re-rushing after dropping
 

so i'm a freshman at a big ten school with average greek life (slightly competitive). I rushed and got my first choice bid to a top tier sorority. However, it wasn't what I expected at all and I ended up dropping well before initiation. But I think it just wasn't a right fit, I still like the idea of being in a sorority. Would it look bad to re-rush next fall?

Also, there is a chance I'm transferring to another big ten school closer to home next year (also with average greek life). Would it then matter as much that I had rushed at my old school? Also I'm a legacy for a good sorority at the new school as well.

Thanks so much girls! :)

You really need to post your question only 1 time, in 1 forum. Having 2 threads with the same question at one time is confusing and difficult to run back & forth :)

okay i'm sorry! i'll delete one :)

I'm not trying to sound harsh here, but I find your post rather ironic. You got a bid to a "top tier" sorority, found out it wasn't where you were meant to be, but now you're talking about being a legacy to a "good" sorority at your potential new school.

You need to not focus on "tiers" and reputations and simply go through recruitment and find the best fit for YOU. You already wasted your time (for lack of a better phrase) with a sorority that you possibly chose due to their "top tier" status, and you ended up disappointed. You need to evaluate who you are and what you want and go after that.

I understand what you're saying. I didn't mean for it to come off like that, I do want to be in one that I fit in more, regardless of tier. Going through recruitment this fall, I can't act like I didn't think about reputations at all, because I did, but I truly thought I picked one that seemed like a good fit to me (were known as laid back, friendly, and liked by the frats cause they were supposedly drama free) and I got that vibe from the actives. However, once I joined I didn't feel close to my pledge class. Maybe I shouldn't have given it more time, but I just had this feeling it wasn't right.

Again, I really didn't mean for the post to come off as stuck up or anything, I was just wondering about if it's worth going through it another time around.

Is it worth not doing it?

At the Big Ten schools with which I am familiar, re-rushing is not a huge deal. It's not the same as being a freshman, but many women re-rush and get bids.

Note: As long as it isn't Indiana. All bets are off at Indiana. I know this isn't the right time of year for Indiana, but I'm putting the disclaimer up anyway for future googlers or whatever.

There are more people in the sorority than your pledge class. Theoretically you will spend four years with them; realistically, that is often not the case as people drop and/or transfer. How ironic it would be if those people who made you feel out of place aren't even around in a year or two.

Yes you need to have a unity with your pledge class to get things done, but it doesn't mean that all your best friends in the sorority will come from there. If that were the case, 90% of the people who post here probably would have quit.

Also, "drama free" is the last thing you should look for. No, you don't want to join a soap opera, but 100+ girls with zero fights or disagreements says to me that they either don't know each other at all or are a group of clones. Or are brain dead.

Yes, all bets are off if your transfer school is Indiana and you will be a sophomore. Sophomores do have a more difficult, but not impossible, time.

I personally know women who have had successful second recruitments at Purdue, Ohio State, Penn State and Illinois.

And we always say on GC, you'll never know if you don't try.

nope it's not Indiana! (although I did almost go there as a freshman :))

Thanks for the hopeful responses. I'll try to think less about the reps this time around whether they're good or bad. The main reason I was asking was because I thought it might look really bad that not only am I re-rushing, but I was in one for almost a month and then dropped out but I guess I don't even have to mention that I had joined one.

I'm wondering why you think the Greek systems in the Big 10 are "average." Even Minnesota, the smallest of the bunch is still large and competitive. I think you might still have unrealistic expectations about what sororities are and do.

Well, as a sophomore, be prepared to be asked why you didn't rush freshman year, in which case, you do have to mention it (the odds of being caught in a lie here are very good). I'm not going to tell you what to say, but you can give a brief and positive answer, and it's good if you think about what you want to say in advance.

I'm not sure I agree with this. Every campus has a chapter or several that are more desirable, harder to get into, etc. but that doesn't mean the Greek system is competitive. I would never call Minnesota competitive in the way we use the term here on GC. I also wouldn't call Illinois or Ohio State competitive. These are places where you don't have to prep too much for recruitment, recs are somewhat optional, upperclasswomen frequently get bids, etc. All things that are typical of uncompetitive Greek systems. I think the only truly competitive Big 10 recruitment is Indiana, and even that one is competitive in a weird, uncompetitive way.

I didn't mean average in that they are not thriving or good communities. All the big 10 schools have a respected Greek life. I simply meant average for the sake of people trying to get full background of my question, and like someone said on here, relatively speaking, Big 10 schools are "average" when it comes to competition during recruitment.

Anyway, any ideas of positive things I could say? I truly do wanna find a better fit and be 100% committed to it. I have had a feeling since the beginning of the year that I might wanna transfer to which it has only grown (for a variety of reasons I won't get it into) so maybe I could incorporate that somehow?