UCF Junior Transfer Student Joining a Sorority
 

Hello everyone!

I attended a community college to recieve my AA because I had a scholarship and wanted to be close to home. I just got accepted into UCF and I’ve always wanted to join a sorority. I’m a little worried because of my class standing. I’m a pre-med student, currently majoring in Biology. My GPA is 3.0 which I know is a little low but I have plenty of reasons not that it’s relevant now, but they’re no longer a problem and should no longner affect my GPA. I’ll be transferring as a junior, however I plan on double majoring as well so I should have an additional year to earn my degrees.

I work a full time job and I am very involved in the community. I volunteer at a local animal refuge and children’s hospital. I tutor elementary students as well. I also travel to Europe every summer and go to different countries and visit my mom’s hometown and volunteer there as well.

What else can I do to make me stand out and make more sororities bid on me considering my average GPA and my class standing.

Do you believe I have a shot?

*** I will be starting fresh in Orlando meaning I will not have a fult time job or any of the volunteer opportunities that I have now since I live two hours from Orlando

You’re a junior with a not great GPA and a full time job, and other interests that while admirable, seem like they would take up the majority of your remaining free time.

No, I don’t think you have a shot.

I'd check out the GPA stats for the sororities at your new school, to see what you're up against. If it's your dream to go Greek, I don't think your time is necessarily wasted by trying. Being an upperclassman - regardless of GPA - will certainly limit your options, though.

It's good to play up your activities to show you have leadership ability and a history of reliable involvement, but be careful that you don't appear overbooked. It's kind of a catch-22, even for actives; you need to be super-active in your chapter, but there's also strong encouragement to be visually present in other campus organizations to lift your GLO's profile.

Good luck!

I know nothing specific about UCF rush. But you won’t know unless you try, and by going through rush you may make some new friends even if it doesn’t work out. If you do try, my advice:
Get recommendations for EVERY sorority. With the information you provide the rec writer, write a letter explaining the circumstances of your GPA, that you do plan to be there more than two years, etc. Ask that they include that info in their recommendation, if they can.
Know the odds aren’t in your favor, so be prepared for “rejection” and realize it is the circumstance, not you.
Be open to EVERY house that is willing to give you a shot. Sometimes the houses considered rock bottom have the best sisterhoods.
Good luck if you go for it!

You definitely need to get recs for all the groups. I'm not sure if UCF has upperclass quota but it would help you if they do as you wouldn't have to worry about taking freshman's place. The Greek Life office at UCF can tell you if they do. If GPAs aren't on the web site, the GLO can also give you that information. Put your best self forward and give it a try. You will never know otherwise.

*** My GPA is actually a 3.2. I don't know why I typed 3.0?! Lol. As for leadership I was involved in an Achiever's Club at my CC, mostly based on leadership skills for my freshman year. I hope that's enough even though it was only a years worth.

Anyways, thank you for the help but do you mind me asking where is the best place to find people who are willing to write rec letters. I don't know any alumni. I actually emailed a group for sorority alumni in my hometown in hopes they would help. They are actually very great ladies in our community! I know it's not guaranteed and that it might be a little forward but this is something I dreamed of since high school and not for the superficial reasons but I actually love the philanthropy aspect of it and I really want to make new friends as many of mine are going separate paths. I only posted this thread so I know that I did everything I could to ensure I could make my college experience come true! I know that I should go in with an open-mind and that I am more likely to be rejected for my class standing, I just wanted a few opinions from some people who are already on the inside.

I appreciate the honesty. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best, ammirite?!

Ask friends of your parents, former teachers, former bosses. You probably know alumnae and don’t realize it.

The best advice has already been given. Get all the recs you possibly can. You have great activities and a full time job which you state is in the past. Now you are ready to concentrate on school full time. Best of luck to you. As you said...hope for the best!

Thank you! I'll make another thread in a few months to update you guys!

