Alumna Initiation Sorority Search
 

Hi everyone!

I am interested in being initiated as an alumna into a social sorority of the Panhellenic Council.

I graduated college several years ago and obtained an advanced degree last year. I was in a service fraternity during my college years and enjoyed it very much.

I did try sorority rush, but it did not work out. The timing just was not right on my end. I did not know what I wanted to major in or do as a career back then. But now I am very successful in a career I enjoy very much. So I would like to give Greek life another chance.

How did you find the right sorority for you?

Should I pick one that was present in my undergraduate institution (which is 2 hours away from where I live now)? How about one present in either my graduate university (close to my apartment) or the university across my job (which I have never attended)? Would you recommend a sorority with a chapter within driving distance? One that was present at any of the institutions that you have attended? I did take some courses at a third university in my state, but not for a degree- just professional enrichment.

Should I pick one that invited me back during rush back then? One is still present in my undergrad school but does not have a closer chapter. Another one is not at that school anymore, nor where I got my Masters.

I have gone to the homepages of all the sororities that were in my undergrad school back then, as well as read the information about them in Greek Chat and other websites. One of them that appealed to me back then still appeals to me due to its focus being very similar to my personality. How much would you count this? How much did you count the philantropies? The intellectual backgrounds, and interests of the founders?

Any other factors I should consider? Any major restrictions that you know about? Anything that has changed since I was an undergraduate student?

Finally, what are the involvement opportunities for someone in my situation?

Thank you so much for all your help.

Make your choice based on the ALUMNAE Chapter, not the collegiate chapter. The alumnae chapter is who you will have the most contact with and they are the ones who will decide whether or not to extend an invitation to you. If volunteering with the collegians is something you would like to do then yes you'll want a chapter close to you but that shouldn't be your first priority.

Once you are invited to join, there will be many opportunities available to you. Helping the alumnae chapter, advising collegians, helping on an international level almost anything you want to do.

If one of them appeals to you then I would start with that one. Just be warned, it might be one that doesn't do Alumna Initiation (or rarely does) so it might be harder to get a foot in. Not all of the groups do AI and those that do vary in their processes.

Although I cannot say that I've actually taken my own advice;) , I strongly advise that you set aside your past rush experience when making your decision about which sororities to approach. For one thing, you do not know why you were not invited back to a particular sorority. The factors that excluded you before might not be factors any longer (ex: climate of Greek Life on your campus). Also, by only looking at the sororities that were on your campus, you are seriously limiting your search. Again, I'm not following this advice because I began the AI process with the precise goal of joining an individual organization for very personal reasons. Although I've learned enough to know that there are many wonderful NPC orgs, I have chosen to follow through with my original search until I am sure that the door is closed. If you don't have a connection to a particular group, then I suggest that you research all of the organizations before choosing one to approach.

Best wishes for a successful journey.

LM

Wow, you people are very insightful. I am so glad I posted.

SmartBlonde- I would have never thought of that. Volunteering with collegians is not a top priority for me. Networking with alumnae is more of my focus now (I'm in my late 20s). I can give advice and participate in some college programs, but that is not an absolute necessity for me. I have wanted to belong to a sorority due to the ideals and the friendship. Some of the sororities that have chapters in all the schools I have been to do not seem to do AI according to the Greek Info Pages. Most of those don't seem to call my name as loud as some of the ones that do.

LouisaMay- I hope they are not factors anymore. Would rules change a lot? Would things that happened 10 years ago count? Would you strongly recommend one that was not in my campus and thus I would have a completely clean slate with? Also, if I tried informally with one specific house but due to X or Y reason (NPC/National/School's Panhellenic/House) they could not accept me- would it be a bad idea to try again?

I have been doing a lot of research. I don't remember most of Rush to be honest- hey, it was 10 years ago. I have matured a lot since back then. I had friends/female frat brothers in more than one sorority, but the one that called my name the loudest I only had acquaintances in. A friend recommended me one that was not in my campus, but that highly welcomes AIs.

Thanks again. Let me know everything that I need to know about this.

What do you mean by Greek Info pages? Are those the pages for the collegiate chapters (i.e. on the University website)? The collegiate chapters are most likely not going to have any mention of the process.

And if you know people in the group you want to go with, make use of that person/people. The process may go easier.

Some groups require the person coming in to be recommended/sponsored by someone in the group already just to get started.

