grade question

[chelc8807]

ok so I have a 2.5 hs gpa, average to above average involvement in hs activities, and same with community service, but I did fairly well on my ACT and SAT. The reason for my gpa in hs is that i worked the entire time and i went to a competitive private school. I plan on going through formal recruitment this fall at a fairly competitive sec school and I was wondering if I should write some sort of letter to supplement my application explaining my grades, get stellar recs, or forgo recruitment altogether? please help! thanks

[SoCalGirl]

dity?

[chelc8807]

sorry but what does dity mean?

[SigKapCoug]

I'm going to be brutally honest: I'm from a laid-back, NW not very competitive school. And with grades like that, you would probably be lucky to get a bid here, IMO.

Chapters will see it like this: if you got a 2.5 in hs (which, for all intents and purposes is pretty easy), what will you get in college? How will you hurt (or help) the chapter?

Good luck, but you better come up with some darn good reasons you have a 2.5.

It's always worth a shot, you know, but don't get your hopes up for a dream recruitment.

[kddani]

I'd agree that your chances are slim. If you got a 2.5 in high school, chances are that your grades will be even worse in college. You worked in high school? Big deal, the majority of teenagers have a job in high school, and a lot of people have a job in college. Working isn't an excuse for poor grades- it shows a lack of time management.

I would suggest that you start college, get some decent (i.e. better than 2.5) grades and get your time management figured out, then rush.

[FSUZeta]

what is the minimum gpa required to enroll in recruitment at your college?

[REE1993]

I would wait a semester (if they do COB) or until next year. The "reasons" why you had poorer grades won't fly. There are countless women who have great grades, do many activities and who work. Sadly, you will fall to the bottom of the pile and maybe hope to be one of the few scholaship risks a chapter might take.

Take time to build yourself up. Pledging and being an active takes a LOT of time, and if you couldn't hack going to school and having other responsibilities in HS, then how will you do it in college?

Good luck on your journey.

[AlphaFrog]

I echo everyone who said to bring your grades up, then rush.

You are in school to get an education first, not join a sorority.

[_Lisa_]

I'd say that the University of Kentucky is a slightly competitive SEC school & even our high school GPA requirements for each chapter are a 3.0 minimum (Sigma Kappa is 2.8 minimum.) If those are UK's GPA requirements, I'm sure that any other competitive SEC recruitment would be the same or higher!

[FSUZeta]

thanks lisa.

i was trying to "gently" lead the poster to understand that her gpa might be too low to rush, without finding the info. for her(not that i know what school she will be attending). she should know that info., but it seems that time after time, girls come on here not even knowing what the minimum gpa is to enroll in recruitment at their school.

when they do find it out, rushing becomes a moot point, because their grades are too low.

did she say she was attending an sec school? i am surprised that she could get in with a 2.5., unless she knocked the top out of the sat and act tests.

if you wait to rush as a sophomore, you will need to have good grades(think b average or higher) and you need to have gotten involved on campus in an organization or 2, as well as done some volunteer time.

[dgdramadawg]

I was surprised at that, too, FSUZeta. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that it's not UGA... unless you're going to be an athlete there, chelc8807.

chelc8807, I'd like to be nice and tell you to give it a shot, but it's unlikely that it's going to end in anything but heartache. SEC schools have plenty of PNMs with higher GPAs who attended competitive public and private schools and didn't consider that an excuse to have a low GPA. Even though it's also unlikely to get a bid as a sophomore, I think your odds will be better if you work your butt off as a freshman and then rush with a good college GPA.

But as others have said, you're there for an education, not a sorority. If having difficult classes was a struggle for you in high school, then what makes you think it will be so much easier in college? Take time to adjust to collegiate academics before adding in more activities.

[chelc8807]

i know this still isnt an excuse but when i say worked all through hs i mean i worked 35 hours a week

[adpiucf]

That's an amazing accomplishment and not to make less of it, but it still won't change anything at recruitment. Grades are paramount, and cuts made in the early rounds of recruitments are specifically related to grades.

[chelc8807]

The gpa requirements aren't listed on the schools recruitment page, and I've been looking on the national pages to find requirements. Most of them I'm right at or right above, thats why I was aking if I should even rush. As for time management I'll have alot less responsibility in college than I did in hs for various reasons.

[cuteASAbug]

This is going to sound really snobby, but I don't care. When you say you worked all through HS, was it because you wanted to or because you needed the money? The reason I'm asking is because sorority life is expensive anywhere, but especially so in the South. Your new member semester is crazy, I think my mom is still in mild shock from it. Sorority costs are more than just dues, it's buying gifts for your big/little, event t- shirts, mixers, formal tickets, formal dress, etc. Your GPA already makes you not a very strong candidate, and if money is a problem, I would recommend rushing, because you may end up feeling left out.