Graduate Rush/AI

[MJo19]

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a great recruitment period if you did winter rush. I am a recent (May 2005) graduate of a college who had local sororities who were very loosely governed so I decided to depledge after a few days my freshman year. I am looking at grad school (possibly Ohio University or Muskingum) starting next fall. Can anyone tell me (maybe even there are some Bobcats/Muskies out there!!) what organizations offer graduate student membership? Is this frowned on in the Greek community? I don't really want to make a fool out of myself so if I am too old, please tell me! I have also heard of AI. What exactly is that and how would I go about recieving more information? Thank you so much!

[PenguinTrax]

MJo,

There is an alumnae initiate forum on this site and the topic of graduate membership has been covered in this forum as well. A search of Rush will give you several pages of results.

Good luck!

[MJo19]

Thanks so much! I have been looking at those and they really help. Now the hard part is..how do you decide which chapter is best for you? I have been on various organization websites and all of them sound good. I have narrowed it down to 3 or 4 I am interested in...how do you "know" which is best?

P.S. Any Muskies/Bobcats out there I would really love your input!

[33girl]

OK, we need to get something straight...

Do you want to rush as a grad school student and be an active sister in a collegiate chapter....

OR

Do you want to be an alumna initiate of a sorority?

The two are VERY different.

[adpiucf]

Welcome to GC!

Few NPC sororities can bid graduate students. This is because NPC is an institution for undergraduate members. There are a few who make concessions; check with your university's office of Greek Life to see if any of those sororities are on your campus.

Collegiate membership is a rewarding and fun experience. However, as a graduate student, you will face greater academic challenges than your undergraduate counterparts.

Your interests might be better served joining campus organizations for students in graduate life, and professional societies.

AI is another type of membership. Given your limited time and high level of commitment required for graduate study, I'd recommend you put your sorority interestes on hold until after school. Successful AI can take years to accomplish, as the program is not one where they hold open recruitment and only a handful of women AI each year.

Good luck with whatever you decide and please browse the boards and add to the mix.

[33girl]

Originally posted by adpiucf
Your interests might be better served joining campus organizations for students in graduate life, and professional societies.

Unless you really don't want to and you would be trying to use them as a substitute for joining a sorority.

[MJo19]

I was probably thinking about joining through AI. My profession does not require me to get my Masters right away. I was planning on only taking a few classes per semester/quarter as not to overload myself. Therefore I would not be a full time graduate student.

[33girl]

Then if that's the case it really doesn't matter where you are going to grad school and the Muskies/Bobcats wouldn't have any extra insight (unless they are AIs themselves).

The best place to look is the Alumni Initiation subforum in the Alumni Involvement forum - and can this thread please be moved there. Thanks.

[gpb1874]

Some great advice has been given. It doesn't really matter which campus you will be at if you are joining as an AI. The more important thing is which sororities have alumnae chapters in those areas. Your primary focus as an AI is on alumnae activities, so if there is no alum chapter, it will be hard to do much.

Since you have already narrowed it down a little (major hint...don't reveal which ones they are), you can contact their Inter/National Headquarters, which is listed on their website. I would call rather than email so you can actually talk to someone about their process and find out if they actually do AI. As you have probably read, organizations vary on their outlook on AI. It goes from pretty open to it to the other extreme of "only a few selected women per year are ASKED (meaning you don't really need to approach them) to join through AI." That's why you need to call to find out.

The organizations that are open to AI will most likely give you the contact information for the local alumnae chapter or they will take your information and then give it to the chapter. You will then have to wait for them to contact you. From this point, who knows what will happen...it depends on too many factors to cover. You can read the AI stories to see what others have done.

That's the basics. Good luck on whatever you decide to do!

[MJo19]

Thanks everyone for all of your information. I am emailing some organizations tomorrow when I get home from work!

[MJo19]

I sent out some emails inquiring information about AI from different organizations. Is it ok to feel some what nervous because I am!!! I'm sorry if I am boring anyone with this...I just feel that writing makes me less jittery!!

[AChiOhSnap]

No, it's totally normal to feel jittery... I felt the same way when beginning my search for a home (albeit as an undergrad). It helps to talk about it.

On that note, It might help if you go to the alumni initiation forum. Lots of women beginning their AI search have posted their stories. You should go and post about your journey over in that forum... you'll get to meet lots of other people beginning their AI search and you'll get to talk with others who have found their home. I'll be checking for updates!

Here's the link:

Alumni Initiation

Good luck!

[kddani]

Originally posted by MJo19
I sent out some emails inquiring information about AI from different organizations. Is it ok to feel some what nervous because I am!!! I'm sorry if I am boring anyone with this...I just feel that writing makes me less jittery!!

Be prepared, it's going to take a longggggg time. Did you just email all of the organizations? Or did you do research first and find the orgs that were of particular interest to you.

AI can take years. It's best that you find an org that you have a strong connection to. AI isn't like rush in where you try all of the groups. Find one or two that are special to you for some reason and proceed from there

[stylishnsostef]

i've been looking into AI and graduate membership, unfortunately my grad school only has one intl sorority, delta phi epsilon.

for the life of me i can't seem to find any information on dphie graduate membership (so i'm guessing it's a no go.)

i would like to be involved in the sorority on campus, and then as an alumni when i am actually finished @ philly u...


such hard decisions. i should have rushed alpha omricon pi when they opened @ my undergrad SJU!!! this past yr. such an admirer of their work with arthritus
which my mom is suffering from rheumatoid.



anyway.


maybe i'm just terrible on searching online... but help me out w/ finding info on graduate membership.

[AOIIalum]

First, ask yourself why you are considering alumnae initiation? Do you know what you are looking for in a women's organization? Is possible membership in a NPC group truly what you want? Do you realize that AI is not a short or easy process? Also, that it is a mutual selection process with no guarantees on either side? Would the Junior League, local Hospital auxiliary, Graduate student organization, or volunteering for a cause close to your heart do the same for you? I'm not saying that you shouldn't consider AI, but that you truly reflect upon what you are looking for.

As for researching online I'm assuming that you already researched the Delta Phi Epsilon websites found using Google, including the national site and your school's local chapter site? Reviewed the numerous AI threads in this subforum? Asked your current Greek Life office about the options possibly available to you? Also, I'm sure you have already taken a hard look at your current personal commitments, career needs, and academic requirements before even considering pursuit of AI.

If you have already done all of this without finding your answer, perhaps that is in fact your answer? I don't know.