you to know that when I saw your name, as a Phi Mu, I didn't think you were interested in Phi Mu as much as I thought you might be looking at Chi Omega. Your name gives off the impression that you are hoping to join them. Maybe you were trying to say "XO" as in "hugs and kisses" but, that is how it comes off on this board. I'm pretty surprised no one else said anything about it...maybe I'm just being picky.

As far as your comment about having a life-it DID come off as telling people on this board that you think we have NO LIFE because we choose to write back to people on the forum. I hope that is not what you meant but, in order to not feel as though you are getting eaten alive on the board, please consider what you are saying and the way in which you say it.

As stated earlier, being involved in various clubs and organizations will help you during recruitment. Knowing a girl was willing to get involved really spoke to me about her character. Keeping your grades up is very helpful and should also be your #1 priority.

Don't be THAT GIRL who writes hateful or stupid messages on her Facebook or MySpace page, thinking no one will pick up on it. Don't make a "name" for yourself in high school or while at college because it CAN and it WILL follow you. Keep an open mind.

Good Luck!

As Miss Manners would say, "Gentle Reader...." (or...uh..."Gentle Writer", I guess). I believe you mean to say "you're", not "your".

This is a new book that is soon to be relased from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Judge-You-When...1896277&sr=8-1

Hmm, this newbie seems a little "batty"...:rolleyes:

OP - I'm going to ditto the advice that everyone has given here: make sure you get your GPA as high as you can over the next couple of years, be active in a diverse number of extracurricular activities, and definitely make sure you network so you can secure recommendations. Start with your teachers at school, friends of your parents, members of your place of worship - the list goes on.

Also, please be aware that the tone of your initial post was rather off-putting, especially to seasoned posters. Imagine if you had said something like this to an active during recruitment - chances are, the active would not have found it amusing. Politeness gets you far in this world...

Regardless, I wish you success when the time comes for you to participate in recruitment.