Rush at UofA
 

Hi, I'm a current senior and I plan of rushing for a sorority at Bama, I was researching and found this website and some posts about how competitive recruitment is and I honestly had no idea what it required..

I don't know anybody in any sorority who could write me a recommendation other than my grandmother whose sorority dosen't have a chapter at Bama.

I don't know anybody at the school, I'm coming from out-of-state and it's part of why I want to join an org anyway, also I read somewhere about "hometown teas" and how most of the girls are high school friends and the members already have a pledge list before rush even begins!

I'm cute and sweet and I've got good grades but does that even matter? I don't want to sound negative but do I honestly stand a chance against these triple legacy kids? Thanks for any info!

Of course you do! Contact your local Alumnae Panhellenic chapter. They should be able to help you with the recs which really are important at Bama. As an out of stater, you may be at a disadvantage at some chapters, but if you go with an open mind, you will likely find a home. Most women who maximize their options do get a bid...even at Bama!

Be sure to ask your teachers/parents' friends/women you know from church if they've ever been in a sorority. You may be surprised and find out that some women you see on a regular basis are indeed members of sororities.

Also check out www.npcwomen.org -- check out the Alumnae Panhellenic section and see if your hometown (or one close to you) has an Alumnae Panhellenic Chapter. This would be your best bet for securing recommendations for every sorority on campus.

Don't rule yourself out just because you lack the "connections" like the other PNMs. Sometimes connections help...sometimes they don't. Being a legacy doesn't guarantee the PNM a bid. Depending on the sorority, they're extended certain "courtesies," but that's pretty much it.

Start getting your recs now, read up on some of the 'Bama rush threads here, and be sure to read the Advice threads. Be sure to keep those grades up and remember to enjoy what's left of your senior year!

Ditto OTW's advice regarding talking to lots of adults to find out who may be in a sorority and be able to help you.

Also, use your grandmother's contacts. Her sorority's alum association will probably have a panhellenic delegate to the alumnae panhellenic of their town and that delegate can put you in contact with panhellenic alumnae from sororities that do have chapters at Bama. Remember, recs only need to come from members of that sorority not, its not required that the rec come from someone from that chapter.

Good luck !!

To reiterate what others have said -- ask everyone you can think of. I got a call the other day from my brother who lives in Georgia. His daughter's favorite babysitter is going through recruitment next year and is in the same boat as you are. My brother remembered that I was in some sorority, and asked if I'd help her out. Although I don't know her personally, anyone my sister-in-law has nice things to say about must be a great person.

Recs can be a 7 degree of separation thing, and you never know who can help you out.

I had an out of state daughter who rushed at Bama. Recs are extremely important!! Grades are extremely important. Also, keeping an open mind will be in your best interest. Don't listen to others opinions and don't believe everything you hear.

Thanks for the advice everyone, it really won't look ridiculous if some random stranger writes me one? And if that, don't the recommendations only "count" with the sorority of the reference?

I'm actually more worried about walking into a house where they couldn't care to meet me because they already know who they'll extend a bid too...are these things true or is it exaggerated?

an alumna can only write a recommendation to the sorority she is a member of. for instance, i am a zeta tau alpha. i can only write recommendations to chapters of ZTA, but i can write one to any ZTA chapter. my daughter goes to school at samford u. in birmingham. she is a member of the ZTA chapter there. last year she asked me to write a rec. for a good friend of hers who was going thru rush as a sophomore. because i am a member of ZTA i could do that.

because i have friends in lots of sororities, i was able to secure recs. for this young woman to the other sororities at samford. i spoke to the alumnae of the other sororities and based on my recommendation, the fact that i knew her and she was a good friend of my daughters and her wonderful resume, these ladies were happy to help her out. by the way, that girl is now one of my daughters little sisters!

if you can find one sorority alumna in your town, chances are that she will know women in other sororities who can help you out-most of us are glad to learn of a young woman who is rushing, and we want to help if we can. also, don't hesitate to contact hs friends who joined a sorority that has a chapter at bama. they might be willing to ask one of their alumnae advisors to write a letter of recommendation for you-in some cases,depending on the sorority, they can write a recommendation themselves.

if there is an alumnae panhellenic in your town, or nearby, they may hold some sort of informational gathering for hs girls in the spring. at some, they have collegians at nearby colleges come, and they explain the rush process. sometimes the alums will take resumes from the hs girls and write recs. for them. it won't matter that you are not planning on attending school in your home state-you could still attend the meeting.

My advice for anyone planning on going through Bama Recruitment:

- You absolutely must have good grades! I don't know the minimums for all chapters on campus. I'll go out on a limb to say that if you don't have at least a 3.0 your choices will be limited right off the bat. The higher, the better.

