University of Illinois/Urbana-Champaign Recruitment
 

Hello all! My daughter will be going through NPC recruitment at the University of Illinois/Urbana-Champaign beginning this weekend, and I had a couple of questions.

UIUC’s recruitment is 18-13-7-3, using RFM, which means heavy cuts early on. For the first invitational, if an NPM lists her top 13, then 5 back-ups, will the back-ups automatically move up to her invite list if she is released from any of her top 13? If so, does this work the same way all through Preference Round?

Second question. Do the chapters know where they are ranked on an NPM’s list? In other words, if an NPM ends up at one of her back-ups, will the chapter know they were not initially a first choice?


Thanks!

Yes, if she's isn't invited to any of her top choices then the backups will move up onto her invite list, providing that the backups have invited her, in the order in which she has listed. It works this way all the way thru preference.

No, the chapters don't know where a specific PNM has ranked them, unless she tells them.

Good luck to your daughter!

AZ-AlphaXi explained this well, but I just wanted to add (as I'm from a campus whose Greek system gets compared to the University of Illinois a lot) to make sure to tell your daughter to keep an open mind throughout the process. I think it's easy early on to have some favorites, but tell her to try to not form too strong of attachments or opinions until at least second rounds (or 7 party day, I don't know their specific terminology) and, if she can, not until preference. I think this will help her keep her feelings from getting hurt if she can withhold judgment until later into the process.

Hope this makes sense. Best of luck to your daughter and if she gets placed tell her to make a username and join in on the fun! We'd love to know if she gets placed. Best wishes. :)

WOO HOO for a University of Illinois question!!!! I have been patiently waiting all recruitment season :D

AZ-AlphaXi & psusue covered it pretty well. Just wanted to say good luck to your daughter and please feel free to PM me if you or your daughter have any other question about U of I (Greek life or non-Greek related!)

I-L-L!

ETA: There's a few other Illinois alums on the board who I'm sure would be happy to help answer questions as well :)

Yeah! Another Big 10 story! Good luck to your daughter and even more good luck to you mom! My daughter just finished up at Iowa. The advice not to fall in love with one house is the best advice, and be ready to feel some cutting after the first round(s). I'd like to say it all is roses and happy-fun time, but it's stressful! Tell your daughter to relax, rest, have fun!

I was also hoping a U of I thread might pop up, and am excited to hear details. I've written quite a few recs, as has my daughter for her house. :) I can't reinforce enough the keeping an open mind advice because cuts do get heavy and truly there are so many fantastic houses at Illinois. Even though I went through Rush many years ago, I can honestly say I think I would have been completely happy at any of probably my 8 favorite houses!

In other Big 10 news, Wisconsin's recruitment started last Sunday (9/4), and they've completed first and second rounds (9/4 and 9/5). I am told there were around 800 PNMs as recruitment began, similar to last year. Pref round is this Friday, and Bid Day is Sunday.

Another Illinois alumna, here. Cuts will be heavy in the early rounds, because there are so many PNM's going through. You can read my rush story somewhere around here, but it was back before RFM, and we went 19-10-5-3. Unfortunately, 18-13-7-3 means that the cuts get worse as the rounds go on, and you have a lot of chapters to keep straight throughout.

All that said, very few women are released from all chapters. The vast majority not completing recruitment drop out themselves. Here are some things to consider, though, if she doesn't get all of her favorite invites:

1) At Illinois, tiers change often. I look at houses considered "top" now vs. when I was there, and some of them are like night and day. Even from the time I was a freshman to the time I was a senior, I saw a struggling chapter get one awesome pledge class, COB their little hearts out all year, and come back the following year twice as strong. On the flip side, some of the chapters most desired by PNM's each year are well below where they should be, which speaks to problems retaining members.

2) Every chapter at Illinois has over 150 women. Every chapter has women who party, and women who go to church, and women who study, and women who play sports, etc, etc. Every NPC chapter has a house, and a barndance, and a formal, and exchanges, etc. Every chapter also has drama.

3) The fraternities vastly outnumber the sororities, something like 50 housed fraternities to 18 sororities. This means that no sorority ever hurts for a social calendar, and every sorority has at least two fraternities that consider that sorority their favorite :-)

4) In the first and second rounds, there are so many PNM's coming through, that most of the chapters do not assign hostesses, and the PNM is paired with whomever happens to be next in line when she walks through the door. This means that your experience with the chapter has a lot to do with the luck of the draw. Everyone tries to let PNM's meet more than one active, but again, in such large chapters, the PNM is lucky if she meets 10%.