I think she means the Greek info pages that one of the posters here (is it ariesrising?) put together.

Good Point and have not seen ariesrising on much.

She has done a tremendous amount of research, not sure what if anything She touched on this point.

I lost Her Link when I updated (:mad: ) and need to go back and find it to Keep!

Thanks 33girl for the thought!:)

Well, I'm certainly not an expert, but if a friend made a suggestion then you might as well start there.

Ten years is a fairly long time. It's not like the National organization has a sign up with your picture on it saying DON'T INVITE THIS WOMAN!!!;) You don't have to rule out an organization just because you weren't invited during informal recruitment. I, personally, would feel a little uncomfortable, but that's just me. I tend to be shy.

I think it is a good idea to look beyond your campus. Unless you went to Penn State or another school with a huge Greek system, you only saw a small proportion of the NPCs. That being said, you need to find a sincere connection with an organization, a connection on which you can build a love for the group. For example, my first big connection was with the philanthropy.

Again, I strongly encourage you to follow your friend's lead. At least initially.

LM

LouisaMay- I did go to a university with a large Greek system. Let's say I would run out of fingers and would have less than one foot worth of toes if I were to count them on my digits.

I am not shy. I am a pretty gutsy person. But I do fear rejection just like every other human being in this planet. I have no idea what nationals keep in their records- but I never got any bids or pledged.

And at first the philanthropy did not seem to stand out as much as a couple others which have more direct relevance to my life. However, now that I think about it, this philanthropy is very unique and does involve the main focus of this sorority (not in an obvious way, but it sure is intuitive). And this focus- which also showed in the kind of girls it got back in my undergrad campus- is what is attracting me to it the most.

SmartBlonde- Yup, that website is called Greek Info Pages. And I have gone to the official sites of these sororities.

I did investigate the website of the local chapter of the one I am interested in the most. The local chapter not only had a lot of activities, but the people in it seem very down to earth and friendly. They do have involvement with my undergrad school, but also many local activities.

Everyone- I plan on contacting the organization (nationals? local chapter?) after I return from vacation in late May. That way I can have some contact with them before fall rush starts- don't know how relevant that is. The new member program of the sorority I am interested in is rather lengthy- again, I do not know if it takes the same length for alumnae initiates. But I can handle it.

it seems like you have found the organization that you would like to pursue....

Your next step is to contact I/NHQ (Inter/National) Headquater for that particular group. Explain your siuation and that you are interested in possible AI, from there they should tell you how to proceed.

I will contact the National organization.

I am seeing conflicting information about this particular sorority's AI. A previous post (3 years old) here in Greek Chat says that you need sponsoring by alumnae in good standing. However, Greek Info Pages says nothing of the sort- and mentions it of several other sororities. The official website does not mention alumnae initiation explicitly.

Does that mean you simply need to get in contact with the Alumnae Chapter after you contact Nationals and they can vote on you? Or that someone from that chapter has to nominate you to Nationals and you cannot even contact them?

Why I usually am not a shy person, if there is anything that I am shy about, it would be approaching people to get recommendation letters or similar favors of the sort. And I honestly do not know anyone in the local alumnae chapter. Nor do I really remember any of the people who were in that sorority 10 years ago.

As you can see, I have a lot of questions. I don't want to jeopardize my chances of achieving this goal. It does not have to be in this specific sorority- but this one has always appealed to me.

Scandia--What you may want to do is private message ONE of the organization's alumna initiates on this board to ask your questions. The listing at the top of the forum called AI roll call might give you a place to start (I would link to it but I am defective at that sort of thing).

We also used to have a list somewhere of people who were willing to be contacted about AI for their org--I think its in the AI roll call as well.

In this public forum, we can really only answer generally. In a PM, they can be more specific about the process for their organization.

Good luck!

Heather17- Thank you. I will look in it. The thread was not in AI Roll Call, but in that sorority's specific forum.

And I just found a thread explaining how friendly and welcoming the sorority I am interested in was to an AI of that particular one. It has curbed a lot of my fears. They seemed very proactive in it.

I will PM that person later today. She seems very friendly and knowledgeable.

Scandia,
I understand your concerns. Shy or not, it is awkward to approach people in a way that is going to seem "out of the blue" no matter what you do. So, I definitely here you on that!

