Standing out as a Sophomore
 

This year, I'll be a sophomore, and I have decided to rush, and am thoroughly invested in becoming Greek.
What I'm concerned with is how to stand out as a "must-have" compared to the 1,100+ freshman that will be rushing.
I have a fairly high GPA, and am an Animal Science major. I am part of the pre-vet club, and will be joining another club associated with my major this year as well.
Other than the obvious- being polite, outgoing, interested, etc.- do you have any suggestions that would help me stand out during recruitment?
Thanks!

edited as suggested :)

How do you get accepted into vet school with only your freshman year behind you and less than a 4.0? I'm under the impression that vet school is harder to get accepted to than medical school.

Early acceptance, maybe???

Here's how. Though it appears that technically, she hasn't been accepted to vet school; she's been accepted into an undergraduate program that in turn, upon completion of undergraduate requirements, guarantees admission to the vet school.

Should I mention to the OP that she's already said enough that just about any sorority member from Mizzou reading this thread will be able to tell exactly who she is come recruitment time, so discretion is key?

ETA: After MC, cause he's faster. My pre-med scholar program was similar (although we really were accepted our sophomore year if we stuck with it. I didn't)

For the OP, I recommend thinking about and being able to articulate why you want to join a sorority and why you didn't your freshman year.

Thanks for the discretion reminder; it's easy to forget that anyone can read these.

But that's all I intended to say. I just wanted my basic academic information available so anyone offering recruitment advice would have something on which to base it.

Have you secured at least one recommendation for each sorority? Although Mizzou may not be in the SEC/South it still has a very competitive Rush. I have close friends in Theta, Kappa, ADII, DDD, and G Phi and they all said recs definitely help you get through the first round. Going in as a sophomore I think this would be crucial for you!

My husband, totally not Greek (and who went through daughter's recruitment clueless) said that one thing that made D stand out was her ability to talk instantiously about anything. She works with the public at a local store and has to make an instant, positive impression. Think sound bytes (reality TV). Know what is going on at school/sports/television/popular culture and be able to articulate about the subject in one/two sentences.

Cute clothes help, as does the usual grooming stuff.

And smile.

I think your academic accomplishments are great and will definitely be a plus for you but you should edit this because it will be too easy for actives to figure out who you are!

Also, I have seen some odd numbers as far as quotas are concerned. Such as, a sorority having a quota of 70, but taking 71 new members.
Do the quotas count for all new members, or only freshman? How can they take more than their quota?
(Sorry, I'm very new to the Greek system, if it isn't obvious.)

run a search. It's rather complicated but it has been explained in detail before. quota additions would be a good thing to look for.

See this thread:

http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...uota+additions

Be warned, it is a little complicated (as in there are many sorority members themselves who don't understand the concepts entirely).

I'll try to explain succinctly. If a PNM maximizes her choices throughout recruitment and ranks all of her choices after preference round, at some schools, Panhellenic will guarantee that she will be matched to one of those chapters. Panhellenics allow chapters to take a little more than actual quota in these cases because a woman who "played by the rules" not being placed is worse than new member classes not being EXACTLY the same size. If These extra new members are quota additions. No one will know who the quota additions in the new member class are.

ETA: Some schools have a separate quota for freshmen and non-freshmen, but most have quota as all classes together.

So she hasn't been accepted to vet school and her statement was hyperbole.

It's important for a pnm to stick to the facts in recruitment and not exaggerate her accomplishments.

She very well may be stating the truth. These program used to be very common in Medical schools (called 6 year programs.) Because it states that admission is guaranteed once you are admitted to the undergraduate program, as long as you complete that program, she technically has been accepted to vet school. Since she has a 3.8 GPA, she'll likely finish her undergraduate work and go on to the vet school program.

For med schools that accepted students directly out of HS, they did two years of college and went directly to medical school regardless of their collegiate performance. These programs were eventually phased out because students were not felt to be mature enough to treat patients after just 6 years of school.

I guess I should say that I have guaranteed admission into vet school; that would be more accurate.

But other than finding recommendations (which I am currently working heartily on), do you all have any other advice on how to be more appealing to sororities as an older student?

Interesting. LSU stopped with my class. I know a lot of other schools did too. My husband started med school at 17 without that program and knowing him, I'd say maturity levels vary widely. There must have been some bad experiences along the way to warrant shutting down the programs.

She edited, but her previous post has been quoted numerous times and the details (school, program) have been discussed enough that editing doesn't do much unless we all go back and edit posts.

Elle, much respect, but what the eff is instantiously? :p

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think she types from her phone a lot.

