Too much knowledge?
 

Is there such a thing as too much knowledge about a group known by a rushee? In most cases would the following show positively that the person had show interest or negatively a creepy level of interest? (Assume the person is not a legacy of the National or chapter)

a) Knowing when the National was formed
b) Knowing where the National was formed
c) Knowing when the chapter at that school was formed
d) Knowing that the chapter had been rechartered at the school (after being inactive)
e) Knowing the names of all of the National founders
f) Knowing the names of all of the Chapter founders (presuming it is not the first chapter)
g) Knowing the fact that the chapter had the best GPA in the greek system last year.
h) Knowing the National organization's special service project (like helping the deaf)
i) Knowing the symbols such as the flower...

Any stories about a rushee who knew "too much" or close to it?

I would only consider F to be creepy if the person was pursuing Alpha Phi Alpha.

If it was APO, it would depend on the type of chapter it was. E and F might be the only creepy ones for ME, but for current actives they might not want to deal with such a "superpledge." Not that they wouldn't pick him/her, they would probably be joked about.

It depends on how they act knowing that info.

All that is pretty public information (with respect to my organization anyway), so I wouldn't necessarily find it creepy. Now if for some reason some of that stuff wasn't public knowledge or had to be researched EXTENSIVELY (maybe d for example), it would come across a little extra.


I agree with Phrozen in that how they act knowing all this information is crucial as well.

Agreed, how they handle it is key. I'm thinking somewhat low key where for example, instead of asking "What community service do you do?", at the Delta Zeta sorority house asking "What community service for the deaf do you do?".

Randy

I agree. A know-it-all isn't a shoe-in for membership. There are a lot of women who know public information about Delta and her chapters but are not, and probably will never be, Sorors. :)

This stuff is all public info either through websites, school records, or talking to people. Commiting charter members to memory is the only thing that I didn't do until much later in the process. :)

I don't know...NPC is very different. I think that we usually stress finding a place where you feel comfortable with the members over choosing an org that you like on paper. I'd be a little creeped out if a PNM could spout off more than obvious symbols of the group. It seems a little stalkerish!

I don't find G, H, or I creepy at all.

Right. And it also depends on how they know the info. If mom or dad is a member of the group in question, for example, then I wouldn't be surprised if they knew more than the average rushee.

I did add the comment when I proposed the question that the person was not a legacy. I've known people who were so deeply legacy, that they had no choice in whether to know this sort of knowledge. In my chapter of Alpha Phi Omega (which has no official concept of legacies at all), the younger sister by blood of one of our brothers (we are co-ed) showed up to so many events before becoming a student that we figured that she almost met all of the hours and meeting requirements for pledging before she enrolled. (I think we gave her as a big the only fraternity brother who had been there longer than her brother)

You did, and I missed that. Oops. Sorry. :o

From my perspective, if this is an NPC, I'd be very creeped out by pretty much all but the GPA and the philanthropy. I guess creeped out isn't the right word...more skeptical. I think that it would come across like, "I am spouting off these facts to impress you so you will give me a bid."

Now, I obviously respect all that information a lot, and I'm not saying there is no reason to learn it for GLOs you aren't a part of, but I do not think rush is the appropriate time at all. For most collegiate girls I know, this information would rub them the wrong way entirely and make you seem desperate, stalkerish or like you are trying to impress us and give you a bid, not because you are genuinely interested.

I think, for example, saying something like "My studies are very important to me, and I noticed you had the highest GPA. What programs do you have in place to achieve this?" or "I really enjoy making hotels for abandoned walruses, and I notice that is your philanthropy. What do you do for it?" is a good idea. BUT I'd also caution you to make sure you are doing more than just asking questions...sometimes women in rush will ask so many questions that at the end of the party you know they are interested, but you know absolutely nothing about their personality. I think the right balance of questions and conversation about goofy things you have in common with your rusher usually works best. But definitely leave most of those facts for after you get your bid, as many women my age would interpret that as trying to trick or force your way into the chapter.

Case in point: one recruitment there was a woman that many of my sisters knew as a very cute, outgoing and highly accomplished PNM. There was a LOT of buzz about her, and we knew her personality was so strong and her accomplishments so amazing (and trust me, they were EXCEPTIONAL, maybe one of THE top PNMs in terms of accomplishments that year) that she would surely be high on our list.

She made it through two parties before she was released. Both parties all she did was talk about all the things she loved about us that she had clearly researched. Our socials last year, the amount we raised in our philanthropy, specific things from our history...although on paper this sounds like we should have been honored that she was so interested, IN PERSON it seemed very weird, strange and like she was trying to "trick" herself in.

The problem was that even though there were some women that vouched for her, the only thing about her personality that came off to the others was that she was obsessed with our GLO. She was released after quite a bit of confusion as to what to do with her...she ended up with not many options for sororities, which given her personality, accomplishments, grades and, let's be honest, looks, was VERY surprising. It got around that she did this for all the groups, and that they all thought it was a little too obsessive/weird.

So to sum up, after two posts haha, is that I think a few questions mixed with some conversation that will bring out your personality will be far more successful for you.

I get why in NPC realm it would come off as "weird". What I guess I don't get about this story is that since there was significant "BUZZ" about her in your chapter and it seemed like she was a desired PNM, why it would then be off putting that she was as interested in your organization?
(I'm not counting that she did this for all orgs, since from your story it doesn't seem you knew that before you released her).

Stepping back out of NPC realm, if there was an aspirant that we were "highly interested in" and during the process of speaking to her she showed this level of interest in an appropriate manner, I don't think I'd remove her from consideration.

Fair enough question. We had received a rec for the woman and a couple sisters knew her from high school, so she was on our watch list for sure. But when heavier cuts had to be made, the "obsessiveness" and the fact that she hadn't given us a clue to her personality (simply talked about how she loved us) was called into question. The majority of the women in our chapter were very hesitant about releasing women whose accomplishments were still good (maybe not as good as hers, but still strong) and who had shown their personality to be the right fit and hadn't creeped out their rushers in place of this woman.

In NPC (well, at least my chapter), you see these amazing girls on paper and are very interested, BUT their personality has to fit too. But if it does, then she's definitely a keeper. I think in this case it was one of those situations where we knew her grades and accomplishments were good. From what we had heard about her from her rec and the girls that knew her we assumed her personality was going to be great too, and of course that would make it a no brainer and she would have had a very good chance of getting a bid. In turned out that she came off very poorly in person due to the fact that she would only talked about how she loved all these little obscure things we did, and nobody really knew what she was about. So I think she might have screwed herself over...I think even just pleasant conversation might have worked in her favor, but the recitation of facts just turned everybody off and nobody could see themselves wanting to spend time with her.