Northern Woman Getting Bids at an SEC School
 

Having gone to a college with a smaller greek system, I am endlessly fascinated by SEC rush. It's just a whole other planet from what I experienced.

Which brings me to this observation:

When I was checking out the Alabama pledge list Carnation was kind enough to post the link to, I noticed that, although the vast, vast majority of pledges were from the deep south, there were some from up north. Even a few even from, gasp, my home state of Pennsylvania!

I'd love to know how these young women managed to have a successful rush. I wonder if they recent transplants to the north who decided to head back "home" for college? Are their moms SEC rush veterans who knew how to guide them through the process? Were they just so outstanding that it didn't matter if no one knew their people - they just *had* to have them?

I certainly wouldn't expect anyone to divulge specifics regarding their new member selection, but maybe one of you SEC ladies can give me a general idea of the "fish out of water" rushees who end up getting bids?

Here are my guesses about the situation -

1. I would think that if someone from the north chooses to go to a southern school (paying out of state tuition), then there must be some kind of family connection to that southern state and/or college.

2. The "exotic" factor. Maybe even a bit of "mystery" thrown in.

This is something I may know a little about. My daughter rushed Alabama as an incoming freshman non-legacy from Northern Virginia (even the folks in Richmond think we are a separate entity). Quite a few of our Northern neighbors living in the surrounding Washington, DC area.

We knew nothing about recruitment or recommendations. After much research, we learned about recommendations, but we did not know many local alumnae. So, we went on-line to locate local sorority alumnae associations and national sorority headquarters staff. They were incredible! Alumnae offered to have coffee or lunch with my daughter, then eventually offered her encouragement during recruitment itself. One offered to speak to my wife just to discuss the sadness associated with sending your oldest daughter away to college a zillion miles away. Their recommendation letters were outstanding! If we could not find an alum, another an alum from another different sorority would help us track one down - anything to help Kristen. In one case, a very high up staff member at a sorority national headquarters office offered to write my daughter a rec because she realy was interested in her sorority. Best of all, the tips these alumnae gave were outstanding to the unitiated! Clothes, conversation, manners, protocol, you name it.

Her recruitment at the very competitive University of Alabama (I heard they set an SEC record this year) was an awesome experience and she is now with Delta Zeta, which I understand is a well-respected Bama sorority. If we can help, just let us know.

Fir the third time, at least, I wish to express my admiration and appreciation to all the fantastic alumnae out there in sorority world who made the difference in my daughter's successful recruitment. I am not certain she would have won a bid without the assistance of these total package alumnae. Am I grateful? Yeah!

WOW BamaDad!!!!

I bet that helps your heart knowing that there is a network of women who will be "taking care of your baby" while she is at college. There's nothing like coming home to a sorority house and knowing that when you get there, you're never alone.

BamaDad, your daughter is probably one of the girls on the list that inspired me to start this thread!

Congratulations to her; she's part of a wonderful sisterhood! ;)

And you're not the least bit biased, are you??;) ;)

Who, ME????? :D

Now that we have the internet, it may be easier than before to get the scoop on recs, proper dress, etc. If the girls are willing to do the research, a ton of information (and misinformation) is out there. The websites of the nationals of course focus on the wonderful philanthropies that they support while individual chapter websites provide a quick peek into the way the girls look and what they do.

I came from the northeast which was very anti-greek in my area. Nobody's sibs or parents were greek, or if they were, it wasn't discussed. If I had gone to a deep Southern school, I would have been lost and probably cut on Day 1 from everybody because I would not have been able to prepare properly. Then again I would have been lost anyway at a really big school.

The new Alabama DZ is the perfect example of how careful research can help. As related by her dad (with his formidable atty research skills :) ) they were able to do all the necessary prep work.

Kristen is really into DZ. She is a Northern Virginian looking to quickly make friends with her new (mostly) Alabama sisters at a fine Southern University. From all indications everything is working out perfectly. It may be tougher to win a sorority bid in the South, but the rewards offered by a strong Greek system appear to make the effort worthwhile.

