2.4 GPA- should I even bother?
 

I'm going to be a freshman at an SEC school. My high school GPA is a 2.43. There are several reasons why it is so low, but to sum it up: I was not interested in school and skipped a lot of class. I feel like I make up for it other areas, though- my ACT score is a 32, I was involved in lots of extracurricular and community service, I am a legacy, and I feel like I am attractive, sociable, and present myself well. I am very very committed to making GREAT grades in college, but I know most sororities will not want to take a grade risk.

I know I will get cut automatically from most, if not all sororities because of my grades. Is it even worth it to go through recruitment?

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that your GPA is under the minimum GPA set by Nationals for all of the panhellenic sororities. You sound like you've rededicated yourself to school and in my opinion, I think you should really focus on your freshman year and get your grades really up to par and get involved on campus and rush your sophomore year.

This sounds pretty accurate. If there are any NPC sororities (assuming you want to join an NPC) with a nationally-required minimum GPA below 2.4, there aren't many. Anyone here will tell you that your freshman year is your best bet to get into a sorority at a competitive SEC school. However, your GPA is especially low by sorority standards. Even if a sorority has a nationally-set minimum of, for example, a 2.5 GPA, a particular chapter of that sorority may determine that their minimum is 3.0. And at a school with hundreds and hundreds of girls rushing, it's easy to initially cut those who are below that minimum and still be left with a large group of girls to select from.

I think most (if not all) people here will advise you to wait. Work your butt off in school and improve your GPA. Then go for it next year.

Here's a thread that was just recently started with a question regarding GPA that might help you and provide you with more information:

http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...d.php?t=134879

Thank you for the advice. I have done some research and have not found any exact GPA requirements for the NPC, but I'm well aware that they exist and I am certain to be under them. However, I feel like three things might help me out: a) my ACT score, which shows that I am intelligent and capable, b) my legacy status (I know it doesn't mean much but at least it's something), and c) I have already been accepted to a prestigious leadership program on campus.

Anyway, I haven't signed up for recruitment or sent any recs, but I have contacted an alumni from every sorority just in case. Should I participate in rush just so I can meet people, and keep my fingers crossed? Do you think the three above factors could work a miracle for me?

Again, someone can correct me if I'm misinformed....
To address your points:
a) During rush, they don't look at your SAT or ACT scores, at least not that I've ever heard of. And yes, you may be intelligent, but there are other girls who are also intelligent and capable who have proven it with higher GPAs
b) I don't know enough to accurately comment about legacy status
c) And being accepted to the leadership program is great, but especially at a competitive SEC school, I don't think it would be enough.

As ASTalumna said, National offices set GPA minimums, but individual campuses/chapters may require higher than that national minimum depending on the campus culture. RARELY exceptions can be made if you are a grade risk and have a GPA slightly under what an individual chapter desires if you really really wow them. The problem is that you are below the national minimum, therefore chapters have no choice but to release you. Not to be harsh, but merely to put it in perspective, at an extremely competitive school with so many girls going through rush, why should any chapter bother to take someone with such a low GPA when there are so many other "shining star" contenders who do have the grades?

In my personal opinion, because you are almost definitely going to be released, I think it's not only a waste of money to rush, but I don't feel that girls should rush just to meet people without the intent and actual possibility of joining because should you be invited back to another round, only to be dropped the next day for grades, you could be taking the spot of another girl who really did want to be there.

I am an active at an SEC school and can honestly say I think you should wait. No one cares what your ACT score was. Your high school GPA speaks for itself. It's almost worse that your test score is high because it shows that you don't bother. Not trying to be mean but just honest here. There are a bazillion beautiful, qualified, involved and darling PNMs with good to spectacular GPAs and no one is going to waste an invite for one of them by taking a chance on you. They probably couldn't even if they wanted to because if you do not even meet a bare minimum national GPA then you'd pretty much would have to be a famous person or something for someone to go out of their way to get some kind of special permission if that's even allowed. No one has time for that in an SEC rush. Also you might want to know that with some sororities at competitive schools, once they have cut you, they will always cut you if you go through again. So don't waste your possible only chance right off the bat because you have grades that don't even make a bare minimum. It's also honestly kind of late to be getting your letters in at this point especially considering your grade issue.

Prove yourself your first year in school and get great grades not only for recruitment but most of all for yourself. Get involved on campus and meet a lot of people and make good friendships and some of those may even include sorority members. Make yourself in the best position you can be in even if you are a sophomore.

Where I'm from, ACT scores are on transcripts and academic resumes- perhaps that is not the norm? But thank you very much for your advice and honesty.

