Academics...What matters?
 

Of course for PNMs, GPA is very important. But does acceptance to highly ranked/well respected honors programs (at the University where said PNM is going through recruitment) have an impact? I am just looking for some varied opinions to either support or contradict what we have been hearing locally.

It depends on the school...because remember at some schools with 1000+ PNMs enrollment in the honors program might not be rare enough to give a significant boost to a PNM's resume.

Depends on the school, for sure. One of mine was accepted into the most advanced honors program at her university; only 16 freshman were accepted into that level. She and another girl from it rushed and said that almost every rusher they had said, "Wow, you're Bell Honors. Do you think you'll be able to handle the load of that plus sorority?"

So at the time, they said, "Oh, sure!" because they were used to handling heavy academic/extracurricular loads in high school. Looking back after college, they said that maybe those sorority members knew what they were talking about because it was incredibly hard to handle the depth, difficulty, and extra meetings of their program in addition to sorority life. I do feel, though, that they're better time managers now as adults because of what they managed to do back then; both were sorority officers plus graduated from their program cum laude.

Carnation,

You bring up a great point. I suppose it could be seen as a negative in the presumption that high achieving honors kids would not have the time to devote to a sorority. Although, I stress the word "presumption" as I believe those exact type of kids manage their time very well. But the type of honors programs I am speaking up are pretty selective like you mention. So with that said do you feel it was a positive "check mark" for your daughter?

EIG

It's hard to say. Both girls had everything going for them recruitmentwise--the full package, you might say--I think it could have had different effects on different sororities and it seemed to depend on the reaction of the girl who rushed them. If they commented on the honors program favorably, those sororities kept the girls and those who seemed to be expressing doubts that the girls could handle it cut them. Oddly enough, the group with the highest GPA cut them.

The same groups kept and cut both. Each girl pledged a sorority she loved. However, I don't think that any of us dreamed that sororities might see Bell as a negative in recruitment. I remembered all that years later as we went to the Honor Program graduation dinner and they called out my daughter's college honors-- Phi Kappa Phi, ODK, Order of Omega, Sigma Tau Delta, cum laude--I thought, "Okay, other sororities, see what you lost."

Carnation...thanks for the info. Really interesting perspective. I certainly can see it both ways, but for the highest GPA sorority to cut a more than probable high GPA generator is really surprising. Especially since the majority of honors programs worth their salt will have a pretty high GPA "minimum" for staying in the program.

Anyone else have any thoughts?

I think most chapters would prefer a cheerleader over someone in the honors program, to be honest.

Hey, both these girls were both!

I'm sure we all know brilliant kids, valedictorians even, who went to college and flunked out for various reasons. Maybe that's what the sororities feared, or else that the girls wouldn't have the time to devote to the house.

I thought it was interesting that the only guy who went Greek did have to drop out of his house and off the tennis team because he was flunking out. I don't even remember if he finished the program but it seems like only half of the originals did.

It's not worth it to have a high GPA generator if she's going to be so busy studying that she's never around. It's also not worth it if she gets a bid just for her GPA and not because the chapter truly likes her.

Although I also think it depends on if the programs in question are driven by GPA only, or if you have to have other assets (community involvement, campus involvement, an outgoing personality) to be admitted. Someone in the second kind of program probably knows what she's doing and how to manage time...someone whose life has revolved around grades and only grades maybe not so much. (Some of those straight A students are dumb as posts, organically speaking, and only make those grades through sheer force of will.)

Is that because cheerleaders are typically attractive/good body and a girl in a honors program is assumed to not be a hottie?

Disagree. I think it depends on the chapter/campus. Sure, chapter members who are visible and involved on campus are a plus, but grades are very important. So someone who has been accepted to a prestigous honors program would be desirable, imo.

No, I just don't think most chapters care at all if you are in an honors program.

Sure, it looks good to alumnae when you are soliciting recs and all that, but at the end of the day, chapters want girls who they will have fun with for the next four years.

While I agree that they want girls that they LIKE and will enjoy spending time with, I disagree that that means "cheerleader" rather than "honors student." And barring some chapters that really narrow their focus and pledge the entire squad/team/club of some sort, most chapters have cheerleaders and honors students and engineering students (who couldn't maintain honors because they're just barely making it despite studying all the time) and College Democrats/Republicans and party girls, and non-party girls and so on.

Be who you want to be, and if you fit in, you'll fit in. If you're trying to become who you think a chapter wants you to be you'll just be unhappy.


ETA: Sorry Kappamd, I snuck in there. :p

^^^I completely disagree.

If there's a choice between a "fun" cheerleader type who has only that going for her and a girl in the honors program with an impeccable resume (because she did get into the program after all), I think honors girl would win out in most chapters.

I can only speak from my experience with SEC recruitment. But high GPA's are definitely a plus for a pnm. Yes, chapters are looking for girls to have fun with, but there is criteria for membership that go along with that. Being able to tout that your rush crush has a high GPA or is in the honors program will often trump another pnm who does not have that asset.

Maybe this is truly chapter specific?