One interesting note. My wife's best friend wrote a rec and asked the Bama chapter "not to hold the fact that Kristen was from the Northern Virginia area against her." Not too diplomatic perhaps, but likely founded on perceptions real or not that recruitment challenges for the Northern-born are more difficult.

I know we don't get the publicity that the SEC gets, but there are a lot of the midwestern schools where rush is very competitive....just not so "openly competitive". You know how we are, we don't like to attract attention to ourselves;) !!

I said this in a different thread that sometimes being from out of state is a big advantage....it's a big feather in your hat to have an out of state girl in your pledge class in some areas where everybody is from the same place. I remember one girl in our house who was from Chicago......oooh aaaah, very cool!

So while sometimes you could be a fish out of water, a lot of times just being different is a good thing. And I do agree that the internet and cable tv has made the world very, very small, so we're really not so different as we used to be.

There are lots of transplants in NoVa - I know that our alumnae chapter there is huge, for that reason. It has members from literally across the country (which isn't always the case w/ our alum chapters).

Where was the Alabama Pledge list link that Carnation posted? I would love to see it!

Nothern VA is definitely an eclectic place. It seems as if nearly everybody is orginally from someplace else. This isn't terribly surprising considering that the District is just across the river.

I have been a member of several of my sorority's alumnae associations across the country due to GEN Alum's reassignments. As a brand-new 2LT wife 3 weeks after graduation, I joined the Louisville alumnae association. They were the sweetest, most welcoming women. Most had graduated from UK with a couple of IU and Vandy grads as well. KC was like this as well where most of the members hailed from the state flagship schools. Other associations in Boston, Northern VA, and Westchester County, NY had alumnae from many areas.

Each of these alumnae associations has been wonderful in their own way. Whatever group my daughter joins this spring (if she even goes through recruitment at all) will hopefully have a strong alumnae network as I did.

I takes research and planning if you "aren't from around here" to know what to expect. I had a very similar situation, growing up in northern VA and going to UGA. Luckily, my brother had attended UGA and hooked me up with his friends who were greek. They were an invaluable source of information as to what to really expect. I'm not sure, if I hadn't had their advice, I wouldn've made it through rush. I must say, however, that I had several pledge sisters from out of state. I think it just takes education on your part to know what to really expect and I think in these situations, recs are really essential. My mother spent a good part of the summer getting one for every group on campus via any avenue she could. :)

You see lots of out-of-state girls going Greek at Ole Miss. I know AOII has girls from CA, VA, NC, SC, PA, VT, NH...other houses are the same way. I think it is totally possible for a Notherner to have a wonderful recruitment.

Actually, I posted it and it is in the top-level Recruitment forum.

I don't know if Vanderbilt is considered SEC or not, but the daughter of a woman that I work with is a Tri Delt there.

It is :)

(Except during football season!) ;)

And a lot of times it gives you something unique that helps them remember you......(as one of 2 girls from the state of WA when I went through recruitment)

Oops, sorry Barb!!! You know, you Recruitment Mods all look alike :p

The U of Alabama website lists the names by sorority for all 1,024. That is quite an impressive number. I understand there were over 1,400 who registered for recruitment. The site shows the hometown and state of each young lady.

The U. of Alabama had 1,024 new members (UA website). I heard there were over 1,400 young ladies that were registered by the first Open House. The site lists each by sorority, name, hometown and state.

Here's a little explanation about Bama as I've seen in over the past decade or so. When I first started working with my Chapter there were very few out of state members. Those that we did have were usually "transplants" that had lived in Bama but their families moved. The others were from surrounding states of GA, MS, LA, FLA and TN. Usually they had some sorto of Bama ties as well such as maybe Mom or Dad were from here or went to school here, etc. But on the whole, it was a very small percentage of members that didn't live in Bama.

Seeing as I wasn't born and raised in Bama or even from the South yet was welcomed with open arms, of course I asked why? The answer was simple enough and had nothing to do with prejudice or anti-Yankee/non-Bama feelings. It was simply that the actives didn't know the girls. They were hesitant to take a chance on an "unknown" girl especially when there were so many "known" girls they already loved.

