Transferring not yet initatied
 

So I'm in a sorority at A&M and will be transferring to a different school (out of state) in the Fall. I will be a sophomore (i did spring INFORMAL RECRUITMENT) so i have not yet been initated into this sorority. I didn't think I was ever going to transfer until now so that's why I decided to "rush". I was wondering if going to a school where I know absolutely no one would be good for me to be in a sorority already (transferring into the chapter there) or if I should not be initiated here and just do Fall recruitment there to possibly meet more people? I'm very confused on my situation and any feedback will help. Thank you.

Quoting Smoky The Bear: Only You...can decide.

but do you have any advice?

Here are my 2 cents .. even if you initiate you may or may not be able to transfer. Some NPCs require/allow the receiving chapter to vote on affiliations. Even if they do affiliate, you might not fit in and then have the choice of paying dues when you're unhappy or resigning.

On the other hand, if you re-rush there's no guarantee that you'll receive a bid at your new school..

As always, my advice is to sit down and write down the pros and cons of each situation and decide which one you'd rather live with.

Why would you pledge a sorority and even consider going through with initiation if you think you were given a bid just to "fill a quota"? Do you not like your GLO?

And "dirty rush" does not mean what you seem to think it means....

I'm new sorry maybe I didn't say it with the correct wording.

Do not initiate. Far better to maybe not be Greek at your new school than to be tethered to a sorority whose members you may have nothing in common with, who may not want you to affiliate, or who may not be at your school at all. And what if you get to your school and meet a group of girls you love - & it's a different sorority? The only way I would recommend initiating is if you have already gotten to know and like the girls at your new school's chapter.

So did you receive bid since this last post?

Also, I am not sure what you mean by "spring 'dirty rush'" . Are you saying that you were extended a bid outside formal recruitment? There's such a thing as "informal reccuitment" or "COB" - "Continuous open bidding". I would definitely get the terminology right, regardless of what choices you make. The term "dirty rush" implies something very different.

I've heard of schools using the term "dirty rush" in a very different connotation from what most of us think of. I didn't think SMU was one of them though.

SMU? She is at Texas A&M

Yes! Dirty rush doesn't = quick and dirty (i.e. non-formal recruitment). It means you're doing things against the rules. Don't say that you dirty rushed!

Oh this is confusing. But I think I get it. First she was at a community college, then she transferred into A&M Fall 2013, she got a bid Spring 2014 thru COB or informal.

Yeah. That's it. Now she wants to know if she should be initiated. I have NO IDEA. I don't know her, I don't know her school or chapter, etc. I'm guessing she isn't thrilled with the sorority she's currently in ("just given a bid to fill a quota"). I'm with 33 and AZ-Alpha Xi. Write it out, but don't initiate if you ain't in love.

Lol. I can barely see the screen and just caught the M part. At any rate, I didn't think they were a school that said it either.

Okay guys I'm terribly sorry for using the word DIRTY RUSH definitely didn't mean to cause anything here. Okay, informal recruitment is what I meant.

And yes I transferred from a CC.

I'm still confused. You transferred from a community college to A&M, now you're going to transfer again?

I feel like you should focus on finding a school and getting an education rather than jumping schools each year.

Is it possible to "dirty rush" at informal? It seems to me that most schools have very few rules for COB/COR? Please forgive me if COB and COR are not the same thing,

She was at a school called Blinn last year. Blinn is basically a feeder community college for A&M. Students who attend Blinn & make a certain GPA are then guaranteed acceptance to A&M. The standard plan for Blinn students is to transfer after 1 or 2 years. This second transfer.... no idea about that one.

Okay, I'll just delete this post then since it's causing such stuff due to the fact I was at a community college first and I accidentally miss used a word. I was looking for some supportive words.

Ditto. Sorority sisterhood isn't meant for everyone. You wanted to be chosen, you were chosen, and now you want to back out. So do it. It's not a big deal if you do it with class and dignity.

Nevermind.

10 char

Not sure what you want in terms of supportive words. You're going to be a JUNIOR at your next school. That will significantly reduce your chances of getting a bid.

Go back to the drawing board. Make a list of pros and cons. Then YOU decide.

OP said she will be a sophomore in the fall.

i will still be a sophomore with hours.

Thanks irishpipes. OP:yet it's your third year in school, but you started early. Okay. Whatever.

Just work on your pros and cons list.

Don't go off in a flounce. It's just that you have confused us.

Did you transfer to TAMU after one semester at the cc?

Are you currently at TAMU?

Did you join a TAMU sorority chapter this semester?

Have you been initiated yet?

Will you be attending a different college Fall 2014?

Does this new college have a chapter of the sorority you are a new member of?

Do you know how difficult it is for an out of state sophomore student to have a successful recruitment at this new college?

Things will be clearer if you answer these questions, and we may be able to offer some guidance at that point.

You need to consider a lot of pros and cons of different things.

