I am thinking of joining a sorority when I go to college?

[Rebecca]

I'm thinking of joining a sorority when I go to college. What does it take to "get in" a sorority? And I would like the deep-down nitty-gritty details, please. (If you have the time, that is.)Anyone who has rushed or is in a sorority,I would love to hear from you.
Thank you,
Rebecca

[PenguinTrax]

To get into a sorority you must participate in Recruitment week, you must meet the minimum GPA set by the sororities (although the higher GPA you have, the better your chances are), you should be a well-rounded person - extracurricular activities, leadership, etc., and you should 'fit in' with one or more of the sororities on your chosen campus. In addition to all that, you must be able meet the financial obligation of joining a sorority. The dues and costs vary from campus to campus based on: is housing available, what meals must you eat in the house, initiation costs, etc.

Your first step should be to contact the Greek Life office on your campus and get information on the estimated costs, etc. if you and your parents determine that you can afford to belong to a sorority (which, incidentally can be cheaper than living in the dorms), then sign up for Rush and go though the parties with an open mind. Interview the girls as much as they will interview you and choose to be with the group of women with whom you feel most at home.

Barbara

[babysquirrelnmc]

I am so excited for you! Rushing is a great opportunity to meet people and make lasting bonds. The most important thing during recruitment is to keep an open mind about all the sororities. Pick the sorority who you fit in with the best...not the sorority everyone wants to be in. You WILL be judged on your GPA, activites, personality/sttitude, and in some cases, your looks. Sometimes you get your heart set on a certian sorority and they cut you, but just remember that God puts you where you need to be! When you accept the bid, always remeber that you get out of the sorority however much you put in. Meaning, if you're active, you'll have great sisterhood with others, but if you're inactive, you'll tend to feel unwelcomed. Sororities are great and they teach you so much about life! What college are you going to??

[TaraHopeful]

I'm wondering the same thing Rebecca. I was wondering what GPA is considered ok, good, or great. Like is a 3.0 average or below average? That should give us a basis of where we stand.

[aephi alum]

There was a thread not too long ago on individual sororities' minimum GPA requirements - try searching for that. AEPhi's minimum GPA nationally is 2.0 on a 4.0 scale. Sometimes a campus Panhellenic will set its own minimum standards.

If you meet the requirement, grades are not as important during rush; most if not all GLO's have academic programs to help members (both sisters and new members) in their studies.

[DZTUBAGIRL]

I think it all depends on the particular school and sorority. Morehead State University requires a 2.3 and Delta Zeta requires a 2.5. I think 2.5 is around the normal minimum gpa.

Anne Marie

[FuzzieAlum]

Generally, the minimum is all you need (although obviously a great GPA is like succeeding at anything else - it will make you look even better). Sometimes, though, a chapter with poor grades will "rush for grades" - cut girls with lower GPAs - so they can raise their house GPA. It all depends. Other chapters may totally want athletes so they can keep winning the intramural championships, for example.

[kddani]

It definately depends on the school. It also depends on your prior courseload and how competitive your courses were (when taking GPA into consideration).
Freshman to rush are required to have 3.0 HS GPA, second semester freshman and up must have a 2.5 collegiate GPA (my chapter's rules- panhel is 2.0).
Anyone with high grades especially catches our eye though. We will look twice at a girl with really high grades. Good grades are important, and we can't afford to take girls who play a little too much and don't study enough and end up on scholastic probation :O)

[theta sig agd]

It is hard to give details because each sorority is different and each chapter of each sorority may vary also depending on the local Panhellenic at each school.

GPA for Alpha Gamma Delta when I went through on my campus the minimum GPA for entering freshmen was 2.75 but I think it is 3.0 now. For Alpha Gam chapters to be in good standing I believe the chapter must have a 3.0 average or better.

I is good to be involved in high school. Things like debate, drama, cheerleading, any type of sports and honor society is good. If you werent very active in high school, showing an active attitude in college is good. Join the honors program if you can at your college, join some kind of sport or academic activity.

Of course references are always good. I dont know where you are applying so I have no idea what groups there are at your school, but try to find an alum of each of the groups on campus (or at least as many as possible). Ask around at church, at work, or have your mothers ask her friends and co-workers if they are members of a sorority. Dont forget your family. I had family I didnt even know where in sororities till after i joined one. All these people can write recommendations to the chapters for you. This introduces you to the chapter and you have a better chance of the group remembering you during rush which can make a difference!

One note though, if you have a chapter of group XYZ at your school usually only a member of XYZ can write a rec for that group so get started searching now.

These are just a few of the pointers I could give you. If you want more please PM me and I can go into greater detail

Good Luck!!

[Peaches-n-Cream]

I wonder what happened with Rebecca. She started this thread in 1999.

[AlphaGam1019]

Originally posted by Cream
I wonder what happened with Rebecca. She started this thread in 1999.

rofl...I didn't even notice until you pointed it out...

[jharb]

I've noticed quite a few threads like this popping up lately. It's kind of funny that we all offer advice without checking the date. It makes me proud that we're all so supportive of people who are interested in the greek system!

Jess