LSU Spring Rush as a Junior???
 

I need everyone's honest opinion on if I should rush again or not, and/or advice on what to do.

Freshman year, I didn't rush. I didn't know too much about sororities until I met my roommate who got into Phi Mu. I got to witness all the awesome opportunities and activities she was able to do and really learn what sororities were all about, and I really wanted to join after that.

Unfortunately, my grades weren't so great; I had about a 2.4 GPA going into my sophomore year, but I still decided to try formal rush. I didn't have enough rec letters either, so it just wasn't looking good. I got dropped in the second round. I signed up for spring rush that following semester, but I decided not to go through with it. My grades severely dropped, and I ended up switching my major.

Next spring semester, I will be a junior. My grades this semester are a lot better, but my GPA is still pretty low. A lot of my friends are telling me to try rushing in the spring, but I'm not really sure. If my grades stay the way they are, I'll have a semester GPA of 3.25 and an overall GPA of 2.3. I'm involved in a couple other organizations/clubs at LSU, but I know for a fact that greek life is what's missing from my life. If I rush in the spring, I'll have 2 years left at LSU. I just wish my grades were better. Should I even bother to rush?

Will you regret it if you don't try? Just know that your GPA (and age) may hinder you.

With a 2.3 overall GPA (which is what counts, not just your last semester) will you even be permitted to sign up for rush? Some campuses require a minimum 2.5 overall GPA to allow a PNM to participate in rush.

The chances of getting a bid with a GPA that low are extremely unlikely. Spring 2013 semester grades put every NPC chapter significantly higher. All sorority average was 3.24.

Ha, this grade report is a total FERPA FAIL.

Well, THAT sent me straight to the Urban Dictionary! :p

Thanks for the urban dictionary suggestion. I had no clue and was just going to ignore it and move on ;)

I guess it's kinda hard to protect students when a chapter has 2 members and one is a pledge. :rolleyes:


To the OP, beyond whether or not you COULD or COULD NOT register for recruitment, with a 2.3 cumulative GPA, I suspect that you would not be eligible for membership in most groups. Though, AOII is not present at LSU, you would not be eligible for us. The groups usually are not that far off from one another. I bet the friends that are encouraging you to go through spring informal either a) do not know your cumulative GPA or b) do not know their groups requirements for membership. Once upon a time, groups could tweak their numbers, but with the computer age, HQ/IO or whatever you want to call it has a closer grip on chapters than in those times so it's a lot harder to pass a NM by that doesn't meet standards.

Your GPA is a huge hurdle. Whether or not they have a low GPA for pledging is not so much the question. It's the GPA required for initiation that drives the pledging GPA. It really does them no good to pledge someone they can't initiate. And it does you no good either.

You are certainly welcome to participate but you do need to understand that the deck is pretty well stacked against you.

I would spend the rest of your time in college focused on your grades. Greek life may just be something you've sacrificed in favor if whatever you were doing to end up with a low GPA.

I thought she was referring to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act...

But maybe not...

(The damn thing won't download for me, so I don't know exactly what GPA info is included in the report)

You aren't really asking us if you should rush. You're asking if you'll get a bid. Based on your GPA at present (which is < 2.3 and you can't count on improving it to that with a forecasted 3.25 until the semester is finished), you are a significant grade risk. And none of us can tell you what any chapter is going to do at your campus. However, you're competing with other PNMs who have proven that they can succeed in college. You can't wish for better grades. You have to work for them.

Harsh words, maybe. I'm just not going to dance around the facts. You can go through recruitment; be sure to do it with eyes wide open to any and all possible outcomes.

Your FERPA makes a lot more sense than mine!

One of the things that you learn EVENTUALLY in life is that your actions right now can affect you far into the future. Not being a sorority alumna at 50 because of stupid behavior at 18 would be one example of that. Regardless of Mr. Peabody (and I'm SO excited for that movie), there is no way-back machine. You have to make good decisions the first time. Now none of us here can say we didn't make any stupid mistakes in college. I had things in college that I think really affected my future that I wish could change. But we do have to live with the repercussions. C'est la vie. You live, you learn.

