lillady's completely new at this Fall Rush 06'
 

Hi there, I have never posted but I was hoping someone could give me a few answers to my questions. I already read a lot of the FAQ's but I'm still unsure about a few things.
1- I'm a transfer junior from a tiny school to a fairly large Northern city school (I don't know if I can get specific so I won't). To be honest, should I go for it even though I am? I didn't know juniors or upperclassmen aren't given as much of a shot (I'm still here for another 2 quite possibly 3 years) or maybe they are?
2- As for recommendations, how do I get those? I know one person who is an alumna and that's about it. Do all sororities ask for these?
3- Is there really a dress code for recruitment week? I have scoured my school Greek website and haven't seen a thing.

Sorry if its too long, no one in my family has ever pledged (rushed? I don't know the proper words) and so I really don't have anyone to ask. So far this site has been really helpful! ;)

As far as rushing as a junior, I highly recommend it. I joined my chapter in the spring of my junior year and it was the best decision I ever made.

Good luck!

1 -- YES. ABSOLUTELY. You won't know until you try, but ask the Greek Life office for more specifics on the prospects of a successful recruitment for upperclasswomen.

2 -- At some schools, ESPECIALLY in the North, recommendations are unheard of. I've actually heard of some Northern sororities that totally disregard recommendations if they receive them (and I quote my friend: "Some random alumnae from two states away will have no idea whether or not this woman will fit in with my chapter."). Others take them into account but they're certainly not necessary, and you won't be "marked down" if you don't have one. At some schools, only legacies will obtain a rec from their mom/grandma/aunt as "proof" of a legacy, and the other women don't bother.

Try to ask a sorority member at the college to which you're transferring about recs, if you can. A very very general rule of thumb (and only really applicable to Northern schools): the smaller the percentage of underclasswomen going through recruitment, the less useful a recommendation letter. Basically, if only like 100 women are going through rush, you're going to be able to set yourself apart without a formal rec. Unless you find out it's supercompetitive, I wouldn't lose sleep over not being able to obtain recs for a Northern urban school.

3 -- YES, there will most likely be a dress code, and pay strict attention to it. Ask the Greek Life office or your Rho Chi (recruitment counselor) about the appropriate dress code for each day. I can't imagine them not giving you out specifics as it comes closer to recruitment. Unless you find out that you'll get in trouble (or unless Greek Life gives you a specific "uniform" for particular days -- a plain black dress on pref, a "Go Greek" t-shirt and jeans for open houses, etc.) I would even dress up a touch more than suggested. Don't wear a prom dress, but I would probably wear black slacks and heels on a day where khakis were recommended and so on.

DO IT DO IT DO IT! I joined as a Junior and it's the greatest experience ever. My only problem is deciding whether or not to stay in school longer (1)for academics and 2) to do it all over again next year!)

Tomorrow...:)
 

Thanks for all the tips. Tomorrow is when recruiting starts and I already signed up for it and am going in with an open mind. I just wonder if anyone has any opinions on a small situation.

At my school, I really liked two of the non-NPC sororities (they're called MGC's here). I was at an involvement fair and found our conversations to be clicking. However, would it seem too perky and desperate to go to perhaps one of their informationals on the same night? (Scheduling all this is hard!) I obviously want to go into the NPC ones and see if they are right for me but I don't know what to do. Should I follow my gut instinct and perhaps give it a shot or has anyone else been in this situation and can possibly help?

Thanks! I'll post here how rush goes if that's ok in this thread. :)

If you can make it, definitely go to the informational. The sororities hold them for the specific purpose of letting you know a little bit more about the individual groups, and by attending you'll let the sisters know that you're serious about going through recruitment.

As long as you're sincere and be yourself, you won't come across as "perky" and "desperate", I promise!

If you want, start filling us in by posting your experience in the Recruitment Stories forum. I love threads with local sororities/non-NPC groups, so I'd love to hear your story. Good luck.

I say go for it! One of my little sisters joined the sorority as a junior, and I know she'd do it again in a heartbeat. Good luck to you!

It's great to hear that you signed up for recruitment!

IMHO, give it a shot and visit the informationals for the MGCs. It sounds like you were connecting with them in your conversation. Having more information about all of the sororities can only help you as you are making your decisions.

Good luck! If you have the time, we'd love to hear the rest of your recruitment story!

Oooh...starts soon
 

Wow, thanks for the replies. :) I decided I'm going to try and make it to the MGC's. Hopefully I can run in time to make it. I guess since I'll be posting the whole recruitment, I should probably put this under "rec stories". So, I guess this thread has ended for me but I'll post about how opening day went tonight. :):p