RFM question now that bid day is here

Lagniappe · #1 08-29-2015, 01:12 PM

DD gets her bid in a few hours, so I'm curious about how this works under RFM (not counting being placed as a QA). Quota at her school was 87. She preffed 3 houses and ranked them 1, 2, and 3. If she's in sorority 1's top 87, does she automatically get placed there? If she's not on their list but she is in sorority 2's top 87, does she go to sorority 2? What if sorority 3 has her ranked somewhere higher on their list than either of the other two houses? Or is it not that simple of a process?

AZ-AlphaXi · #2 08-29-2015, 01:21 PM

Its not that simple. Think of the first bid list like a box. The number of PMs that is quota goes into the box. You don't come out of the box until you match somewhere.

So if you are in sorority #1's top 87 you get a bid there. However, you don't move to looking at your 2nd choice until your first choice reaches quota. So, for example, you are #90 on your first choice's list. You might not match during first pass, but if/when 3 pnms that are in their first 87 get bids elsewhere, you at #90, get moved onto the bid list ie go into the box. The next time through the pms you match at your first choice.

So it doesn't matter where you are on your second or third chapter's bid lists, you continue to attempt to match to your first choice, until they make quota. Then, and only then, does the process move to looking at your second choice. The process then starts over with the second choice.

ladybug12 · #3 08-29-2015, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AZ-AlphaXi

Its not that simple. Think of the first bid list like a box. The number of PMs that is quota goes into the box. You don't come out of the box until you match somewhere.

So if you are in sorority #1's top 87 you get a bid there. However, you don't move to looking at your 2nd choice until your first choice reaches quota. So, for example, you are #90 on your first choice's list. You might not match during first pass, but if/when 3 pnms that are in their first 87 get bids elsewhere, you at #90, get moved onto the bid list ie go into the box. The next time through the pms you match at your first choice.

So it doesn't matter where you are on your second or third chapter's bid lists, you continue to attempt to match to your first choice, until they make quota. Then, and only then, does the process move to looking at your second choice. The process then starts over with the second choice.

I think this is the best, most concise explanation of how bid matching works that I have ever read! Love the box analogy!!!

ladybug12 · #4 08-29-2015, 01:29 PM

And Lagniappe, best wishes for your DD when she opens her bid!

Like you, I would love for Phi Mu to be in the running should TAMU open for extension.

Lagniappe · #5 08-29-2015, 01:31 PM

Thank you for the wonderful explanation! I should've known it wouldn't be that simple

She's at Texas A&M; festivities begin at 3:35 with bid card reveal at 4:45.

Lagniappe · #6 08-29-2015, 01:33 PM

Ladybug12, thanks for your wishes. It's been a long week, for certain. I'm glad she's my only daughter so I only have to go through this once

sigmagirl2000 · #7 08-29-2015, 01:46 PM

How do you know what quota is if bids haven't been distributed yet?

Lagniappe · #8 08-29-2015, 01:50 PM

Quoting the number that was mentioned on another thread. If not actually 87, it should be pretty close to that because that's what Panhellenic said they were anticipating it to be at the parent convocation on Sunday.

AZ-AlphaXi · #9 08-29-2015, 01:53 PM

With RFM, a quota range is established and chapters put all the PNMs that attend their preference in numerical order, 1 through the last PNM to attend preference. First bid list used to be in alphabetical order and number what quota had been set at, usually number of PNMs that accepted preference invitations divided by number of chapters.

With RFM, a quota range is established and bid matching is done with using various quota numbers. It may be that more women are placed with a smaller quota and lots of QAs. But the RFM specialist works with the bid range to establish a quota that will place the most women in a chapter. So quota isn't actually set until the bid matching ends.

sigmagirl2000 · #10 08-29-2015, 01:57 PM

Agreed, AZ-AlphaXi. I was just curious how a mom of a PNM would be stating quota before time

AZ-AlphaXi · #11 08-29-2015, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sigmagirl2000

Agreed, AZ-AlphaXi. I was just curious how a mom of a PNM would be stating quota before time

Ahhh ... I guess I was in the explaining mode and that's how I read the question.

ladybug12 · #12 08-29-2015, 03:35 PM

As a chapter adviser, the FSA told us the quota numbers 6 hours before bids were distributed. Bid Day was this past Tuesday. Our chapter women got the actual list about 2 hours before bids were opened.

I think someone "in the know" shared their numbers and Lagniappe read that on another thread....

33girl · #13 08-29-2015, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ladybug12

I think this is the best, most concise explanation of how bid matching works that I have ever read! Love the box analogy!!!

Call it, thinking inside the box.

Titchou · #14 08-29-2015, 06:53 PM

Basically, bid matching is done PNM to chapter not chapter to PNM.

DeltaBetaBaby · #15 08-29-2015, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AZ-AlphaXi

Its not that simple. Think of the first bid list like a box. The number of PMs that is quota goes into the box. You don't come out of the box until you match somewhere.

So if you are in sorority #1's top 87 you get a bid there. However, you don't move to looking at your 2nd choice until your first choice reaches quota. So, for example, you are #90 on your first choice's list. You might not match during first pass, but if/when 3 pnms that are in their first 87 get bids elsewhere, you at #90, get moved onto the bid list ie go into the box. The next time through the pms you match at your first choice.

So it doesn't matter where you are on your second or third chapter's bid lists, you continue to attempt to match to your first choice, until they make quota. Then, and only then, does the process move to looking at your second choice. The process then starts over with the second choice.

Continuing the analogy, if you are on #2's bid list (first 87 when quota is 87), you are in the box, and can only be moved out of the box if you match to #1. It's not as though #2 can fill its box without you while you are waiting around to see what happens at #1. If you are high enough on #2's bid list to receive a bid, the ONLY WAY you don't get a bid from #2 is if you match to #1. This is the myth of "cross-cutting."

All of which is to say that, when it comes to final preference rankings, you should list them in true preference order, there is no reason to be strategic about what would give you the best chances to get a bid.