To rush or not to rush?
 

Hi everyone,
I'm new to GC - lurking for a few days, but I do have a question I was hoping you guys could help me out with....it's a little complicated but I'd love input.

I'm a student at a small college and will be a sophomore in the fall. I originally went through recruitment for Fall 08 and chose a local sorority that I ended up hating - none of the girls were at all what they seemed during rush and they slowly began hazing us, I dropped out after a few weeks because it was just so much drama, and they were later suspended by the campus for hazing. Well, I had planned on just not doing Greek life, but I met some girls in XYZ sorority, and we clicked it off, and next thing I knew, I was pledging for Spring 09. I LOVED IT....but unfortunately, due to some poor choices on my part first semester, my GPA didn't meet the requirements for me to continue pledging. Because I accepted their bid, and it is good for one year, I have the option of going through either Fall 09 or Spring 10 - if I choose to/if my grades are up.

Ok, this is where it gets complicated though....I'm not exactly thrilled with where I'm going to school and thinking of transferring after next year. So I'm not sure if it's worth it (even though I loved XYZ sorority) to pledge and join, when I could be gone only a few semesters later. I want the full experience of Greek life, but I'm worried no one will want to offer a transfer student (depending on how my credits go, I'd either be a sophomore or junior) at my new school a bid, or if I'd meet a new sorority like XYZ.

I know it's still weeks away, but I'm stressing about it already. Regardless of what I choose, I feel like I'll hopefully still remain close with my friends in XYZ - but in a way, I want the sisterhood aspect of it.

Any thoughts/opinions? Like I said, I'm new here, so I'm sorry if this is in the wrong section or I said anything wrong :confused:

Is XYZ an NPC sorority? Who said you could go through recruitment in Fall 09 if you signed a bid in Spring 09? Was it because the bid should have never been offered since your grades weren't high enough? I'm confused.

I'm slightly confused about how you would be able to have your choice of when you'd like to pledge as well, but I'm going to ignore that and try to answer as best as I can.

It sounds as if you're already tight with these girls. Is it safe to say that you're spending a lot of time with them and just want to be part of their ritual and wear their letters? I know it seems like time is slipping away from you, but if for some reason you really are allowed to take your time and pledge at a later date, I would take them up on their offer once you decide to not transfer. If you join now, and then transfer, you will have such a limited experience and will not get another chance at your new school to go through rush. Granted, it would be extremely difficult anyways as you'd be older, but that's just another angle. Would it be worth it to be in your sorority for just a short time or do you want to chance it? The full experience of greek life is being there long enough to become ingrained in your chapter, to have a little and grandlittle, to build relationships with people throughout the greek system at your school, etc.

I transferred out of my sorority to a school that didn't have a chapter. I'm glad I did it, and I did it purely for scholastic reasons. I think it's important for you to consider how transferring schools could bring up your GPA and possibly get you in a better position to go on to grad school, a great job, etc. And if you're not all that happy now, being in a great sorority isn't going to change the root of the problem, which is ultimately that you don't like the school itself. If you love these girls and they love you as well, they should always be your friend, no matter if you go to their school or if you move away.

I guess to tie it up in a big bow, I'll just say that I think you should consider your choice and how it will affect you 5 years down the road and not immediately. Just my $.02.

Sorry, I guess I should have explained more.

At my school (a smaller, eastern one with less competitive Greek life), bids were valid for up to one year. Yes, it was a NPC sorority. I'm sorry if this is confusing to anyone, this is just what I was told by the sorority.

So they gave you a bid in Spring even after your grades weren't high enough after Fall semester?!

Yes. It was a mistake on both ends - I was coming in during informal recruitment (COB? I think that's the term?) and it never came up. Looking back, I should have asked, maybe they should have asked too - but I was offered a bid, and it turned out I could not go through.

Sorry for all the confusion! :/

So in other words, they pledged you underground for a few weeks until someone busted them for it and threatened to tell the school/their national HQ. Nice. Giving a bid through COB is NOT an excuse for a sorority to blow off checking your grades. You did nothing wrong, but they are the ship's officers on the S. S. Shady.

I would wash my hands of both groups you've been associated with at the current school. Since you have passed the calendar year needed to invalidate a bid (even though it was with a local) from the group you joined in the fall, and since you weren't eligible grade wise to receive a bid in the spring, you are free and clear to pledge another group (let's pretend you get a bid to JKL) at your school. Keep in mind though, if you transfer, there is no guarantee you will be able to affiliate with the new school's chapter of JKL, or that you will like them or vice versa. Also bear in mind that chapters at larger schools often have more stringent grade requirements than those at smaller schools.