Sophomore freaking out

[DTD Alum]

OK, that all makes sense to some degree. I understand sorority voting is infinitely more regimented and structured than fraternity voting.

[DTD Alum]

Originally Posted by IrishLake

^ Ditto the wise women above me. And even coming from a smaller campus environment, I HAVE seen (10+ ago and last years formal recruitment) the "cutest, funniest girl who everyone loves!!!" get released from chapters (not specifically mine) because of her 2.3 GPA.

But, like I said, I wasn't talking about PNMs who are drastically below the minimum with a 2.3 GPA, obviously those are tossed. I was questioning more about a girl that has amazing grades but a bland personality vs. a girl with a 3.4 (when the minimum is, say, 2.5) who has an amazing personality and has people already fighting over whose little she'll be. I just can't imagine that collegiate sisters wouldn't fight tooth and nail for the second girl over the first, but if it's built in in some way that for the most competitive chapters the girl with the higher GPA but bland personality is more likely to be invited back than all the advice in threads like these makes sense.

Now if it's a rush where there are so many girls with both 4.0s and good personalities that they can fill up all the competitive chapters and all of the "mid tiers" while they are at it then I understand completely, because then it makes my hypothetical moot. I guess call me skeptical though, because except at the most prestigious universities in the nation I would guess that saying there are enough girls with perfect grades to fill up two thirds of the chapters would be hyperbole to make a point that rush is competitive, not the actual reality. And in that situation, I would also guess that simply to get into the college where everybody has such a perfect resume that you'd have to have a perfect resume too.

I guess I'm just trying to understand the sorority process more without delving into membership selection simply because ours was so simple...we didn't look at GPA or leadership at all, just voted on their personality and I believe you needed something like 85% of the chapter to say "Yes" to get a bid. So in our scenario, the PNM with the great personality but medium grades (or really even terrible grades) would get a bid while the bland personality with a stunning GPA wouldn't make it very far. If the guy seemed like a slacker or whatever that would be brought up, and if the guy seemed like a leader it would also be brought up, but we weren't sitting around analyzing their GPA and leadership activities, and at the end of the day the personality was the deciding factor. Not saying one way is better than the other, just different.

[IrishLake]

I gotcha, I gotcha....

Originally Posted by DTD Alum

I guess I'm just trying to understand the sorority process more without delving into membership selection simply because ours was so simple...

You mean to tell me you have not yet learned that women are more complicated?

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by DTD Alum

But, like I said, I wasn't talking about PNMs who are drastically below the minimum with a 2.3 GPA, obviously those are tossed. I was questioning more about a girl that has amazing grades but a bland personality vs. a girl with a 3.4 (when the minimum is, say, 2.5) who has an amazing personality and has people already fighting over whose little she'll be. I just can't imagine that collegiate sisters wouldn't fight tooth and nail for the second girl over the first, but if it's built in in some way that for the most competitive chapters the girl with the higher GPA but bland personality is more likely to be invited back than all the advice in threads like these makes sense.

I think you are right. I don't think the average chapter member even knows the grades of the PNM's.

ETA: If you have first-semester rush, too, all the PNM has is a high school GPA. That is almost totally meaningless, unless you have a class rank to go along with it.

[FSUZeta]

DTDAlum, there are many factors that go into putting a pnm on a bid list or even the pnm making it to a pref. party. a low gpa(or low based on the chapter's requirement) is an easy factor on which to release a pnm in the early rounds, no matter how sparkling her personality.

but in your scenario, the bland girl with the 4.0 may not have made it to prefs., while the 3.4 with the great personality may have.

[ComradesTrue]

Originally Posted by FSUZeta

... but in your scenario, the bland girl with the 4.0 may not have made it to prefs., while the 3.4 with the great personality may have.

Exactly. Which is why The Importance of Conversation/Personality During Recruitment is one of my favorite GC threads. I point all PNMs from my area to that one, and strongly encourage them to practice their conversation skills all summer.

The resume gets you noticed early. The personality helps you stand out from the pack through the later rounds. Chapters want girls that are going to help their GPA standing, as well as be leaders in the chapter. But they also want FRIENDS that they will enjoy being around.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

I'd also point out that a chapter that is struggling with GPA is going to care a lot more about getting high GPA girls to improve in that area. A group that is consistently well above the national or school requirement is going to care a lot less.

I do think that sororities consider these things more than fraternities, and may even have some formal "chapter inventory" exercise prior to formal rush to identify their recruitment goals.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

I do think that sororities consider these things more than fraternities, and may even have some formal "chapter inventory" exercise prior to formal rush to identify their recruitment goals.

ETA: Although you all are talking about rush and recruitment, you all have veered into more generally discussing GPA requirements.

When you all say "sororities" and "fraternities," I want to note that you all are talking about NPC sororities and NIC fraternities (that are not also members of another council).

As for NPHC, I do not see a difference between sororities and fraternities.