UCF sophomore rushing spring/fall questions? !
 

I'm a freshman at UCF and just went through half of recruitment . I had to drop out halfway though the week because I had other financial obligations and was not prepared to make such a big financial commitment when I was on shaky ground as far as all of my school payments. Since then, I have straightened everything out and am back to thinking about going Greek. All three of my roommates are Greek and I'm absolutely loving meeting their new sisters. The only problem is that it's not really the same, obviously, as being part of my own sorority. So here are my questions:
1. Which sororities are likely to be participating in spring recruitment?
2. I've heard that some of the more selective sororities do participate in a way. They usually fill but if they have girls who can't pay, or for some other reason can't be part of the sorority, they will recruit a few girls that the girls in the sorority know. Is there any truth to that?
3. What is the likelihood of getting a bid as a sophomore? If spring recruitment does not seem worth it and I wait until fall to re-rush, what is my chance of getting a bid?
4. One last thing, I have heard that houses will cut you for being a sophomore alone. Is there truth to this and which houses do this?
Thank you for any help y'all can give!

If all three of your roomates are Greek...why are you asking us?

Maybe they just became Greek (as in just got bids). In that case, she definitely shouldn't ask them.

Having 3 good friends in sororities will help your situation quite a bit, although be warned: They cannot guarantee you a spot, no matter what they say.

If you get to know some of your friends' older sisters you might be able to address some of these questions to them. A pledge may think she knows the answers but someone who has been through the system on both sides at least once is going to know a lot better.

But in case your roommates don't know, you need to express interest in informal rush to them. Don't beat it to death, nag them, look all pathetic and desperate, but make sure they know you're interested. That would also be true of other sorority women you meet. Don't become their friend just so you can have another possible in, but if you are friendly enough with a girl you meet in class, then you can mention that you missed out on pledging and would like another chance if they are holding some sort of informal rush events.

Your understanding that several chapters may be doing SOME sort of rush is probably true, and you're right that you have to know people to even hear about some of those going on. But you are likely not going to get any specific information about chapters who will be doing informal. That would begin to stray into status and perception on campus, and we don't do that here.

Do talk to the Greek Life office and register for COB or informal if they have that sort of registration, just in case. And in the meantime, be nice to EVERYONE, keep your grades up, get/stay involved in campus activities, and protect your dignity.

this!!

you best bet, UCFgirlll, will be to check with the greek life office. even they will probably not know who might be participating in spring recruitment. just get you name on the COB list in the panhellenic office, in case any of the sororities have a space or two available, either this fall, or in the spring.

also, let all your roommates know how much you would love to be a sorority member. maybe they will invite you over to their houses for dinner and you can get to now their sisters. study hard in order to get good grades, conduct yourself with decorum, and join an organization or two on campus. you will no longer be able to rest on your high school laurels if you rush next fall.

if fall 2011/spring 2012 COB doesn't work out for you, sign up for fall recruitment 2012, when registration opens for that.

All three of my roommates are freshman and just got their bids, so I wasn't asking them because they don't have much experience and I wanted the opinions of girls who knew a little more, which is why I asked on here.

Spring rush varies from year to year depending on the sorority. Always check panhellenicucf[dot]com for recruitment information. Like others have said, your best bet is to friend girls in sororities to find out more information. Being a sophomore is pretty much irrelevant to most chapters anymore. As long as you have great grades and are involved, that's all that matters.

Personally, I would encourage you to go through formal recruitment again in the fall. Not every sorority does spring recruitment and the ones that do are even more selective since they can't accept as many girls.

smart girl, UCFgirlll!! your roommates can however, invite you over to their house for dinner, and introduce you to their pledge sisters and older sisters, both of which might help your plight.

nicole11376, my philosophy about UCFgirllll going thru spring COB, if there is one, is that she might find her match in the spring, and not to wait until the fall for all the fun and sisterhood she is missing out on right now. she does not have to accept any invitations for spring COB events if she does not want to, and she can choose which invitations to accept. She does not have to accept a bid if she is offered one. If she turns down a spring bid it does not effect her ability to participate in Fall 2012 recruitment.

Something that hasn't been mentioned yet: When was UCF bid day? If it was in the last week or so, and there are groups under quota, they may be doing open bidding RIGHT NOW. If so, you may want to act quickly to try and find out which groups those are.

good point DeltaBetaBaby!!

That's a really good point and I should have thought of it. Because of Delta Zeta colonizing on campus right now, no other chapters are allowed to COB until September 12th. So UCFgirlll if you are interested, DZ is another option for you! They are still recruiting girls, you have until tomorrow to sign up for an interview. Otherwise, talk to your friends in sororities and see if they will be COBing next week.

If her friends are NM's, they may not know. I would suggest that she contact the GL office and ask which sororities are eligible to hand out more bids come September 12. The GL office may not know who is ACTUALLY doing COB, but they will know who is under quota/total.

So, now you have a list of chapters who may be doing COB. If one of them is a chapter where you have friends who are NM's, it's a little dicey. Sometimes, chapters don't want to let their NM's know that they didn't meet quota or whatever, so they don't make it too public. Other chapters tell their NM's to bring over friends who might be interested. Maybe someone more familiar with UCF can better advise you on how to tread, here.

If there is a chapter eligible for COB where you do not know anyone, I would then e-mail the recruitment chairs or presidents of the appropriate chapters and say something like "Hi, I had to drop out of formal recruitment for personal reasons, but I really enjoyed meeting your chapter the first two rounds. I'm still interested in joining a sorority, and I'm wondering if there may be an opportunity to get to know more women in your chapter".

Can someone tell me what is COBing is please?

That's a great idea DeltaBetaBaby

Continuous Open Bidding - it means offering bids outside of the formal rush time frame.