What GPA is too low for your campus?

[UGAalum94]

So many of the PNMs I've done recs for have outstanding GPAs that I no longer feel like I have a handle on what a normal GPA is.

I'm not wondering about official minimums to offer bids. I would like to know, just in the opinions of recent undergraduate members or alumnae working with chapters, at what point for your campus is a GPA low enough that it's going to affect a PNM's recruitment.

(I know that nobody can probably say anything official.)

ETA: Can a girl with a below a 3.0 out of high school expect a bid in the SEC?

[pshsx1]

Well, for my chapter, you must have a 3.0 to join and a 2.6 to stay active.

I would imagine the standards would be pretty high for competitive SEC schools as well, but I wouldn't know.

[violetpretty]

Maryland has deferred recruitment. First semester freshmen can join if they have 12 credits (usually AP), and there is no cutoff for high school GPA because of the small number of freshmen rushing and because it can't be that low if you were accepted to the University in the first place.

In the spring, it's only the college GPA that counts. The GPA to go through recruitment is a 2.5, but most of the chapters have published minimums of 2.6-2.8. PNMs with between a 2.8 and a 3.0 are usually questionable and below a 2.8 will usually get you cut by a lot of chapters early on, though generally, if they get a bid, it's because there is another factor that compensates for their deficiency.

[PeppyGPhiB]

Originally Posted by violetpretty

When I was a Rho Gamma, there was a PNM in my buddy's group that was slightly on the larger side, but not huge by any means (probably a size 14 or 16). She was polished and had cute, shiny blond hair, blue eyes, wore a stylish zebra trench, very easy to talk to, memorable (she was on crutches and a boot), and involved with CC for C.

She only received 4 invites out a possible 10 for the second round, one of which was her legacy chapter (an awful fit), two more were terrible fits, and one that seemed like a good fit. She was cut by all the remaining chapters after round 2.

I never asked her what her GPA was, but I refuse to believe it could have been anything but her grades. Sophomores get bids all the time at Maryland. Plenty of girls heavier than her get bids. She didn't evangelize to me, so I doubt she evangelized to anyone else. Plus, the randomness of the chapters she was invited to kind of pointed toward grades, not like it was just "bottom tier" chapters.

I sure hope it was her grades, because I was upset that my chapter cut her!

If you really believe it was just her grades, why did you think it was important to tell us about her size and appearance?

I suspect there are a ton of beautiful girls with low GPAs that get a pass because of their appearance.

[UGAalum94]

I'm just wondering what other people think. I've seen a couple of GPAs that are kind of low for girls going through recruitment from our local high schools (2.6-3.0 for high school) and my first impression, because I've grown accustomed to seeing 3.5+ GPAs, is that these PNMs might have some trouble just with grades in recruitment.

This is just from the random alumna perspective; I'm not on the chapter side of things.

Did we have a list of the minimum GPA to pledge NPC groups at the national/international level? Anyone know where?

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

Did we have a list of the minimum GPA to pledge NPC groups at the national/international level? Anyone know where?

There may have been a thread about it, but I don't know how accurate it would be. I know that my sorority has changed its minmum GPA in recent years, and I'd imagine that others have as well.

In terms of my school: My school is not a competitive one.

Every chapter has it's own requirements of course, but the range of chapter GPA requirements is like 2.5-2.90.

So really, any PNM who has less than a 2.5 is going to experience some grade-related cuts.

[UGAalum94]

One of the girls is looking at recruitment at Ole Miss with a 3.0 out of high school.

Is that likely to be a problem with some groups there or is that okay?

To me a 3.0 out of high school today, unless its a realllllly good high school probably, isn't going to equal a 3.0+ in college.

ETA: There's no course of action that I'm considering based on this information. (I'm not looking to write harsh recs or anything. I don't think I know something the chapter doesn't.) I'm just curious about whether it's likely to hurt the PNM, or if I've just gotten used to seeing really high GPAs most of the time and that this grade range out of high school is cool.

[unicorn]

My school is not competitive.

There is no minimum GPA set by the school for freshman PNMs; transfers and upperclassmen must have a 2.0. However, to my knowledge, the individual chapters each have GPA minimums higher than that.

[Deltasig89]

In my chapter you need a 2.5 to receive a bid.You also must keep a 2.5 through out the pledge process and while your a brother or theres certain consequences. The actual university requires 2.25 to be involved in greek life. Each org has different requirements. 2.25 obviously being the min. and 2.5 being the max.

Our chapters Cummalitive GPA is a 2.9 and for last term was a 3.0.

[Zillini]

I tell folks to look at Panhellenic average as a general guideline. If grades are higher than that a PNM should be fairly safe from GPA cuts, anyone below may not be.

We also look at SAT/ACT scores in addition to GPA, especially for those HS's we know nothing about (often out of state). A good/bad score won't be enough to keep/cut a PNM with a bad/good GPA, but if someone's on the "bubble" it can help/hurt.

[littleowl33]

On the KKG national website, it states that PNMs must have "a C+ average from the previous completed term at a college or university, [and] many chapters have academic requirements that are higher than the Fraternity’s." To be honest, I don't know exactly what our chapter requires. Without giving away info on MSS, I'll just say PNMs' grades are treated as a very private matter between the Membership Chair and the advisors. Since recruitment is deferred freshmen have a full semester of college under their belt, but Hopkins has a "covered grades" policy in which your first semester grades are all considered pass/fail (though the GPA eventually factors into your cumulative). I think PNMs sign something so that their grades can be "uncovered" for recruitment. In any case, Hopkins has absolutely ZERO grade inflation and it's easy to get overwhelmed first semester, so I would guess chapters are a little more lenient than they might be elsewhere. A lot of freshmen go from getting straight As in high school to something a little... harsher.

[littleowl33]

Originally Posted by Zillini

We also look at SAT/ACT scores in addition to GPA, especially for those HS's we know nothing about (often out of state). A good/bad score won't be enough to keep/cut a PNM with a bad/good GPA, but if someone's on the "bubble" it can help/hurt.

Wow, really? Interesting. Are they required for registration? What if a PNM didn't take the SAT/ACTs?

[AlphaXi_Husky]

Originally Posted by littleowl33

Wow, really? Interesting. Are they required for registration? What if a PNM didn't take the SAT/ACTs?

My guess is they would have to take one of the two in order to get into the school. As for being required, I don't know about that, but my guess is the sorts of "stats" are included on a Recruitment resume.

[littleowl33]

Originally Posted by AlphaXi_Husky

My guess is they would have to take one of the two in order to get into the school. As for being required, I don't know about that, but my guess is the sorts of "stats" are included on a Recruitment resume.

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

You're rec writer might ask, especially if she was looking for something to offset a low GPA.

Thanks!

The reason I ask is that I do a fair amount of volunteering in Admissions, and there actually are some schools that do not require SAT/ACT... but it's more of a "recommended but not required" thing. Which everyone knows means, "you'd better do it."

Back on track - I can't imagine sifting through SAT scores for PNMs! Our university's recruitment isn't that competitive and we rarely get recs, resumes or anything like that. It would be a helpful component to add, though - particularly if you don't have deferred recruitment.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by littleowl33

Wow, really? Interesting. Are they required for registration? What if a PNM didn't take the SAT/ACTs?

You're rec writer might ask, especially if she was looking for something to offset a low GPA.