What are your thoughts....
 

Hey all!!

I am 26 and go to a commuter school with a very diverse crowd. We have a huge non-traditional student population and a very small Greek community.

After spending some time away from college I am finally back and want to make the most of it! I think it would be a great opportunity to become a part of Greek life and would love to participate in the new member process.

I am afraid my age will work against me, but I wanted to know your thoughts on the whole subject. Our sororities are Phi Sigma Sigma, Alpha Kappa Alpha, and Alpha Chi Omega.

I am also transferring in as a Sophomore so I will definitely be here for 3 more years!

Thanks for your honest opinions in advance!!

e

Please note that Alpha Kappa Alpha belongs to another Greek umbrella organization and handles membership intake very differently than Phi Sigma Sigma and Alpha Chi Omega.

I don't know what your campus culture is like. I can only go by my experience as an undergrad. I came from a campus with a very small Greek Life too. When an older woman expressed interest in my organization, we invited her to rush events. There it was obvious she felt uncomfortable being around 18-20 year olds as she did not really have much in common with them. Her idea of fun didn't really consist of going to the fraternity kegger this weekend. She was never seen again.

I say give it a shot, but your age may definitely play a role no matter how diverse your student life is.

In my own opinion, unless you are really immature for your age, I don't see a 26 year old fitting in very well if the members are 18-21ish

Get to know women in the sororities. If you meet several women who are also non-traditional students, that's good news. If every woman who has letters on is under 21, that probably means that despite the large commuter/nontrad student population, the sororities are a niche that have stayed "traditional."

Thanks! That is a great idea 33girl!

A commuter school has a MUCH different vibe...the average age of the students is usually higher, for one.
Back when I was a regional officer, one of my chapters was at a commuter school. Their students, on the whole, were much more mature than at the traditional campuses. "Mature," meaning not necessarily older, but most of them held part-time jobs, some full-time, many were paying for most if not all of their own college.
In line for a Founders Day one year, I chatted with one of the seniors and was astonished to find that she was 27! She said she had gone to college for a year but dropped out, worked full time for several years and saved, and when she returned she wanted the "full college experience." True, she didn't go in for some of the fraternity swaps, but she served as an officer and was a great member - she really appreciated the membership experience and brought some stabilizing maturity to the chapter.

Agreed. I just went back to school full-time for an advanced degree, thinking I'd be an old lady, and I'm shocked that isn't the case. Without knowing her campus, none of use can know if most chapters are full of 18-year-olds, or if non-traditional students are the norm.

I'd be interested to hear how it goes for you. On one hand it seems very weird compared to my own experience, but what Anchor Alumna says brings up some really interesting possibilities. You could BE THE CHANGE and start a trend for a great bonding experience for the more mature women commuter students on your campus. Or you could kill a chapter by making it the house with the old lady in it. Or you could meet the 2 NPC chapters and think get me the h3ll out of here! AKA is a whole different deal and I can't speak about that at all. Let us know!

wow! thanks so much! that is very encouraging to hear!

I really am curious to see how it goes, but I really appreciate the positive feedback!

I too am looking for the full college experience, as I did not have a chance to when I was younger! I would love to be an officer and really work on leadership and eventually help with recruitment!! I will definitely let you all know how it goes!!

This is basically it, right here. No matter how non-traditional your campus might seem, you won't know how well you might fit in to the sororities until you check them out.

.....Kelly :)

Thanks ladies! Fall formal recruitment starts this Thursday!! Kind of nervous, kind of excited! I'll let you know what happens!

e

Please do!

I wonder if she meant Alpha Sigma Alpha and not Alpha Kappa Alpha.

If she meant AKA, as someone as said, the aspirant process will most likely not be a part of NPC recruitment. I cannot speak to how that AKA chapter is, and most NPHC collegiate chapter memberships are 19-22 year olds. However, NPHC orgs do have chapters (at commuter and non-commuter schools) with non-traditional applicants and members. Or they are open to the idea of much older members as long as the member doesn't try to act like an advisor or parent. Depending on the chapter, there may be no difference between a 26+ yo collegiate NPHCer and a 20 yo collegiate NPHCer. Some collegiate chapters operate very much like alumnae chapters and if there's something that the older members feel is "too young" for them (i.e. attending certain social events), they can either not attend the event or find the other older NPHCers at the event (many NPHC social events have some older NPHCers there).

Yes it is AKA. I decided I am going to stick with the 2 NPC groups and see how it goes! I am just going to go in with an open mind and enjoy the process! It will definitely be worth the experience regardless of the outcome!!

Maybe I will post a recruitment story just like the other girls have been doing... :)

Is a recruitment story with 2 NPCs as exciting?

I recommend being careful in that you have already given some identifiers if people want to know what school you attend. If you do a recruitment story, perhaps you can do one after recruitment is over.

/lane swerve over