Then a few women from other states came through with spectacular resumes, sparkling personalities and had some friends that were able to vouch for them. It was like these women were able to break down the barrier. The actives started realizing that they had probably been missing out on amazing women by not looking beyond their own backyard. Things started to slowly open up.

Add to the mix that the University Admin has been steadily increasing the size of the student population over the past few years. Much of their recruiting efforts have been out of state, so obviously that has translated in more out of state women going through NPC recruitment. All of this combined has really started to open the Chapters up to members from all states.

I'll admit it's still harder on out of state women going through recruitment, but as we've all seen it's no longer impossible to get into a fabulous Chapter. Just keep in mind that at the same time it's also hard on a girl from Smalltown, AL who is the first person in her family to go to college, that doesn't know anyone who is Greek, etc.

Re: out of state new members at Bama (and any other school)
We have a wonderful Mississippi member in her...I guess 70s now, or maybe 80s, who has been a recruitment consultant for many, many chapters. She really stresses pledging in-state girls, especially from small towns. That doesn't mean she throws out ALL the out-of-state girls, but she really pushes for 75% of the new member class to be in-state girls. Her reasoning is that these girls will more than likely marry their hometown sweetheart, go back to that area and can send more new members. Another aspect is that it gives you more local alumnae to draw from for advisors. I have seen her theories proved right in many locales.

I can see why this theory makes sense, but what about the counterpoint of it.. I've found in my experience that many in-state girls rushing are the ones who go home frequently on the weekends (to see that high school love) and who sometimes ultimately drop out of school to return home. In fact, we kind of mark it as a negative when a girl talks about her boyfriend who is still at home, because we figure she'll be going home a lot on the weekends and won't be involved in the sorority.

Here's something to throw in the mix. The Georgia Hope scholarship has made it harder on GA girls going through Recruitment at Bama and probably elsewhere as well. Chapters have been "burned" by pledging GA girls who: 1) Only attend long enough to get their grades up enough to transfer back home for the free tuition. 2) After a year of paying out of state tuition Mom and Dad tell her they can't afford it or simply don't want to pay it anymore and she must move back home because it's free.

For the record I'm not saying GA girls won't be extended bids on Bama's campus. Just look at the UA Panhellenic pledge list and you'll see many. We have several that are wonderful members, past and current. All I'm saying is that is that these girls are looked at more closely than in the years prior to the Hope scholarship coming into place.

BamaDad,
You and your family are a beautiful example of a rushee (and her family) who did not know any alumnae personally, and you got off your behinds, did your research, and DID SOMETHING ABOUT IT and are reaping the rewards from it.

There are way too many rushees who come onto GC and say "wah wah wah, I don't know any alumnae personally...please do the work for me to secure my recommendations for me!"

I LOVE PROACTIVE PEOPLE who create their own opportunities!
:D
*MWAH*

ha ha!! KillarneyRose,
When (not if) your daughter becomes a DG, she'll be part of a wonderful sisterhood also! :p ;)

bama dad, i used to live in alexandria, va....MAN HOW I MISS NORTHERN VA

/end hijack

Auburn and Bama are the back up schools
 

"Here's something to throw in the mix. The Georgia Hope scholarship has made it harder on GA girls going through Recruitment at Bama and probably elsewhere as well. Chapters have been "burned" by pledging GA girls who: 1) Only attend long enough to get their grades up enough to transfer back home for the free tuition. 2) After a year of paying out of state tuition Mom and Dad tell her they can't afford it or simply don't want to pay it anymore and she must move back home because it's free".

Auburn and Alabama are also not getting the best girls from Georgia, either, because these are the girls that can't get into UGA and it's their back up school. A lot of the girls going to Bama, Missippippi and Auburn from our HS couldn't qualify for HOPE anyway, and may or may not ever get their grades up. But they definitely aren't getting Georgia's top students.

Phi Delt pledged a guy from Jersey...and he was like a typical Jersey kid. I think he must of had connections because there is no way we would have pledged a guy from the north, furthermore from that state.

Hm, it may be interesting to learn from others instead of being In Bred so to speak!

It is a lot bigger wolrd than you may think!