In an SEC recruitment setting, being below the chapter minimum GPA might get you by if you know a lot of sisters and if they just HAVE to have you as a sister. If you're going in knowing no one, and you have a GPA below the national minimum, you don't have much of a chance.. if you have one at all.

I can say with almost 100% certainty that if you're below the minimum national GPA for all sororities, nothing will get you in. I'm sorry if that sounds a little harsh, but it's the truth. This is probably one of those rare instances where people can generally provide you with your "chances" of receiving a bid.

ETA: And as has been said, sororities on a national level do not take SAT/ACT scores into account. Whether they do on a chapter level, I couldn't tell you. I don't believe any chapters receive your actual transcripts, but I could be wrong...

I think it would be wrong to assume what each chapter sees and the format they see it in.

The system under which NPC member selection works (and I think I can generalize based on LOTS of information here) is grade cuts are based on gpa only. The transcript is there to prove what you say is true, not to gauge actual intelligence.

I would NOT rush now because the only outcome you can have is negative. I don't see any scenario where they will accept you, but I can definitely see a scenario where someone is drawn to saying something like "can you believe she even THOUGHT she could join a sorority? What a doof" and once something like that is out there, it can't be undone.

Do as suggested above, and even after just one semester you can try to pledge through informal rush in the spring. Your college grades are the only thing that matter once you have a college gpa, so a really solid 1st semester will be enough, at least where grades count. IF you can get good grades (and I'd shoot for a 3.0+ based on what I've read here) AND be involved on campus and make friends with a variety of sorority women, you could have a positive outcome in just a few short months.

As far as your education, let me give you a couple nuggets based on personal history. DON'T SKIP CLASS. Also, join study groups. That is beneficial for a variety of reasons, better understanding of the class material being the most obvious, but making friends outside your dorm (a wider range of friends) shouldn't be underestimated. Use any study guides you can get your hands on. My first semester freshman year grades sucked because I really didn't understand what they were looking for in my essay tests of which I seemed to have tons. If I'd seen previous tests I would have had a firmer grasp of what the professor was looking for, beyond material knowledge.

(warning: mom lecture)
At a number of SEC schools, your ACT score, accompanied by your activities and a decent GPA -- even like a 3.5 at some schools, would have likely made you eligible for a full 4-year ride. You have a clean slate entering college now -- write a different story this time around!

As to your question about what may help you:

a) What your ACT score conveys about your capability may render what your GPA conveys about your work ethic and academic commitment, by comparison, to be negative.

b) I don't think your legacy status will help. Most PNMs are legacies.

c) Yes! Being accepted to the leadership program is a good thing -- especially for recruitment next year.

Just my opinion -- you are capable of ending your freshman year with a 4.0 and great activities. Get involved -- make friends -- dominate the academics -- and go through recruitment next fall as a top sophomore PNM.

Good luck to you beginning this new chapter of your life -- whatever you decide.

Thanks to all who responded. I really just wanted to join a sorority so I could make friends and because my mom was in one. I'm not quite as passionate about Greek life as others seem to be... so maybe it's not for me.

Just out of curiosity, though: what would be the absolute *minimum* GPA a freshman would need to have a chance?

Edit: Hartofsec- thank you! I was able to get my out-of-state tuition waived, but you are so right. I will certainly take your advice to "hart" :)

At my school they strongly suggest you have a minimum of 3.0 just to go through recruitment and be successful.

That varies too much by school to say, but if you look at the GPAs of the sororities (it's probably listed on the university Greek life page of their website), I would expect their chapter average to be around the minimum they will accept for a sophomore. But high 2's is going to be the minimum, if not higher.

Do that! : )

Here is the Spring 2013 grade report for chapters at Bama, for instance:

http://greekaffairs.ua.edu/documents...radeReport.pdf

@80sbabe, just curious is your Greekchat user name related to you birth year? If it is you might have an more serious problem than even the gpa monster. If you were born in 1989 or before that's a Godzilla size problem for a PNM in recruitment . . . anywhere and everywhere.

I wouldn't say anywhere and everywhere, but definitely in a competitive SEC recruitment.

Great advice thus far.

It's JULY. Very late to be considering SEC recruitment. Even I know that.

OP, don't rationalize. Your circumstances cannot be tweaked to your advantage. Personal example: yours truly had perfect SAT verbal score, and math pretty damned close to perfect. Was I valedictorian or salutatorian with those scores? Hell no. I coasted because I could and thought I was so much smarter than everyone else. My HS GPA did not reflect those scores in any way. As my parents have told me my entire life "you have never lived up to your potential".

