Freaked Out
 

So, I'm currently a high school senior and I've been reading the threads here (especially the recruitment stories) and now I'm kind of freaked out about the whole rush process. I will be attended a medium-sized southern univeristy in the fall that has a fairly large greek system. I've looked at all of the sorority websites and they all seem like great organizations. I could seriously be happy at any of them. One of the philanthropies really hits home with me. But I am definately keeping an open mind throughout this whole process.

My main concern is that I dont know anyone to get a recommendation letter from. My mom used to be in a sorority, but she had to drop out of college to due some circumstances. (She went back to college though :) ) But I'm not sure if I want to be known as a legacy (if I am even one) because I dont want other organizations to think I would definately pref this one sorority when I may not fit in with them at all.

Also, there is a sorority that will be colonizing this fall at my campus. How does that process work (in a nutshell)? If I dont get a bid from a sorority, could I join this one new sorority?

Reading the recruitment stories has really scared me. I have read more stories that ended with the rushee eventually dropping out than with the rushee actually getting a bid. I know it varies school to school, but what percent of rushees actually get a bid?

Cheers,
CB

I think this a little incorrect. At some schools, especially the more "cut throat" schools, other sororities do cut you because they assume that you'll join your legacy chapter.

I'm not sure if you HAVE to list your legacy status. Even if you end up listing your legacy status (assuming your mom initiated into an NPC sorority) you just let the other chapters that your still keeping an open mind.

Recommendations (or Recs) have been discussed at nauseum on GC, just do a little search for them. Usually there are alumnae chapters of some (or all) of all the school's sororities in your area, so you just call up and tell them your interested in getting an alumnae recommendation, and they'll direct you further.

Recruitment is scary, at times, but really fun at the same time. There are girls who don't get bids at all, and girls who do. %'s of bids do very school by school, and I'm not aware of a universal percentage that I could give you to let you know how many PNMs actually get bids.

Just go into recruitment with an open mind, and don't stress over it too much.

Regarding legacies:

If your mom was initiated into an NPC sorority, then yes, you are a legacy. She can check on her status by contacting her HQ or logging on to their website. Sororities often have a "Legacy Introduction Form" (or something to that equivalent) that they ask their members to fill out when their legacies go through rush.

And as far as listing it on your recruitment application, check out this thread:
http://greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=70089 and hopefully you can decide for yourself which is the best way to go. I definitely don't blame you for being on the fence on this.

Regarding recs:

Ask your teachers, family friends, people you know in your community/church if they were Greek in college. Another route would be to visit www.npcwomen.org and get contact information for your nearest Alumnae Panhellenic Association. You'll want to start putting together a resume for these women.

Regarding the new colony:

Based on what I've read here, new colonies conduct recruitment after the existing sororities are done with theirs. Don't quote me on that because that's just what I've read here. I'm sure their recruitment dates will be posted once it becomes available. Don't hesitate to contact the Greek Life office.

Don't stress out on this too much. Just because there are more unsuccessful rush stories here doesn't mean that you'll go the same route. There are tons of girls who get bids each year that we don't get to hear about.

otw, you are right. colonizing sororities typically hold their recruitment events after formal recruitment.

usually, the colonizing sorority will make a presentation during the first round of parties during formal recruitment activities. i have heard of colonizing sororities making additional presentations during 2nd round parties too. these information session will be included in the party rotation, so a pnms party schedule might look like this:

party 1-abc sorority, party 2-def sorority, party three-colonizing sorority, party 4-ghi sorority, etc.

during the formal recruitment round the colonizing sorority shares general information with the pnms and explains how their colonization process will work.

some pnms will continue on with the regular recruitment process and if they do not receive a bid or aren't happy with the invitations they receive(and they withdraw from formal recruitment), they will participate in the information sessions hosted by the colonizing sorority. other pnms will decide that they really want to be part of the colonization and will drop out of recruitment and wait for the infomation sessions of the colonizing sorority to begin. other girls who did not participate in formal recruitment will sign up to hear what the colonizing sorority has to say.

good luck with your recruitment!!

Does the one calendar year thing not apply to colonies?

good question. i don't know and i am going to change my statement(which was made before i had any caffeine!) to read invitations.

thanks for spotting that-i would hate to mislead some pnm.

The best advice you've already been given - contact your closest Alumnae Panhellenic. Many of them hold informational meetings specfically for high school senior girls contemplating rush, and will have actives from local universities on hand to answer your questions. Good luck!

