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Sophomore Recruitment at UT-Austin

How difficult is it for a Sophomore PNM going through rush at UT-Austin? I know there is a quota per chapter. Other than that, what are the chances of an individual to get into a chapter? Thanks!

Quota does not mean what you think it means - it is a different number every year and a sorority does not have to take any set amount of freshmen, sophomores etc.

We have no idea what an individual's chances are. It isn't a math problem.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 33girl (Post 2273873)

^^This. Yes, there is a sophomore quota at UT, which is helpful to the sophomores, BUT the chapters do NOT have to utilize that quota. It's just a number that they CAN take if they would like to, that does not count against the freshman quota.

In the past, it was much more difficult for a sophomore to pledge at UT, because they were intermingled with the freshmen (and a freshman has 4 years to give as opposed to a sophomore at 3). Now, they have their own separate category. Your chances are better...but not guaranteed!

Please keep an open mind to ALL the awesome chapters at UT! If you do, your chances are much higher of finding a home. UT has a great long-standing greek history! Good luck!!

Thank you shirley1929! I'm just a little nervous for rush in the fall.

And as I'm sure has been said before .. be sure to get recommendations to all the chapters at UT.

Would it be best to have multiple letters for each chapter?

Quote:

Originally Posted by UTAdventure (Post 2274403)

Would it be best to have multiple letters for each chapter?

Yes.

Can someone link to the explanation of the difference between recommendations and reference letters? (I'm pretty sure I didn't get that right)

Do you mean this thread? EDIT: There's also this post. I feel like there's another good one that I'm missing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 33girl (Post 2274405)

Can someone link to the explanation of the difference between recommendations and reference letters? (I'm pretty sure I didn't get that right)

The interpretation of those terms may depend on the recruitment "culture" or customs, for lack of a better word, of the campus or region in question. (LINK to full article)

Quote:

Recommendation, and Letters of Support

This may be one of the most confusing parts of recruitment—trying to tell the difference between reference forms, letters of recommendation (recs), and letters of support. At some schools, the terms “reference forms” and “recs” are interchangeable and considered to be the same thing, with letters of support being personal letters written by sorority alumnae on behalf of a potential new member. Elsewhere, these terms stand for three separate types of information or may not all be used when discussing recruitment.

Reference forms are just that—forms provided by a sorority for their alumnae members to fill out on behalf of potential new members. These forms are unique to each sorority, but basically encapsulate the PNM’s resume into a standardized one-page document. There’s also space on the form for the alumna to indicate whether she knows the PNM or her family, and whether the alumna feels that this PMN will uphold the standards and responsibilities associated with membership in her sorority. Most NPC sororities require this form to be filed for any PNM before issuing a membership bid for that PNM; however, if the sorority wishes to issue a bid and does not have a reference form on file, an alumna advisor is usually available to fill out this form. In other words, if a sorority really wants a particular PNM, they will make sure they have everything they need to offer her an invitation to join.

Letters of recommendation are more confusing. In some places, letters of recommendation (or recs) are synonymous with reference forms (also sometimes called recs). In other places, these letters are just that—personal letters written on stationery by alumnae recommending a PMN whom they know personally for membership into the sorority. Letters of support are the same as personal letters of recommendation. The term is used predominantly in Texas to differentiate them from reference forms (which are often called recs).

Clear as mud? The most important thing to remember about these terms is that you only need to know how YOUR school, YOUR collegiate Panhellenic Board, and YOUR campus sororities define these terms, and which of these they require for registration and/or suggest for the greatest success during Recruitment Week. It is also important to know whether your alumnae Panhellenic association provides reference forms, letters of recommendation/support, or both, depending on what your collegiate Panhellenic council advises. Most collegiate Panhellenic websites and many local alumnae Panhellenic associations have an entire section devoted to recruitment, and this information is usually available there; if not, contact the collegiate Panhellenic council and ask them to clarify what will need to be submitted on your behalf.

Most collegiate Panhellenic councils do not require reference forms/recs from sorority alumnae in order to register for recruitment. However, at many schools (particularly throughout the South) there are so many girls going through recruitment that in order to whittle down the invitation lists, some sororities must automatically drop any PNM without reference forms/recs. It can be nearly impossible to receive invitations to recruitment beyond the first round of open houses without additional information submitted by an alumna on your behalf, so getting references/recs are crucial to success at many schools.

To clear it up...for most people, we think of it kinda like this...

XYZ Sorority
Jane Doe - RIF Writer
Sally Jones - letter of support (LOS) writer
Mary Coates - LOS writer
Edith Smith - LOS writer

Sally, Mary and Edith write their letters, send them to Jane, who sends all in to the XYZ Chapter (either via the local alum chapter or straight to the UT chapter).

This is in a perfect world. It doesn't always happen that exactly way....

Just wondering what is the average placement rate of PNMs?

Quote:

Originally Posted by summergal (Post 2407074)

Just wondering what is the average placement rate of PNMs?

That's kind of a trick question. The placement of girls who start versus get a home at the end probably isn't great. If you cut out the girls who drop out because they don't like the list of invitations that have left, then placement is probably in the range of 90%. And when you cut out grade risks and girls who are a full on train wreck, that means your chances are quite good. It's the first part that's problematic. Texas, more than any other school (my perception) seems to be more focused on being in the "right" sorority or nothing at all than any other large university. Even at Bama and Ole Miss the girls bite down and accept their invitations. That's why a similarly sized school with a similar demographic has pledge classes half the size. It's not the chapters, it's the girls rushing.

So would girls they normally cut have right below the 3.0 gpa or is that considered risky?

The answer to that ^^^ question is private membership information within each home. Therefore, we are unable to tell you.

I went to UT Austin, and I can tell you that a 3.0 would be an extremely low GPA at that school. Even an in-state student needs to be in the top 7% of her class for admission.

As a UT alumna and mother of a current UT student, the best advice I can give you is to let any friends you have within the houses know that you are going through recruitment. It's really difficult to move past the first rounds of parties if you don't have anyone within the house speaking up in your favor. That, plus the suggested letters of recommendation/support, will help you get as far as possible in the process. Best of luck!