University of South Carolina 2014
 

Hi everyone, I would love to hear about how recruitment is going at USC.
Does anyone have anything to share? Thanks!

I heard they have 1655 signed up this year.

That number is correct! This is my daughter's first year on "the other side" and they will begin Round 2 (Leadership) tomorrow and continue through Tuesday. Will update as I'm able!

Thank you for the responses. I can't wait to hear more.
BeachMom, I enjoyed reading your daughter's USC rush story last year. I was/am SO happy with the outcome!

I would like to know more as well. My daughter is going through recruitment and is from the north. She doesn't know girls currently in the houses but she got recommendations for all of them. She thinks at least 200 girls dropped out before the last round. I'm wondering if the cuts by houses are more severe for the preference round.

No, cuts prior to pref are not usually more "severe".

However, a lot of girls will drop out of recruitment VOLUNTARILY prior to pref because they are not happy with their pref invitations. It is their choice to pledge nothing than to be in a group that really does want them. We have little sympathy for that situation.

I hope your DD is having a great time & loves the houses that invite her back.

Thanks. My daughter really wants to be in a sorority so she won't drop out. She was very pleased with her last round choices, could be happy in 4 of 5 if not all 5 she visited. I was just curious if it is harder to be asked back to preference round.

Good wishes for all the PNMs!

Also, more girls may drop out if they aren't happy with their pref choices because Pi Beta Phi is colonizing this fall. They know they have that option as well. My daughter is on the other side and she said it has been hard to make cuts with the all the fantastic girls going through.

Hard to believe my God daughter went through recruitment at SC FIVE years ago! seems like yesterday. She is now a 5th year senior and not a full time students, so is not actively participating in recruitment, but the experience of greek life at SC is great and she loved it.

There are no bad chapters, so encourage your friends and family to stay the course and learn to love new favorites each round if they get dropped by a favorite chapter. She had a great recruitment and was well prepared, but everyone has a few bumps in the road, or gets cut by an early favorite or has some exhaustion/nervous/emotional moments.

The pledge classes are huge there. The number going through only means pledge classes will be larger, not that more will be dropped. The girls that drop typically remove themselves because they aren't happy with their invites rather than being truly released by all groups, although in every competitive recruitment there are some who are released by all.

I imagine that pledge classes might be a little smaller, though, since Pi Beta Phi is colonizing after recruitment concludes. Do they already have housing lined up in the Greek Village?

Pledge class size will be determined by how many girls go to pref and rank groups. Although some girls may deliberately choose to drop out to pursue Pi Phi, I suspect new member groups will still be large.

Pref Day today. Good luck to your daughter 1979greek. Please let us know who she pledges.

Happy Pref, best wishes to all PNMs!

My daughter pledged Tri Delt. It was her first choice but she loved so many of the houses and felt she could have been happy at almost all of them. I know how brutal the system can be, but I think South Carolina seems to be a pretty friendly system that works hard to find spots for as many girls as possible. Phew, so glad it is over for me... I mean her!