That is why I Talk via Phone dailey with Members of other GLOs besides mine.

Expand or be a ????

Live and learn, You may live in NJ some day!

Learn the Lingo!

Isn't it more difficult to get into a state school as an out-of-state (OOS) student vs an instate (ISS) assuming that the national rankings are relatively close? So even if a Georgia girl doesn't get the Hope Scholarship, wouldn't it still be easier and cheaper for her to go to UGa or GaTech vs OOS to Ole Miss/Alabama etc?

North Carolina has it mandated through the state legislature that no more than 15-18% of students at each public university (to include the flagship, Chapel Hill) can be OOS. I think that's great for NC residents. After all, state taxes are partially used to subsidize the public school system. Most of the people in VA wish our commonwealth would legislate the maximum percentage of OOSers at our public colleges and universities, but the politicians in Charlottesville haven't done so.

Totally depends on the school.

Yes, it's cheaper to go to UGA or Tech, but they aren't getting in because the HOPE has made the admissions much more competitive for in state students. Students who would've gone out of state or private are staying here. It is getting to be "big d@mn deal" to get into UGA these days. Plenty of people my age who went there say they could never get in now. This opinion is totally anecdotal, but at our HS, if you can't get into UGA, you go to Auburn/Alabama/OleMiss, not the other way around.

To get in to UNC-Chapel Hill or UVA, you need to be in the high 1400's to 1500 and in the top one or two in your class. We've had 3 from our HS get into UNC the last two years and only one get into UVA. I've heard UT-Austin is difficult, too, but not too many people head that far out from our HS.

The same thing is occurring in Florida because of our Bright Futures scholarship. I have taught HS for the past three years and have noticed every year that is it is harder for the students to get into UF. I haven't noticed the trend with FSU but I am sure it is happening. This past year the valedictorian and salutitorian did not get into UF however they did get into FSU. The sad thing is that they both had like 4.5's and over 1400 on their SATS as well as tons of volunteering and extracirriculars. I think more and more Florida students are going to Auburn. I know quite a few girls who have gone without recs and have become Phi Mus and DZs. But sometimes I think SEC schools consider students from SEC states as locals and not necessairly the same as someone from say New York.

Interesting...We know lots of Virginians who didn't get into UVa &/or William and Mary who end up going to Penn State (the one in State College) instead of the next level of VA schools of Tech, JMU, now GMU etc. I have no idea if they try to transfer back or not. Luckily my D's friends who wanted a large instate public school were accepted to the schools of their choice.

I hear a lot of parents of college aged kids say they could never get accepted to their alma mater (no matter if it's public or private) based on today's standards. I do alumni interviews for my undergraduate school's admissions as does my H for his and we are both truly impressed at what is in these hs applicants' resumes.

I can't imagine that Chapel Hill/Berkeley/Ann Arbor being much different than UVa and W&M....These are why these schools are in top rankings of the country. Based on the way my neighbors speak, I think they would gladly downgrade the national ranking of our flagship public schools if it would mean more instate kids would be admitted.

It kind of goes in cycles at our HS. Last 2 years a big bunch went to Auburn. This year we had more at Alabama, but it was mostly boys. A few years ago Florida was big, then it was Clemson.

Auburn is pretty popular because we are on the west side of the metro area, it's only a couple hours away and the largest out of state alumni club is in the Atlanta area.

'course it's nuthin like lovin' them dawgs.....;)

They say applications will go WAY up at George Mason for the class of 2007 because of the Patriots' performance in the NCAA basketball tournament. It's great for GMU but I wish the increase would be due to the 2 faculty members that recently received the Nobel Prizes in their academic fields.

Mr. Earp, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

If I had to live in Jersey, I would rather become a slave somewhere in Mississippi than move there. "Dailey" is spelled "daily" and "In Bred" is one word, "inbred". I spend wayy too much time talking to members of other GLO's besides mine, seeing as I my graduating high school class was over 1/5 my graduating class was Greek (excluding hispanics and blacks, who do not have a chance of primarily white GLO's...no offense, that's how it is in the south, i'm not going to justify it). Learn what lingo man?