- Make sure your resume is solid showing involvement in community service/philanthropy work, athletics, clubs, church groups, etc. Demonstraing leadership is also key through holding offices, organizing events or other ways. For a senior graduating this year it may be a bit late, but there is still some time. For HS juniors and younger, now is the time to be planning ahead.

- Recs are critical, especially for out of state women. Ask every woman in your life if she is Greek and/or if she knows other Greek women. Try your teachers, friends' mothers, women your parents work with, women who go to your church ... anyone you can think of. The sooner the better especially if you have never met these women. This gives the alum plenty of time to get to know you.

- Find out if there is an Alum Panhellenic Association in your area and contact them. They can help you secure recs. Also if there are any local recruitment teas planned in your area, they can help you secure an invitation.

- Contact the UA Greek Life office to sign up for the spring Panhellenic Weekend. It is scheduled this year for the weekend of 4/25-27. This is a time when HS seniors and their parents can visit the campus and get more information about being in a sorority. Most importantly you and your parents can visit each of the sororities to meet some of the members and learn about each particular chapter.

This is a great idea, and a wonderful opportunity. Here's the link: http://bama.ua.edu/~greeklif/
Generally, from what I remember, there's a Q/A assembly, and then groups walk around sorority row, visiting each house for 5 or 10 minutes. It's just enough for a quick look at the first floor. I highly encourage doing this, especially for parents who are none too sure about the whole sorority thing. They'll have a chance to ask questions and get familiar with campus layout.

Also, do seek out any alumnae panhellenic functions. Not all alumnae panhellenics are officially registered, so check your newspaper frequently for an announcement of an event. These are great for some one-on-one talk, for questions and for getting to know some of the sorority members - alumnae and collegiate - in your area. These groups usually collect information from you - you'll probably be asked to submit a resume or fill out a form. The information is then distributed to member greek groups for their use in writing recommendations.

And don't be shy about asking questions! Especially ask about how much it costs (which will vary by school), how much time it takes, how important academics are....even down to "which sororities are best." :eek:
Good luck!:)

You all gave great advice above!^^

Also, I hope this is OK to mention--I see no one else has yet--but a new sorority, Alpha Phi, will be coming to Alabama in fall 2008. So hopefully that should help maximize your chances of receiving a bid! Even supposing you did not receive a bid during formal recruitment, you could take part in Alpha Phi's colonizing recruitment.

BG, do you or anyone else know how many PNMs went bidless at 'Bama last year?

I do not. Maybe some of the 'Bama people can fill us in.

And just one more suggestion, if you can't find an Alumnae Panhellenic group in your city, try the Greek Advisor for the nearest university to you. I know before we had organized an Alumnae Panhellenic in Madison, Wisconsin, people would give the UW-Madison greek advisor a call directly. I'm not sure how much help he/she would be able to be, but maybe they could point you in a direction as well. And how lucky about the 'Bama pre-Greek weekend. That sounds AWESOME! I hope APhi will be able to present for that, too!
Best of luck!

Not positive, but I think it was something like 315. Almost 1100 recieved bids. That 315 includes girls who chose to drop out.

Thanks for the info, bamagirl09!

hi-jack

I was just browsing the UA website and noticed that Sigma Lambda Gamma (and 2 other non-NPC sororities, I believe) fall under the Panhellenic council there. Are they required to participate in the traditional recruitment process, or do they pretty much do their own thing?

/hi-jack

No, only the npc chapters participate in formal. The associate groups do more of an intake process or whatever works best for them.

Got it. Thanks!

hey! i'll be going through rush too. no worries.. i'm in the exact boat.

I just got back from there... rush starts sophomore/ junior year of High School for the top tier GLOs. I was shocked when I discovered that a girl I was talking to at a party was 16 years old and was pretty much locked into Chi Omega!

Ugh, that's so wrong. What parents are letting their 16-year-olds go to fraternity parties? And on the sorority side, how is that not considered dirty rushing of some sort?

And you DID walk away, right, PG? :)

I find it hard to believe that any HS girl is "locked" into any sorority, even at 'Bama. The girl may think she has a guaranteed in, but anything can happen during her last two years in high school. Girls rushing her in two years might also remember her as "that 16 year old who went to frat parties."

I know that there are tons of desirable HS girls sororities already want to join their sisterhoods, but let's not kid ourselves here. That 16 year has no control whatsoever on whether or not she gets a bid from Chi Omega, let alone any sorority at 'Bama, two rushes from now.

