University of Georgia PNM
 

After reading through the rush threads for awhile now I have decided to make my first post. :D I am planning on participating in fall 2006 recruitment at UGA. Can't wait! And I wanted to let all the wonderful women on here know how helpful all the different advice has been in preparing for it. There is an answer to every single question a PNM could possibly have. I will definately be telling other PNMs I know about this site. I don't think one can be completely prepared for something such as SEC rush week, but I feel much more qualified to tackle it after so much good advice. (Is it normal to be this excited about recruitment this early? I feel like such a dork! :plol) Thanks for all the help GCers!

Best of luck to you during Rush! There are some great sororities at UGA - I'm sure that you'll have a blast getting to meet them in the fall. :D

Good luck. Start lining up your recs NOW!

Re: University of Georgia PNM
 

Hun, being at Alabama, I know first hand how powerful the Greek Systems are and how tough rush can be for a girl, please do not walk into rush and use all of this "advice" from greekchat. Frankly, you should not resort to greekchat, or any INTERNET, site to help get you through rush.

And do not tell a bunch of PNM's and Members that you have been coming on greekchat.com for help.....That would be disastrous for you, trust me on this.

I would really try to impress Kappa and Theta, they are very good.

I think it's great that you're doing your homework now in preparation for recruitment! Greek Chat has a lot of collegians and alumnae from southern schools with similiar recruitment styles, so it can be a great resource. Just make sure to confirm specifics with the Office of Greek Life at your university. We have a lot of valid opinions and recommendations based on our experiences, but universities and sororities vary year to year and even within the same university/chapter!

Definitely start soliciting recs now, and take the rest of this school year to get good grades and involved in a community activity or school activity.

It's also important to cultivate a respectable profile-- if you've got a MySpace page, LJ, blog, website, Facebook membership, etc., you want to come off as classy and polished-- refrain from joining groups or making posts that will paint you in a negative way. The best thing to do it really abstain from participating in these sites. But that it up to you to use your best discretion. This also goes for how you act and what you say in real life at your current school and once you get up to your university.

We're always excited to meet new PNM's! Good luck!!!

Welcome to Greek Chat!

^^^What she said!!!

Truer words have not been spoken on greekchat in a long time!

Denise

Re: Re: University of Georgia PNM
 

I respectfully disagree. I think using GC as a tool to get you acquainted with the various sororities and the rush process in general is a very smart thing to do. Also, I think that most sorority members would be interested to hear that you're checking things out in advance. To me, that indicates that you're serious about the rush process and truly interested in Greek Life.

The only advice I probably wouldn't consider, regardless of whether you hear it here on GC or in the 'real world', is how the individual sororities "rank" (for lack of a better word) on your campus. A chapter that is fabulous at one person's school might not be strong at all at another. More importantly, everyone is different... what you are looking for in a sorority may be completely opposite from what another potential member is looking for -- and what a current fraternity or sorority member thinks about a particular group may be completely different from what you think about that group. In the end, you're the one who will be making the decision as to which GLO to join -- and your opinion and that of your prospective sisters are truly the only ones that matter in that case.

Again, the best of luck to you. :D

No one's telling her to say to the sorority women "Hey, I got all my advice from GC". Being that there are SEC sorority women here, this IS a good place to get advice.

Shut up.

I don't think it hurts to show you've taken a proactive interest and done your homework. One way to do this is with recs. Another way is to slip it into conversation-- shows you are taking the process seriously and are interested.

Better to phrase it along the lines of :

I'm so excited to be at recruitment. I love that your mascot is a ______. I love _______, too! I did some research before recruitment started and I learned that your philanthropy is X. I volunteered at X in my hometown for two summers! What are some of the ways in which the sorority supports X?

Something like that, anyway.

okay, do not say that. that will make you sound like a total moron. the kind of people who pick a sorority based on the mascot and philanthropy are not the kind of people who anyone wants in their sorority (ESPECIALLY at an SEC school). this is really not good advice!!!

if you really need help, talk to your mom/older sister/older friends/neighbors who have already been through recruitment or are in sororities. you don't even know if these women are IN sororities, let alone in ones you would want to be in. some of this advice is just laughable.

