Originally Posted by Future_Sister (Post 2152337)

Hi everyone! I'm a rising junior, and I'm going to be going through informal recruitment this fall. I transferred to my school last year, and couldn't go through recruitment until spring, which is why I'm going through as a Junior, for those who are curious. Also, I will be completing a 5th year, so I'll be able to be an active collegian for 2.5 years, not just a year and a half :) I went to some COB events last fall just to get to know the houses better before formal recruitment in the spring. My school has 4 NPC houses, and I was offered a bid by one (though never signed anything binding me to that house, so I'm completely free to go through informal this fall!) but I know it is not where I belong. I'm really interested in two houses, one of which I was invited to the pref night for in the FALL last year, though not in the spring.

I was hoping for some advice as to what kind of things I can ask the actives about during recruitment to show my genuine interest in their houses & to get to know them better, since I've heard the general stuff about their houses & philanthropies so many times, and I'm at the point where I want to know the girls as individuals, not just about the organization. Also, when the girls ask my year, should I mention that I will be doing a 5th year, so they are aware that I've got plenty of time to be an active sister before I graduate?

Thanks so much in advance! :)

Originally Posted by AOII Angel (Post 2152342)

How were you offered a bid through formal recruitment in the spring but didn't sign anything and aren't bound for a year? Formal recruitment doesn't usually work that way. You say that you want one of two chapters on campus. What was wrong with the one that offered you a bid (a bid in hand is worth two in the bush one might say). These other two chapters turned down the opportunity to offer you a bid during formal recruitment. What have you done to improve your chances or make you more attractive to them? Why would they suddenly look twice at you now that you will be even older?! Sometimes, you have to be realistic when assessing your options. Are you likely to join the group you want? Are you their ideal candidate? Would you rather be non-Greek than a member of one of the other sororities? Think things through before fall informal.

Originally Posted by 33girl (Post 2152340)

OK, let me get this straight:

1. Your school has four sororities (i.e. the Greek system is not so humungously large that you may not have gotten a good look at some chapters or gotten lost in the shuffle).

2. You went to COB events in Fall 2011, thereby putting yourself in front of and getting to know the sororities - i.e. you did not go into spring recruitment a total blank slate they knew nothing about. When you walked into their parties in Spring 2012, they knew who you were.

2a. You were invited to a pref night (I assume you mean an invite-only party) at one of these sororities, and did not receive a bid.

3. You went through formal recruitment in Spring 2012, received a bid from a different sorority, and declined it. The sorority who had invited you to their pref night during Fall 2011 COB did not offer you a bid. In fact, they did not even invite you to Spring 2012 preference night.

Unless in the past semester you have gotten to be VERY close friends with a VERY large number of girls from one of the sororities and/or become VERY visible on campus for VERY positive reasons...I'm going to say that your Greek ship has sailed. (Without you on it.)

Originally Posted by Future_Sister (Post 2152348)

. As for the other one, well I'm not sure what happened in spring recruitment though they seemed to be very interested in the fall, but I couldn't get a bid in the fall because of school policy.

Originally Posted by 33girl (Post 2152354)

There is no "school policy" that prevents this, unless there is a membership cap and they had met or were over it.

Originally Posted by AOII Angel (Post 2152342)

How were you offered a bid through formal recruitment in the spring but didn't sign anything and aren't bound for a year? Formal recruitment doesn't usually work that way.

Originally Posted by Future_Sister (Post 2152355)

our school, and many other in my area, don't let us go through recruitment until we have 12 credits and a 2.5 gpa.

Originally Posted by 33girl (Post 2152357)

Sorry, I got my seasons reversed or else didn't see the phrase "in the fall."

Although you should have been able to receive a bid if 12 of your credits transferred and you had the necessary GPA.

Originally Posted by AOII Angel (Post 2152358)

Yeah, doesn't everyone want to be in the most popular group, because that's what sisterhood is all about. Ummmhmmm...cuz you got to spend so much time talking to them and getting to know them. :rolleyes: The number of women going through informal is immaterial. What matters is the number of spots open in each group, which is determined by chapter total. If chapter total is 60 and the chapter you want has 59 members, they can only offer 1 bid. That means you have to beat out every other girl going through...all the roommates of recently initiated members, BFFs that go out with sisters every Friday night, etc. you've had your little mind closed from the beginning, so don't be upset that they won't change their minds either.

Originally Posted by 33girl (Post 2152363)

I mean, go through if you want, but I wouldn't be overly optimistic unless you are CLOSE friends with many people in one of what I'll call the two "remaining" sororities (let's call them A and B). You have rejected an offer of membership from Sorority C, and Sorority D, while they invited you to pref when you were ineligible, didn't feel the need to invite you back the next spring. As a member of a group who did a LOT of COB, when you don't invite people back in formal rush after they've been to your COB parties, well, that's just not good at all.

And since this is COB, every sorority will be taking a different amount of members. There is no quota. If A and B are the two most popular groups, they will have the smallest amount of spots.

I'm sorry this is so doom and gloom, but it is what it is. It would be different if you were at a large school with 10+ sororities.