SCARED OF RUSHING

EGAOPi · #1 03-30-2007, 12:22 AM

Excellent points made by both of the previous posters. Sorority life is a wonderful piece of the college experience, but it's not what college revolves around. Having a great personality is a wonderful attribute, but you're not the first person going through recruitment to have one. Grades are a big factor--more so for some chapters than others (and this really varies by school)--because the reason you're at college in the first place is to do well and eventually graduate and get a career. Being Greek is something that can help you along that path, but it's not for everyone.

If you're having difficulty keeping your grades up as a high school junior, you're going to be in for a shock when you get to college because, I hate to break it to you, college is a hundred times more difficult. I went to a school for the "intellectually gifted" and now I'm in a state college and I find it way more challenging, grueling and time consuming than high school. Being Greek can offer some opportunities in regard to academics, but it can also be very difficult to juggle if your grades aren't solid and you're constantly struggling.

School must always take priority over extracirics and this includes Greek life, no matter how important it may be. We always push that and remind people of that (because it is often forgotten). We need to remember why we're here in the first place.

Work on raising your high school grades first. Crack down and learn some time mangement skills. Once you master that, then move on to college. Go through recruitment and see how it goes. You may want to consider waiting a semester (or going up early to takes classes over the summer) to see how you handle the stresses of college classes before making such a big commitment.

Like it has already been pointed out, don't pick a school based on Greek life. Go where you feel you will benefit and learn the most...pick based on your intended major, your desired location, etc. If there's Greek life at the school of your choice, fantastic--go for it! It's an incredible experience that I wouldn't trade for the world. But please, please be realistic and set the correct priorities and goals.

Calm down for now and start putting your energy into your studies. It's good to be planning early, but face this when it's time.

juniyah08 · #2 03-30-2007, 11:20 AM

interestingly enough, every graduate from my high school said that college was ten times easier than junior year at our school...so i dunno....

icicle22 · #3 03-30-2007, 11:28 AM

That reminds me...
I was thinking of rushing too, although I'm already in college as it is...do the sororities look at your high school grades as well as the grades you're getting in college right now?

EGAOPi · #4 03-30-2007, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by icicle22

That reminds me...
I was thinking of rushing too, although I'm already in college as it is...do the sororities look at your high school grades as well as the grades you're getting in college right now?

Icicle-No, if you already have earned college grades (like, if you've been at the school for longer than 1 semester), then no--we only go by your college transcript.

mystikchick · #5 03-30-2007, 11:39 AM

Quote:

interestingly enough, every graduate from my high school said that college was ten times easier than junior year at our school...so i dunno....

that may well be the case for them, but that doesn't mean it'll be the same for you, and it also makes me wonder (no offense) about the quality of institution they're at. I would be very surprised if they were (for extreme comparison's sake) at an institution like Harvard and making those claims.

Yes, college is slightly easier in terms of the fact that you don't have the same class each day, and my activities schedule isn't as jam-packed as it was in HS, but I still have a lot of work to do, a lot of meetings to attend, jobs, reading, etc. I can only imagine how much more insane life would be if I also had the time committment required of Greek life.

I breezed through high school. I could never say I breezed through college.

juniyah08 · #6 03-30-2007, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mystikchick

that may well be the case for them, but that doesn't mean it'll be the same for you, and it also makes me wonder (no offense) about the quality of institution they're at. I would be very surprised if they were (for extreme comparison's sake) at an institution like Harvard and making those claims.

Yes, college is slightly easier in terms of the fact that you don't have the same class each day, and my activities schedule isn't as jam-packed as it was in HS, but I still have a lot of work to do, a lot of meetings to attend, jobs, reading, etc. I can only imagine how much more insane life would be if I also had the time committment required of Greek life.

I breezed through high school. I could never say I breezed through college.

well all thoses graduates went to duke davidson brown stanford upenn cornell columbia, etc, so it's not like random state university...basically every graduate says that college was so much easier that hs

mystikchick · #7 03-30-2007, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by juniyah08

well all thoses graduates went to duke davidson brown stanford upenn cornell columbia, etc, so it's not like random state university...basically every graduate says that college was so much easier that hs

they are either exceptional individuals or they're bragging, that's my two cents. but even if it is easy for them, it may not be easy for you, so keep working hard and good luck

AChiOhSnap · #8 03-30-2007, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mystikchick

they are either exceptional individuals or they're bragging, that's my two cents. but even if it is easy for them, it may not be easy for you, so keep working hard and good luck

Mystickchick is absolutely right. I went to a prettty good college and the only reason I found it "easier" than HS was because I was so engaged and interested in the classes I was taking. I put forth lots of effort because my college work was actually pretty fun. High school was "hard" in that I thought some of my required classes were so boring that I couldn't bother to really try.

Don't be fooled by anyone though, the level of work at a decent college is leaps and bounds harder than any high school (the only case MAY be some freshman year seminar/introductory survey classes that could possibly have overlapping material with really rigorous AP classes. In that case, some of the material in the AP class might be harder.) If you're really interested in what you're studying, you probably won't notice how hard you're working but trust me, college is far more rigorous.