Good luck with UGA rush, it can be cut throat, not as much as ole miss or alabama, but it's a tough proccess.... and while you might have recieved tips from this site (i dunno what tips so i cannot tell you if they are good or not), but for the love of God, do not mention this site at all. Do not mention any site. Don't talk about computers. In fact, pretend that you don't even know how to use a computer.... But it might be good for you to know that even 2nd tiers at UGA would be 1st tiers at most other schools.

of course i was on fratty.net... why did the 2nd one get taken down too???

dunno, I can send you a link to the new site if you want though.

Gotta agree somewhat... you'll sound like a tool gushing about how much you love someone's mascot. What does it matter to you if it's a teddy bear or a crown or a turtle? Who cares?

Also, unless you have a special connection to a philanthropy- say you have a sister or close friend that was a Make a Wish kid, or a relative had breat canswer, you'll sound goofy saying how much you love a particular philanthropy.

On that note:
We really liked hearing when a PNM actually did volunteer in the past for a battered women's/children's shelter or with sexual assault prevention and education groups. I can't speak for everyone in my sorority, but if a PNM volunteered at a philanthropy related to ours, she stood out to me.

Even if you didn't volunteer with our specific philanthropy, it's always good to mention community involvement.

So ditto to what kddani said. Don't fall into the "gushing" trap, it'll make you sound insincere.

georgewallace, that would be great. thanks!!

Best of luck! I'm glad that you have decided to participate in recruitment at UGA. We have an amazing system that is only getting stronger. I'm glad that you're already so excited because we're already excited for recruitment, too!

Some advice...

There is a lot of helpful advice on this board. Things such as topics to avoid during coversations, how you should dress nicer than what is suggested, and other things. You'll know what advice you should follow and what you shouldn't, and if you have any questions, feel free to PM me.

Get recs. You live near the university, so you probably know some alum from those actual chapters. Try to get them to write you recs if you can.

Since you live so close, you probably know people in the Greek system or at least have heard things about particular houses. Forget all of it. Joining a sorority is a huge decision and commitment and it needs to be a group that you love, not one that your roommate or neighbor or some random person on this site thinks is the best.

It's perfectly fine to use this site as a reference, but do not mention it during recruitment. I personally wouldn't even mention it to other PNMs.

DO NOT come into a house acting like you know everything about it. You will receive a book with information about all of the sororities. It will have their mascot, philanthropy, a picture of their house, and other information about each house. It is ok to look over this and be familiar with these facts, but I wouldn't bring it up at all. It is fine to be interested in things that have to do with the sorority, but wait for the person rushing you to bring it up. When she says "Our philantropy is _________ and to raise money/awareness we do ___________" then you can absolutely tell them that you think that's a great cause or whatever. I personally would be really creeped out if a PNM came into our house spouting off facts. Don't come across as a stalker.

Finally, be yourself, have fun, and find a great pair of comfortable shoes. You have quite some time before recruitment starts and I think its great that you are already preparing. Good luck!

done

You do have a very vaild point George Wallace. I would have NEVER thought of ever mentioning GC, or computers for that matter, during rush. That would somewhat be digging my own grave. And by telling other PNMs I didn't mean everyone I knew, just if a very very close friend was considering I might mention it. But thinking about it now, I'll just keep it quiet.

This site is also definately not the only place I use for advice. And the advice I do read on here I use my own discretion as to what is legit and useful. I would agree the best place to get advice is from the Greek Life office and friends and family who have been through the process.

I'm just going to go out on a limb here and cut all the BS most people will say about UGA rush. The truth is it's very competetive, and they really couldn't care less about if you volunteered with their philanthropy. Sure it may help, but if you don't have their look, and aren't able to carry on a conversation with them, it doesn't matter anyway. I would just mention all the stuff you do in your rush profile and let that be that. Chapters are UGA already know what girls they want, and more importantly, what girls they do not want, even before you step into the door.

Best of luck to you!!

UGA is definitely competitive so just keep in mind.

Also, take the advice here with a grain of salt (okay I have no idea what that means, lol.)

