Excellent points, DubaiSis!
UCLA is competitive. I advise there and am in the War Room all week. There will probably be between 800-900 going through Recruitment. 11 sororities, with 1 more recolonizing this fall. High matching percentage, if you keep your options/mind open. Most PMNs who do not receive a bid have dropped out because they had their minds set on only certain groups. Stellar grades, lots of activities and being a good conversationalist are always attributes.
2013 Formal Recruitment Schedule:
September 21st: GO Greek Event: Bruin Football vs New Mexico State
(Go to the game! Be on your best behavior. Smile. Do NOT drink. You will see all sorority women wearing their UCLA Go Greek t-shirts at the game and you can make an impression -- either Good or Bad. There have been PNM's who have sunk their opportunity for a bid by being intoxicated at the game & everyone saw it.)
September 22nd: GO Greek Event: Bruin Bash Concert and Dance
(Great way to meet Greeks at this fun event. Ditto on your best behavior & no drinking)
September 23rd: GO Greek Event: Enormous Activities Fair and MANDATORY
Recruitment Orientation
(There will be a Greek tent and maybe, even, some celebrities who are Greek alums. I would advise anyone going through Rush to stop by the Greek tent and say "Hi". There will be reps from all chapters there & another chance to be seen ... & remembered.)
*** A 1 day break on Tuesday, 9/24, but there are "Volunteer Day" activities ***
September 25th: Recruitment Begins with Open House Round Part #1
(This is the only full weekday of parties. Other weekdays will start in the late afternoon or early evening, after classes. Change your shoes during the meal break -- you'll be doing a lot of walking & Hilgard Ave., aka Sorority Row, is one BIG hill.)
September 26th: First Day of Classes and Open House Round Part #2
(If you have an afternoon or evening class conflict, let Greek Life know asap. They will make accommodations so you can do 1/2 parties in order to go to all the houses. While you are going to UCLA to study, missing a whole party is not recommended. Let Troy, Director of Greek Life, help!)
September 27th: Service and Chapter Living Round (House Tours) - up to 8 parties
(Again, if you have a class conflict, let Greek Life know & they will make you an alternate schedule.You do NOT want to miss out going to a chapter and make an impression, even if it's just 15 minutes -- or EVEN if it's a chapter that's lower on your list. Word gets around.)
September 28th: Entertainment Round - up to 5 parties
(Since the next day is Pref, you go from 5 parties to 2 ... and chapters go from lists of 5 deep to lists of 2 deep. Big decisions on both sides.)
September 29th: Preference Round (Morning) and Bid Day (Evening)
September 30th: First Dinner on the Row and Chapter Meetings
Greek membership has increased steadily in the past 7 years. In 2005, Total was 120, now it's 160. There isn't a wide gap in membership at each chapter. Very similar numbers. (Though, a lot of Juniors & Seniors take their Study Abroad Fall semester, so some chapters may have a dozen women gone during Recruitment, but they are in Spain, London, Australia, etc. & back in January. Additionally, Seniors who are studying for the early October LSATs are usually excused from Rush. A chapter might look like it's smaller, but that may not be the case.)
UCLA is not as driven by Recommendations compared to schools in the South, but we LOVE getting Recs! More than one Rec is not necessary (unless you suspect the 1st person you asked may not write one, or forget to). No more than that -- it's overkill. I would estimate 90% of your New Member Class will NOT have a Rec to the chapter they receive a bid.
(For me, moving here from Atlanta, that's a shock.) That doesn't mean Recs aren't important. I also check the Final Recruitment #s and the women who have Recs, find a home more often than not.
Dress -- this is Cali and we are laid back. Here's a guide from the Bruins Panhellenic website:
http://www.npcbruins.com/what-to-wear
Not as many Lilly dresses on the West Coast. Browse thru the npcbruins site. Lots of good info.
I know when you read the suggestion to bring a sweater, you might think someone is out of their mind, but it can drop 20 DEGREES from day to evening. So if it's 78 (with
little humidity) for the daytime parties or classes, it could be 58 degrees for the evening parties. Bring a sweater or jacket -- you can always put it in the "pile of purses" which are in front of every house during the party. (Don't worry, there are Panhell Reps watching over these items.)
Many women from the South come to UCLA and join Greek Life. I'm sure you'll meet a few in each chapter during the week. (Not like you'll purposely be matched with another Southern ... LOL. Oh wait, you probably will be.)