rerushing as a sophomore? miami!

[laxgirlie07]

Hi. I'm going to be a sophomore at Miami University of Ohio. I'm out of state (RICHMOND, VIRGINIAAA). We don't have rush until second semester. I rushed last year and it really did not go that well. I went in with an open mind and I prefed three houses, two which i LOVED and one which I was not that crazy about. I got a bid to the one I didn't really like, and chose not to accept. (Although it was the less popular sorority on campus, it wasn't that i didn't like the girls, they were very sweet, i just didn't feel that i would fit in with them.) It wasn't that big of a deal then though, because I was only rushing becasue some friends convinced me to.

Now however, I really wish I was in a sorority, and I am considering going through rush again. Honestly though, do I have any chance being a sophomore and rerushing after declining a bid? I know rush is pretty competitive at miami. What can I do to improve my chances of getting a bid to the sororities I want? I really don't want to go through rush all over again, and spend the money if I don't have a chance.

Thanks so much!

[Katmandu]

Recruitment at Miami of Ohio is very competitive for the 17 NPC chapters on campus. Most of the women participating in recruitment are freshmen, but there are always some sophomores as well. Delayed recruitment means that sophomores are second semester sophomores, and by the time they are initiated and well-immersed in the chapter, they are rising juniors--so yes, it is more difficult to receive a bid as a soph, but every year, there are sophomores who have a great recruitment and receive bids they welcome. There is not a separate upperclass quota, so sophs should be strong candidates with good grades, activities and recs.

You should try to get recs to as many of the chapters as possible and let your friends know that you will be participating in recruitment. Keep your grades up fall quarter, and become or remain active in campus and/or community activities. Those elements are important for any woman rushing at Miami, and particularly for sophomores. You should put everything into place during the fall semester you can to help insure a good outcome.

Another option is to check with the Greek Life Office to see if any chapters will be participating in informal COR during the fall semester. While freshmen cannot accept a bid in the fall, if a chapter is under total (around 150) they may be offering bids to upperclass women. Chapters that are under total simply due to senior graduation and who always make quota in formal recruitment do not typically participate in informal during the fall, but there might be some chapters who will.

However, if there are chapters participating in fall informal, they will be the smaller chapters on campus, and you have already indicated you didn't feel comfortable with at least one of them. You might want to re-think feeling that you don't fit in with a chapter that had sweet girls you liked.

Being out of state is absolutely meaningless at Miami.... it may be a public school in the middle of Ohio, but their student population comes from all 50 states. I had to really look to find the local girls on the bid list. Tennessee, Michigan, Mass., Connecticut, Virginia, Iowa, New York.... It's an alphabet soup of states in all of the chapters.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

[AZ-AlphaXi]

Originally Posted by Katmandu

Another option is to check with the Greek Life Office to see if any chapters will be participating in informal COR during the fall semester. While freshmen cannot accept a bid in the fall, if a chapter is under total (around 150) they may be offering bids to upperclass women. Chapters that are under total simply due to senior graduation and who always make quota in formal recruitment do not typically participate in informal during the fall, but there might be some chapters who will.

However, if you signed a preference card and then received and declined a bid, then you are not to eligible to participate in fall COB. You are bound for 1 year to the group that offered you a bid. Your next opportunity will be formal recruitment.

[Katmandu]

You are right, AZ-AlphaXi! Thanks for catching that.

[violetpretty]

You might want to PM ADqtPiMel. She went to Miami Ohio (and her little bio sister is an active in a chapter there as well), so she could give you campus-specific info.

Did you decline your bid on bid day or did you go to NM meetings for a little while before depledging?

You ask for your chances of receiving a bid to the chapter you want. This will depend greatly on which chapter you want. In any case, no one on GC would be able to say, ok, you have a XX% chance of getting a bid at XYZ chapter.

Are you a better candidate this year? As in, have your grades improved/stayed high? Are you involved in any campus activities? Do you have friends pulling for you? Keep in mind, those factors still might not outweigh having depledged (though the stigma of depledging is different on different campuses).

