Question about bids/dropping?
 

Hello, my name is Kelsey, I'll be rushing at UF in about two weeks!
Here's my question - So I understand that we are able to drop sororities during the rush process. Are we required to drop them though? I know that we go to a smaller number of houses each day, is that because we have to eliminate some houses from our list, or because they cut us?
Also, when we go to our last three choices on the last day, are those are the only houses we are able to receive a bid from?
I'm asking because I want to know how often girls don't receive bids. I've read the boards and it's clear that it has to do with other factors and variables, but wouldn't it make sense that if a house chose you for their last day and you chose them as well, wouldn't you get a bid from at least one of the three houses?
I'm just kind of confused and I can't find anything to answer my questions. :p

Recruitment is a mutual selection process. This means that you rank your preferred chapters, and the chapters have a [private] selection process by which they choose potential members after each round and submit ranked lists. Most schools use computerized bid matching for formal recruitment, but I cannot speak for your school without knowing where you attend.
In a nutshell, after each recruitment round, you will likely rank your chapters from order of most to least preferred, or simply rank your bottom (least-preferred) 2, 3, 4, or 5 chapters and all the rest will be considered your "number 1" collectively (ranked the same).
Your rankings will be matched to the chapters preferential lists of PNMs, though how this works varies from school to school. If you are not on a chapter's list, or if their parties fill up before they get to your spot on the list, you would be dropped from that chapter. This is how you could end up getting on your party schedule one of the houses you had "dropped" (ranked as your least-preferred). I hope that clears some things up for you.

No, you'll need to rank your bottom chapters/top chapters by order of preference. This varies a bit from school to school, but you don't have to cut anyone. And you could be invited back even to your bottom ranked chapter (who could turn into your favorite, you never know.)
The chapters make cuts and you rank preferences. You go to smaller numbers because that's how recruitment is designed, to funnel you to the chapters who you like the best and who like you the best.

No, you are more likely to receive a bid from those houses, but it is possible to receive a bid from a chapter who you ranked, but whose parties you couldn't go back to due to not having enough time in the schedule. Generally though those are the ones you're probably going to get a bid from.

It's never a guarantee. But it would be very rare not to get a bid after pref if you attended a full schedule.
Someone from your school can give you any specific answers but that's my best shot.

I'm pretty sure the only way a PNM could/should end up with a bid from a house she didn't rank on her bid card is through a snap bid.

This was all really helpful, thanks so much.
What is a snap bid though?

Threads explaining snap bidding:

http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...highlight=snap

http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...highlight=snap

Yes, but they don't really get told it's a snap bid, they're just called and offered the bid. I was trying to make it simple since I knew she'd ask what a snap bid was.