Rushing as a Junior
 

I'm trying to figure out if I should rush in the fall. I attend a competitive SEC school, and i will be a junior during the fall. I went through rush as a sophomore but ended up dropping the house due to personal reasons. Will houses instantly drop me because i am a junior? and is there any advice i should hear before making my decision.

A competetive SEC school will normally take a lot of freshmen and sprinkle in a few sophomores. I'm sorry you dropped the house for personal reasons- unfortunately, they will just know that you dropped once you were given a bid. They won't know if you dropped because you didn't like the sorority you were matched with or if you were sick or any other reason. It is somewhat hard to get a bid after your freshman year... I don't think you would have a good chance, but maybe it depends on your personal circumstances. You didn't give a lot of info, so I would only think "probably not".

Were you actually pledging for a while and then dropped? That was the impression I got from your post. If that's the case, I think you should just skip rushing again and get involved in other things on campus.

ok, thats what i was expecting to hear but not what i wanted to hear. I know i wont have a good chance but i've always wanted to be in a sorority, and i still can't figure out why i didn't do it my freshman year. i know its late to do as a junior but i don't want to graduate from college and regret that i never did it.

i was in a sorority for a couple of weeks when i dropped it. it was a combination of financial and personal reasons, that i decided that i should drop.

what are sororities looking for during rush? is there anything i can do as a junior that will make me stick out even among all the freshmen and sophomores?

There are threads on this- even if you have a great GPA and recs out the wazoo, so do freshmen and sophomores. It's hard enough for them to stand out among their peers. If you've "always wanted to be in a sorority" but then dropped for partly personal reasons, then maybe you don't actually really want to be in a sorority. Find another group on campus to join and to participate in, and maybe that will give you whatever you think is lacking in your college life. Whatever that is.

Definitely take a look around greekchat for threads on this (although make sure you're looking at threads relating to rushing as an upperclassman at an SEC school because that is a different ballgame than rushing as an upperclassman elsewhere). You may also want to look at threads related to going through recruitment a second time, because the fact that you dropped out of one sorority's new member program also adds a hurdle for you. A lot of good advice has been given in the past and it may help you out, too.

Are you involved in other activities on campus/in your community? As 33girl said, that may be a better route to take.

so, going through rush at UF as a junior probably isn't the best idea?

depends on if you are willing to join any sorority, or just certain sororities, in addition to gpa, activities, and how well you sell yourself. do you have friends in sororities on campus?

No one can tell you if it's the "best idea," but realize that it will be difficult. UF is a competitive campus and even if you have stellar grades, are involved in a ton of activities, keep an open mind, have friends in sororities, and secure great recommendations...a lot of other PNMs probably will, too, and there just are no guarantees. Again, there are a ton of threads on UF recruitment that may be able to answer some of your questions, as well as UF alumnae on these boards who may have more insight.

If you feel like you'll have major regrets about not re-rushing, then you could always give it a chance. Just be prepared for the possibility of not receiving a bid. I don't mean to sound like a Debbie Downer, just hoping to give you some feedback based on things I've gathered from both GC and friends who were in sororities at UF.

A fraternity or sorority thrives on new members. Junior, senior, super senior, or whatever you are, groups should happily accept you. In the phire it up rush manuel it even encourages us to take these kinds of people. If anything, your pledge class will welcome an Upper classman in their group. I was 21 when I became a Delt and a junior and my life experience among my younger pledge brothers was welcome. I was elected into exec right away because of my life experience and even plan to continue working closely with my brothers right up until I graduate law school. It should not be a problem. Dues and active involvement are valid, no matter what your age is.

I don't think you understand the OP's scenario. It is not like this and whatever you just said does not apply to her situation.

This is TOTES not the case for Sorority Recruitment, ESPECIALLY sorority recruitment at a competitive SEC school.

Every chapter on campus will have thousands of women to choose from and a very, very limited number of spots. Why would they fill a spot with someone who will only be there for two years when they can fill it with someone who will be around for four?