And the alums can be from ANY school-not just UCF. You know lots of women who went to college. Ask them all. If you find one,ask if she knows anyone in the other groups. Greek women know other Greek women. Network.

Is this young lady still considered an undergraduate, even though she has already earned an AA degree at another college?

She hasn't earned a Bachelor's Degree, so yes.

Yeah, quite a few CC students opt to get the Associate's degree before transferring to a four-year. It's usually not that much extra effort and it's nice to have on a resume.



And it's not unheard of for people who already have a Bachelor's degree to enroll as a fulltime student in a second undergraduate degree program. One of my sisters already had a BA, decided to retrain, and enrolled as a freshman in a different four-year undergrad program at Berkeley. AOII had no issues rushing her back then. Do other NPCs have rules against extending bids to people who already have BA/S degrees or something? Seems like the question of who's an undergrad for the purposes of formal recruitment would be more of an institutional call, but I dunno.



I remember someone saying awhile back that their NPC organization allowed graduate students to join, too. Is that common?

The Unanimous Agreements of NPC require that all women who go through rush be undergraduates, enrolled as full time students.

"To be eligible to participate in Panhellenic recruitment and pledge an NPC sorority as a collegiate member, a woman must:
• Not be simultaneously enrolled in high school and attending college.
• Be an undergraduate regularly matriculated according to the definition of matriculation established by that institution."

Yeah, I'd always thought that if you were in a graduate-level degree program and a sorority wanted to make you a member, they'd just initiate you as an alum. I assume the unanimous agreement covers informal rush activities too, not just formal rush.

Re the other issue, the UA indicates that if your college considers you a current, full-time student in a bachelor's degree program, you can rush regardless of previous degrees earned (and that is supported by my sister's experience). But just as there are some undergraduate programs that don't admit students who already have Bachelors degrees, it doesn't seem uber-far-fetched that some sororities might officially seek college-first-timers only.

Things may be a lot different now, but I joined after having gotten my AA. Also, ask some of your old high school teachers, female professors from your CC for recs. As others have said, you may know many Greek women but didn't realize it.

Best of luck to you and let us know how it works out!!

It’ll be a competitive rush. Many of the top rushing chapters at UCF only take juniors if there is an extenuating circumstance - the PNM is friends with girls in the chapter, has a great GPA, etc. Even with those attributes, cuts are still harsh for juniors since UCF doesn’t have an upperclassman quota. Go in with an open mind.

My sorority will consider a little bit lower grade for college since...it's college-level courses. And UCF strikes me as a shade more like an urban university, with a slightly more non-traditional student body (older average student, more likely to be working full time).
All that means is there's a chance of a chance!
So...this chance won't come around again. What have you got to lose?
Get your recs and go for it!!

ZTAngel is an alumni of UCF. She knows that campus, which has over 68,000 students.

If this is something you really want - then go for it.

As others have said, it's important to know your opportunities will be limited; that said, I've known girls at competitive schools receive bids as upperclassman. They were realistic, stayed upbeat, prepared (recs, etc.), open to every house, didn't listen to "tent talk" where houses get put down, and they stuck with it if they had only a few houses left as rush went on. They knew how to have good conversations and dressed neatly. When you have a big challenge, every little bit counts even more.

Going for something you desire while being realistic is a terrific predictor of how to navigate life because I promise you, this won't be the first thing you're interested in that might present great challenges to achieve.

And if by some chance it doesn't work out, then you will have experienced new things and learned more about yourself than if you had not pursued it. I hope you rush and come back and update here. I'm rooting for you.

Yes. UCF is far from an urban university with non-traditional students. Maybe 20 years ago, but the school has completely changed. Most students - particularly those who go through recruitment - are fresh out of high school and typically do not work full time.

I’m a current student at UCF and a sister of a chapter there. Juniors have a tougher time going through recruitment. My Big Sis happened to have been a junior and had an okay time but she’s told me it wasn’t easy and she didn’t get invited back to a fair amount of chapters.Sophomores and Freshman definitely have it easier. However, there are always exceptions. I know some of the top recruiting chapters took juniors but the key is to get to know people. Which I’m not sure you’ll have time to do since by this point it would be dirty rushing.