Sit out freshman year. Knock out a 4.0 or close to it; get involved; and for the love of Mike don't be That Girl at the fraternity houses. You will have another opportunity as a sophomore. Make the best of it.

MaryPoppins- absolutely not, I was born in '95. My username is just a reference to my love of The Breakfast Club, Madonna, and the like.

I can't help you much on the Greek Life front, but I do want to give you some academic/leadership stuff. Graduating from high school I was...well rounded. I had slightly over a 4.0 weighted, joined some clubs, and squeaked into the top 10% by graduation. I saw myself as ok, but I felt like I had the potential to do so much more, and I was accepted into a leadership program (probably much like the one you are in) at my school. Fast forward a year, and I now am a mentor in that program and I work in the office that runs it. I believe in it greatly; it has produced a couple of student body presidents, IFC/PHC execs, student activities chairs, and countless other leaders across campus. However, for each person who turned out like that there was someone in the program who dropped/failed out or who has a life that can only be described as a hot mess.

What I am saying is, it is fabulous that you have been accepted into this program, however it is what you do after you have been accepted that actually matters. Grade-wise, after freshman year your high school grades essentially disappear, however college is tough even for the best students, so you need to have learned a lesson from high school and protect your GPA with all you have. I know plenty of people who screwed up their first semester of freshman year and now have to work twice as hard for the rest of their college career. Best of luck to you!

You're talking to a bunch of people who are Greek and love greek life. I think (almost) everyone here would encourage you to go greek because it does have numerous benefits, but we're just encouraging you to wait until your GPA is up to what it really needs to be in order to have the best results with recruitment.

It is a total credit to you that you dig the Breakfast Club ;)

I think you aren't understanding the information you are getting here. No matter how much the active members like you, if your GPA is below the national minimum they CAN'T bid you. Period. I think I can safely say that no NPC has a minimum ACT requirement. No NPC cares about ACT in any official capacity. It is all GPA. (Now I personally use ACT when writing recs, because GPA can be artificially high or low for a variety of reasons, but that isn't important to this conversation.)

In the SEC, it is much preferred to rush as a freshman, but there are exceptions, and you are that exception!

You can't be academically challenged because you got an ACT score of 32. So, you should be able to excel this year in school. You also have the opportunity to make connections (with sorority members especially) and get involved on campus. You can be the rare PNM that look a whole lot better on paper as a sophomore than a freshman.

Trust us on this one.

P.S. I have a son who got a similar ACT score AS A 7th GRADER! Yet, he had an attitude at school. If an assignment was "beneath him" (as in, involved the use of glue, scissors, markers, etc.) he just wouldn't do it. He would rather just get an F. I used to say to him, "now who is smarter, the 7th grader with a 32 on his ACT who just took an F, or the 7th grader who can't spell but knows enough to do his assignments?" It sounds like you've realized that your skipping classes days weren't the best idea, but seriously, don't try that in college.

The odds are not in your favor...
 

Don't register for recruitment this year. Work hard to make good grades, join a club or two (especially clubs that hold an interest for you and that might allow you to interact with sorority members), and get to know some sorority members. Keep in touch with the ladies who you had lined up to write recs. for you, and ask them to help you out next summer. Guard your reputation.

You have gotten wonderful answers, but I just wanted to personally tell you it is so nice to see a young lady with such nice manners. I know I sound 100 years old, but it sure makes a difference. Everyone "gets it" at different times. The fact that you aren't making excuses shows a lot of maturity. I'm thinking this situation has shown you that everything cannot be fixed. As odd as this sounds embrace you got this message so early. Your ACT shows you have the ability to do well in college if you apply yourself and do the work. I did much better in college than high school. I am not versed on recruitment at SEC schools, but many of the people replying are. Their advice sounds golden, work very hard, join some clubs, but keep yourself out of the party scene. Then next year you can give it your best shot. Keep up your positive attitude, just reading your responses makes me root for you.

Thanks again for everyone's advice and kind words! I absolutely understand where everyone is coming from, and I really appreciate it.
I have some additional details on my situation:

1. I unearthed my transcript, and it turns out I had a 2.56 as opposed to a 2.43. (I did very well my last semester of senior year, much better than I thought.)
2. My mom spoke to one of her close friends, whose daughter is involved with recruitment at the school I will be attending. She told my mom that only 3 sororities have a 3.0 requirement, and she knows of at least one whose requirement is a 2.0. There is also a new sorority on campus that only has 75 girls- so they desperately need new members. Both my mom and her friend seem very positive and have advised me to go ahead with recruitment. I found out through the school's Panhellenic website that 95+% of girls that go through recruitment pledge a sorority.

