informal recruitment
 

Hii i received a bid from a sorority I didn't fit in January, and i would like to go through informal recruitment in September. I refused my bid, but i don't know if i can go through informal recruitment... is there anything i can do? i will be a junior next year and there is no reason to go through recruitment for a year and a half, that's why i'm asking

Thanks

Clarification on the bolded:

Did you write down the name of the "non-fitting" sorority on your bid card at the end of formal rush?

Or was the "non-fitting" sorority one you didn't put down, and one who came to you with an open bid? You looked at the bid, said "no thank you" and didn't sign anything or go to any bid day events?

If it's the first you may not rush again until next January. If it's the second you can go through in September.

they made us do it electronically we had to put what we wanted on the left and what we didn't on the right, and then rank our choices.... the girl who was helping me told me that i was sure to get my first choice so i put both on the left even tho i didn't want my second one.. when i got a bid i refused it right away, i didn't even go to any of the events after so idk

Well if you ranked this sorority on the left, and they extended you a bid, then you are ineligible to participate in any recruitment function until January of 2011. Thus, you are not eligible for informal in September.

is there a way to get out of it???

No

You cannot get out of it. You can, however, report the girl who told you you were "sure" to get a bid to the Greek life office.

I find it unfortunate that the OP is going to be an upperclassman and she is not willing to give this other sorority a chance. By the time she is able rush, again, she may be a Senior. She may have already blown her chances of ever being Greek, depending on where she attends school.

Once again, what is with all this entitlement? We can sit around and say, "I was told this" or "they said that" but, (like in the military when people complain that their Recruiter lied to them, or in college when people complain that they didn't graduate on time because their Academic Advisor lied to them) in all actuality, the OP is (presumably) an adult.

I don't feel bad for anyone who doesn't have the sense to ask the right questions BEFORE signing a bid card (other than her Rho Chi/ Pi Chi/ whatever she calls it) or actually sitting down and READING the information given to the PNMs. I can't imagine this is information that all these sorority women and the Greek Life Advisor choose to hide.

That chapter that you were ABOVE may have been an incredible group of women that you chose not to join. If you didn't match up with "Miss Popular House USA" this semester during formal, what makes you think that you will have a better chance as an upperclassman?

Why don't you take a chance on the ones who took a chance on you? All NPCs have SOMETHING to offer. You chose to ignore that.

in her defense, you can ask the question, but if the person you are asking doesn't quite understand what really is the truth, then they might give out bogus information unknowingly.

when my daughter was going thru recruitment, i had instructed her that while i hoped that she wouldn't suicide a sorority, the computer would not kick out her bid card if she did(something that pnms seem to be repeatedly told will happen). sure enough, her rho gamma told her recruitment group that if they suicided, their bid card would be rejected. i can easily see the scenario happening as the op described. everyone is not so lucky as to have someone in the know to ask. it doesn't change the outcome for the op, but i can see that she could have been misinformed.

I feel bad that asking the Greek life office directly wasn't seen as the most direct way to get information, and that strangers on the internet was her first choice. Really, talk to your school, give them the details, and go from there.

Absolutely. I hate that this happens, but that doesn't mean the rules should be bent. When I was a Rho Gamma, our training over-emphasized dealing with upset PNMs and taught next to nothing about policies and rules. We were instructed to ask a member of the recruitment team, but the problem is that Rho Gammas THINK they know things they really don't.

I have to say that I agree with this statement. I can't imagine going on Greekchat to ask a question about my situation over going directly to the Greek Life Advisor. It reminds me of how people on here would get irritated with having to "spoon-feed" people information. Don't get me wrong, GC is a great tool to have in your corner but, why aren't women looking at policies before making such a commitment.

Once again, I think it goes back to the fact that (regardless of your Rho Chi/ Gamma, whatever) these women (and I say women because these are adults and not children) need to take responsibility before pointing the finger at their Recruitment Counselors and blaming them. If you don't take the time to read up on something that is so important to you, then maybe it is not something you should get.

Even as someone who didn't really have much Greek in my family (except my uncle who is a Sigma Chi from my University), I knew that once I went into the process and accepted a bid-I couldn't just drop it and pledge elsewhere. I knew that I couldn't decide mid-way through pleding (my Phi process) that if I didn't like the girls or the pledging process, I could just leave and go somewhere else. If you don't have enough sense to care about this stuff prior to getting involved, maybe going Greek isn't for you. I think the OP shot herself in the foot when it comes to recruitment and finding a sorority that fits her.

It is pretty frustrating when PNM's just don't listen...I was on the Recruitment Team twice and we made it a point to drill into their heads from the beginning of the week that if they listed those sororites and signed a bid card on pref night they were stuck. And always, some would still act surprised when they got their second choice and wanted to COB their first. We also made sure to explain very clearly that nothing is guaranteed and thinking they're a shoe-in doesn't matter, and a sorority member can't promise a bid because not only is it against the rules, but she can't KNOW a PNM will make the list.

On the other hand with a Recruitment Leader that is telling a PNM she's "sure to get the first choice" who knows if they were given accurate information. PNM's should NEVER be told that.

My chapter took seniors occasionally, but they were always women that knew many members for a few years and were around the chapter frequently (they often were women who lived on our hall as independents or lived on the floor under us and were therefore around a lot). And they all had superb grades. The attitude was that unless the girl was so amazing we couldn't let her go, it wasn't worth the paper work to pledge a woman who would only be a collegian for two semesters.

To the OP, it's probably unlikely that you'll get a bid now, but once the calendar year is up, if you have the time and want to attempt to COB, go for it. Spend your time prior getting to know sorority women on campus, and be open minded. If it's really important to you to be Greek you'll have to remember beggars can't be choosers. If you've known a certain group for a long time now and can only see yourself there, but understanding if they do not extend you a bid. It's not common to give a senior a bid, since they will only be active for a year.

And just let this be a lesson learned. Always read the fine print and be proactive about asking questions. Trust what's written instead of what someone tells you-if there's any question later you can go back and justify your actions. You won't be able to get out of the one calendar year hold just because the RT member said what she did...it isn't fair, but it's life.

As with many things, the caliber of Greek life advisors/offices varies drastically from campus to campus. If the GLA hasn't made his/her face seen at any other time during rush, I doubt they would be my first choice to go to either.

thank you so much guys.. i will be a junior next year, and we recruit only in the spring.. what the girl actually told me was that i was going to get my first choice, but i should put my second one just for safety... what it turned out was that the computer tries to fill up each sorority with a certain quota regardless to the new memeber choice.. so for example i put x sorority first and y second, and say both put me 1st, since y sorority has less people i would be placed there.. which sucks...

also i have no idea who the adviser is...or who to ask on campus (we are a big school)

Go to your school's website and search under "greek advisor" or "greek life advisor." This is the person you should inform.

And KSUviolet is right...say each sorority could take 10 people, you were #20 in the order of people that your first choice liked and #3 in the order of people that your second choice liked. Unless 10 people who are ahead of you don't want your first choice, you're going to get your second choice.

both ksuviolet and 33girl have it right. you were not high enough on your first choice's list to receive a bid from them.