Rushing in Fall...I'd love advice

33girl · #1 06-15-2006, 09:22 AM

I'm guessing that there will be sorority members who when you say a) what part of the city you lived in and b) what high school you went to, will be aware of the damage that occurred there and assume you were affected by it. If they ask you about it, go ahead and tell them, matter of factly, not looking for sympathy. I wouldn't bring it up explicitly, because if you do, more likely than not there will be someone in the room who suffered twice the hardship you did, and then it WILL look like a "brag."

kddani · #2 06-15-2006, 09:35 AM

What were your grades pre-Katrina? i.e. what was your GPA the end of your junior year?

kddani · #3 06-15-2006, 09:50 AM

If your grades were the same before Katrina, I personally would not bring up Katrina unless someone else brings it up. It's not an excuse for your grades, as they were the same beforehand. I understand that Katrina is a big thing down there and can't even fathom how your life has been affected. However, I don't know if it's really all that necessary or appropriate to bring up during recruitment. Paritcularly because who knows, the sorority woman rushing you may have lost a loved one in Katrina. What happened is part of who you are, but I don't know how it would be necessarily relevant to the recruitment process.

KSUViolet06 · #4 06-15-2006, 09:52 AM

LSU is one of those schools with alot of rushees. After the first rounds of parties, the sororities don't know much about the girls, but have to make a cut. Many times, that cut is made by GPA. It's the only thing they have to go on at that point.

I'm going to be honest, you will experience some cuts because of your GPA. But now you know that. So I'd focus on making yourself stronger in other areas like extracurriculars or community service. This might help. It won't guarantee you a bid, but it won't hurt.

Best of luck, and do stick around to share your story!

tunatartare · #5 06-15-2006, 09:56 AM

I know very little about LSU rush, so I'm going to refrain from saying anything in particular about your GPA, because I'm just not that qualified to do so. Regarding Katrina, if someone asks you where you're from, then she herself might ask you about Katrina. I agree with other posters on here who have said that you shouldn't bring it up first, because you don't know what another person's experience with Katrina might have been like. So far, the general consensus on this board seems to be that your GPA will be a factor against you during recruitment. With that in mind, I agree with AlphaFrog that you should still go through, and then if you get cut, you could see if any chapters at your school are participating in COB or informal recruitment.

kddani · #6 06-15-2006, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by erchambers2006

Even though I know GPA's are probably the most 'un-personal' part of recruitment it feels like the houses wont have a chance to develope a personal opinion of me, or will be disinterested because of this.

Sorry to double post. There are hundreds and hundreds of girls going through recruitment. People need to get cut right off the bat. Grades are important, you're in college to get an education. Making quick judgments on people is a part of life. You have your recs, so that will help, but as has been said elsewhere on this board- grade exceptions are just that- EXCEPTIONS, not the norm. I would think, in my opinion, that they would be even more of an exception with a new freshman. Most of the exceptions seem to come with people who are rushing after they have already completed at least one semester of college.

I think that your best bet would be that if this recruitment doesn't work out, get some stellar college grades under your belt and try again.