But that's really neither here nor there. You said you're worried about rushing and your GPA. Of course you should focus first on being actually accepted to college. If you really want to know what you should be aiming for in terms of recruitment, the minimum GPA to even be eligible for recruitment is generally somewhere around a 2.5-2.7. That said, INDIVIDUAL chapters might have minimum GPA requirements anywhere from 2.5-3.3 (the 3.3 upper limit is pretty rare though, generally most sororities fall around a 2.7-3.0).

If your grades are lower than that, then I'm sorry to say but you're going to really be limited in terms of Greek life. That's not to say that you can't go to college, bust your ass in school, and try recruitment again after you establish a good college GPA. But don't expect too much in terms of sorority life your first semester if your HS grades are under a 2.7, and that you'll probably be cut from at least a few chapters if you're under 3.0.

Remember, establish good study habits now. If you're allowed to go through recruitment and you receive a bid, you have to keep up your good grades to stay in your chapter. ALL chapters have minimum GPA requirements and if you fall below them, you'll first be put on some kind of academic development plan and then expelled from the sorority if you don't improve. No joke. Lots of sororities take great pride in their chapter GPA, so make sure that your grades reflect that pride in yourself.

#9 03-30-2007, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by juniyah08

well all thoses graduates went to duke davidson brown stanford upenn cornell columbia, etc, so it's not like random state university...basically every graduate says that college was so much easier that hs

*cough*BS*cough*

smiley21 · #10 03-30-2007, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by juniyah08

well all thoses graduates went to duke davidson brown stanford upenn cornell columbia, etc, so it's not like random state university...basically every graduate says that college was so much easier that hs

um no. i don't know who you have been talking to, but i wouldn't take it too seriously. college is hard, period. the school doesn't have to be ivy league for it to be considered hard. if people seriously think that college is easier than high school, then more power to them, although i think that is pure crap. so until you get to college and experience it yourself, don't believe people who say things like "oh high school was a nightmare. college was so easy."

if you start believing things like that, then you are only hurting yourself by going to college with no intention of working hard.

fwiw, i thought high school was a cakewalk compared to college.

Luz · #11 03-30-2007, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smiley21

college is hard, period. fwiw, i thought high school was a cakewalk compared to college.

/agree. Completely. I was involved in every group, 4.0, graduated valedictorian etc in high school no prob. That's just not the case in college- for 9/10 of the people I know, not just me. I like most of my classes, but I bust my a$$ for my grades. There's been some great advice given here. good luck with whatever you decide!

navane · #12 03-31-2007, 01:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smiley21

um no. i don't know who you have been talking to, but i wouldn't take it too seriously. college is hard, period. the school doesn't have to be ivy league for it to be considered hard. if people seriously think that college is easier than high school, then more power to them, although i think that is pure crap. so until you get to college and experience it yourself, don't believe people who say things like "oh high school was a nightmare. college was so easy."

if you start believing things like that, then you are only hurting yourself by going to college with no intention of working hard.

Just as a point to following on to what this poster and some others have said, college is not easier.

I am an Academic Advisor and I work with thousands of students at a fairly competitive university. I have personally worked with MANY freshmen who have come in to see me due to being on academic probation or who are just struggling in general. Most of them tell me that they don't understand why they're flunking college. They say things like, "I was an excellent student in high school. High school was so easy for me; I figured I could just skate through college. I found out I was wrong."

Reality check.

College is harder. That's why it's called a higher education.

.....Kelly

juniyah08 · #13 03-31-2007, 10:50 AM

well no one at my hs ever says hs is easy...i guess that my hs's course load is rigorous to the point when they get to college it's similar or easier...

ChildoftheHorn · #14 03-31-2007, 10:00 PM

My school doesn't allow you to rush until after your first term. If you decide to go to a school, be sure and check for that. I mean in high school I graduated with a 5.4 on a 4.0 scale (all AP's and such) and it didn't mean squat for me. Now I dream of a day when I will get a 4.0 for even one term (nature of my school and chosen major).

Just worry about the school first, seriously. I would never eliminate a school simply because of greek life. Remember that if a school does not have greek life, there is usually something that acts similar to it or goes in its place.

For instance, at certain Ivy schools, they have secret societies and "schools" based on where they live. EVen where I go you can live in a residential college. They have IM teams, weekly events, meetings, socials, and everything else. You even have to do an application for the house you want. I did it my freshman year, but then decided to go with the small house (<37 ppl) system where I would have a single. The systems are like "Harry Potter" and where he lives - it acts like a society.

Go with where you feel at home and it will become home.

ErinIsBadNews · #15 03-31-2007, 11:18 PM

My junior year of high school was much harder for me than college. I don't know if it was the four AP classes or the mono or a little bit of both, but it was extremely hard. I've always thought that high school was tougher than college. I had extremely difficult teachers who prepared me for college. I'm not saying college is easy, it's far from easy; I just think that for some people high school can be harder than college. We’ll see if I’m still saying this after taking Chinese this fall.