I'm a charter member of my chapter. I believe that the one calendar year rule did apply, so all the girls who ended up joining Kappa had dropped out of formal recruitment.

Hopefully that will be stated for sure during recuitment, but I am pretty sure that is the way it worked.

Thanks guys! I'll talk to my mom about her status. I think she did get initiated because she was telling me about rushing incoming pnm's.

Thanks for the information about the recs. I know there are tons of posts about recs and I'll try to work this darn search button. It never seems to work for me. :)

I'm going to try to keep an open mind about the colonizing sorority. It sounds really exciting, but I'm afraid if I drop out of formal rush or something, that I wont experience a true sorority with the big/lil and other activities.

I think just reading one story where this one girl prepared all summer but got heavily cut the first day and eventually dropped out. I'll just try to not think about it much.

Oh don't have that fear. You will experience all the same things that other sororities have PLUS you will be part of forming a brand new group.

Definitely keep an open mind about the colonizing sorority. Don't get me wrong-- there are things you do miss out on, but I think there are other experiences that you only get as a charter member that make up for it. For instance, it's amazing looking at what my chapter does now and realizing how big of a hand I had in it. The fuss that Panhellenic and the entire Greek community makes over you is amazing. I still have pictures of huge signs displayed outside of houses welcoming us.

The sorority definitely makes a huge fuss as well. Our chapter received presents from chapters and alumnae associations all over the country. Our initiation was gigantic! Not only were we a big chapter from the beginning, we had members of five other chapters at our initiation and pretty much all the fraternity council. I got to meet the then-president of Kappa. I really feel like I got a much better veiw of the fraternity as a whole than most new members or actives get.

We also got to make a lot of the decisions really impacting our chapter. Most sororities have traditions. We got to create traditions to follow our chapter through the years. All in all, it was a great experience. Definitely go through formal recruitment and think about all the other availible chapters, but definitely don't rule out the colonizing chapter. Honestly, in a lot of ways I'm really glad I had the active experience I did and wouldn't change it for the world.

Don't let formal recruitment stress you out too much. Try to take a deep breath and keep things in perspective. Go in prepared, yes, but I personally think it's best not to look at it as I must do this or I will die. You'll just stress yourself out. As someone who joined her chapter later in college, I can tell you that being greek is not the only way to enjoy college. Even if the worst happens, you will recover, get involved in other things, and enjoy life.

The upside of your situation is that even if formal recruitment does not go as well as hoped, there still is that new chapter to consider, too.

Good luck with recruitment and keep us updated.

As far as recs go, tell your teachers you are going through recruitment and see if any of them are members of NPC sororities or if they know if other teachers from your school are members of NPC sororities. This would be a great way to get a few recs since your teachers know you. Even if say, there's a teacher at your high school who you've never had, you could probably approach her and meet with her for you to write a rec.
Ask your mom to tell her friends that you are going through recruitment and see if any of them know anyone who is greek as well. For the rest that you can't find this way, contact your nearest alumnae panhellenic.

ETA: About you being a legacy, it depends how your school does recruitment, but my school uses a computer program called ICS, and chapters can only see which PNMs are their legacies. So if you are a legacy to XYZ, ABC wouldn't be able to see it on their page. The only way other chapters would know you are a legacy to XYZ is by word of mouth. If there are a lot of people from your high school that go to this university, it could spread easier, but if no one knows you at the university, it may not be a big deal. Find out how your school does this.

Granted, you have to find out if you are a legacy at all. I can't speak for all sororities, but if a member of Sigma Kappa were initiated and then left the UNIVERSITY, she would be granted early alumna status, assuming she was a member in good standing, and her sisters/daughters/whatever would be legacies. Again, this is Sigma Kappa, so check on how your mother's GLO works and her specific circumstances.

Thank you everyone and thank you sherbetlemons for sharing your colonizing experience with me. I was really wondering how that worked, and now I feel much better about it and I'm definately considering it! :)

We colonized in the Spring(04), Formal recruitment is in the Fall. We had a girl come through colonization who had pledged the other sorority on campus the previous fall (03), and then depledged. They would not allow her to join for the one calendar year. So...she came through formal recruitment the following Fall (04) with us, pledged, initiated, then dropped her membership the next semester.

That experience alone gives me a bad taste in my mouth about girls who have already de-pledged another chapter. Not saying that all pnms are like that - but after experiencing it once, it's enough to make you stop and go "hmmm, she depledged them....whats to say she's not going to depledge or drop membership with us too?"