Grades & Rush: Is GPA really EVERTHING?
 

I went through rush MANY years ago (back when we called it "rush" and not "sorority recruitment") and while grades mattered, a bad GPA wasn't the end of the world. Now it seems like you can't get past the first round of rush without a crazy-high GPA, no matter which school you go to ... even the ones that aren't that academically competitive.

What is the minimum GPA that most large Southern universities will accept these days? Texas examples: Texas Tech, Texas A&M and UT. I'm just trying to gauge what my daughter is in for in a few years.

I understand the importance of grades and their use as a quick way to eliminate from a list of thousands, but ... sheesh, ya'll!

Each sorority and sometimes even each chapter has their minimum. Sometimes it's available to the public.

UT doesn't consider an applicant's GPA in the admissions process. If you're in-state, they want to know your class rank. If OOS or not an auto-admit (top 7% of your high school class) they evaluate your test scores, rigor of your academics, essay, activities, etc. You can read more about it here:

http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/c...l?schoolId=788

And what it is today could change by the time your daughter goes thru. To turn the question a bit, what GPA does she have to have to meet YOUR requirements?

As a member of a sorority, you know the expectations sororities have of members. Sororities want to ensure the best that they can, that members will be able to meet membership requirements, including GPA. That is why most would like to see more than one activity, hours of philanthropic work, leadership roles and good grades on PNM resumes/recommendations.

There are also a lot more kids ranking AP courses and such in high school. These are weighted differently than normal courses.

Plus, unless you're in Chi Omega, semester long pledgeships are gone and women are initiated before their first semester's grades even come in. Therefore you want to bid women who have shown by their previous grades that they're academically sound. Your wiggle room is reduced to pretty much zero.

Wait a second.

You're asking what is the minimum GPA that universities will accept? That's what you wrote. That information should be on each university's website.

However, if you're asking about GPA for recruitment, that's a whole other animal. First - it's membership selection territory. What might be published "publicly" as a minimum GPA for rushing =/= what a sorority chapter will set as its own "minimum" acceptable GPA. We have no way of knowing that. And if we did, it would not be discussed here. Because it's private.

There are many other factors that come into play in recruitment during membership selection. Definitely agree with what my Panhellenic sisters have written, above. Chapters want well-rounded members who can handle academic demands and contribute to the life of the chapter. No chapter wants to be below the ASA (all sorority average). Competition is fierce for pnms who are academically sound, as 33girl stated. Bottom line: it would behoove your daughter to do the best that she possibly can in high school. At those Texas schools you listed, she may only get one bite at the apple, and that will come as a freshman.

ETA: what does your daughter set as her own personal goal for GPA/education?

Even though Chi Omega doesn't initiate until the semester after pledging, she still has pretty stringent grade requirements in order to pledge a PNM. It is also very important to be a well-rounded individual, and many if not most Chi Omegas go on to be very involved in campus activities, which is one of our Purposes. Keeping grades up with a full plate of activities outside Chi Omega is the challenge we all face, including back in the Dark Ages when I first pledged.