You seem to already have a clear idea of the organization that you hope to join. I think that is great! To me, it is even better that hunting through lots of orgs because you are truly invested in a single group. I felt the same way.

Just try and see what happens.

LM

I have narrowed my search down to five organizations. I can see myself in them. All seem to do AI. All have chapters in my state. All but one had chapters at my undergraduate school- and 3 of those still do.

I have decided to call them by names of stars. Here they are, in alphabetical order:

Aldebaran
Betelgeuse
Mintaka
Rigel
Vega

I have been visiting the websites of collegiate and alumnae chapters, as well as reading the posts in the GC and Livejournal communities for them. I have PMed people from two different organizations, but have not made public posts in their specific forums.

And I have a high fever involving joint pain today, so you bet I will be doing a lot more of that during the day. However, I do have a busy and odd week at work this week, and next Wednesday I head out for my brother's vet school vacation. But when I come back the other Monday, I will be contacting the organizations. I do not know if to contact all 5 of them simultaneously, or do so in order of those which appeal to me the most.

Regardless of what is says on Ariesrising site (a great site) you need to contact Inter/National Headquarters to get the ball rolling, to have someone email an AC president out of the blue could be viewed a rather off-putting.

I usually don't say this, but I now think I am starting to believe it and this is not lip-service: AI IS NOT COMMON by any stretch of the imagination, many ACs may not be familiar with the process or they just don't do it at all. I really don't believe that GC portrays AI as common, but some people may see it that way. YOU NEED to start with I/NHQ, get some information and they will help you in the process. Some groups maybe more open to AI, than others, but within that, it all depends on the AC, because they will be the ones who will be sponsoring you.

It is great that you are looking at collegiate sites, but you will not have as much contact with them as the AC, that is where you will be spending most of your time with, unless you get involved in an advisory roll of some sort. Don't concentrate on the collegiate chapter, focus on the AC. If the group that you are interested in, sends you contact information to the local AC or they send your contact information to the local AC, it is up to them to see whether they are interested in AI.

I hope that helps clear a few things up for you, also regarding PMing some AIs from a group on this board, some may respond and some may not respond, just so you are aware.

gwyn

[edit to clear my statement up: what I mean in the above, we know that AI is not common, but I am starting to believe that GC may give the preception that it is common]

Ms Gwyn is right...

As I said in another thread, DO NOT contact the alumnae chapter (or the collegiate chapter for that matter) directly - start with the national HQ. Contacting either the AC or CC directly could give the impression that you are already a member and want to get involved - because some chapters have no clue that AI exists - and it's extremely hard and awkward to backtrack, it can completely ruin your chances.

Agree with the above two posters.

And while the internet is a good research tool and a good way to get started, one shouldn't base their opinions and feelings on a sorority based on their GC & LJ communities and various webpages.

Also, just because some sororities may be harder to AI into doesn't mean you should necessarily discount them. Just pursuing the ones that are "easier" to AI into (AI is NOT an easy process, no matter what group) still doesn't mean you have a better chance.

AI can be a VERY long process and will not happen overnight. These things can take a very long time. And it should. You should find the group that is right for you and that you are right for. Don't rush it.

Don't worry, I won't be contacting the Alumnae Chapters directly first. I'm not THAT gutsy. Asking for favors like that is one of the very few things I am shy about.

I will be contacting the HQ of each sorority first. I'm not rushing it. I love my job, have no plans for moving away anytime soon, and do not have any other major endeavors (such as the foreign language class I took these past two semesters) for the next year.

Thank you for the feedback again. I had never heard of AI until I came to these boards. It certainly is not a common procedure.

Ditto to what my sister said ..one thing also that you must keep in mind is that the whole processs is unique to every individual. What happens with one individual in one group will be different for another individual, even if they are in the same group. Another thing that is also important is discretion.

As an AI, I can tell you, definitely make certain that you go where your heart belongs...only you know what is important to you. I know that when I finally got my approval, I felt like I was flying!

If I can be of further help, PM me.

Good luck as you look for your home!

I wonder what to put in my introductory letter to the person in charge of recruitment/AI of the sororities I am interested in. I will talk about who I am, what I do for a living, how involved I was in college, what appeals to me about sororities in general, what appeals to me about the specific sorority, and how I think I can contribute to it. Anything else I can or should put?

