Cut because you're "too good"?

[FuzzieAlum]

I'm seeing it in some current rush threads, but I've seen it before elsewhere too ... PNMs saying that a chapter dismissed them mentally or cut them because the chapter assumed they were "too good" (too popular, too sought after, too something) to be interested in them.

I'm not sure I believe this really happens, although I can see why a PNM would prefer to believe this over simply not being attractive to a chapter. I don't recall my sisters ever saying, "We're not going to go after Susie, because she's obviously too good for us." And honestly, we were a chapter that didn't have the highest return rate on campus, so we *could* have thought that way.

Chapters really aren't all looking for the same thing, once you get beyond minimum grades, good hygiene, the real basics. One chapter may go for cheerleaders but others may think it's a dumb sport & girls who do it are superficial. One chapter was want stellar grades but another may think 4.0s are boring nerds. You see people arguing all the time about what is good style; some people think Paris Hilton is hot and others honestly believe her style is overdone.

I guess I'm wondering, have any of you actually experienced "We're not going after Susie because she's definitely top chapter material and won't like us" - from the sorority end, not as a PNM? Is this just a comforting rushee myth or does it really happen?

[DeltaBetaBaby]

No. We would occasionally say, "oh, Suzie is the little sister of Annie, the President of XYZ, and Jake, the XYZ sweetheart, she is probably going to go XYZ", maybe we shouldn't waste an invite.

But we were never just like "oh, Suzie is too popular for us."

[sageofages]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

No. We would occasionally say, "oh, Suzie is the little sister of Annie, the President of XYZ, and Jake, the XYZ sweetheart, she is probably going to go XYZ", maybe we shouldn't waste an invite.

But we were never just like "oh, Suzie is too popular for us."

With the new recruitment return rules, this sort of discussion was very much evident in a couple of the selection sessions I assisted. Each invitation was critical, and to use it on a PNM who was so apparently interested in another group, and not invite a really interesting PNM was a source of great angst.

[KSUViolet06]

I agree with the whole release figures thing. When it gets down to figuring out who gets invited back, chapters are inclined to go with the PNMs that they feel will most likely accept an invite. When you know that someone is interested in another group, why bother?

Hence why we caution PNMs so much about not being too openly opinionated about chapters (i.e. posting on their Facebook "I want Theta or nothing!") because that can lead other chapters to not want to be bothered with wasting invites on them.

[violetpretty]

There is a difference between being intimidated by a PNM who is gorgeous, outgoing, accomplished etc. and talking to a PNM who ACTS snooty like she is too good for your chapter. I doubt the former would get cut, but probably the latter would get cut.

[susan314]

Originally Posted by violetpretty

There is a difference between being intimidated by a PNM who is gorgeous, outgoing, accomplished etc. and talking to a PNM who ACTS snooty like she is too good for your chapter. I doubt the former would get cut, but probably the latter would get cut.

Agreed.

Originally Posted by AlphaGamUGAAlum

But as you move down the return rate spectrum, the groups get to invite more PNMs back, so while the top groups might rule out a disinterested girl, I agree with the OP that it's rarely going to happen because a girl is "too good" for a group. If the group thinks she's a good girl, if she were interested, they would keep her.

Agree with this too.

We didn't typically have to make a whole lot of cuts in my chapter...once we released PNMs who didn't meet our grade cutoff or other specific restrictions like that, we came close to where we had to be release figures wise. So, there was no real reason to drop a girl only because she seemed "too good" for our chapter (whatever that's supposed to mean), but a girl with a horrible, rude attitude...that would be a different story.

But a girl who got cut for that reason wouldn't be getting cut b/c she was "too good" - she'd be getting cut b/c she was a bitch.

[AlphaFrog]

This thread is one big "Intimidated by my hotness" joke waiting to happen.