Help with Recruitment and COB at UCF
 

I have a big long story regarding recruitment. If anybody remembers, I was signed up and all ready to do UCF recruitment, but, my mom decided last minute not to let me. I was pretty upset, to say the least. I finnally convinced her being greek was ok and last night and tonight I had the chance to hang out with the Theta girls in the hope of being included in Theta. Sadly, I was not chosen. I'm kinda upset...but maybe it's just a sign that I'm not a Theta. Should I put myself out there again, should give up? How do I know if more sororities are doing COB?

=(

Lavender333

You might want to check with the Greek Life office (or whatever the UCF equivilant of that is. They should know if/when any sororities are participating in COR

Great advice! Lavender, not all of the chapters will do COB, but there will be a few who will have events over these next few weeks, and others may hold COB in the spring.

Go to the Office of Greek Life in the Student Union and talk to the Greek Life Adviser. Tell them you missed recruitment, but you are interested in joining a sorority and would like to have your name sent around to the chapter recruitment chairs (the office keeps a list of unmatched and/or unaffiliated women from formal recruitment that the sororities can use).

Some of the chapters will advertise open recruitment events. Definitely pop by the student union, check the Central Florida Future, and drive down Greek Park once a week to see if there are any signs or notices.

Also, if you have any Greek friends, pass along to them that you are interested in COB. They'll know to invite you to theirs (if applicable/desirable), if they hear of any sororities holding COB events they can tell you, and/or they can pass your name on to their sorority friends in other chapters. UCF is a very Panhellenic community-- the sororities have strong relationships with one another and the ladies have close friends in other chapters.

If it doesn't work out this fall, put your feelers out for springtime or consider rushing in the fall. Statistically speaking, freshmen have the best shot at a bid, but plenty of sophomores, juniors and even occasional seniors (not that many rush) rush and get bids to all 10 of the UCF sororities.

Meanwhile, please get involved on campus! It will give you a fun activity and you will meet a lot of Greeks so you can network and learn about COB opportunities! The sororities place huge emphasis on extracurricular involvement and their members have to be involved in non-Greek activities. You'll find a lot of Greeks within SGA, CAB, BCM/Campus Crusade/Hillel, Phi Alpha Delta/Mock Trial Team, Circle K, the business school's pre-professional fraternity (can't think of the name!), and the honor societies (there is one with Greek letters unrelated to the sororities and fraternities; can't think of the name... but there are quite a few Greeks!).

CAB and SGA are the biggest clubs and have a lot of subcommittees. The Greeks are super involved with these organizations. Definitely join the organizations that interest you most... you may find a "sisterhood" in one of these groups and decide not to rush a sorority or you may meet some sorority women and COB their sorority or rush in the fall. Either way, it is a win-win!

Just remember to keep your grades up and to project a classy image IRL and online. You're representing your family, your hometown and UCF... and perhaps one day, a sorority! It takes a very long time to build up a positive reputation, but you can ruin it overnight.

Best of luck to you and Go Knights!

Thank you so much!

Theta Alpha is colonizing at UCF!

http://www.thetaalpha.org/expansion.htm

I was browsing the internet and saw this, pretty interesting! =)

A year after I sent them spell- and grammar checked text, and their site is STILL wrong. :rolleyes:

I would be EXTREMELY leery of joining an organization that's trying to expand this quickly. It's very likely to blow up in their faces. It wouldn't preclude you from ALSO joining an NPC if you made that choice, but it could end up costing you a lot of money that would just go down the drain.

For a good minute or so I thought that said Theta Phi Alpha and my jaw was on the ground... <breathes a sigh of relief> Good luck to them... I was definiately surprised at the number of colonizations in such a short amount of time... anyone know what the size of their chapters is?

I wasn't thinking about joining that sorority, but I thought that was pretty interesting. As far as their website goes, it says they are only at FSU and UF.

I'd like to join a NPC sorority for sure! I'm just having a hard time finding one to do COB with!

Lavender, you can also check out each UCF sorority's chapter web site. Often there will be contact information for the president or recruitment chair. Send a brief, polite email expressing your interest in COB events and XYZ sorority. Make sure to include a phone number you can be reached at. If they are interested, they will contact you.

Also-- make sure to spell check that email before you send it and make sure an email you send to XYZ sorority doesn't say "I'm really interested in learning more about ABC sorority!"