Sorority Recruitment, at an SEC school, is not the same as fraternity rush at any type of school. While upperclassmen "should" be accepted (which is debatable anyway), they are not always accepted. In fact, they are not mostly accepted, either, just sometimes.

EDIT: I obviously should not have taken the time to use italics, as I was beat not once but twice! :p

i know my odds aren't good but as of now i'm pretty sure i'm gonna rush. id rather get dropped from houses than not try at all and regret it later. thanks everyone!

What has changed? Is your financial situation better? Did the circumstances surrounding your "personal reasons" improve? You need to evaluate what is different this time.

I don't want to make assumptions, but when someone is vague as you were about their reasons for depledging, my first thought is, "I wasn't connecting with anyone and I didn't feel like it was worth my dues." Is that the case?

yeah, i suppose that is exactly the reason. I didn't feel like i fit in with the group of girls, so i didn't want to pay thousands of dollars to be in an organization that I thought wasn't for me. Actually, I didn't want my parents to have to pay for it, if I decide to go through rush again and pledge a sorority I told my parents that I would pay for myself. I think thats one of the main reasons why i decided not to do it this year-I didn't want my parents to pay for something they knew I didn't completely love.
I know going into rush as a junior will put me at a disadvantage, but i met a few juniors last year during rush that did get into houses. And honestly I have an open mind going into it. There is not a particular house that i'm looking at, they are all different and all respectable in their own ways. I just want to give it another chance because I don't want to regret not doing it. I'll get recs, stay involved, keep my grades up, dress classy, stay optimistic and hope that one sorority will realize that i will make a great sister. :)

Tell us about your new member period before you depledged. How long did you stick it out until you depledged? How often did you go to events? How often did you hang out with your pledge class? How often did you hang out with older sisters? How often did you go to the house just to go? Were you putting in the effort to make connections?

I was pledging for about two weeks. I went to lunches and dinner at the house, and the new member meetings. There was only one event during that period and i was unable to attend it. I know I was making an effort to get to know the girls, but in the end I just wasn't clicking with anyone, and it felt like a chore to go to the house. I don't regret my decision of dropping the house, I have found other things to be involved in but in the back of my mind I always think about being in a sorority.
I guess I should admit that I think I made a wrong decision during the prefs round. I think i would have been happier in one of the others but i ranked them on the reputations i had heard. I know that was a huge mistake on my part.

Giving an organization 2 weeks is hardly "making an effort" like you say. It almost sounds like you decided to depledge, not because you didn't feel a "connection" with these women but, because you thought you may have been "too good" for these women. :rolleyes:

Every NPC at Florida is incredible and if you check out each chapter's website, you will see that they all strive for the same thing-SISTERHOOD. I don't feel bad for your decision making and I don't think someone who believes she is "above" certain chapters really deserves a second chance at an SEC school when she is a Junior. Normally I would say "good luck" and that I hope you find a home at any of the incredible chapters at Florida. This time-not so much.

She admitted she effed up. That's more than a lot of people do on here. Ease up a bit :) . The way I read it, she DID pledge an "upper tier" house but was unhappy and wished she would have overlooked the tent talk and joined the lower tier house.

abcd89, if that is the case, and you do rush again, be aware that some of the women in the chapter you didn't rank as highly as you should won't exactly be sympathetic. We had a similar situation with a girl we loved who totally shafted us for the "top" chapter, and when we heard years later that she was unhappy, the general attitude was "oh, boo hoo for her" (heavy on the sarcasm).

You screwed up, you admitted it, now move on.

i did not think i was above the girls in the chapter. i know several girls in the house and they are all amazing, but for me personally i didn't think it was the right fit.
i only posted on here to get advice for going through rush again, not to have everyone point the finger at me. yes, maybe i did make a huge mistake last year of not giving it more time. yes, i know alot of houses may not want me. but i'll never find out for sure if i dont give it another chance. Luckily i'm still optimistic, i know the odds are completely against me but im looking forward to rushing again. have a nice day everyone! =)

Your reasons for dropping DO affect your chances next fall. It would be one thing to drop for "personal reasons" such as health, a death in your immediate family, etc. In fact, in those kinds of situations, it wouldn't be unheard of to re-pledge in the same chapter. Chapters do communicate with each other and new members who drop do get talked about among chapters. I don't think anybody is calling you out to be mean. They are trying to give you a realistic portrayal. You will need to be ready to answer the question "Why did you drop XYZ just two weeks into your new member period?" if you go through recruitment again.

