Sophomore freaking out

roses1992 · #1 06-26-2011, 01:59 PM

I just signed up for rush and was feeling okay about my decision...now I'm freaking out as some people are trying to discourage my choice. I ended my freshman year at Mizzou with a 2.936 gpa and a laundry list of activities, but I just feel like being a sophomore with a not too hot gpa will hurt my chances. Is this a legitimate concern or am I overanalyzing?

IrishLake · #2 06-26-2011, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roses1992

I just signed up for rush and was feeling okay about my decision...now I'm freaking out as some people are trying to discourage my decision. I ended my freshman year at Mizzou with a 2.93 gpa and a laundry list of activities, but I know that conversation is whats ultimately important. I just feel like being a sophomore with a not too hot gpa will hurt my chances.

Drop or rush?

No. Conversation is not what's ultimately important.

If a group is deciding between you and another sophomore, and you're both very personable, but she has better grades.... well, the decision probably wouldn't be in your favor.

Only you can say whether or not to drop or go through. Just know that if you do go through, and you get cut heavily, it's likely because of your grades. But you will never know unless you try.

Question - do you have a very hard major? Like engineering or some sort of science? They may impact how people view your GPA.

Most important - get your recs in order! At least one to every chapter, if not two. Stress how active you are on campus, and if the topic of grades comes up, be honest and tell them what you're going to do to pull up your GPA.

DrPhil · #3 06-26-2011, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IrishLake

Question - do you have a very hard major? Like engineering or some sort of science? They may impact how people view your GPA.

A non-recruitment clarification/

Since people can take GC advice literally, I strongly recommend against placing majors in categories like "hard" or "the opposite of hard, I guess." While some people believe majors like engineering or some sort of science are "hard" and will therefore be more receptive to a 2.9 GPA, there are others who will be insulted by what such categorization implies about other majors (which often extends to the people in those fields of study and careers).

Afterall, there are "hard major" students who are below average when they take classes in the "not as hard" departments. Why that happens is debatable. As far as I'm concerned it potentially highlights that what is "hard" or "not as hard" for some people can be the opposite for other people for a number of reasons.

/A non-recruitment clarification

IrishLake · #4 06-26-2011, 02:48 PM

Point taken, Dr Phil, and I'd never intentionally insult anyone over the "hardness" of their major.

KSUViolet06 · #5 06-26-2011, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roses1992

I just signed up for rush and was feeling okay about my decision...now I'm freaking out as some people are trying to discourage my choice. I ended my freshman year at Mizzou with a 2.936 gpa and a laundry list of activities, but I just feel like being a sophomore with a not too hot gpa will hurt my chances. Is this a legitimate concern or am I overanalyzing?

You should be legitimately concerned. A 2.9 at Mizzou might make things a little difficult. I'm pretty sure that some chapters GPA minimums are higher than that.

DeltaBetaBaby · #6 06-26-2011, 06:03 PM

"Hard" is an opinion, but average GPA is not, and there are majors that award lower average grades than others. Grades in the sciences are typically lower than in the non-sciences. The minimum Dean's list requirements at Mizzou make it clear that the GPA expectations are, as IL said, higher in some colleges than others.

Does it matter during recruitment? Maybe, maybe not.

roses1992 · #7 06-27-2011, 02:19 AM

The reason for the drop was economics and a math course, two of the most failed courses at mizzou, I got C+'s. I may drop and join a NPHC instead. My family wasn't very excited for my decision to join a non-Black organization.

Always AlphaGam · #8 06-27-2011, 02:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roses1992

The reason for the drop was economics and a math course, two of the most failed courses at mizzou, I got C+'s. I may drop and join a NPHC instead. My family wasn't very excited for my decision to join a non-Black organization.

QFP.

VandalSquirrel · #9 06-27-2011, 06:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roses1992

The reason for the drop was economics and a math course, two of the most failed courses at mizzou, I got C+'s. I may drop and join a NPHC instead. My family wasn't very excited for my decision to join a non-Black organization.

Orly?

NPHC groups care just as much about academics as NPC groups. Please pledge the library before you consider any Greek organization.