[laxgirlie07]

i declined my bid on bid day so I don't think that i was ever actually a pledge.

[Benzgirl]

You know, even though Miami is competitive, they have a history of taking Sophomores. It will still be tough to get a bid from maybe the top maybe 5 chapters, but there are many other very strong chapters that would love to have you.

Do you currently have friends in chapters? If so, maybe they can tell you what percentage of their pledge classes were sophomores. More importantly, keep up your grades, get your recs and make sure you are involved.

Even though it's a state school, a huge percentage of students are from outside of Ohio. I know the sororities heavily recruit from the Chicago area, particularly Lake Forest. A lot also come from the DC region.

Even though I didn't graduate from Miami, I did attend it for a short time (didn't pledge there, but I did rush). When I was there, ALL of the chapters took sophomores but recruitment was then held in the fall.

If Mel checks the thread, she can help you a little more than I.

[gatordeltapgh]

If you signed the MRABA/pref card then it won't matter if you went to a meeting or not. Most campuses have women rank their choices right the after pref parties and sign that they will commit to the one that gives them a bid. Very very very few campuses have you sign after you receive your bid.

Your best bet is to talk to the Fraternity/Sorority Advisor on your campus about your situation and to double check the timing. Then work on having a great fall semester. I don't have specific info about Miami but based on what you have said I think you will have to wait until January.

Good luck!

[Katmandu]

Watch for publicity for sorority Sprite Dates, Coke Dates, etc in the fall quarter. Each sorority is allowed to have a meet and greet event in the fall where PNMs can meet actives and learn more about the individual sororities. Last year each chapter had one solo event and one event paired with another sorority. I think this year they each have one solo event, but not sure about the details yet. I am sure they will be well publicized.

[ADqtPiMel]

It's tough to say what your chances would be as a sophomore at Miami. While quite a few sophomores do go through recruitment, it's much more competitive for them than for freshmen.

The re-rushing sophomores who succeed in getting a bid the second time around at Miami are the ones who make an effort to change the thing that was holding them back -- whether it be improving grades/activities/reputation, overcoming a shy personality or improving their outward presentation. You would also benefit greatly from befriending women in the sorority chapters. I am an ADPi and my sister is a Theta, and we've discussed before that the vast, vast majority of sophomores who've gotten bids to our chapters both knew large numbers of chapter members personally and had taken great effort to change whatever the "issue" had been with their first recruitment.

Unless things have changed drastically in the two years since I graduated (and I likely would have heard about it through my sister if they had), only one chapter does COB regularly. If the other chapters fall below total, it is only by a very few and those spots are always filled quietly by girls who are friends with chapter members. You won't have many, if any, options through COB.

You should also adjust your expectations as to which groups you would be prepared to join. The fact is, freshman year is really your optimal chance to receive a bid at Miami, and you're unlikely to improve your chances by much unless you take a long hard look at whether you want to join a sorority, or if you just want to join a "top" chapter.

I'll PM you as well.

[Lightning Bug!]

Please do be careful about what you write on GreekChat...I am sure the actives can figure out which sophomore from Richmond, VA went through rush last year and is interested in rushing/COB again...

But good luck!

[violetpretty]

^^^and if you were interested in helping the OP maintain her privacy, you wouldn't have repeated her hometown and her specifics.

[Benzgirl]

Originally Posted by ADqtPiMel

Unless things have changed drastically in the two years since I graduated (and I likely would have heard about it through my sister if they had), only one chapter does COB regularly. If the other chapters fall below total, it is only by a very few and those spots are always filled quietly by girls who are friends with chapter members. You won't have many, if any, options through COB.

Mel,
what is the Chapter Total now?

[ADqtPiMel]

Originally Posted by Benzgirl

Mel,
what is the Chapter Total now?

I think it's still set at 105.

[Benzgirl]

Originally Posted by ADqtPiMel

I think it's still set at 105.

It was so much higher in the (ummm, embarrassing) 80s.