I would say put your best foot forward and hope for the best. Be honest and be yourself. Every chapter is great and it’s easy to make friends! Besides you wouldn’t want to be part of a chapter who didn’t want you for something as minuscule as your class standing anyway. Good luck!

What? Why on earth would it be dirty rushing? Please don’t tell me you have silence in place NOW for Fall 2019 rush. If so, I suggest your Panhellenic consults your Green Books, because that is not how silence is supposed to work.

Some schools with rush the week prior to the start of fall semester require sorority members to observe silence at the end of the preceding spring semester, ending on bid day.

As a Fraternity Member, I look over these post I am going W T F is going on?

Unless this person is an OGRE, you ladies of Sororities scare the heck out of me.:o I have seen more harsh comments in The She GLO than ever in The He GLO!:confused:

Guess I should stick to What is for Dinner!:confused:

Harsh?? Tom, what has been said that was harsh? All I see are quite honest comments, opinions and discussion. Many of the comments have even been encouraging and kind.

Sororities run things differently. I would suggest looking at whether more fraternities or sororities are being shut down to see which set of rules might be working better.

Ummm, wow, no. If that policy is in place at UCF, it is super wrong and should be changed. This is directly from the MOI. (I bolded the pertinent part.)

POSITIVE PANHELLENIC CONTACT
To help increase the number of potential new members, sorority women must promote general sorority membership. Various publics should understand the benefits of sorority membership, including high scholastic attainment, dynamic leadership opportunities, philanthropic contributions and an immediate campus-based circle of lifelong friendships.
Because of these factors, all College Panhellenics should share in the goal of positive Panhellenic content, which is intended to promote interest in the sorority community and bring more women to the recruitment process. Too often sorority women turn away potential new members. Development of a Panhellenic code of ethics and adherence by all chapters is essential to the success of every College Panhellenic.
Are your silence rules outdated? Strict silence is intended for the short period of time, not more than 24 hours, from the signing of the membership recruitment acceptance binding agreement (MRABA) until bid distribution.
Additional silence rules are not desirable because they can suppress participation in recruitment and stunt growth in Panhellenic communities. Panhellenics are encouraged to eliminate all silence and “no contact” statements from their recruitment rules except for the strict silence required during the short time between preference and bid distribution.
Positive Panhellenic contact does not mean creating an unfair advantage for a particular NPC member organization. It does mean being friendly and responding to questions potential new members might ask of Panhellenic members. It does mean promoting sorority membership in general, not a particular organization.
2019 | Manual of Information College Panhellenic Membership Recruitment | 115
Positive Panhellenic Contact Policy (2003): All College Panhellenics and Alumnae Panhellenics will promote personal and informative Panhellenic-spirited contact with potential new members at all times, year-round.
Strict Silence Policy (1995): Strict silence is observed only between the end of preference events and the bid distribution. Positive Panhellenic contact shall be advocated at all other times.

Good Luck! You got this!

She didn't say strict silence Many larger Greek schools (SEC ones)have rules against summer parties, etc. That's what she's talking about. You're really good when you stay in your lane....don't swerve!

That makes more sense. I would hope that sorority women weren’t avoiding talking to unaffiliated students. I attribute my knee jerk reaction to seeing WAY too many people on here in the past saying that their school did exactly that.

Sorry, I didn’t mean to not specify. When I said it could be dirty rushing, it is only because the chapters cannot “recruit” girls for their chapters during the summer (obviously) and should only be very general and neutral about going through recruitment i.e. Go Greek! never Go XYZ!

If it’s by pure chance she befriends some Pan women without knowing they’re Pan women it’s no issue, but if she chose to seek them out because of their affiliation to one certain chapter or chapters, the chapter could get in trouble.

You did nothing wrong.