Full disclosure: I was in a chapter (no longer on campus) that sucked at formal recruitment. I saw a lot of women show up crying on bid day. Most get over it the first time they have an awesome night out/shopping trip/study date with their big sis, i.e. the first time they make a real friend in the chapter.

from DeltaBetaBaby.....
4) In the first and second rounds, there are so many PNM's coming through, that most of the chapters do not assign hostesses, and the PNM is paired with whomever happens to be next in line when she walks through the door. This means that your experience with the chapter has a lot to do with the luck of the draw. Everyone tries to let PNM's meet more than one active, but again, in such large chapters, the PNM is lucky if she meets 10%.

^^^
Which is exactly why PNM's need resumes, pictures and recommendations/letters of support at the chapter houses!
---along with knowing a few chapter women
AND ---make their first impression last 31 times in under 48 hours....

Recs are actually not that common at Illinois, especially considering that it is a competitive recruitment.

Obviously recs won't hurt, but just a statement that they're definitely not necessary for a successful recruitment. If you can get them great, if not, you're on the same level as many PNMs.

^^^
Recs are common---and many of the 18 chapters have to have one on file before a bid is given.....

Maybe that was poor wording...let me clarify.

When I say recs aren't common, I mean that not every PNM has them. I knew plenty of women who went through without them and had a successful recruitment (well, they didn't go out to actively secure them on their own before recruitment...whether they were secured by other means is another story.)

Yes, Illinois chapters get plenty of recs, but you definitely do not have to go out and secure recs from every chapter before recruitment starts in order to have a successful recruitment like at some SEC schools.

I am also not saying don't bother with recs. Recs are certainly helpful, so if you can get them, do it!

Basically what I'm saying is that the OPs daughter is not doomed if she does not have recs at this point (which she might have them, we don't know). I don't want her to think her she needs to scramble to get recs over the next day to have a fighting chance because that's not the case.

Hope that helps!

Please don't speak to the membership selection criteria of any organization but your own.

I'm pumped there is an Illinois thread as well. Good luck to your daughter!

[QUOTE=DeltaBetaBaby;2089141]Please don't speak to the membership selection criteria of any organization but your own. No mention was made...

Don't be dumb.

Y'know how people here get somewhat irritated by the rule that PHC isn't allowed to tell women that recs are mandatory and it's the sorority's responsibility to get them if they need them? I think UofI is actually safe telling PNMs that. They obviously can't hurt, but those who need them will find them for wanted PNMs. Heck, this is probably on of those rushes where groups that require recs have an alumna that makes rec-writing her temporary full-time job (with overtime).

I L L

Well, I hope my daughter will do okay with just the handful of recs she does have going in. I actually went to the the U of I back in the early 80s, went through rush, pledged, but never initiated due to a number of factors, finances being the big one. I didn't have any recs, and I had a very good rush experience. I know Greek life was pretty big back then, but I don't remember it being "competitive" to get into a house. It could be that we didn't have internet back then, so there was very little knowledge or communication about anything like there is now. This was over 30 years ago, but I sort of remember only being able to put down one chapter for my preference, and I know I struggled to choose between two houses. Again, this was a long time ago, but for some reason I am thinking that if you didn't get the one chapter you put down, you didn't get a bid. Anyway, I saw some recruitment statistics that I will try to find and post.

Well good luck to your daughter! I am excited to hear the outcome.

(I'm also excited for U of I recruitment because I will be down there for 2nd & 3rd invite helping out my chapter!! :D)

The stats show almost nobody getting dropped entirely, and almost all chapters around the same size. It's not that there won't be heavy cuts, but with so many chapters, I think that girls don't all latch on to a single favorite. Heck, it's hard for most girls to even remember that many chapters the first day.

Panhellenic Recruitment Statistics at UIUC
 

Link to stats 2005-2010:

http://www.odos.uiuc.edu/greek/membe...lenicStats.asp

I am going to guess, based on number of girls released from all chapters during recruitment, that RFM was implemented in 2008, when the total number released went down drastically.

I'm also going to guess that the number of girls not receiving any bids after the third invitational were ISPs.

It looks like if the PNM keeps an open mind and doesn't favor early on, she will find the chapter that loves her enough to want her to be part of their sisterhood. Which I think bodes well for all the PNMs going through recruitment.

OK, how do we demand all campuses provide these statistics? Fascinating!

Like!

Yes, women not receiving bids are those who do not list all prefs they attended on their bid cards; otherwise, they'd be placed as quota additions.

^DeltaBetaBaby - what do you mean by "quota additions"?

You might want to do some searching on that, but I'll see if I can give you a brief primer. When they get to bid matching after preference, the chapters have a list and the rushees have their lists. When they reach quota after matching up lists there are usuallly extras. They will continue placing the girls who have maximized their options so that no one goes without a chapter - if she put the maximum number on her bid form at the end. Neither the chapters nor the rushees know who the quota additions are.

A quota addition is a woman not matched by the computer, who the Greek Life Advisor adds to one of the chapters on her bid card anyway. She would receive a bid on bid day just like everyone else, and nobody would ever know it happened, except the GLA and maybe some of that chapter's alumnae advisors.

