[LAblondeGPhi]

So - I'll bite.

First - I think a lot of it has to do with consequences and having a reasonable expectation for your decisions. What I've seen a lot of, and what I personally dislike, is young women going through recruitment and feeling entitled to membership in only the organizations they loved right off the bat, and then complaining when that doesn't happen. Any complaining from someone who didn't maximize her options will fall on deaf ears. If that's a decision you decided to make, then don't complain about the consequences. You were warned.

Second - I truly believe that there's a lot of legitimacy to the idea that 90+% of PNMs will be happy in any of the houses on their campus if they gave each house a legitimate shot, especially at chapters with 100+ members. You'll find women you like there. It's almost impossible not to.

Third - And this goes along with #2, we've all seen from experience how recruitment can be blinding and emotional. We all know that if most PNMs stick it out and join the chapter they were meh about, that the vast majority will grow to love it. We also know that loving a chapter in recruitment doesn't always mean happiness on the other side - there are plenty of women who deactivate from chapters they loved during recruitment.

Fourth - While sororities individually are selective, at most schools, the system as a whole is very, very inclusive. Look at the stats, and you'll see that at most schools, the number of PNMs who are outright dropped from recruitment is pretty tiny. On the sorority side, our organizations have learned that this inclusivity has been better for our groups. While our sororities are bound to comply with certain return guidance, PNMs aren't bound by anything except their own desires.

Whew - those are a couple of reasons, and I don't doubt that there's some "if only" feelings from those of us who were in weaker chapters. But, I do believe that a lot of the snark on GC comes from a loving, albeit frustrated place. We want the best for these PNMs, and to those who are really heartbroken, we know, from experience and maturity, that they probably could have had a perfectly happy outcome with their "last choice."