U of Alabama Fall 2012 Recruitment Dates
 

CONVOCATION
Aug. 10, 2012
OPEN HOUSE/ICE WATER TEAS
Sunday & Monday, Aug. 12 & 13, 2012
PHILANTHROPY DAYS
Tuesday and Wednesday, Aug. 14 & 15
SKIT DAY
Thursday, Aug. 16
PREFERENCE PARTIES (AKA Serious Night)
Friday, Aug. 17
BID DAY
Saturday, Aug. 18
Full info from UA Panhellenic here: www.uapanhellenic.com
Register for recruitment here: http://www.uapanhellenic.com/index.p...d=46&Itemid=41
Online registration is taking place now through Aug. 10.
Onsite registration only on Aug. 11.
Sixteen NPC sororities participate in formal recruitment. One NPC sorority does not participate.
Roll Tide!

Ask Alabama questions here!:D

How formal exactly is pref night? is it like cocktail attire or more casual than that? and how many parties max can you attend on the philanthropy days? I know skit is a max of 7 but I don't think it says how many you can attend for philanthropy day(s)

I may be wrong but I think it's 12. And Cocktail for pref. LBD is perfect. They should have pictures online or in the handbook.

okay because at least in my opinion the pictures in the greek chic thing and online seem a little more casual than cocktail to me but maybe I just cant tell. I just want to make sure I'm dressed appropriately! And 12 sounds like it would be right

I'm not talking sequins cocktail cut down to here and up to there...am talking LBD cocktail....

A good rule of thumb would be to stay away from sequins or a lot of decoration. Something simple knee length or tea length in a good fabric. Most choose black. If you want to dress it up a little go for a nice necklace, cool shoes, or interesting hair accessory. You might want to get something classic and then you can use it again when (if) you are on the house side next year.

that's an LBD....

LBD doesnt mean the same thing to everyone, dear.
A bunch of my girls would think party dress and not necessarily dressier.

Well, if you are going to Bama, you better learn what an LBD is!

Thanks for the help everyone! From the pictures they have online I wouldn't have thought of a LBD so I'm glad I asked. Also is it a problem to wear two dresses that are the same color during rush? Like the one I want to wear for the first day of open house and one for I want to wear for skit are almost the same color.

If it's a flattering color for you that makes you feel confident, I would say go ahead. As long as it's not a two-color combination that could make people think you are aiming for a certain sorority (i.e. don't wear 2 pink dresses w/ green trim or people will think you're psycho for Delta Zeta) you should be fine. :)

As an addendum to the LBD discussion, get your pref dress at someplace like Ann Taylor or White House Black Market - NOT Charlotte Russe, Forever 21 or other junior-type stores.

It may even help women remember you as the "blue dress girl" or whatever.

I really appreciate everyone's help and I am so excited for Rush!! And don't worry the color of the two dresses is not affiliated with any sorority to my knowledge! Also I'm thinking a Lilly Pulitzer for the second day of Open House/Ice Water Tea I'd love to hear everyone's opinion on that! Sorry I ask so many questions but I just want to be informed as possible! Does anyone know how exactly you cut/ make a list/ b list of the sororities? Like do you make a list and they make a list and you are notified of the ones in common with invites or how does that process work? I hope that made sense

You rank the groups at the end of each party round, 1 thru however many you attended. The groups do an invite list and the two are matched to get you your list for the next day. If you get more invites than party slots, then the groups you ranked lowest are dropped by the computer so that you can only attend the number of parties scheduled for that round. So be very careful and thoughtful when you do your rankings. At Alabama, you have to accept all invites for which you have an available time slot. It's called "maximizing your options." If you don't attend a party for which you have time in your schedule and to which you've received an invitation, you can be dropped from recruitment altogether. So be sure to go to all events scheduled for you - no matter what you may think of that particular group. Be polite, friendly to all.

Okay I will make sure to consider the rankings carefully after each round and I would never consider being impolite towards any sorority! I visited for Preview Weekend and really loved all of the houses I visited! I'm just trying to keep an open mind and find the best fit for me.

Exactly the right attitude! You'll do fine.

Thanks! I appreciate the help! I just wish I didn't have to wait another two months!

I apologize in advance for the double post but I am second guessing myself!

For pref night I have heard PNM's saying not to wear black or white because you will blend in with the active members... is there any truth to this? Would a LBD type dress in maybe navy or like a deep red be better suited?

The ladies offering you advice in this thread have a wealth of experience and are very well versed in all things Alabama rush.