To be eligible, however, a woman has to attend every party that appears on her schedule, and list all three chapters at which she attended preference on her bid card that she signs at the end. Basically, if you play by the rules, you have a very good chance of getting a bid.

Here's the official definition of Quota Addition

Quota Additions occur immediately following bid matching. The unmatched
potential new members (PNMs) are matched to chapters that have already
filled Quota, and the PNM must be listed on the chapter's preference list.

^That is excellent news! I'm afraid to ask my daughter too many questions about the recruitment process, since I am way more wound up about this than she is. It would just break my heart if she were to go through the entire process and end up bidless. And the funny/ironic thing is that she is a beautiful, accomplished and poised young woman, much more so than I was when I was her age. She seems to have a very laid back attitude about recruitment.

She did share with me the rumour she had heard about the house I had pledged: "Mom, apparently they aren't allowed to come downstairs without make-up." She especially got a kick out of that, since I hardly ever wear make-up these days!

Oh campus rumors :rolleyes: I particularly love that one. I wonder how that would be enforced? Is there someone on duty 24/7 to make sure you don't come downstairs makeup-less? ;)

There were all kind of rules like that when I was an active....no smoking while walking around. A KD lady could only smoke while sitting down and with a roof over her head. No curlers in public. etc.

One chapter had a rule that members could only use the main impressive curviing stairway when they they had a guest. If they were just hanging around the house, all members had to use the back stairway (SAVE THE SHAG CARPET!) I heard that after I graduated, my own house had a "enter the back door unless you have a guest" rule as well.

I hope your daughter has a fantastic time and she finds a wonderful home. You are a good mom. It's so much harder for us to watch, isn't it?

Thank you all for the good wishes! I just woke up with a pressing question (see, I REALLY am wound up about this!). The first round of parties is this weekend - Open House and First Invitational. After the First Invitational round, when the girls rank their top 7 choices, will they get their invites back at the end of the weekend, or will they have to be on pins and needless until next Saturday? Okay, the question really is, will I have to be on pins and needles?:confused:

I swear, I really am NOT a helicopter mom ...

Sadly, they have to wait.

I think you and scrapkat can commiserate. She just went through this with her daughter at Iowa and had a lot of questions and a LOT of concerns that she was the heli-Mom with the rainbow pooping snowflake. I look forward to hearing your stories! Just make sure you don't talk bad about any chapters and keep your daughter completely anonymous.

:( Thanks, DubaiSis. I hope I will be able to get through the week!

Yes, you have to wait for the party lists, but I'm pretty sure that, if a woman is released entirely, she is notified sooner than that.

My chapter, too.

No chewing gum if you're wearing letters or your pin.

No drinking alcohol if you're wearing letters.

Don't drink any alcohol out of a bottle or can. Put it in a glass.

i got a book when i pledged that my bid day buddy had made(all the pledges got one) that had the address, phone #, what sisters were in what room, lunch and dinner times-just general information.

there were also tips for pledges: " A Zeta lady does not smoke, chew gum,eat or drink while walking across campus(or anywhere else)." "Zetas are not allowed to be barefoot downstairs." "When on phone duty, answer the phone as follows,"Good morning(afternoon, evening). You've reached Zeta Tau Alpha. How may I direct your call?" "The actives appreciate it when a pledge asks if she may take their lunch plate into the kitchen."

There was also the no drinking in letters. Pledges should come up the front sidewalk to the house-the side sidewalk is for initiated sisters.

The glitter has all fallen off and the construction paper cover has faded so badly, but I still have(and cherish) my little book after all these years.

The Formal Recruitment Orientation at Illinois was last night, and today the Panhellenic Council posted the 2011 Recruitment Booklet. I didn't get a chance to talk to my daughter about the orientation - it turns out one of her good friends from high school who is at UIUC had an emergency tonsillectomy this week, and that's all she wanted to talk about before she said, "Oh, I'm really busy with school work. I gotta go!" I talked to her earlier today, briefly between classes, and she was looking forward to recruitment tonight. She is supposed to call me when they are done, so I will be up until at least midnight, I'm sure!

Anyway, here is the link for the Booklet if you are interested:

http://www.illinoisphc.com/#_p.Recru...ment%20Booklet

thank you for posting the link to the recruitment booklet. The page of advice for preference was very clear and good information well stated.

Yeah...an Illinois thread! I have a close friend's daughter going through right now and I am so excited as well! The Greek system there is amazing and I truly mean it when I say all of the houses are great! Both of my parent were in the Greek system and they loved it as well. Most important is to keep a very open mind. I felt like I loved different things about each one and they all have something special and unique about them. I am so looking forward to hearing how your daughter enjoys herself and if she keeps a very open mind I truly believe she will enjoy the process more. I always tell myself that I'm not nervous, I'm excited and sometimes those 2 feel very similar.