I realize you're not hearing the answer you want to hear from us, but we're being realistic with you. While getting a bid isn't impossible, it's still pretty unlikely given the circumstances.

thanks everyone for posting on here! i have plenty of time before rush, so i have time to analyze what i want to do with the rest of my time in college. Even with such a large greek presence on campus, the sororities really talk about that one girl that dropped their house? but actually i know several girls that have dropped different houses, are we written in a book somewhere to never offer us a bid?

Difference is, she didn't just get a bid and turn it down. She was in the middle of pledging.

thanks KSUviolet, i had put it in my past and had moved on. theres nothing i can do to change my past, i was just hoping to turn over a new leaf and join a sorority and add something extra to my college experience.

Honestly? I really resonate with your philosophy that you don't want to regret not going through rush. Yes, given your background story and school year it will be extremely difficult, but I say go for it. If you can handle the rejection and know that it is because you are a junior, see how it pans out. You will be released from the majority (if not all) sororities, but you are completely right...you don't want to sit around for the rest of your life and wonder "what if". Just know what you are up against, but definitely go for it.

OP- You have been given some honest- though maybe hard to hear- feedback here. While there is definite truth to what everyone has told you, I have to admit that I fall a little bit on the side with Anna. Whether it is how well your posts are written (compared to the garbade that we regularly get), your apparant ability to self-evaluate and recognize past mistakes, or just what seems to be a true desire to be a part of Greek Life, I for one would not cast you away too fast.

That being said, your ability to articulate your thoughts as well as your ability to honestly look at yourself and admit when you were wrong is what makes me sympathize with you a little bit and truly would want to make me learn more about you. At first I had little interest in your story, as we have seen/heard others just like it a thousand times. However, you seem slightly different. That is what intriqued me.

Recognize that the chapters will have also seen/heard similar stories (freshman/sophomore dropping out without giving a chapter a true chance, since 2 weeks doesn't come near counting as a chance...), but if somehow you can impress upon them that you truly regret the decision, continue to own up to your own mistake, and give concrete ways that you really want to be involved in a chapter, then MAYBE that too will catch someone's ear and they will want to invite you back to hear more.

Key word here, maybe.

I like your attitude, your honesty, and your ability to come back here and take your lumps. KSU always asks "what has changed?" since the last time one rushed, and maybe for you it is maturity. You certainly are much more mature than the typical poster who just wants us to tell them what they want to hear.

Best of luck to you. Please come back and let us know how things work out for you.

UF recruitment is huge, as are the chapters. The probability that every chapter at UF will even remember PNMs that are going thru recruitment a 2nd time is slim. Remembering that they pledged somewhere will be even slimmer.

The sororities are so busy during recruitment that they don't have much time to talk to other sororities on campus, and they may even be told not to talk about recruitment with other sororities.

ABCD89, go for it. Your choices will most likely be much less than last year, but you never know. Good luck to you.

I don't think it's a matter of "everyone remembering her." In my experience, these things usually happen in two ways:

1. You have to go to the house you depledged from during first round. Obviously they aren't going to forget you, especially your pledge sisters. It will be a topic of conversation for them "OMG did you see Patti PNM is rushing AGAIN?!" Eventually they tell friends in other houses, they tell others etc. etc. Pretty soon lots of people know. Yes, even during a super big competitive recruitment, girls do manage to talk to people other than their own sisters.

2. During a party, a member will straight up ask you why, as a junior, you're rushing, if you've rushed before blah blah blah. You're going to need to have an answer for this.

Absolutely. Do not lie. Have a positive way to spin the truth.

Yep, that's exactly the scenario I was thinking. It takes about 5 seconds for someone to tweet and have it around campus...

I just used the word tweet as a verb. Barf.

Thank you so much for the information! :)