recruitment ranking question

tzipporah · #1 10-01-2008, 12:21 AM

I have a question about ranking each chapter. My school has just introduced a new (to us) system for ranking. At the end of each round we are to rank each house 1-# of houses on my campus, 1 being the most preferred. It is my understanding that each house somehow ranks us as well.

The point of this is to somehow ensure that each PNM attends the max number of parties the next round, whereas in the past some PNMs attended fewer parties than others. However even the houses a PNM ranks lowest may be the houses visited the next day-- somehow Panhel is figuring this all out.

I get that part.

My only question is... if each PNM is attending the max number of chapters on pref, are they guaranteed a bid? I know no one is ever guaranteed a bid, but I honestly don't understand this new system on my campus.

Is it possible to go to the max number of houses for pref round and not receive any bid at all?

My Rho Gammas were also pretty confused, so some of my information might be wrong. I'll provide more info (that I know) if you need.

Thanks in advance (if you can even decipher this haha)

KSUViolet06 · #2 10-01-2008, 12:29 AM

If you attend a full schedule of preference parties, and rank ALL chapters you attend on your final ranking list, you have maximized your options, and have a good chance at getting a bid.

Example: If you attend Sorority A, Sorority B, and Sorority C (max number) and rank them ALL on your final card, you have maximized your options. If your school is one that assures bids to girls who rank all the chapters they attend, you will most likely get a bid to one of them (though it may not be your #1).

It IS possible to attend the max number of pref parties and NOT get a bid. If you attend the max number, but don't rank all chapters you attend, that changes your chances of receiving a bid.

Example: If you attend Sorority A, Sorority B, and Sorority C for prefs, but when it's time to rank, you only put down Sorority A, that changes your chances a bit, because if you don't match with Sorority A, you have no 2nd or 3rd choice listed, and you don't get a bid at all.

So really, just getting a full schedule means nothing, it depends on whether you maximize your options and RANK the groups you attend. It also depends on whether your school's Panhellenic follows the policy of assuring bids to girls who maximize options.

violetpretty · #3 10-01-2008, 12:39 AM

The new rankings won't change the fact that there will be PNMs that do not have a full schedule for each round. Chapters can't be forced to invite back a PNM (with one campus as an exception), so there are no guarantees that PNMs will "attend the max number of parties". All it means is that PNMs must attend all parties for which they have invites and space in their schedule. It means that just because a PNM put a chapter in her bottom X number of chapters, she still may have to return for the next round depending on how many invites she gets.

Attending the max number of chapters on pref has nothing to do with anything. SOME Campus Panhellenics have a "guaranteed matching" policy. If a PNM has attends all of the chapters' parties for which she was invited and had room in her schedule throughout recruitment, has at least one chapter remaining for preference, AND ranks ALL of her preference chapters, she is guaranteed a match to one of those chapters. I'll emphasize that not all campuses have this policy. Even at campuses that don't have a guaranteed matching policy, it is pretty rare to rank all of your preference choices and go bidless, but still a possibilty.

There is no way to guarantee a bid (except at Tufts) because a Campus Panhellenic can not guarantee that a PNM won't be released by all chapters.

gee_ess · #4 10-01-2008, 08:32 AM

Yes to all of the above.

You might want to read a few of the Recruitment stories - just to understand how a pnm ranks houses, gets some of her top houses back and then also gets returned to some of her bottom rankings as well.

Also, are you sure that you rank your houses the way you are describing? I am pretty sure that what you will do is, if you can be invited back to 5 of the 8 for round two, list your top 5 equally and then rank your bottom three in order of importance. But that may vary from campus to campus.

Zillini · #5 10-01-2008, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tzipporah

My only question is... if each PNM is attending the max number of chapters ...

The key here is a PNM should accept/attend the max number of chapters she is invited too regardless of the round.

Chapters usually only provide rankings of PNMs to Panhellenic after Pref, i.e. the Bid List. In the previous rounds chapters are simply given a max number of PNMs they are allowed to invite back. They may not invite any more and they may be strongly encouraged to invite the max, but they are not obligated to do so. Most formal recruitments use a computer software program and the non-pref round invitation lists it generates are simply an alphabetic list.

(Standard Qualifier: All the campuses I know of operate in this manner. There may be some unique ones I am not aware of.)

VTgoober · #6 10-01-2008, 09:44 PM

I have a quick question about this too. So you can get invited back to a sorority party that didn't exactly want you (not high on their list) because the PNMs they wanted put another sorority higher on their list than them? I hope that makes since..

KSUViolet06 · #7 10-01-2008, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VTgoober

I have a quick question about this too. So you can get invited back to a sorority party that didn't exactly want you (not high on their list) because the PNMs they wanted put another sorority higher on their list than them? I hope that makes since..

If your school operates on the same ranking system that alot of other schools do, after every round you rank your top *insert number here* as number 1, then your bottom 2 or 3, as #2 and #3.

Example:

If your school has 5 sororities, when you rank the first time, you might rank them:

1. Sorority A
1. sorority B
1. Sorority C

then if you didn't like the other 2 as much you'd put them

2. Sorority D
3. Sorority E

To kind of answer your question, if A, B, and C cut you, you will return to D & E. So you can get asked back to groups that you don't love, if your top choices don't invite you back (which with the release figures, may come down to choosing between you and other girls if they can only have so many come back).

Also, chapters DON'T KNOW where PNMs rank them unless the PNMs tell them (and they probably shouldn't).

I'm rambling but I hope this helps you understand things better.

gee_ess · #8 10-01-2008, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VTgoober

I have a quick question about this too. So you can get invited back to a sorority party that didn't exactly want you (not high on their list) because the PNMs they wanted put another sorority higher on their list than them? I hope that makes since..

