Ausgal, I recieved two bids when I went through informal recruitment, and should you end up in that situation, KSUViolet's advice is excellent. I endlessly considered tons of variables, from reputations on campus to the vibe I got from their National websites. In the end, I basically ended up thinking to myself: Which women would I feel more comfortable with on my worst days, not just my best days? It still wasn't the easiest decision, and I still have an immense amount of respect for the other group, but I have never regretted my choice.
That being said, I did not make my decision in the manner suggested by alum. Theta Phi Alpha is the smallest NPC. The other org I recieved a bid to is MUCH larger. If you wish to make your decision in that way, great, I would never fault someone for that. However, I don't consider the fact that I'm a member of the smallest NPC to be a negative. From what I have gathered on GC, Theta Phi has much of the same alumnae opportunities as any of the other groups. In geographical areas without chapters or alumnae associations, there are still plenty of opportunities to be involved. For example, one of my chapter sisters lives overseas and is currently the National Assistant Treasurer. Furthermore, I feel very much connected to our Grand Council and during some tough times I went through while advising, I had no qualms about calling the then National Vice President at home. I have no basis for comparison if this is the norm for other groups, so GCers, please let me know if it is!
Of course, I do hear every now and then comments like "Never heard of it, is that a local?" (including from my roommate, who's an Alpha Phi). But, instead of feeling bad about it, I look at it as an opportunity to educate people about TPA.
Basically, don't let the size of a smaller org get you down if that's the group with which your heart truly lies. (I don't think alum was insinuating doing otherwise, but it definitely got me thinking about the whole small vs large org debate and I figured I'd chime in!)
Good luck!
Quote:
Originally Posted by alum
Since it seems to be a toss-up for you and you DON'T have a strong preference one way or another:
This is not going to be a popular answer on GC, but I would go with the one that is stronger as an overall organization for networking purposes, alumnae association involvement, advising involvement at active chapters, etc. You only have 4 years as an active, you have decades as an alumna.
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