Completely new to this
 

First of all, let me just say "HI!" and tell you guys that this board has been SO informative. I only have a small handful of friends who are Greek and no family members who have gone through the process, so reading through this board has been a bit of information overload haha. I'm slowly taking it all in though.

While I know it's a few months early, I just wanted to ask a few questions about the recruitment process so that I have time to talk to my parents about it before the fall.

I've just recently become interested in joining a sorority, but unfortunately, I'm going to be a junior this fall which, from everything I've read, will greatly reduce my chances of receiving a bid. While our Greek Affairs website says that 77% of girls who go through recruitment join, at a school like UNC-CH, how likely is it that I would end up in the unfortunate 23%. Is there anyone on the board who is familiar with UNC's Greek system?

I've also read that the "optional" recommendation letters help girls, but is it wise to send letters to houses you know nothing about (most of them, in my case)? Or should you only send a letter if you're already leaning toward a specific house?

And my last question, I know that conversation regarding recruitment is not permitted with members of a sorority, but is it inappropriate to speak about the sorority in general prior to formal recruitment? The bio major in me has to research everything haha.

I'm sorry to bombard the board with all the questions, but I'm really excited! That said, I'm definitely being realistic to the fact that I won't make it very far because of my class standing. Any information you could provide would be greatly appreciated :)

A couple of points-

1. You as a potential new member are NOT allowed to speak to the sorority members before recruitment. This is so that recruitment stays fair.

2. Below, I found a link to a girl's rush story. She rushed at UNC-Chapel Hill not only as a sophmore but she also joined a sorority and depledged the year before. This leads me to believe that UNC is not highly competitive meaning they only take freshmen. However, being a junior is a different story. No one can stop you from rushing, but keep in mind that it may hinder somewhat from the opportunities that freshmen and sophmores have.

UNC Rush

3. You are not expected to know everything about each sorority on your campus. But it DEFINITELY helps. You want to ask the girls a lot of imformed questions during rush. You mentioned that you do not know everything about them. Well find out! Research them. If you want to get recs, you should get them for as many chapters on your campus as possible. Don't just get it for the ones that you are most interested in. You have not been through rush yet, so your opinion could change. Then you will regret not getting a rec for that particular chapter.


Here is the link to UNC sororities. Almost every sorority listed has their own personal website. RESEARCH!:D

UNC Sororities

Good luck, knitsnpurls! I love your screen name.:)

I can't offer any advice since I do not know your campus at all, and I didn't take part in Greek Life in college. I just wanted to post to wish you well. You'll get good advice here.

Re: Completely new to this
 

You should obtain recs for every chapter if at all possible. You may be "leaning" toward a house, but they may be leaning away from you. It's best to keep all your options open.

Oh, and since you're a junior, you've probably already met members of sororities and spoken to them. I'm not sure how strict silence is at your school, but if you see a sorority member you're friendly with, say hi & talk to her (although not about the sorority or rush) - if she's not allowed to talk to you since you're going through rush, she'll let you know. It's up to HER to tell you. If your campus doesn't have a strict silence and you ignore a member because you think they DO, it could be a giant faux pas.

Thanks for all the replies so far. I emailed our Greek Affairs office, so hopefully I'll be able to find our more info directly from the horse's mouth. I'll definitely keep searching through messages though :)

knitsnpurls, check your PM box! :D

Knits, always excited to hear of girls interested in recruitment, especially you older girls! To clarify, you are allowed to talk to sisters up until Freshman Move-in Day. At this point, August 14th, it becomes the "Spirited Contact" period where we are not allowed to discuss our houses, etc. outside of rush parties. I will warn you that although Greek Affairs states that there is no minimum GPA, most, if not all houses, do have a minimum GPA requirement. This may be difficult for older girls who are competing with the inflated GPA's of first years. Nevertheless, do not let that deter you from recruitment. It is a lot of fun and a great way to meet new people! Please PM me if you have any questions about the process! :)

If there are any other PNMs that are interested in Greek Life @ UNC, please PM me too.

Thanks! I'm glad to see some more fellow Tarheels. Everyone has been helpful so far :) Right now my GPA is above the All-Sorority average and many of the individual chapters' as well, so hopefully that will help me out.

Why do I always read her username like KittensnPurrls??:) ;)