Has the situation changed or would I still be wise to wait? I know I sound desperate, but I was really looking forward to being involved in Greek life as a freshman and I don't want to miss any opportunities.

This has got to be a joke or you're one sad person.

Well, that definitely gets you closer to the door (and you've just given away which school!). As long as you think you can handle total rejection, I say go ahead. Your chances overall would be better next year when you've had a chance to have a great GPA but it won't kill you to go thru this time too. Some will remember you - some won't.

No.

Your mom (who knows nothing about your school's current Greek/recruitment environment) and her friend telling you that "everything will be fine" doesn't mean that it will be. Be prepared to be disappointed, regardless of the fact that they're telling you "Go for it!"

Again, keep in mind that you're going to be "competing" with potential members who are involved with numerous extra-curriculars, extremely high GPAs, personal connections with certain sororities, and possibly a legacy status under their belt. A chapter's requirement could be 2.0, but when there are hundreds of girls going through recruitment with over a 3.0, who do you think they're going to want?

Quite frankly, a 2.5 is VERY low for high school. If it was your college GPA, that might be somewhat more understandable. Freshman year is a big change, it can be difficult to adjust, blah blah blah. But in high school, it's pretty unimpressive. Sorry if that's harsh, but it's true.

And if you have no recs at this point, I imagine you're basically SOL.

And PLEASE, whatever you do, do not assume that a chapter is "so desperate that they'll take anyone." It's insulting. And having fewer members is actually more of a reason NOT to take grade risks. I'd rather get 10 new members with great grades than 20 new members that are barely making Cs in all of their classes.

Again, it's up to you if you want to rush. Just don't say we didn't warn you.

You know, I really wanted to say how declasse' it was of you to say that about the smaller group and I didn't..but now I am. You need to be quiet and go about your business. Good luck.

It's pretty obvious the OP is going to rush, no matter what excellent advice is given to her on GC. I hope she appreciates the efforts of seasoned pros on the forum who have used their valuable time to offer their insights.

I must be clueless. I have no idea what campus she is talking about (please don't out her in thread) but I can't imagine any traditional campus choosing a new member with anything close to a 2.5 HS GPA.

To the OP: I know that you truly want to participate as soon as you can. But are you willing to risk having one or two choices (maybe) this semester, when you could be patient and have many more options in a semester or a year? Most likely, there will be chapters who will participate in spring recruitment. This might be a better option because you will have a higher GPA and some campus activities under your belt. Wait a year and you could be the sophomore that a strong recruitment getting your top choices back. Sometimes good things come to those who wait.

Someone's gotta be the 5%.

If you decide to go through rush, do it in the sense of going to the casino for entertainment and knowing the house is going to win anyway - not in the sense of OMG I AM GOING TO PLAY BLACKJACK AND WIN ENOUGH TO BUY A NEW CAR.

This.

As a member of a chapter that had a hard time recruiting during formal rush, please understand that smaller chapters do still have member selection policies. I can speak from personal experience that we did release PNMs for a variety of reasons, including grades and the rude remarks some girls made about us "having to take everyone." Please don't think that chapter size guarantees you a bid. (Sorry if that veers too far into MS.)

Sorry to butt into this thread, but I know it is hard to take the advice of a bunch of people you do not know on the internet over your mother's advice and her friend.

But please consider this. I can't speak for every campus, but I know where I am from, if chapters did not meet specific academic requirements, they lost privlidges. Houses WANT to maintain high grades for many reasons, for example they don't want to lose privlidges, or not be allowed to have any social events. So with this in mind, I would think most chapters do not want to take grade risks because it puts the entire chapter at risk. Why would they risk their social calender for a single grade risk, when they can take another PNM with great grades.

Also you mentioned 95% receive a bid, well my guess is out of the remaining 5% who did not receive a bid, the majority of those women were released due to grades..

Might I also add that a lot has changed in the Greek world since your mother went through. It is often hard for alumnae to accept that things are not the same as when they were collegians. Women often aren't given bids just because they are legacies anymore. Grades are a lot more important. The quality of PNMs (which your mom would have called rushees) has improved. The numer of PNMs has increased from when your mom went through recruitment, as well. RFM didn't exist until ~7 years ago and has changed the game. Mothers that don't keep up with current practices don't realize they are giving bad advice.

Thank you.

Precisely and accurately stated, cannot be improved. emphasis mine.