Are you asking about party invitations or bids?

Party lists are not ranked, so a pnm is not ranked on the chapter's list of invited pnms. As explained elsewhere, the chapter is told how many to invite back each round. The pnms who are invited are just listed alphabetically.

Pref night lists are ranked... and yes, in a nutshell, a pnm can end up matched with her 2nd choice based on where she falls on the list. There are people on GC who explain this much better and more thoroughly than I do.

VTgoober · #9 10-01-2008, 11:14 PM

Well I am not sure how VT does it but I know at the school my friend went through recruitment at just listed all the sororities they liked in order. They had 5 so you just listed the one you liked the most at 1 and the one you liked least at 5.
I know the sororities don't know what the PNM ranks them. I guess I was trying to ask is since you have to rank all the sororities, can a sorority that didn't really want to invite you back invite you back because the PNMs they wanted put that sorority last on their list. So since the PNMs that that sorority wanted went to their top sororites you get "bumped up" on the sororites list and get invited back even though you were low on their list to begin with? Wow that was a mouthful! Sorry, I just was trying to understand if you could end up with a sorority that didnt really want you to begin with! Thanks for all your help though. I hope that makes alittle more sense, if not, no worries, just thanks for your help already!

KSUViolet06 · #10 10-01-2008, 11:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VTgoober

Well I am not sure how VT does it but I know at the school my friend went through recruitment at just listed all the sororities they liked in order. They had 5 so you just listed the one you liked the most at 1 and the one you liked least at 5.
I know the sororities don't know what the PNM ranks them. I guess I was trying to ask is since you have to rank all the sororities, can a sorority that didn't really want to invite you back invite you back because the PNMs they wanted put that sorority last on their list. So since the PNMs that that sorority wanted went to their top sororites you get "bumped up" on the sororites list and get invited back even though you were low on their list to begin with? Wow that was a mouthful! Sorry, I just was trying to understand if you could end up with a sorority that didnt really want you to begin with! Thanks for all your help though. I hope that makes alittle more sense, if not, no worries, just thanks for your help already!

Generally, yes you can get invited back somewhere you didn't really like, if your top choices don't invite you back.

As far as bidding goes, you can end up with your 2nd or 3rd choice if you aren't high enough on your top choices' bid list and they fill quota before they get to you. Each chapter compiles their list differently of course and there's no way to tell where you are on their list.

In terms of other rounds, I don't really know if chapters use ranked lists to determine which girls get to come back, every sorority has its own procedures to determine that (and those are private).

I really hope I'm answering your question in some way, it's a tough one to answer, since every chapter uses a different system to determine who comes back, who goes on the bid list, and in which order.

basket96 · #11 10-01-2008, 11:36 PM

...and to further confuse things, some chapters using the RFM use "flex" lists which mean they *may* invite additional PNM's to achieve the desired range of accepted invitations per panhellenic guidelines. It can get very confusing and depends on the individual chapter as well as the campus panhellcnic.

Look, it's easy to over analyze this. If you're going through recruitment, do it with a good attitude and an open mind. What is your second (or third or fourth) choice today may be your #1 choice tomorrow. It happens ALL THE TIME. Maximize your options, attend all parties to which you are invited and try to enjoy the process. Digging into this minutiae can only make you crazy! (plus it gives you wrinkles and you don't need that!)

KSUViolet06 · #12 10-01-2008, 11:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by basket96

Look, it's easy to over analyze this. If you're going through recruitment, do it with a good attitude and an open mind. What is your second (or third or fourth) choice today may be your #1 choice tomorrow. It happens ALL THE TIME. Maximize your options, attend all parties to which you are invited and try to enjoy the process. Digging into this minutiae can only make you crazy! (plus it gives you wrinkles and you don't need that!)

THANK YOU.

Seriously PNMs: There is A LOT that goes into who comes back, who doesn't, who gets a bid, who doesn't, etc. You will drive yourself nuts trying to figure it out. As a PNM, it's almost impossible to undserstand because some of the stuff involved, you aren't privy to. I've been involved in recruitment both as an active and alumna, and I'm not even sure I understand it all perfectly sometimes. Relax, and just concern yourself with presenting yourself well, meeting people, and enjoying the process.

gee_ess · #13 10-02-2008, 08:44 AM

And one last thought -

You seem to be concerned about being ranked low by the sorority not overly worried about getting a house that you ranked low. That is nothing that should matter. Look at it this way, If you are invited to a friend's birthday party, it is not important if your name was the first one she wrote down when thinking of her guests or the last one. What matters is that you were invited to the party...same with rush. During rounds, all that matters is that they wanted you at the party, which is why it is so important to be open and willing to consider all groups who invite you to a party.

Good advice given by other posters. This is a confusing process and there is no way you can completely sort it out at this point. Take some time to read the stickied threads and other advice on GC. These will be of great help to you. Good luck!

VTgoober · #14 10-02-2008, 03:52 PM

Thanks for all your help, I really appreciate it! It's really not that I am worried about being the best or being ranked low or whatever. I just was curious to know how it worked especially being new to this. I will always keep an open mind. I just want to be happy with a great group of girls no matter the name or whatever. Again thank you.

APhiAnna · #15 10-02-2008, 05:11 PM

If I understand your question correctly (I probably don't haha) are you asking if invite lists to parties are in preferential order? Disregarding flex lists, no they are not. Each sorority gets a number of women to invite back and that is the number they invite back and they cut the rest. So if they could invite 10 people back, they will invite 10. If 9 show up, even if you were #11 you would not fill the #10 slot and they would have 9 women at their party. During pref, however, there is preferential order. Does that make sense?