Transfer Recruitment Story
 

I'm going to give a quick background story first (it's relevant, I promise). I used to go to a tough school my freshman and sophomore years. After realizing that it just wasn't the school for me no matter how hard I tried, I went back home, went to community college to raise my GPA, and this semester, I transferred to a local university. So yeah, that now makes this an older (I'm 22), transfer, COMMUTER story. (BTW, I actually enrolled in sorority recruitment my freshman year, but I had braces and low self-confidence so I dropped out before first round. Later on, I found out one of the "cool" sororities's president had braces and I felt like an idiot. One of the worst mistakes of my life. Oh well, you live, you learn.)

Recruitment doesn't officially start until September 26, but I'm really excited/nervous and our recruitment counselors sent us emails last night. I'm in the yellow group and our counselors are planning a meeting for all of us next week. So even though recruitment is still practically a month away, there will still be events for us (such as sorority showcases, info sessions, a picnic, and the week after next the sororities will have philanthropy events).

My new campus has 5 chartered sororities and is colonizing another this semester (my previous school had 10), and recruitment is only one weekend long with orientation Thursday night, open house on Friday night, and two events each on Saturday and Sunday (my previous school's recruitment had one event/day over the course of two weekends). Because I seriously have no idea what the sororities on campus are like and I like to be fully informed about things, I've visited their websites and Facebook pages (and even looked the presidents's profiles... I feel like it's ok because they're probably creeping on me, too) and I kind of have an idea of what they're like (even though I know you're not supposed to go through recruitment judging sororities based on assumptions).

Because I'm not that creative, I'm using flower code names (obviously not the official flower of each sorority). In random order:
- Lily (I googled one of my counselors and I know she's a Lily) - I've seen a lot wearing their letters on campus so far. They're all really pretty. I probably won't end up here.
- Daisy - I've seen a lot of them, too. Based on their website and Facebook page, they seem very involved in campus and philanthropy which is what I'm looking for (since, like I said, I'm a commuter, and I want a way to become more involved in campus). (This sorority was at my old school.)
- Rose - I've heard they're party girls.
- Magnolia - I've seen a few around campus. Based on the president's profile, they seem a bit... needy. That sounds so mean, I hope they're not. If they are, I know I won't belong there.
- Tulip - Based on their website the only thing I could really tell about them was that they value academics, which would be good for me.
- Daffodil - They're the colonizing sorority. To be honest, there's not a lot of information about their colonization. There's one sentence about it in the "Welcome to PHC" blurb, but they're not mentioned under the chapter page. I've read some posts on here about failed colonies because they couldn't make quota. I hope it doesn't happen to them and that's why I'm a little leery about joining this one. I know it'd be an honor to be a charter member, but I'm going to go the safe route since I'm not getting any younger. (This sorority was also at my old school.)

I'm really excited and I can't wait to meet my recruitment counselors and rush group next week!

Good luck to you!
I'm obviously rooting for Tulip :D

Thanks for the luck! I seriously think it's either going to be Tulip or Daisy. But like I said, I shouldn't go in to it with assumptions, so who knows? I could end up a Lily even though I said I probably wouldn't end up there.

Good Luck!! I am literally doing the same thing as you right now!! 22 year old transfer I will be posting my story soon :)

Yay! Good luck! I had actually been looking all over the forums for stories of older transfer PNMs, but I could never find one. I'll be sure to check your story out!

Keep in mind that given you are older, an upperclassman, a transfer, and possibly have GPA issues, the sororities will have a lot more say in the process than you will. As you go through, look for any chapters that are obviously struggling, that have awkward rushers, that double or triple rush. IF you are lucky enough to get a bid, these chapters are likely where it will come from.

So think long and hard about whether or not you want to be in a sorority. If you do, cultivate those weaker chapters and try to sell them on what you can do for them. Mentally prepare yourself to be cut from chapters that you really, really like.

You said that it is a university that is local for you. Do you have friends in the chapters? It might help you to have people pulling for you.

Have fun with the process. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. You will get to know some nice women on your new campus regardless of your outcome.

Thanks for the advice, Blue Skies. I'm interested in joining a sorority to make friends and be more involved on campus. I truly don't care if I get in a popular sorority or not. I just want to make friends with like minded people and be involved on campus.

http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/icons/icon14.gif

Good luck to you and HAVE FUN!:)

Thats weird. All the Rho Gammas I know deactivated their facebooks around two weeks before recruitment. Doesn't that make things slightly awkward if you know?

QFP :cool:

Agreed. Tulips are my favorite flowers. :)

I didn't find her on Facebook, hers is deactivated. But her chapter's blog didn't take down her name and that's how I found out. I don't think it's going to be awkward because I'm not going to mention it and I know it's her job to help us with recruitment and not promote her sorority. So even if I don't like her sorority or if I do like them and get cut by them, it's not her fault.

Same for me. A girl I know who knows one of my Rho Chis told me her affiliation. And it did ruin it a little bit, but I know she wouldn't be doing the job if she wasn't there to be unbiased.

Sometimes it's hard for counselors to be completely secret about their affiliations. Upperclassmen going through recruitment may have seen their counselors wearing their letters before, or like in your situation, friends of those going through recruitment know their affiliation and tell, or in my situation, the chapter may have forgotten to edit their blog as well as their official site. All I know is that if you keep an open mind about it and judge the chapters as a whole rather than on one member, you should be fine.

(even though I know you're not supposed to go through recruitment judging sororities based on assumptions).

Yet this is exactly what you are doing. As an older, upperclassmen transfer, you will get your ass kicked in rush if you do this.