International and 22yo - any hope?
 

Hi,

I am a 21 year old from Western Australia who will be attending UNT as a freshman for Fall 08, by which time I will be 22.

I did not graduate high school, have had several years off study and didn't get particularly good grades in the the final year of high school I did complete (year 10) due to personal and family problems.

Since I left school though, I have had quite a successful work life with several supervisory and management roles, I have returned to study at community college, which I have done very well in and have also sat the High School Equivalency Test (mature age tertiary entrance exam) on which I scored very high marks in both the Maths and Science section as well as English.

I have been very involved the community and volunteered in several programs including St John Ambulance Volunteers as well as being a spokesperson for the Refugee Rights Council of WA.

Being an international student is going to make it difficult to find references and my student history as well as my age are going to act as quite a hurdle but I am determined to be accepted into a sorority and would appreciate any help and advise anyone can offer me.

are there steps I can take to make myself a better candidate?


....or have I not got a hope?


Thanks

I can't really speak to the sorority culture at UNT, but you need to look at your positives:
1.) You are now making good grades.
2.) International means "exotic" - the accent is a plus.
3.) You have terrific community involvement.
4.) You have demonstrated leadership ability.
That said, recs would really help. Where are you living now? Are you in the states? That would make it easier. I wish you good luck -

well, unfortunately, even though I am acing all my exams and assignments at college, they do not have a grading system - on our reports it is simply "competent" or "not competent". I have got all competent's but this si unable to be transferred to a GPA score.

I am currently still in Australia, I will be moving to the states in April so I will have a couple of months to get recs - but how do I get recs in a country where I don't know anyone and haven't studied in before?

Meet people like you normally do, and when you are comfortable, ask them "were you in a sorority or do you know anyone who was?" I made a few random phone calls when I was looking for recs and everyone was very helpful. Just be prepared to ask questions like "what did you like about being a member?" or "what do you wish you had known before recruitment?" Then at the end of your conversation, ask if they would be willing to write you a rec. (FYI, only ask this if their sorority has a chapter at your campus!) You can also contact the Alumnae Panhellenic in your city and see if they have any resources for you.

Be ready to answer why your gpa is low and don't hide from it. Some chapters can offer grade exceptions if they are head over heels about you. If grades become an issue, I believe some UNT sororities hold an informal Spring recruitment. Hopefully by then you would have a good fall gpa to report. Good luck!

Maybe it would it be most helpful to contact the Greek Life advisor at UNT first and explain your situation. He/she might have the best advice for what kind of questions the chapters there might have about considering an International student for potential membership. In addition to the grades issue, they may also be concerned as to whether or not you understand and are ready to take on the financial and time obligations of membership.

Get some letters of recommendation together from people who know you very well (pastor, former coach, teacher, employer, etc.)

I'd expect the fact that you're Australian to be a great conversation-starter. I can't speak about the grades, though.

Off topic, but hooray WA! I spent 6 months in Perth. I'm dying to move back there!

you can do it! *from one international student to another*

Based on your question about recs, I'm guessing you're interested in NPC sororities. UNT also has multicultural and cultually-specific GLOs if you want to check those out.

http://www.dos.unt.edu/gl/

Good luck!

SWTXBelle is correct. International = Exotic. We had a girl from the UK and another from New Zealand in our chapter.

Also, follow the advise of contacting the Greek Life office at UNT. They will let you know what to do about grades.

How soon before school begins will you be there? Often, if you go a couple of months early, you can meet people who can introduce you to others who can possibly provide recommendations.

You might want to also check the larger towns in western Australia to see if there are possibly alumni chapters of the UNT sororities. You never know!

Thanks to everyone for all your help so far, I really appreciate it :)

I will get on to the Greek Life Advisor about my grades. if I can maybe explain my situation re getting bad grades in high school, maybe they will make an exception - fingers crossed.

I'll be coming to the states in April, so hopefully I will have a bit of time to meet ladies from the UNT chapters and get some recommendations. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be ANY NPC activity in WA at all, I have even don a national search in Australia, to no avail.

Just a thought . . .
 

It might be worth your while to contact the headquarters of all the sororities at UNT and ask if they can forward your information to any alumnae in your area. While they don't have alumnae groups, most NPC sororities do have networking with alumnae in foreign countries. By asking them to forward your info., you don't come across as a "stalker" - and you just might get lucky. The worst they can say is "no". And if they do forward it, the alumnae can decide if they perhaps want to get in touch with you for lunch, etc., and maybe write a rec.
Also, if you are getting to the states in April, you may have time to attend an alumnae panhellenic event.

For what it is worth, and I know no one in the organization:
http://www.dallaspanhellenic.org/
There is a Contact Us link.

UNT is my alma mater, so i can tell you what I know...

Grades are very important to all of the chapters. There is a minimum GPA to participate in recruitment, and each chapter also has their own minimums. Since your current grading system is not based on a "number scale" (e.g. 4.0, 5.0, etc) like someone else mentioned it would probably be best to contact the Greek Life advisor about your situation to determine if you can participate in recruitment.

Regarding your age, will you be going to UNT as an upperclassman? (soph/jr/sr with transferring college credits) I can say that I know some of the chapters may be more hesitant to bid an upperclassman, but to some of the chapters, college class doesn't really matter.

Like SWTX said, you seem to have some good leadership experiences and the whole "exotic" thing could be cool, but I absolutely would talk to the Greek Life advisor about your grades.

If you do participate in FR, I would suggest securing recs because it can only help you.

Best of luck to you!

texas*princess - thanks for the heads up :)

I will be attending UNT as a freshman (an old one, I know), I have spent the past few years traveling and working so this will be my first year of college.

As for recs, I am doing everything I can to make contacts, I think having a lot of good recs will probably be the only chance I have of securing a place with any chapter.