OP, while it's true you are direct-admit to the vet school, you probably don't want to mention that unless you are speaking with someone who has a similar major or is in a similar situation.

I'm guessing you had to take a lot of Ag classes last year—are you friends with any sorority girls from your dorm or high school? Make sure they know NOW that you'll be rushing. Aside from recommendations and GPA (which will mostly just help you with the first round or so of cuts), knowing girls will help you the most. Just don't take it personally if you know several girls in a house you are released from—there hasn't been an upperclass/sophomore quota for the past few years, and as far as I know there won't be this year.

Get your recommendations in order, especially if you are coming from out-of-state.

In the past few years (I'm alumna now, but I've been on all three sides of recruitment at Mizzou—pnm, active, and alum) EVERY house has taken a sophomore. True, some take more than others, but you just have to be even more outstanding compared to the others.

You may be asked why you didn't rush your freshman year. You may be asked if you would be willing to live in the house as a junior or senior (keep in mind most chapters at Mizzou have a 1-2 year live-in requirement, and there may not be room for you to move in right away).

Be wary of Mizzou lurkers on this board. They typically don't post, but are out in full force.

Feel free to PM me if you have any more specific questions.

PMing strangers on the internet for help in finding local alumnae is not "working heartily" (particularly without any prior interactions with said stranger, and without giving any indication that you put forth effort on your own to find alumnae)

Valid. OP, just read the board. Everything you need to know has been posted many, many, MANY times. Good luck and let us know how it turned out if you want!

Wince. Truer words were never spoken.

ellebud's advice was dead-on. At this point, I'd work on developing conversation skills that don't include anything about veterinary school or horses.

Yes, I did PM a few women who mentioned that they would be willing to help PNMs find local recommendations. I am also talking to friends, parents of friends, co-workers, and family friends as well. I simply figured that I would open as many doors to help with recruitment as possible.

And thank you annabella for your help. :)

Instantiously: Kind of equals sound bytes. For instance...What movies did you see this summer?

Uhh, last Wednesday, or maybe Thursday I forget which...I saw the Sex and the City movie.........

Did you like it?

Yeah, it was cute.

or:

Did you see Sex and the City 2?

OMG, after the series and the first movie, didn't know if they could top the fashions (remember, don't set yourself up to say loved it/hated it) but I loved Carrie's outfit (hated Carrie's outfit) in.............Did you see the movie? Didn't you love it?

Be prepared to ask/answer topical, fun questions. But always involve the sister, with her valued opinion, in the conversation.

Oh, and another thing: Depending on the location of the school (see conversation above) do not give a review of a movie, performer or a cd. You never know if you're insulting the producer's/performer/designer's kid. Happened to my daughter....she kept her mouth shut...but no one insults a family member lightly. (She was the insulted, the other the insultee.) This holds true in all parts of the US where certain industries rule. (i.e. Michigan, "I'd NEVER buy an American car")

....Although I admit to making a really political point when I was going through. It worked out ok for me.

He meant that you spelled it wrong. Instantaneously.

AAAARRRHHH!!!! Sorry, I read and spell too quickly. (Or maybe it is age?) I'll go with age.

Proofing is tough...you can read things a million times and never see the error, but a new set of eyes will see it instantaneously! :p

In addition to this, if a sorority is not at campus total, they may bid over and above quota until they get to campus total.

All I can say is, you might get a LOT of weird looks if someone dyslexic read that.

As one who went through as a sophomore, I found it really helped me to talk about why I decided not to go through my freshman year. Personally, I decided to wait because I didn't think I was in it for the right reasons my freshman year, and waiting that extra time allowed me to figure out my place on campus and get to know some of the girls before trying to rush. Clearly, this won't work everywhere (and it might even totally work against you, I have no idea what it's like at your school!) but that was my personal experience. Your reasons are likely different, but I personally think that it helps to talk about why you waited. Obviously, your good grades and campus involvement will help! Stay positive :)

I rushed as a sophomore also, and in some ways I think it helped me in standing out through the conversations we had. Because I was a sophomore, I didnt live on campus so the typical dorm questions were put to rest. Instead the sisters and I would talk about why I waited to rush, what I was already involved with in college, how I was liking my major, ect. I came into rush only knowing a handful of greek women and pledged my first choice house where I didn't know any girls. While I realize that my experience is not typical, I think that upperclassmen have a leg up on freshman in some aspects. If you have involvement, you've already proven to the chapter that you are active in the campus community...and not just a freshman SAYING you will be (when you possibly wont) you also may already know sorority women. Or, you might have similar experiences are the sisters you meet such as dorm life, clubs youre involved in, ect.