Two courses at a C+ that are 3 or 4 credits will not tank you to a 2.9 unless you weren't doing so hot before hand. A C+ is a 2.3 so I'm thinking you had one or more B- (2.7) grades and not that many B(3.0) B+ (3.3) A- (3.7) or A (4.0) grades your first semester. I have never been graded in a +/- system, but with a B+, a B, and two B- grades you wouldn't hit a 3.0, and a C+ is actually a little bit better considering it is a 2.3 and not a flat 2.0.

I also find it unfortunate that Mizzou has tutoring for math and economics courses at http://learningcenter.missouri.edu/ which you didn't mention using, just that they are the most failed at Mizzou. You didn't fail, you got a C+ and I bet that if you spent less time on your laundry list of activities you'd have better than a 2.9 overall GPA with 24-30 credits under your belt.

IrishLake · #10 06-27-2011, 07:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roses1992

The reason for the drop was economics and a math course, two of the most failed courses at mizzou, I got C+'s. I may drop and join a NPHC instead. My family wasn't very excited for my decision to join a non-Black organization.

WOW, that's insulting... to NPC and NPHC alike.

Quote:

Originally Posted by VandalSquirrel

Orly?

NPHC groups care just as much about academics as NPC groups. Please pledge the library before you consider any Greek organization.

This might be my new siggy!

VandalSquirrel · #11 06-27-2011, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IrishLake

WOW, that's insulting... to NPC and NPHC alike.

This might be my new siggy!

I can't claim to be the originator, that's all Senusret I. He also coined "We've got letters, you've got dreams!"

Though I do think the library, and all services within, all highly under utilized by undergraduate students in higher education. It isn't just a bunch of nerdy looking women with their hair in buns reading and shushing people, not even close to that ridiculous stereotype.

I am full of LULZ at all the Teen Talk Barbie PNMs with their GPA issues "Math class is tough!" You know what's tough? Corundum on the Mohs scale, that's hard.

roses1992 · #12 06-27-2011, 09:22 AM

I got tutors at the beginning of the semester for each class, but that is of no matter now that the semester has been over for some time.

And it would be disrespectful to jump to NPHC, I'll focus on my studies instead.

Thank you everyone for the helpful advice, it made me think of things I have not considered very much.

DeltaBetaBaby · #13 06-27-2011, 10:05 AM

Okay, I know that it may make it tough for a woman going through recruitment, but why do we keep pretending around here that a B average is a terrible GPA? As I posted above, a 3.0 would be Dean's List in a lot of places.

I realize, too, that chapters want a high chapter GPA, and probably have to meet a minimum standard, but unless you are comparing the chapter GPA to the all-women's average, it really doesn't mean a thing on its own.

DrPhil · #14 06-27-2011, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IrishLake

WOW, that's insulting... to NPC and NPHC alike.

Indeed. Not because she absolutely couldn't qualify with a 2.93 but because NPHC should never be a second choice.

Quote:

Originally Posted by roses1992

And it would be disrespectful to jump to NPHC, I'll focus on my studies instead.

Thank you everyone for the helpful advice, it made me think of things I have not considered very much.

Good luck to you. And keep in mind that these are the opinions of people on Greekchat. Only the sorority guidelines and the opinions of the sorority members who are making the decisions matter.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

Okay, I know that it may make it tough for a woman going through recruitment, but why do we keep pretending around here that a B average is a terrible GPA? As I posted above, a 3.0 would be Dean's List in a lot of places.

I realize, too, that chapters want a high chapter GPA, and probably have to meet a minimum standard, but unless you are comparing the chapter GPA to the all-women's average, it really doesn't mean a thing on its own.

THANK YOU!

A 2.93 is not only eligible for Dean's List at many schools, it is higher than the average college student's cumulative gpa. I would wager that the average GCer's gpa wasn't too much higher than a 2.93 when they were first and second years in college.

DeltaBetaBaby · #15 06-27-2011, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrPhil

A 2.93 is not only eligible for Dean's List at many schools, it is higher than the average college student's cumulative gpa. I would wager that the average GCer's gpa wasn't too much higher than a 2.93 when they were first and second years in college.

Not to mention that GPA can be heavily correlated with privilege. Maybe the OP went to a crappy high school and didn't have any good math teachers. Maybe she had to work part-time. When sorting resumes, I'd take a 3.0 with a good story over a boring 4.0 any day.