You will quickly learn which GC'ers give rational advice and which ones just want to stir up trouble.:rolleyes:

^^^
Hence the need for good recs!

kkg83, believe it or not, there ARE pnms who come to greekchat seeking advice BECAUSE they know noone that they can quiz about greek life. not everyone has a mom/grandmother/aunt/sister/cousin/teacher/neighbor or whomever, who is a member of a sorority and with whom they can get rush advice. greekchat is a good resource of general information for them. sometimes they get real lucky, and find someone who is familiar with their campus and can give them more detailed information. even better.

there are women on greekchat who are national officers of their sororities or who serve as advisors or are npc officers. many of us have met in person.we ordinarily give everyone the benefit of the doubt-if they say they are a member of xyz, we believe them. posers are usually found out pretty quickly and are dealt with, behind the scenes.

people posting comments on recruitment occuring somewhere other than their own region might get it wrong. in that case, most of us defer to those more knowledgeable with the specific campus. the information about recruitment is pretty much right on target. most of us want to help these women to find the right group. when have you have been a greekchat member a little longer, i'm sure you will see that, too.

anyway, welcome to greekchat.

well OMG then they don't even deserve a bid because being a first generation Greek just isn't fratty!!!!! hello!!

/sarcasm

Well they can get a bid just don't expect top tier.

You guys can make jokes about it all you want, but they're not gonna help this girl get into a good sorority. While yall may think things like what school you went to, what your parents are like, your economic background, etc, are elitist, they are important factors during rush at big SEC schools. Hopefully since that girl is in Watkinsville she already knows a few girls in good UGA sororities, and they can really prep her. Just remember, stuff that works for girls up north, or at UCF is gonna be very different from what works at UGA, Auburn, Bama, etc.

And everyone knows that and isn't trying to deny that. I went to a school in the north that had a competitive rush but i wouldn't know how it worked in the South. Luckily there are loads of people on here that did go through an SEC rush and can offer advice that she is looking for.

As someone who has gone through Southern rush herself and is an alumna advisor for our UGA chapter, I can agree with many of the above posters in that rush is very competitive there. Recs and a good resume are definitely important, but there's a lot more to it than that.

It's very smart to learn as much as you can about the rush process and the campus sororities in advance so that you feel more comfortable at the parties and can converse easily with the sisters.

Checking GC for tips on appropriate attire and good conversation starters is a really good move. Checking the individual sororities' national websites and the individual chapter websites are other good ideas because you can get insight as to what makes each one different from the other. That doesn't mean that you have to step into a house and immediately start rattling off facts and figures about the organization (and I seriously doubt that any sensible rushee would do that anyway).

However, it would be perfectly appropriate at UGA for a rushee to tell a sister, "Hey, I was really excited about rush this year, so I checked out some of the national websites for the sororities over the summer. I noticed that many of them have national magazines. Since I'm planning to major in journalism, I was wondering if your sorority allows collegians to submit articles to your national publication?" That will give the sister an opportunity to tell you a bit about her GLO and, also, let her know that you could benefit the chapter in the area of Public Relations. Later on, that sister is more likely to remember you because you had a meaningful, educated conversation with her instead of just talking about the weather and how long a walk it was from XYZ house to ABC house.

The bottom line is this: Sororities are looking for well-rounded women who have something unique to offer their organization. It's important for you to show them that you do.

Saying something during rush about wanting to write for the national publication would be a poor move here. In my experience, girls don't wanna talk about their national organization. They don't usually want to talk to you about world issues or career plans. They want to talk about their sisters, who you know, and what background you're from. Maybe thats not how it is at UGA, but at top tier chapters from other SEC schools, I know it is. I'm saying this from my POV, having gone through recs every year of incoming girls with current sorority members, and hearing what they like and don't like.

I agree with shinerbock. I usually get calls from my friends in sororities asking my opinion on certain girls, and it normally doesnt involve, does she do community service, how interested is she, etc. Its more along the lines of is she a classy girl, do you like her, did she get along with people in hs, etc. While the comm service is a great add on, its not going to get you a bid.

I thought you went to Northwestern, kkg83. Or is UGA actually a top tier Midwestern school?

i don't go to UGA, but i do know that talking about community service is not the way to get a bid there. i have a lot of friends there and we talk all the time about rush stuff.

and i do NOT go to northwestern! jesus, why do you people continue to put words in my mouth? northwestern is not the only good school in the midwest!

Of course it isn't. A lot of us are FROM the Midwest.

Wash U? There are a lot of people on here from there.

Northwestern is the only school in the Midwest that I'd consider "top tier." There's U of Chicago, but they don't have KKG.

Washington is definitely is top tier as is Northwestern University and Notre Dame. ND doesn't have greeks but the other 2 do.

And Wash U has a very strong chapter of KKG.

As does Northwestern.

shinerbock, you are female? i thought you were a collegiate fraternity member.