Thinking about rushing as a Sophomore? HELP!
 

I go to a state school right now, and I'm thinking of transferring to University of Arizona and joining a sorority. My question is, will that be hard to do since I'l be a sophomore?? I'm dead set on joining one, and I want to be in a good one. I want to be in Phi Phi or Theta. Do you think this is unrealistic? Any advice would be great. Thanks!

It's unrealistic to go into recruitment without an open mind about all of the chapters and expect a good outcome.

Okay, well say I just want to be in a sorority at all. Is THAT unrealistic to do at UofA as a sophomore? And if you know someone in a sorority and you want to tell them ahead of time that you're rushing for them, is that a good idea? Or is that just weird?

Sophomores at the UofArizona can and have gotten bids. However, as a sophomore I wouldn't go in with your mind made up as to which chapter(s) you're "rushing". With formal recruitment, it is very important to go into it with an open mind and be willing to accept the invitations that you receive. Arizona has 11 wonderful groups.

All that being said, it is also important to get recommendations. Here's where you go to your friends that are in a sorority and tell them you're going to go thru formal recruitment and would they be willing to write a recommendation for you. You also need to check with friends, mothers of friends, your mother's friends, your parent's co-workers, women at your place of worship, and teachers to see if any of them are greek and would be willing to write a recommendation.

yes, i think getting into a sorority that doesn't exist would be very unrealistic.

It's difficult for sophomores and up to get bids in formal unless they already a lot of the girls in a chapter. Going in with the attitude that only only Pi Phi or Theta are what you want is asking for disaster. Chances are 99.9% against your getting a bid to a top chapter as a sophomore transfer, and you obviously know those two houses are at the top.

There are lots of "good" sororities here, not just those two. One of the other 9 might be willing to settle for you.

(And yeah, before you ask, I am a member of one of the "top" ones since that seems so important to you.)

Spare me.

Honey, if you're lucky enough to get into ANY sorority you should be thrilled. I rushed twice during college and got dropped from ALL ELEVEN groups early on both times - a bid from even the so-called "worst" house on campus would have made my day. With that kind of attitude you're already setting yourself up for disaster.

Also, I found that if you rushed as a sophomore and didn't already have a lot of BFFs in one or more sororities, you could pretty much kiss your chances goodbye of getting a bid - and I don't think Duke is even considered all that competitive compared to many other schools when it comes to recruitment (of course, this was 25 years ago; things may have changed). It's gonna be pretty tough for you as a transfer unless you already know people there.

There are A LOT of great sororities at U of A. I would not even dream about going through recruitment at U of A with a closed mind as a sophomore. Just my opinion.

its going to be SO hard to figuring out who you are, if one really wanted to pinpoint you on your campus.

I hate this kind of attitude and find it insulting and disrespectful to the rest of U of A's sororities. Have you met any of the University of Arizona Pi Phis or Thetas? If you can't even spell Pi Phi correctly, they shouldn't be on top of your list. You shouldn't even have a list at all! Recruitment is about going in with an open mind. I just went through recruitment and know plenty of girls like you who were set on XYZ and guess what? They had their hearts broken.

I'm not saying that U of A Pi Phis and Thetas aren't great, but it's not about "top tier" or joining a "good one". It's about joining where you feel at home. You don't really seem to understand that sisterhood is the main point of a sorority, not popularity or status.

Plus, correct me if I'm wrong but U of A is pretty competitive in Greek life. Upperclassmen are automatically facing a disadvantage and have to really wow the sororities to even get a bid. Not all colleges are like this, but U of A is. Upperclassmen at competitive universities can't go in with a 'I only want this one' attitude because quite often they're cut for being an upperclassman. This doesn't mean that you can't receive a bid, but it may not be to a "good" one (even though they're all amazing women, I'm sure) by your standards. For you to already have your mind set is pointless. If you're going for a top sorority-which I believe someone already posted that those are at U of A- like Theta or Pi Phi, you're setting yourself up for disappointment. Sorry if this is harsh but you can't go in with any preconceived notions.

Is the University of Arizona not a "state school?"

http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/...=all&id=104179

University of Arizona is a state school. I can only guess that the OP meant community college or a satellite school (Does University of Arizona have satellite schools?).

Arizona (the state) has a network of Community Colleges - schools where you can get a 2 year degree .. aka junior colleges