May I have your thoughts?

[SoClassic]

Originally Posted by Hartofsec

SoClassic, if your wish is to recapture the time you lost, I fear you will be disappointed. It might be a good idea to carefully evaluate how your goals and interests, with respect to the person you are now, fit into the sorority life culture on your campus.

You are not less because of the experiences that took you down a different path and prevented you from enjoying college life as an 18-year-old. You undoubtedly have been enriched by your experience and insight, but in a different way moving forward as a 26-year-old. Considering your life experiences, much of what seems important in the world of an 18-year-old new sorority member may seem trivial by comparison.

All the best to you, however, regardless of your decision. : )

I've just done some more research and looked up academic reports for each chapter. Turns out, they were available online! I feel A LOT better about my GPA after seeing the averages for chapters on my campus. Looks like grades won't be an issue for me after all like I originally thought. So that's good news!

And I hope what I say next doesn't make me sound like a train wreck, because I assure you all that I'm not!

Several of you have mentioned that my views (socially and personally) may vastly differ from the sisters and I just have to say that I honestly don't think this is entirely true for me. In many ways, I am mature beyond my 25 years because of my past and situation with my mom and all that. But conversely, I can recognize that I'm immature for my age in several areas as well. One of those is socially! I didn't have much of a social life between the ages of 17-22 like most new college kids do. I know I can't get that time back per se. But for those of you worried about how I will react to being expected to attend socials, formals, "frat parties," sleepovers, and clubs with the girls .... well, I'm not worried about enjoying myself. I like to have a good time. Most 25 year olds are over it by this age. I'm not, simply because I haven't experienced it much for myself yet. I've been good about keeping things classy, but we all know girls like to have fun!

And really, it's all about perspective. I learned at a young age how to make the best out of every situation and this is no different. I'm adaptable and strong and smart and talented and I can only hope that the chapters see these things in me as well. If they don't, great. I'll find my home on campus somewhere else.

[Hartofsec]

Originally Posted by SoClassic

And really, it's all about perspective.

True. Yours and theirs. I think some here were trying to also share an honest opinion regarding the possible perspective of others -- the considerably younger sisters and young men attending the "socials, formals, 'frat parties,' sleep-overs, and clubs with the girls."

Originally Posted by SoClassic

I learned at a young age how to make the best out of every situation and this is no different. I'm adaptable and strong and smart and talented and I can only hope that the chapters see these things in me as well. If they don't, great. I'll find my home on campus somewhere else.

Sounds like you answered you own question. : ) Wishing you much success!

[austennn]

I think it's perfectly okay to go through recruitment as a junior. Depending on what school you go to and how competitive their recruitment is you may get cut from quite a few houses at the very beginning, just because of the combination of a low gpa and being a junior.

I would definitely explain to the girls WHY you're rushing so late and WHY your gpa isn't stellar. Also tell them how you've been working to improve it. Talking to chapters during recruitment gives you the opportunity to explain yourself rather than the chapter just seeing a class standing and gpa on a piece of paper and having to base their decision off that.

Just be yourself and try really hard to make a connection with the girls you meet. As long as you can sell yourself to one house, you should be fine. If a chapter really really wants you, they will look beyond things like that!

[AZTheta]

wait…what?

ETA: duh, just duh. nevermind. move along, nothing to see here.

[thetalady]

Originally Posted by austennn

I think it's perfectly okay to go through recruitment as a junior. Depending on what school you go to and how competitive their recruitment is you may get cut from quite a few houses at the very beginning, just because of the combination of a low gpa and being a junior.

I would definitely explain to the girls WHY you're rushing so late and WHY your gpa isn't stellar. Also tell them how you've been working to improve it. Talking to chapters during recruitment gives you the opportunity to explain yourself rather than the chapter just seeing a class standing and gpa on a piece of paper and having to base their decision off that.

Just be yourself and try really hard to make a connection with the girls you meet. As long as you can sell yourself to one house, you should be fine. If a chapter really really wants you, they will look beyond things like that!

If you want any recruitment tips or more general advice on Greek life, you should check out my blog I post a lot about my sorority experience on there.

STOP IT. You really do not have to interject your opinion and SPAM on every thread.

You have extremly limited experience in your sorority on a single campus. You haven't even been an initiated member for long. You know nothing of what rush is like at places like Ole Miss or Alabama or even University of Texas. Rush at Texas Tech is like the "lite" version of larger Greek systems. You are young & enthusiastic about your sorority. We get that. It would be a good idea to read some threads here before posting all of your advice.

[TPA85]

Originally Posted by AZTheta

wait…what?

LOL. Go ahead, read the blog.

[SoClassic]

Originally Posted by AZTheta

wait…what?

My thoughts exactly.

I read a post or two on her blog out of curiosity and ... yeah.

[LAblondeGPhi]

My two cents:

It sounds like your mind is made up that you will at least give recruitment a shot, and you've already received a lot of advice here regarding the possibility that you'll be disappointed in sorority life once/if you join.

OK - now that that's out of the way, let's focus on what you need to do to put yourself in the best possible situation to get a bid:

ETA - Letters of recommendation have already been mentioned, but get those too!!

1) Because of your age, chapters are going to be concerned that you'll join, not like it, and drop out. Or that you won't be a very involved member. You need to convince them that you've done your research regarding activities and requirements, and that you're fully on board. This includes study hours, philanthropy events, recruitment events and mixers with 18-year-old fraternity men. If you have Greek family or friends, emphasize that.

2) Understand from a sorority perspective what they're looking for: they want a new member who is fun to be around, lends some prestige to the organization, will represent their letters positively around campus, has a solid GPA, etc. Think about what you can offer the organization and how you can convey that during recruitment (without sounding like you're selling yourself too hard - it's a balance).

3) Really fine-tune your story about your family and reasons for coming back. I could see a simple "I had to take some time off to deal with family medical issues, and now that my family is in a better place, I'm looking to get the full experience out of my remaining college years. My experience has made me appreciate being back in school and I'm excited to dive in." There are scenarios where your age doesn't even come up in conversation, but you are still able to convey your situation.

4) Practice conversation and know what a 19-year-old wants to talk about. I'm not saying that you don't already know, but it's good to really remember what most of the sisters' life experiences have been thus far and what they can relate to during conversation. Your ability to connect with these women quickly through short conversations is one of the most important factors in anyone's recruitment. The best recruitment conversations are the ones that go way off topic into a shared passion, hobby or something random.

This is not an exhaustive list, but I think these are the main points you'll need to really nail.

Good luck - please let us know how it goes in the fall.

Another ETA: Is there no way to go back to your first school and see about getting a retroactive withdrawal from your 4th semester classes for health and personal reasons? It sounds like you'd be a perfect candidate for something like that.

[SoClassic]

Thanks again so much everyone! I sincerely appreciate every thought, opinion and piece of advice. I'm looking forward to recruitment week at my university and I'm sure I'll be around to update you all with my story of how it goes, no matter how it turns out!