I can afford to give the time and money, and I can travel on my own. Wonder if I should list this.

Would it be a good idea to list the institutions I have attended? And if so- all of them, or just the ones where I got degrees? I have taken a few classes at community colleges and a local 4-year university, but no degrees from them since they were just for personal enrichment.

I would list institutions that led to your degree(s).

Keep in mind that summer is a slow time for our volunteers, alumnae chapters and headquarters. The headquarters are usually involved in things like convention, taking their vacations and training new travelling consultants. The alumnae chapters tend to go on hiatus for the summer. The volunteers are breathing a sigh of relief that they made it through another academic year and are ready for a break from paperwork. International officers are often in a time of transition between new and old officers.

So, very little business is actually done over the summer. Don't be surprised if you dont get much response until fall.

Would you recommend not contacting them until fall then? I do not want my emails to get lost. I do have a very busy summer at my job, but I will always make time for involvement with my future sorority.

I know that most collegiate chapters do recruitment in early fall semester (not necessarily the same dates as the autumn equinox) before classes start.

I personally would wait.... not because there's any truth to the fact that they would lose your emails but because I'm such a worrier that I'd want to make 100% sure that they received my emails, calls and letters :)

Becoming an AI has almost nothing to do with the collegiate chapters. We have two different departments.

If you are contacting the headquarters, they are PAID women who work for the organization and should be available no matter what the time of year. If you are contacting alumnae chapters (volunteers) than it might be a different story since a lot of alumnae chapters don't do much during the summer.

Oh I definitely mean contacting the national headquarters. That's what I plan on doing first. I would have imagined that the paid people in the HQ would work year-round. Although summer is a popular vacation time.

This just means a lot to me. And like Emily, I am a worrier as well.

I didn't mean that you shouldn't contact the headquarters. I was just letting you know that you might not get a response within a day or two at this time of year, particularly if the group has a Convention this summer. I got the impression from one of your early posts that you were hoping to have it all wrapped up and done by Fall recruitment, and I didn't want you to be disappointed, because I think that is unlikely, no matter which group it is.

Oh no, I certainly do not expect it to be wrapped up so quickly. I may have mentioned this because the undergrad institution I went to does Fall recruitment and initiation for all chapters, while only a few do COB or Spring recruitment.

It would be nice, though. And I like doing things expediently. However, I understand that AI is a time consuming process.

On the other hand, I do not want to be left in limbo. I wonder if I should email after conventions happen. Most of the ones I am interested in do have conventions coming up in the summer.

If you don't like being left in limbo, then AI may not be right for you. It's an expedient process in only a very very few instances, usually where the AI has a lot of connections with the group.
There is also absolutely no guarantee of membership. It's not just a matter of going through paperwork, etc.

I know that you say that you understand it may take awhile, but your posts come across as otherwise. I can understand being anxious and impatient, but you have only taken a very small babystep towards the AI process. There's a lot more to go through, a lot more ups and downs, and again, no guarantee of membership.

Oh I understand. I may seem impatient, but I realize that AI is a long process and there are no guarantees. Especially when I do not know anyone.

But I still consider it an exciting new adventure to partake. And the process is part of it.

By limbo I mean I send a request, they say "we'll get back to you", and more than 6 months go by without an answer. You know, like when employers say "don't call us, we'll call you". Not so much "we have received your application, we will contact you at the end of fall recruitment which takes place in mid-August".

I'm just excited and optimistic about this. I am willing to try my hardest.

If the groups you are primarily focusing on have convention, contact them AFTER convention. Right now the HQ staff is very busy with preparations (those programs, handouts and signs come from somewhere). Waiting a few weeks afterwards would show that you've done some homework!

Keep in mind too, that not all groups handle AI inquiries at the HQ level. It is NOT ALWAYS the appropriate place to send your letter. Check with someone from that group privately to confirm to whom your letter should be sent.

"On the other hand, I do not want to be left in limbo.


This happened to me. Things were moving really well, and then...silence. I didn't know if this was a "no" or a "not now" or a "we lost your info." I still don't know, and it has been 2 years! But, I have a great supporter who encouraged me not to give up. I found out that there were officer changes and changes of policy that might have interrupted my process.

I know that you are not being impatient...just excited:D

Hang in there!