That is a good idea! A few of the sororities I've been looking at have websites that do not list very much info. The xyz sorority I have been looking into doesn't even have a website up! I guess I'll just head up to the student union! =/ I just wish I hasn't missed recruitment, this COB thing is very stressful. They are keeping the COB events so secret! I can barely figure out when they are. lol but it's okay, what's meant to be will happen!

There's a message on the Panhellenic web site to stop by or call their office b/c there are some sororities doing COB. So you have a shot.

I will tell you that not all of the chapters do COB after recruitment or in the spring. You may find that 3-4 of the chapters are holding these events, if at all, but as KSUViolet says, the number of members they take per chapter during COB varies according to their needs. One chapter might take 10 ladies, another might only take 3.

Regardless, I hope you have some luck with that. Let us know.

To update everyone who was helping me with COB. It failed miserably. I didn't get any bids, and furthermore, I filled out the forms with the Office of Frat. & Sorority life and they didn't give the chapters my forms and one of them that I might have been considered at, couldn't because they didn't have my information. So, I just don't know. Thanks everybody for your help, but I just feel rejected and like I don't belong at any house. =/ I wanted to make lifelong connections and feel like I belong and have sisters to support me and for me to support others. I wanted to find something awesome, and ended up finding nothing. I guess I'll wait for fall.

thanks for everything everyone!! =)

adpiucf or someone, maybe you can answer this. I'm a little dumb. Why would you need forms or the assistance of the Greek Life office to get a bid through COB? I'm not questioning what lavender333 said, it just sounds so overly structured for the situation.

Well, (not that I know anything..) but maybe it was because the COB event was at Frat rush? The girls were all spread out and I didn't get to meet everyone. Maybe?

You don't have to be on the list.

The office of Greek Life supplies the names of unmatched PNMs to the chapters. If you were registered for formal and were not matched on Bid Day, Panhellenic supplies the names of the unmatched women to the chapters for snap bidding and COB automatically. It makes it easier on the chapters to get to quota and/or total to have such a list handy, but they aren't held to using it if they don't want to.

Women who did not rush in the fall can also get their names on this list.

Regardless, a PNM can attend open COB events that are advertised on campus for open interest. Or she can be invited to closed COB events by expressing interest to sorority members she might know, if she is not on the master list.

In either case, I think a PNM should get on the list and be extra diligent to see if there are open events she can attend by checking the school paper, asking at the Office of Greek Life, seeing the Student Union calendar, banners or any campus signage. And if she has Greek friends, cluing them in that she is interested is helpful, too, so she can possibly learn of open events or be invited to pvt. events.

Even if you're on the list, it isn't automatic that you will be invited to open or closed events. It's still up to the sorority whom they want to include.

Sorority COB events should not be held at fraternity recruitment... Were you saying that a sorority hosted COB at a fraternity rush OR that it was held during fraternity rush?

I am sorry it didn't work out. Please know that some chapters will be doing spring recruitment through COB, so you may have an opportunity this year.

Your chances at receiving a bid diminish the closer you are to graduating, but sophomores who would have been competitive as freshman and have maintained good grades still place almost as well as freshmen during formal recruitment with most of the chapters, and juniors do fairly well with 1/2 of the chapters, and seniors do ok with a small percentage of the chapters. If you have good grades, a good reputation on campus (this includes your conduct on/off campus and campus involvement) and possibly friends in the sororities, you'll potentially do well as an upperclassman in recruitment.

Good luck. Sorry it didn't work out, but you still have several options.

thanks for all the input! The COB event was held at a Frat rush, so when they met for chapter, they needed my information or something to make a final decision. I don't know. I'm not sure. Maybe that is a nice way of telling me I didn't fit the mold? Oh well! =)

I don't know the policies on COB... but in recruitment as a rule, men and/or alcohol may not be involved. I know fraternity rush is dry, but if you attended a sorority COB at a fraternity event, I don't think that is very kosher... Still what's done is done...

It is possible the chapter was blowing you off. And it is possible the officer in charge just wasn't doing her job well, too. Either way, the end result is the same.

CAB and SGA are good activities to get involved with to meet people. A lot of Greeks are very involved with these organizations, along with campus ministries, pre-professional Greek societies, Trial Team, etc. Get involved with what interests you -- you are very likely to meet sorority women in these organizations, as well as in your classes.

Good luck with COB this fall/spring and with formal next fall. And enjoy UCF! Yay for the new stadium!!!

I agree, what's done is done -- but for everyone's FYI: the NPC's unanimous agreement regarding men and alcohol in membership recruitment is found at the bottom of the page.