If I were a smart PNM, I'd listen to those ones who have already been though it and NOT the girls who have not. ;)

;) thanks! I just get nervous easily because I am looking forward to rush so much and I think about it a lot! I'll keep you wonderful ladies who are interested updated after rush with a recruitment story assuming all goes well!

It's super easy to get caught up in talk even before recruitment starts. As it gets closer to recruitment you'll definitely hear a lot more.

You've got a wonderful attitude so far. Best of luck to you!

Navy is fine - so is red. LBD just is a style and in black, always acceptable for any number of events. We just mean no sequins, no poofs, no cut down to here and up to possible, etc. Simple but elegant is the best.

This would be a really good place for someone to insert some suggestions for dresses. Anyone good at Polyvore.....

I found the perfect dress online but it's about $250! Don't know if I can justify shelling out that much! P.S. Is it totally lame that I have started writing my recruitment story (my first impressions from preview weekend) already?? I need to find a hobby...

Haha girl don't even worry, I've so been there. The summer before college starts (and usually all of senior year) can be beyond boring, I was climbing the walls before I left home! Though it doesn't get any better...now that I'm home between semesters I'm dying to be with my sisters, and it's only like week two. Stay busy, exercise, eat right, and if you do actually want a hobby you could brush up on your crafting skills? Honestly, having an excuse to be creative and make things has been one of my favorite unintended side effects of Greek life, and the girls who craft well are a vital asset in most groups ;)

As for the dress, is it a Lilly like you mentioned earlier? If so, you may be able to find it for much less on any number of sites. Re-Lilly is wonderful, women (generally, shopaholics who just buy buy buy) sell new or hardly worn Lillys at ridiculous discounts:
https://www.facebook.com/ReLillyGroup?ref=ts

You'll see everything under albums, and sometimes people sell sorority print items too.

Other sites like Rue La La will have sales periodically, and Rue La La specifically is having a Lilly sale this Thursday at 11AM:
http://www.ruelala.com/invite/annieaxd

No the dress I'm referring to that's $250 is a dress I would wear for pref, I already bought my Lilly and I am so in love with it! But thanks for the tips for future Lilly purchases! I'm glad the boredom I'm feeling is normal, it's hard to not look forward to something as major as the start of college and rush!

If you are talking about a classic LBD, then it is probably a good investment for you. As a sorority woman and young woman in general, you will have many opportunities to wear it. Every woman should have one in her wardrobe.

If you aren't opposed to wearing used, Lilly is dirt cheap on ebay, especially in the smaller sizes. I regularly pick up printed dresses for under $20.

The dress comes in black as well as navy and a darker red, all of which I really like! I know the black would be better for future events but I have fallen in love with the red! I'll probably get the black though because I'll be better off for the future. I'm not opposed to wearing gently used clothing at all! For the time being I have the Lilly that I want to wear for recruitment but in the future I will definitely keep these options in mind! I love getting everyone's input and it's awesome to be able to talk about rush with knowledgeable people! I'd love to hear anything else anyone has to say regarding rush at Bama or to just talk about it!

What, nooo, what is all this talk about black dresses? I was planning on wearing this corally-pink dress for pref! Of course I have several LBDs, but I rarely go for black when I'm still in a "making impressions" phase. Also, I'm just more comfortable and confident in color! If we are advised to wear black, of course I'll wear black - I mean, I love following dress codes. But at the end of the day, we are also supposed to be ourselves and show our personality, right? :)

This should be a deciding factor-when you feel comfortable and confident others see you that way too.

It's really the members who tend to wear black.
A PNM in color should be perfectly fine. Dressy, no beads and nothing too low cut or hemmed too high, low heels. No requirements that the dress be black.

Thank you so much for the help everyone! Two months from today is bid day!

While an LBD is technically black, it also evokes a style - simple little dress that can be dressed up or down. Nothing fru-fru. Any color could be acceptable.

Alabama Has a Facebook page and they are on it frequently giving tips and info.
UA Panhellenic Association is the tag.

Thanks for that tip Bamamom, it looks like they've updated the pictures of what to wear during rush! I know that soon they will be sending out the "Greek Chic" recruitment guide as well which will be very helpful!

Numbers at Alabama - are you ready for this?????

Currently around 1400 and expect close to 2000...whoa, Nellie! Quota may be 100....

Goodness!

This is so many girls! I just want to make sure I have the right information here: quota is based off of the number of girls who go to pref night correct? So the total number of PNM's that go through rush doesn't necessarily matter in your chance of getting a bid?

You are correct. If more women rush, more women are placed in chapters. The number of schools where this is NOT true can be counted on one hand, and bama is not one of them.