Special Case of Sophomore Rush...

[ut16]

Hi everyone
I have a question on what you think my odds would be to receive a bid next year as a sophomore at the University of Texas, but i kind of have a special case here...
I participated in rush about a month ago (as a freshman), but unfortunately got cut from my favorite houses every day. While this was discouraging, I was still left with 3 houses on skit night, 2 of which i still really liked and could see myself in... the other, not so much. Pref night, i was left with the house i didn't care for. But i still showed up to Bid day, because after the entire week long process of rush i figured it owed it to myself to give this house a shot because I knew i might wind up liking it. To make a long story short, i spent the next 1 1/2 weeks going back and forth if I liked the house or not, if i wanted to stay in. Ultimately though, obviously, i dropped.. and wondering what my chances would be for getting a bid from another house next year. Since I already technically "pledged" i feel this will extremely hurt my chances. I want to be in sorority for the sisterhood (sounds cheesy but thats what i wanted!) and the house i was in just never gave me that connection. What can I do? What are my odds? Should I even try again?

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by ut16

Hi everyone
I have a question on what you think my odds would be to receive a bid next year as a sophomore at the University of Texas, but i kind of have a special case here...
I participated in rush about a month ago (as a freshman), but unfortunately got cut from my favorite houses every day. While this was discouraging, I was still left with 3 houses on skit night, 2 of which i still really liked and could see myself in... the other, not so much. Pref night, i was left with the house i didn't care for. But i still showed up to Bid day, because after the entire week long process of rush i figured it owed it to myself to give this house a shot because I knew i might wind up liking it. To make a long story short, i spent the next 1 1/2 weeks going back and forth if I liked the house or not, if i wanted to stay in. Ultimately though, obviously, i dropped.. and wondering what my chances would be for getting a bid from another house next year. Since I already technically "pledged" i feel this will extremely hurt my chances. I want to be in sorority for the sisterhood (sounds cheesy but thats what i wanted!) and the house i was in just never gave me that connection. What can I do? What are my odds? Should I even try again?

The first thing you can do to help yourself is get over thinking you're special. You're not.
A sophomore re-rusher who de-pledged is about as unspecial as it gets when it comes to 2nd time rushing.

[ut16]

Never said I was special. but thank you, i was just looking for some honesty.

[AXOrushadvisor]

Get very good grades and join some organizations on campus. Hold leadership positions. Get to know as many sorority women as you can. Have good morals and values. Have recommendations for every Chapter. Work on your conversation skills. Practice smiling while your talking to people. Go into recruitment with an open mind. Know that it is going to be challenging and difficult to pledge a different Chapter. Know that the Chapters will know you pledged another chapter and dropped. Be ready to explain it and whatever you do don't throw that Chapter under the bus.

[amIblue?]

Originally Posted by SparkleBerry

I graduated from UT 20 years ago, and I had a friend who did exactly what you want to do! Here's how she did it:
1. Earned enough hours to technically rush as a junior. I don't know how it works today with upperclassman, but freshman and sophomores came out of one quota, plus there was an "extra" quota for juniors. It was MUCH easier to rush as a junior. I went through rush as a sophomore at UT, and it was brutal.
2. She had OUTSTANDING grades.
3. She made tons of sorority friends her freshman year.

All this is to say it's not impossible, but it won't be easy. Rush at UT never is!

This is my first post to GC, so please feel free to private message me, and I'll give you some more details.

[LadyLonghorn]

Originally Posted by SparkleBerry

I graduated from UT 20 years ago, and I had a friend who did exactly what you want to do! Here's how she did it:
1. Earned enough hours to technically rush as a junior. I don't know how it works today with upperclassman, but freshman and sophomores came out of one quota, plus there was an "extra" quota for juniors. It was MUCH easier to rush as a junior. I went through rush as a sophomore at UT, and it was brutal.
2. She had OUTSTANDING grades.
3. She made tons of sorority friends her freshman year.

All this is to say it's not impossible, but it won't be easy. Rush at UT never is!

This is my first post to GC, so please feel free to private message me, and I'll give you some more details.

With all due respect, recruitment has changed significantly since your days at UT. You are not in a good position to be giving out recruitment advice, either in public or PM. Your first point in particular is dead wrong. You should probably delete your post.

To the OP, you have probably given up your one and only chance at being Greek at UT. Sophomore re-rushers have little to no chance unless something has changed significantly since your first attempt. By significantly, I mean you've become enduring best friends with a large number of members of a sorority who will be willing to pull for you and you've done something like cured cancer.

The brutal truth is the chapters have already looked at you and passed. Next year there will be a fresh group of qualified freshmen as well as sophomore transfers that will be much more attractive. Having a 3.5 or above GPA and campus involvement won't be enough to make you stand out.

