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Originally Posted by WestCoast3D
Thanks for your quick answers! I'm not asking for me (I'm an alum and my sorority is not on the W&L campus).
It sounds like there is a lot that happens informally in the fall...does this help to make formal rush less intimidating?
My college had maybe 15-20% of undergraduate women participating in sororities...I wondered if the high rates of participation at W&L make a rushee feel like the stakes are really high, or does it mean there really is a place for everyone?
P.S. Why should a rushee not wear her good shoes? Is it snowy?
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I'm a W&L alum who was president of my chapter. I graduated in '05.
In terms of the informal recruitment period in the fall, there is good and bad for the PNMs. Good, it lets you get to know upperclass women, and lets you get a "feel" for all of the groups before you join. Bad, there is a lot of what is called "tent talk" at other schools that gets spread around. Freshmen tend to have very stereotypical, inaccurate pictures of the houses. I say this as a former W&L freshman who had at least one stereotype of a house (that I did not join) that was completely wrong and really turned me off to that house.
I think that for some women at W&L the stakes are VERY high. When I was there, there was a definite "top three" that many women wanted to join. Although, I think that was increasingly becoming a "top two" with the third house down becoming more comparable to the "bottom two" houses (by the time I graduated, anyway). Obviously, things might have changed since I was there. My impression is that some women, particularly those who come in from particular southern high schools, know exactly which groups they will consider from day 1. In parallel fashion, the "top" groups also know from day 1 who some of their prime PNMs will be. The advantage of the informal recruitment period is that the houses also get a chance to know other women that they might not have considered based on day 1. So I've seen women that didn't have an "elite southern background" join the "top" group, because their friend group was those women and the "top" group genuinely liked them and brought them along for the ride. The DISADVANTAGE is that some freshmen women learn the stereotypes really quickly and get their hearts set on only joining two or three groups, and meet girls from those houses and convince themselves that because of informal recruitment they will definitely get in. So getting a rejection in that case is even more devastating than getting one to a house you feel like you've only "known" for a week.
Conversely, though, because of the high percentages of Greek life at W&L, there are many women who go Greek at W&L who might not have at other institutions. A lot of these women are just interested in the sorority experience, the leadership opportunities, and the housing and food opportunities (which are a MAJOR part of sophomore life at W&L), and are content to join nearly any group they feel a "fit" with. I would definitely say that I fell into the latter category during recruitment (for the most part - with the exception of my one really bad house stereotype!).
That was a long answer! Whew!
In terms of "good shoes," often it is snowy during recruitment week. I think like 3/4 times of recruitment for me at W&L it was snowy. Usually if it's snowy, Panhellenic dictates that women should wear practical shoes on the first night and that the sororities shouldn't judge them for doing so. LOL. But I don't remember anyone ever wearing sneakers/snow boots on preference night!!!
Welcome xoredhotxo to the boards. Not many W&L people here - there used to be a Theta who posted a few years back who was a year or two above me, but she's since disappeared...