Best of luck in your future adventures. I'm glad you've really turned your grades around. That bodes well for you, just probably not within a sorority.

What? Is there a dirty double-meaning that I missed?

My point was just that they should not be publishing grades when there are only one or two women in a category. If you know who pledged a group that only had one new member, you now know her GPA. I have seen other schools leave rows blank when this is the case.

Here's hoping a GCer who's currently up to date on LSU recruitment realities can clarify something:

Do most LSU chapters have (and follow) a "cut once, cut always" policy?
I know I've heard about and read about it in connection with LSU.

Whether I approve or disapprove of "cut once, cut always" is immaterial; the issue in this case is that since the OP has been through recruitment in the past, would "cut once, cut always" come into play?

I do agree that GPA is going to pose substantial difficulties.

No. That is urban legend territory. No group is going to disclose their membership selection in that way, and no group is going to have an unalterable policy at one school that isn't at others.

Thank you. I guess I over-interpreted what I had read previously -- I finally found it again amid the Q & As on an LSU site for 2013 recruitment at

https://greeks.lsu.edu/sites/greeks....nt%20FAQ-1.pdf

“Can I go through spring recruitment or again next fall?

Sororities typically do not reconsider women for membership that have been previously released in the recruitment process. If it was
due to grades, perhaps it is possible that
they may reconsider, but there are no guarantees“

Right, it's very unlikely that someone would be wanted as a sophomore if they weren't wanted as a freshman, but it's certainly not some sort of official policy, or if it is, it is private membership selection.

I think that's the case most places. Unless there is some drastic change, what caused them to release you before will still be there.

But a girl could go into rush completely overwhelmed and bomb the first round of rush or whatever, spend a year getting to know girls and getting more comfortable as a college student and do much better as a sophomore. Rush can be pretty intimidating and if you weren't trained from birth for it, then wow you could be in for a pretty unpleasant surprise. But if the same girl goes through a second time, the same result will happen. If you don't change something, there's no reason to expect a different result.

Maeflower
Guess I will add my two cents. My daughter is now a LSU alum but over the years I had many conversations with her and her friends. Of course I do not know anything about membership selections but I have gathered a few things from those conversations. Academics are very important to all the sororities. She is also a Phi Mu and we received newsletters and Facebook posts etc. bragging about the fact that they were number one in grades several times while she was active. I am sure this is true for all the other sororities as well. I do not think that your GPA will be good enough. Sorry if that sounds harsh but I know that it is super important. Actually you can not participate in social activities if your GPA is below 2.5. At least that is the way it was when she was active.
From other conversations I would say that being a Jr. would not be desirable either. I know that a friends daughter wanted to wait and rush her soph. year with a younger cousin but my daughter advised her not to wait because they rarely took girls who were not freshman.
And even though it is not a hard and fast rule and I am sure that there are exceptions it is very hard to get a bid if you have been cut before, just way to much competition.
Of course none of this is official and I am sure there are exceptions but I would not get my hopes up.

Just wanted to update everyone on my status! I decided to spring rush again by the motivation of friends, and by the Grace of God (and a lot of help on the other side), I was given a bid and am now a part of Kappa Alpha Theta!

That's great- Congratulations! Thank you for the update.

Congratulations!
Glad things worked out for you.
Keep up your grades & enjoy Greek life!

Terrific!! Congratulations! Thanks for coming back and letting us know.

Maeflower - that is great news! Congratulations! I know that grades were of concern last time you wrote - what has changed since then?

I know some great women from your chapter, collegiate and alumnae. Enjoy being a Theta.

Sending congratulations, from Ole Miss!

Congratulations!! I love a happy ending (and beginning)!

Congratulations - and I am happy that your GPA is improving! Convention is in Florida this year, and if you can possibly attend - go! It will definitely cement your connection with Theta.