1) How competitive is rush at your next school? If your new school is "known" as a place where only freshman stand a chance you need to face the fact that you will have a challenging rush. If it's the type of school where sophomores, juniors, transfers are frequently given bids then you're chances are improved but not guaranteed.
2) How attached are you to the current sorority? Are you already 110% ABC for life!?!
3) How would you feel to be at your next school and end up not greek? Either you rush and don't get a bid or for some reason don't rush at all.
4) How would you feel to be at your next school and be a sister of ABC but not participating in greek life? You don't affiliate, don't participate in any activities. You're greek but you're not.
5) How important is it to you to lock in alumnae status with your current group?
6) How would you feel if you initiate but then do not like the girls at the new chapter? Or you like them but for whatever reason they don't let you affiliate?

Based on what little you've shared, and please don't over share, I think you should not initiate and start over with Fall recruitment (assuming it's not deferred) at your new school.

I am confused as well. I thought the OP was still in her first year - fall semester at community college and spring semester at TAMU.

As a person who transferred to a school that did not have a chapter of my sorority, I can empathize with collegians in this situation. OP, do you know to which school you will be transferring? This is important for several reasons. Do they have a chapter of your sorority? Do you feel you would be a good fit for that chapter? Is that campus close enough geographically to TAMU that your history could hurt you? (In other words, will it get around campus that you pledged ABC at TAMU but dropped?)

And keep in mind that if you go thru recruitment at your new school, one of the things the chapters are going to ask themselves about YOU: Hmmm, she went one year to Blinn, one year to TAMU, wonder if she'll stay here or move on after a year? Do we take a chance on her when Mary Jane's a freshman we like just as much???? It's a valid question.

where is drolefille?

FSUZeta and I are attempting to decipher and decode what people write. I am tired already of being confused, and have only done it a few times.

ETA: first appearance on GC she was at Blinn, and was going to transfer the next fall to TAMU, was asking about being a sophomore and rushing at that point. She apparently didn't rush fall 2013 at TAMU, and she was in her second year of college. She got a bid spring 2014. Now she wants to go somewhere else.

At least, that's what I've been able to decipher.

Aggiegirl is a new member but not yet initiated.

Aggiegirl, of all of the advice on pros and cons, take a very hard look at Greek Life at your new school now (to the best that you can). You are currently a new member of ABC. If ABC is not on your new campus, then your choice in a nutshell is either go through recruitment at the new school or to be an ABC alum. The hard questions arise if ABC is on your new campus. Is the personality of the chapter similar or very different? How does a different personality make you feel? How many other groups are on your new campus -- a lot like TAMU or maybe only a handful? Would you rather have the opportunity to investigate a new set of chapters? The chapters at TAMU tend to be large with a variety of members. Are the chapters at your new school equally large or are they smaller, where chapter personality is more pronounced?

I transferred and affiliated, and my new chapter was a very good fit. I contacted them the spring before I transferred, and made arrangements to live in the house. We had another transfer member from a different chapter, and my original chapter also had an affiliate member from another Big 10 school.

My advice is to be totally above board in the process. If you're thinking of transferring again, I'm assuming you're going to visit that campus and make a good decision about the school fit. Contact the chapter president there and explain your situation - you're a new member at TAMU who is likely to transfer and you'd love to meet some chapter members. Ask if you can visit and meet some sisters. See what kind of vibe you get. If you feel like it's a good fit, and you get a welcoming vibe, then I would initiate at TAMU.

Your current chapter and the potential affiliate chapter will appreciate a drama-free, honest approach. You're a member of this organization, who has not been initiated yet. See what your options are with the other chapter, and make an informed decision.

I also transferred and affiliated.

I was 75% certain I was going to transfer before I initiated - I initiated because I was 90% sure I was ready to make a lifetime commitment to my organization. (That 10% was all about being 18 and a bit flaky!)

I considered four schools for my transfer choices - two had my sorority and two didn't. I made an extra effort to get to know the chapters at both. I ended up at one of those but was only about 50% on affiliating so it took me (and the chapter) the full allowed affiliation period to make that decision.

Now more than two decades later, I know that all my choices were the right ones - but at the time it took a leap of faith and a little bit of extra effort on my part.

Boone can say what the right choices for you but the best advice possible is to follow YOUR heart... But also use your head. ;)

Sciencewoman gives sound advice about being straightforward with your inquiry and visitng the chapter of ABC at your new school. There are as many tales of affiliation as there are circumstnaces. Here is one that I know (for comparison):

In a new member class after mine was a cute, effervescent new member. She decided to transfer to another university in the region that had many chapters including one of ours. She depledged ABC and went through recruitment at her new university and had one of those golden recruitments. She did not pledge ABC but instead pledged DEF. DEF was the oddball chapter at our university so many of us were shocked. (We did not have websites or social media, so we didn't know about DEF at school #2.) Later when we visited school #2, we found that DEF at school #2 was more like ABC at school #1 than ABC at school #2 was (and almost nothing like DEF at school #1). So her choice then made sense to us. The takeaway is that chapter personalities can vary among schools. At your new school, your NPC may be a good fit for you or not. Your visiting that chapter can help you with your current decision.