Sophomore Fall Informal Recruitment @ OSU
 

I'm currently a freshman at Ohio State. We have deferred formal recruitment here, and when it got around time for recruitment, I realized that I was not doing well in school and that I was adjusting poorly to how hard college was, so I didn't rush due to my low GPA. I have raised my GPA up to a 3.0 now, and the minimum at OSU is a 2.4 I believe.

I'm interested in doing informal recruitment in September, but I'm worried. I know less "spots" are open to upperclassmen, and I don't know if it's even worth me attempting to go to COB's and get recruited since my GPA isn't that competitive. Also, I don't fully understand how fall recruitment at OSU works. Do I go to as many COB's as I can starting next fall? And then once I find a few chapters that I like, start just attending those sororities' COB's and continue narrowing it down? Or what? Thanks to anyone who can answer any of my questions :)

COBing during the fall quarter at Ohio State is really quite easy. Most (if not all) of the groups will have spaces available since everyone will be under total after graduation this spring. You can just contact the Greek Life office to find out which groups are holding COB events and when/where they will be.

As far as "how" COB works... well, basically you can go to COB events of the groups you're interested in to meet the women. They are usually some time of outing or activity that is similar to what the chapter would do for a sisterhood event. Normally chapters decide fairly soon (based on their own standards) who to offer a bid to. This is of course different from each group and you could end up getting more than one bid in an extreme situation.

ETA... COB in the fall is ONLY for upperclassmen, so you wouldn't be competing with freshmen like you might during formal recruitment in January :)

And it never hurts to try informal recruitment ... even if you don't find a group you like, you meet people and get practice in recruitment situations. Participating in informal recruitment never precludes you from participating in formal. Unless of course you accept a bid and then depledge.

I was a Rho Gamma at Ohio State, so I'll do the best I can to explain it to you.

COB's are informal recruitment events held throughout fall, spring, and sometimes winter quarter (any time that Formal Recruitment is not occuring). These events are hosted by the individual chapters and are a lot less structured than any of the formal recruitment parties. They serve as great opportunities to meet women in the chapters without the added intensity and "overwhelming" feelings that comes with formal recruitment-- both you and the chapter women are probably a lot more comfortable. You can visit as many or as few chapters as you want, and most chapters, if they are interested in you, will offer you a bid after two or three times meeting you. Since fall recruitment is not open to new freshmen, you wont have to worry about feeling like you're competing with them, since all the chapters recruiting are recruiting only upperclassmen. As long as your GPA is above PHA's required level (2.4 I believe) you should be eligable for recruitment, and there are definitely chapters that offer bids to girls with anything above a 2.7, so you should be fine in that respect.

The Rho Gam and sorority alumna in me would suggest attending the Fall Open House and visiting as many chapters events as possible to get the best possible feel for the houses you feel the most comfortable with. If you have any specific questions about the process, feel free to message me and I'd be happy to chat with you more about it!