Should I rush again next semester?
 

So I'm a transfer student and wanted to rush this semester. My school is smaller and we only have 4 sororities and well the second day I only got invited back one of them...and then the next day nobody invited me back :( My gpa is a 2.5 so I knew there was a big risk but it thought it seemed like it went really well with all the girls that I talked to. My mom, aunts, grandmother and a lot of my cousins are all greek so this really means a lot to me. I'm like 99% positive that my gpa for this semester will be a 3.6 or higher....should I try to rush next semester or would that be lame and desperate? I also just turned 21 and I wasn't sure if that was a huge issue....Greek life isn't like a huge thing here, less than 5% of the students are greek and we don't even have houses. Any helpful info would be greatly appreciated :)

My advice is to take this year to pledge the library. You need to prove yourself for two semesters. Get at least a 3.5 for both semesters.

Your GPA is too low.

I suspect your grades were a big issue. Age may or may not have been, depending on campus climate. If your gpa is in good shape next semester, why not try? Don't worry about what others think. They are never looking at us/judging us as much as we fear they are. Get to know sorority women in class and activities -- naturally, not forced -- and see where it leads. Good luck, and study hard!

Eta, pledging the Library is a good idea!

Thanks for the advice guys! It's just a really shitty situation bc my gpa is so low, bc 2 months into my freshmen year my little sister who I was really close to passed away from leukemia. I had an extremely hard time coping, couldn't make it throughout a class without having to leave bc I would start bawling. Ended up failed every class and then got D's and C's the next semester....but the last 2 semesters and over the summer I've had B's and A's. I didn't want to bring any of that up bc I didn't want the girls to think that I was trying to make them feel sorry for me to get a bid.....it just sucks because I feel like that period in my life keeps coming back to get me even when I've made so much progress. A 2.5 def doesn't reflect me...I was an A/B student in highschool but since I was transfer they only looked at my transcript from my previous college :(

Not to sound harsh, being informative. GPA cuts are usually hard and fast, regardless of the reason(s). I don't know of many chapters that will take grade risks. And right now that's what you are. I really want you to focus on your academics this year. Your age is not as huge of an issue as your on-paper GPA.

And please, please - seek support. I've been where you're at. I do understand.

ETA: I like katmandu's suggestion to get to know sorority women, in natural situations.

Get to know sorority women outside of rush. I would repeat this 47 times but the copy function on my phone is a pain.

Work on getting your grades up. There may have also been confusion about your eligibility as a transfer student. With that small of a system, I honestly don't think your age is an issue.

I really appreciate the information! I'm really confident that i will have high grades this semester. I also made friends with girls who now are in the sorority that was my top pick. Oddly, like 75% of the girls that I talked to during recruitment live in the same apartment complex as me, so hopefully I get to know them better! The weirdest thing about recruitment is the sorority that did ask me back is the one that has the highest gpa on campus 0_0

QFP

This is why you get recs. Alumnae can explain the situation.

Sounds like they may have considered the risk since their GPA could absorb yours without dropping too much, but in the end it was too big of a risk.

How do I get recs if I don't know any alumnae from the chapters at my school?

The alumnae just have to be from that sorority, not just your school's chapter.

Having worked as an Academic Adviser, I highly recommend that you contact your previous college's Registrar's Office to inquire about a process called "academic renewal" or "late withdrawal". In my opinion, your situation freshman year was completely understandable and you may qualify to have that entire semester removed from your record (or the grades changed to "W"). That should help improve your GPA and might help alleviate any burden you feel about your academic record.

I was thinking the exact same thing!

If your GPA is otherwise solid, then I think you have a strong case for what Navane is talking about. Your GPA is not just an issue for Greek life, but it will also come up if you ever decide to go to graduate school.

Just remember: it never hurts to ask, and you rarely get what you don't ask for.

It can even come up while job hunting, etc. This is really worth looking into.

Good call. I did this with a semester over 2 years after I left school. I wrote a personal statement about what happened and my Dr. also wrote a letter. A few weeks later I got an approval. It's really worth looking into.

I 150% agree with what all of the other posters have noted, and especially Navene's suggestion in contacting your previous school to see if you can get some of the grades changed to withdraw given your family circumstances that occured while you were in school. As depending on your path post college your grades might become an issue.

It does sound like you are on a solid path with getting your grades up and as others have said get to know some of the Greek women during this time, in that way should you decide to try again, you will stand out more in a good way:)

Best of luck to you.