LM

The reason everyone is telling her to contact the HQs is because, well, some of the people in that group (on GC or in real life) might not know anything about AI and receiving wrong info can be disastrous for someone's pursuit. No one is advocating she send a full out resume now, just contact the HQs to see how they handle the AI process.

That happened to me too. After nearly three years of waiting, I found a guardian angel in the group I was hoping to join (who was here on Greek Chat). She was kind enough to make some inquiries on my behalf, and found that someone unintentionally dropped the ball. Had I not been persistant, and had I not met this very kind soul, I would still be in limbo land... not because they didn't want me, but because I had slipped through the cracks.

Someone told you that if you don't hear back from them, that they don't want you. That is NOT necessarily true. I'm proof.

Don't also let anyone tell you that because you don't want to be left out in limbo, that you're not AI material. Also not true. Nobody enjoys the waiting and the not knowing. It can be awful. I know, I went through it, as stated above, for nearly three years.

AI is relatively rare... but some sororities do less than a handful a year-- if any. Those are the groups that sometimes don't follow through-- not because they don't want you, but because they do AI rarely, there's a good chance someone can slip up along the way.

The hardest part is the not knowing. I wish all sororities would send those that they don't feel are right for them a very nice "I'm sorry, but we have to say no" letter. It's kinder than leaving people to hang out there.

The reason I advocated contacted someone in that group is that in groups that require a member nomination, they might get a "we don't do AI" response from HQ when, in fact, that isn't the case. It may be as simple as HQ does not make the contacts or forward the inquiries and there isn't someone in HQ responsible for AI because it is so rare. Nothing is a dead end until you get a definitive "No" but persistence and patience are key.

As someone pointed out earlier, alumnae chapters and very different from collegiate chapters. Be sure that you have set proper expectations for what you plan to get out of alumnae membership.

Also, be aware that many organization will require the chapter to sponsor you, and also that you have demonstrated a strong relationship to the organization prior to application. In otherwords, many places will frown upon self nomination. Equally frowned upon is sorority shopping.

This leads me to the fact that some organizations also look regularly on this board and can easily match up someone posting here with someone applying to HQ. Don't believe me? You should. With the few people who actually get nominated and approved for AI yearly, and given that this site undoubtedly has the most online coversations about it, it is not hard to figure out if SuzieQ123 who posts here is the same Sarah Somebody who wrote a letter in real life.

Dakareng- I will email them after the conventions them. Most of them happen around the same time. And when they are done with their conventions, I will also be done with the summer programs at my job. Which should give me time to prepare my inquiry letters.

Blueangel- Thank you for the encouragement and for sharing your experience. The ones I am interested in do seem to do AI without major restrictions and do have members in the AI roll call. I'm not picking them strictly because of this- they just happen to do AI coincidentially. Four of them were in my undergrad school and seemed like the kind of organization where I would feel comfortable. The other one was recommended to me by a friend.

DGMarie- My experience with the sororities is mainly what I knew about them undergrad. The ones I am applying for were the ones that appealed the most to me. I have researched their alumnae chapter websites, as well as their headquarters websites. I am quite impressed with the magazines and publications of my preferred sororities since they are so informative about many topics. And the one I am leaning towards the most is undertaking something that I find quite amazing.

I'm very enthusiastic about AI and really appreciate all the feedback I have obtained here.

If your supporter is in the group, it seems like they should be able to inquire on your behalf. I've done it myself for someone and we got a very nice response (and she got a phone call). The ball had simply gotten dropped by the local people. I just had to do a little research to find the right regional person to contact.

"If your supporter is in the group, it seems like they should be able to inquire on your behalf. I've done it myself for someone and we got a very nice response (and she got a phone call). The ball had simply gotten dropped by the local people. I just had to do a little research to find the right regional person to contact."

Yes, she has done many things "on my behalf." Her help has been the source of any progress that I have made. However, there is only so much that she can do within the protocol of her organization. I respect that.

LM

How much did you take into consideration the philanthropy and programs offered by the sorority's foundation? Especially things like scholarships or emergency financial assistance- even if they were not to apply to you (such as if they are just for collegians). Did you take a look at who was helped by the philanthropy, and how?

I would have not thought about these factors back when I was a college student. I do not know how relevant they are or should be in searching for the right sorority. But I do want to make the best decision possible. I am a very idealistic person and do want a sorority to be as best a match for my personality, interests, goals, and ideals as possible.