Auburn Recruitment 2011 - 17 jewels!

[tigerfanx5]

HAHA! Thanks! I was nervous about making my first post!

[Just interested]

Ditto!!!

[DubaiSis]

It has been said on this site before by women smarter at this stuff than me that "not feeling a connection" may be an actual reason to quit if you have a chapter of, say, 30 girls. I still say with a group like that one or two new members can really change the dynamic of a group. But in a chapter of 200 women I patently do not accept the no connection argument. Presuming 3 rushers at each party up to preference, that's 9 girls, about 60 minutes TOTAL. And let's say going into rush a chapter has 120 girls. That means the rushee met 7.5% of the sorority members. Even the most cookier cutter of a chapter has more personality diversity than THAT.

But if she's going to flounce off, it's better for her to do it before preference because all the chapters at Auburn make quota and she is going to free up a space for a girl who appreciates what she has.

[tigerfanx5]

Definitely agree with the comments above! When the chapter size is around 200, there is something for everyone. I feel the "no connection" is a cop out. Remembering my own daughter's experience, she said some of the girls that rushed her at the "top tier" houses were "awkward" as well. Rush can be awkward experience, and it's hard to connect meaningfully with anyone in that environment. A lot of times preference round is when girls actually get the opportunity to see more about the chapter without all the background noise.

As much as I wish that she had gone to preference and given the last 2 chapters a chance, it's probably for the best that she dropped out. If some of the chapters COB, I hope she goes into it with an open mind and heart.

[HQWest]

I think part of the problem is that girls still expect to walk into the chapter room and have this epiphany that "This is home," but a lot of girls don't get that right away (or not until initiation.) If its not for you, its not for you, and its better to walk away beforehand than after initiation.

Several chapters at Auburn had COB in spring last year but not all of them. Girls need to be open minded though....

[DubaiSis]

It's the unicorns pooping rainbows fallacy. It doesn't happen. This is the same reason a lot of girls depledge after 2 weeks. They don't have friends who break out in song every time they walk through the door. Formal rush is a bizarre completely contrived way to make friends, but unfortunately it's the system we're stuck with. And at places like Auburn, Bama, Ole Miss, you take the leap of faith when you have the chance or you likely will never get that chance again. Not never - girls do rush as sophomores and get in - but unlikely.

[pam713]

Tigerfanx5, your daughter's recruitment sounds so much like the experience that my daughter had, as well. I suspect that it is the same experience shared by many, many girls at Auburn. In my daughter's case, it wasn't that she didn't like the groups that invited her back to pref, it was that she had been focused on a couple of other groups and her pref invite chapters just hadn't been on her radar as much. Was she madly in love with her chapter on bid day? Probably not. Is she madly in love with those girls now? Absolutely!

[tigerfanx5]

pam713 -- I agree with you! I think most of the stories are more like our daughters. I'm so happy for both of them that they stuck it out until the end! I think most of these stories truly do have a happy ending, even if the journey was a little rocky.

I guess going in everyone thinks that it's going to happen to someone else, but not me. Then when the reality check comes, some can't or don't want to handle it.

There's no way to make some people understand that all the chapters at Auburn can provide incredible lifetime opportunities. I think that's sad!

[Low C Sharp]

It has been said on this site before by women smarter at this stuff than me that "not feeling a connection" may be an actual reason to quit if you have a chapter of, say, 30 girls. But in a chapter of 200 women I patently do not accept the no connection argument.

I was thinking of those earlier posts, too. If you're a fit for Auburn, and you're a fit for SEC sorority life in general, it's just hard to imagine that you can't find friends in any group of 200 peers. Sure, I've known women who truly couldn't be comfortable in XYZ at Auburn, but they don't belong in an Auburn sorority at all.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by Low C Sharp

I was thinking of those earlier posts, too. If you're a fit for Auburn, and you're a fit for SEC sorority life in general, it's just hard to imagine that you can't find friends in any group of 200 peers. Sure, I've known women who truly couldn't be comfortable in XYZ at Auburn, but they don't belong in an Auburn sorority at all.

Exactly. But it's easier to blame it on the individual sorority than to admit that kind of sorority life just isn't "you" - especially if you've grown up thinking that it should/would be.

Greek life in general is not for everyone, and Greek life at every school is not for everyone. Yes, there are people who can go from Traditional Southern School to West Coast Hippie School to Jersey Shore School and enjoy them all equally, but they are few and far between.

[MOMto2]

I really don't understand all the negativity here, especially targeted at a distraught mom who is just looking for information for her daughter.

Despite the many posts on here about quota being reached by all chapters, there should still be several COB opportunities at Auburn. During my dd's last two years, I know of many girls who received COB bids from many different chapters.

[baci]

Very kind of you to share^^

[MomofPNM11]

Thanks for your great advice, Tigerfan! What you describe is exactly what happened to my daughter. 2nd round schedule was full and great. In the 3rd round the axe fell. She has 3 chapters left at present (out of only 8 total on campus) so I consider that a very positive thing. I am trusting the process and a higher power - sorry, that does not refer to the NPC

[AZTheta]

Originally Posted by shirley1929

Where do you get your statistics on this 99%? Sorry to snark, but there's a poster (can't remember who) who gets very hung up on stats and where they came from...

Originally Posted by shirley1929

And I apologized for it! But the fact of the matter is, there really is a poster who will challenge you on where statistics come from, so if you throw it out there, you should be willing to back up the claim. Otherwise it's just nonsense.

Hello!

That would be me.

I am not hung up on statistics. If you search my posts, you'll find that I do research for a living, at a University, and that I ask for DATA. Statistics derive from data. That's a whole different animal. Never did I use the word "nonsense";and I don't "challenge", I request data. Pure and simple. Keep it clean. The assertions that get passed off as truth on the board are about as useful as "but Mom, everyone's doing it."

Interestingly, the data I've been given on mothers/fathers attending Bid Day has been very sparse and does not support the assertions/claims that it is "everywhere." AAMOF it isn't even enough reporting for me to report back to anyone. Remember:GIGO.

tigerfanx: awesome posts on your daughter's experiences at Auburn. Woot! I hope to hear more from you.

[AUKD]

So happy for your daughter, AuburnMom85! My daughter pledged Phi Mu btw =)