She wasn't the only one, there were at least 30 high school kids at Fiji Islander. The week before dead week is a big rush week for fraternities and sororities there to lock up high school kids. This particular girl had flown in from Houston, there were a lot of guys from out of state there. This is why Beta and Phi Psi tried to throw parties last weekend as well. She may not be guaranteed in but I can't imagine how good she'll look in two years... and yes NA, I walked away.

haha, good man.

I don't think the girls come up here for the fraternity parties, but the guys often do to get bids.

I don't even know what to say to this???

This is just so way out of what I know/have known. It is a shocker.

Can anyone share what have been some of the "so-called" top tiers for both fraternity and sorority life there over the last several years? (I don't want to start a huge debate, but I am curious) I find it VERY interesting and every bit of my curiosity is peaked.

SAE, Phi Gam, KA and DKE are Old Row, I think.

I'm pretty sure KD is up there for the girls, but don't know much about the sororities there.

Thank you for your response^^

Anyone else have anything to add?

I would love to turn back time to experience their system and to see what actually occurs during recruitment.

Speaking solely about Bama sorority recruitment, yes HS Seniors and to some extent even Juniors are recruited already in HS. There was a time when it was pretty much a free-for-all (my opinion anyways). Panhellenic finally realized some controls needed to be put in place both out of fairness in recruiting as well as the risk management issues. Now all recruitment functions such as spring teas and other summer get togethers should be registered with Panhellenic and the appropriate guidelines followed.

I can't say that non-registered functions don't still occur. But if a group is caught they face severe consequences. I know that a few years ago one sorority was placed on social probation by both the Univ and their Inat'l after getting caught taking pnm's to a summer fraternity party. That group's former recruitment chair spoke of the consequences they had to deal with at a recruitment advisors meeting.

As a parent I can't imagine sending my high school child to visit campus for a weekend of underaged drinking with my blessing. I've heard stories of some of these visiting pnms getting busted by the cops both for underaged drinking and MIL (minor in lounge). That's got to be fun, calling mom & dad for bail money then having to deal with the legal problems afterwards.

IMO, this is so ridiculous and it is such an unfair playing ground for all. I am sure I would not want to be a part of this. I feel for the girls coming from out of state that just want a fair shot at recruitment.

I really wonder how any PNM at that age or even a freshman in college really know what it truly entails to be part of a sorority. So many young members have little clue about what membership really is about and how important being an alumnae is. It is not about being "chosen" at 17 or 18 in high school and being slected to be in a certain organization for social reasons or for connections. (that is the easy part) It really is about what happens at age 21 and older that keeps each organization strong. These women are the glue.

Every year.:cool:
Daughter is now graduated, but she knew several local girls who were bombarded with notes and invitations to parties both their junior and senior years...invitations to stay at the sorority house and go to the fraternity parties...and many of them did go.
Her own group's alumnae hosted summer teas in Mobile and Birmingham, and they continued to send small gifts to top choices, even through recruitment. E-mails to members (she told me; I never looked myself) always admonished members "don't tell ANYBODY" because of Panhellenic sanctions.
If you're going to have a chapter at Alabama, you dirty rush or you die. It's just the way it is and always has been.

Of course they don't know! They might have a clue from an older sister or friend. Some of them think they know because they've been in a high school sorority. Somebody who thinks she knows where she's going could be right...but often she's wrong. It's one of the things I like so much about the new recruitment method where the bigger chapters are forced to drop more PNMs earlier. They then have to take another look at the smaller groups if they want a sorority. Unfortunately, many believe "it's XYZ or nothing" and they just drop out (see Ole Miss!). And that's why I wonder if UA would truly support another 2 groups.

And yet that system seems to be held up in such high regard as a "great" and "strong" greek system. What are we teaching the kids in those systems about how to operate in their adult lives? Do whatever you have to do to get what you want, no matter how backhanded? And you can't tell me the national offices aren't fully aware of what's going on down there. Fish always stink from the head, as my grandfather always said.

This is all so superficial! I was not born ages ago and I know there is some level of dirty rushing, but where I come from I have never heard of this. I really wonder what percentage of the these young girls will truly help their org once they graduate? Who will be "core" members and make a difference. I feel sorry for my little girl when I think about all this.

If I had to guess, there is a larger percentage that she will not make it into that house. If a group dirty rushes, they probably do so with numerous girls and make countless promises. We all know that they can't take them all. They are offering a dream or a faint promise to a young girl. (who knows, these days maybe these PNM's are smarter than we think)

:rolleyes:

Are you serious?

I was going to ask about your chromosome count, but I decided to take the high road.

^^^I'm talking NPC, here, EW, not fraternities.