You really should have given the sorority that wanted you the benefit of more than a few days.

[IndianaSigKap]

Originally Posted by LadyLonghorn

You really should have given the sorority that wanted you the benefit of more than a few days.

I completely agree! Staying 1 and half weeks wasn't really giving it a real chance. Most chapters don't initiate for at least 6 weeks, so you had at least an additional month to make some connections. I am not there, but I can't imagine in a chapter as large at the ones at UT you couldn't find a few sisters with whom you clicked. Coming from a campus where sophomores going though recruitment are heavily scrutinized, I can assure you that while not impossible, the odds of a second successful recruitment are slim. I urge you to take a hard look at yourself, why do you think you were only invited back to one chapter? Are you sure this is not the chapter for you? Since you are bound to them for the rest of the year, is there a chance that you could talk to the chapter and see if there are women similar to you? Do some soul searching, because I fear this may be your only chance to go Greek. If the answer is still no, then by all means give it a go next year, but do so knowing the big picture.

[AnchorAlumna]

I think she indicated that she has already resigned.

[IndianaSigKap]

Originally Posted by AnchorAlumna

I think she indicated that she has already resigned.

Yes, she did. However, she is bound to them for a year. Her bid is still valid if she and the organization can work it out, she can rejoin the pledge class or join a spring class if the chapter has one.

[pmdal]

Don't forget that with the CAP program at UT, many sophomores will be heading to the main campus. Many of those girls will have postponed rush or be at an extension that doesn't have greek life. This year the sophomore quota was 11 and by my calculation - about 75% of the total PNM's received bids.

I keep hearing that all the sororities at UT are good and I'd have to agree..... It is all about what you make of it!! Granted, I've been out of college many years, but I have remained close friends with only one girl in my sorority - and several from other sororities.

[LadyLonghorn]

Originally Posted by pmdal

Don't forget that with the CAP program at UT, many sophomores will be heading to the main campus. Many of those girls will have postponed rush or be at an extension that doesn't have greek life. This year the sophomore quota was 11 and by my calculation - about 75% of the total PNM's received bids.

I keep hearing that all the sororities at UT are good and I'd have to agree..... It is all about what you make of it!! Granted, I've been out of college many years, but I have remained close friends with only one girl in my sorority - and several from other sororities.

No one is forgetting anything. It has been discussed here over and over about how the sophomore quota benefits primarily CAPs and other transfers, and the beneficiaries of the sophomore quota are generally women who would have had successful recruitments if they'd been admitted to UT as freshmen. It does not provide the opportunity for a do-over for a re-rushing sophomore who wasn't happy about her freshman year recruitment results.

It is also worth reminding people that not every chapter uses or fully utilizes the sophomore quota. It is not mandatory and should not be counted on for an "easier" recruitment at all.

[pmdal]

Originally Posted by LadyLonghorn

No one is forgetting anything. It has been discussed here over and over about how the sophomore quota benefits primarily CAPs and other transfers, and the beneficiaries of the sophomore quota are generally women who would have had successful recruitments if they'd been admitted to UT as freshmen. It does not provide the opportunity for a do-over for a re-rushing sophomore who wasn't happy about her freshman year recruitment results.

It is also worth reminding people that not every chapter uses or fully utilizes the sophomore quota. It is not mandatory and should not be counted on for an "easier" recruitment at all.

I agree with you LadyLonghorn! I'm new to the forum and haven't read everything...... glad CAP has been discussed - wasn't sure if UT16 was thinking about that! Seems like she is still raw from rush......

What I have read here - that rush almost always works out for the best!

[pmdal]

A UT sophomore rush story:

This year at UT bid day a friend of mine was walking to her daughter's new sorority house. As she was walking in a group of people, she ended up walking along with a young lady who was on her cell phone, crying, obviously talking to her Mother. The young lady ended the call and my friend asked her if she was walking to the same house and she was. My friend told her that her daughter had just received a bid from the same sororitiy and even though it wasn't her first choice, she was happy! She also told her that her daughter is a beautiful, smart, and accomplished young lady and from what she could see - she would fit right in. The young sophomore went on to thank her for her words of accomplishment and that she would be happy once she arrived at the house, but that she couldn't understand what had happened........ Most of her friends were girls from another sorority who had encouraged her to rush and then she was not offered a bid....... Really was the only reason she rushed in the first place, etc......

[AZTheta]

I did not think I would be referring to this so quickly.

OP, you already know the answers to your questions. As previously pointed out, you may have the option to re-join your sorority, and that is something to seriously consider.

[ut16]

Definitely a lot to think about, thank you ladies for taking the time to reply