Rush at OU

[Ladybugmom]

Hi! I am new to this site and have found it to be very helpful, overwhelming, and frightening all at the same time...My daughter will be attending OU in the fall and will be going through "recruitment" there. I want her to be as prepared as possible. We have a file with possible recs etc. I have three questions...1) Is OU recruitment as brutal as some of the other Southern schools I have been reading about? 2).Will it hurt her to be from Texas at an Oklahoma school and not a legacy? 3). What qualities are most desirable in a PNM, ie, grades, looks, extra curriculars..in other words, what are most of the houses looking for. Thanks so much for any insight you can give us...

[irishpipes]

There are so many girls from Texas at OU that that should not be an issue at all. OU is competitive to get into certain chapters, but girls who give all chapters a chance tend to do well. Don't worry about legacy status for several reasons, but mostly because you can't do anything about it. She will need recs. As for what chapters are looking for, that is confidential, but just use common sense. Most people want to associate with people who are intelligent, well-rounded, attractive, and personable. If your daughter can communicate that she is all of those things, she should be fine.

[Ladybugmom]

Thanks for the quick response! I was hoping that the Texas thing wouldn't be a problem...I had read on a few other threads about other Southern schools that have chapters where "out of staters" wouldn't have a prayer. There are alot of students that go to OU from my daughter's high school which hopefully will help her.
She has great grades and EC's and is beautiful (of course I am her mother and very biased ). She can be a bit shy around people that she doesn't know and I just hope she will be able to shine. I know that there are alot of girls that are like her (not used to having to "sell" them selves) and they somehow make it through. We will look forward to the invaluable information that this site can provide!

[Elephant Walk]

Originally Posted by Ladybugmom

Thanks for the quick response! I was hoping that the Texas thing wouldn't be a problem...I had read on a few other threads about other Southern schools that have chapters where "out of staters" wouldn't have a prayer. There are alot of students that go to OU from my daughter's high school which hopefully will help her.
She has great grades and EC's and is beautiful (of course I am her mother and very biased ). She can be a bit shy around people that she doesn't know and I just hope she will be able to shine. I know that there are alot of girls that are like her (not used to having to "sell" them selves) and they somehow make it through. We will look forward to the invaluable information that this site can provide!

Yeah, it's a problem but similar to Arkansas...Texas can be considered "in-state" by girls...There are so many north Dallas kids at these Universities that likely she has tons of friends already in sororities at the University.

[breathesgelatin]

Originally Posted by Elephant Walk

Yeah, it's a problem but similar to Arkansas...Texas can be considered "in-state" by girls...There are so many north Dallas kids at these Universities that likely she has tons of friends already in sororities at the University.

I also am more seriously questioning the adage that it is hard to get into sororities from out of state. We are seeing more and more out of state PNMs who are adequately prepared have no trouble getting into sororities in the south/SEC. Also, I think we are in a new era where more and more individuals are going to school out of state due to certain state schools becoming extremely competitive. I can speak to UT specifically. There are many young women "of a certain background" who due to the top 10% rule can no longer gain admission into UT, when they probably would have in past college generations. For a variety of reasons these ladies may not want to go to A&M or Tech or wherever, and maybe they don't want to go to a liberal arts school either. They want a school with a big football program & etc. So, they head out to other flagship state schools. Those young ladies will be well-prepared for recruitment whether they end up at OU, Arkansas, Bama, Ole Miss, wherever.

The question is though, whether it's actually gotten "easier" to get into sororities at southern schools from out of state, or if the college admissions world has just seen such a huge sea change that student bodies have changed drastically and sororities naturally changed with the winds. The chicken or the egg, if you will.

But yeah, I am beginning to question the out-of-state thing, just based on anecdotal evidence from GC.

And as others have said, I think it's more important to be well-prepared than to be in-state.

[Ladybugmom]

Originally Posted by breathesgelatin

I also am more seriously questioning the adage that it is hard to get into sororities from out of state. We are seeing more and more out of state PNMs who are adequately prepared have no trouble getting into sororities in the south/SEC. Also, I think we are in a new era where more and more individuals are going to school out of state due to certain state schools becoming extremely competitive. I can speak to UT specifically. There are many young women "of a certain background" who due to the top 10% rule can no longer gain admission into UT, when they probably would have in past college generations. For a variety of reasons these ladies may not want to go to A&M or Tech or wherever, and maybe they don't want to go to a liberal arts school either. They want a school with a big football program & etc. So, they head out to other flagship state schools. Those young ladies will be well-prepared for recruitment whether they end up at OU, Arkansas, Bama, Ole Miss, wherever.

The question is though, whether it's actually gotten "easier" to get into sororities at southern schools from out of state, or if the college admissions world has just seen such a huge sea change that student bodies have changed drastically and sororities naturally changed with the winds. The chicken or the egg, if you will.

But yeah, I am beginning to question the out-of-state thing, just based on anecdotal evidence from GC.

And as others have said, I think it's more important to be well-prepared than to be in-state.

Thanks so much to all of you for your responses..this mom is feeling better. Unfortunatley the above poster has hit the nail onthe head...My daughter is in the top quarter of her very competitive high school with a 3.8 unwaited GPA and will not be able to get in to UT. Her father and I are both alums there.
It was a different world before the "top 10%" rule.. OU has become a very viable option for those kids that can't get into UT or A&M, especially those that are from the DFW area because of the close proximity to home. I just wish that we could get "in state" tuition since Texans are practically "in state".
I do agree that being prepared is key and that's why this site is so valuable. Please keep your advice and thoughts coming...

[gee_ess]

If you are in an area that has an panhellenic association, I would suggest that you contact them (shortly after the first of the year, those Texas Pan groups are highly organized) to let them know your daughter will be going through at OU. They can be of great help. In my experience, the Texas groups always send organized info to out of state schools and are good about following up, etc.
Often, those groups will sponsor an informative tea or meeting, and that would be a good thing to attend.

Good luck! My daughter pledged three years ago. Recruitment is often harder on the moms than the daughters!

[banditone]

The Texas thing will not be a problem. Have some chapter recs for the better houses at least. She'll be fine.

[irishpipes]

I have noticed similar trends, BG, but I the Texas-girls-at-OU thing is not a recent phenomenon. My younger sisters were both in a very competitive chapter at OU in the early 90s and I think about half (no exaggeration) of their chapter was from Texas.

I do think your theory plays out at OSU though. When I was there I don't know if I even knew anyone from Texas, and the new member listings are full of Texas girls now.

[drgnlady]

The last couple of years we've heard some "horror stories" back in TX about OU's rush. But when you delve into the details it's usually girls getting set on a handful of houses and dropping out when things don't go their way. Tell your daughter to give all the houses a fair shake and she should be fine. Also, in my opinion, legacies don't help much. Recs are way more important. Given that your from TX, your daughter is basically in-state at OU. So tell her to relax, smile and have fun because in the end that's what it's all about.

[violetpretty]

Originally Posted by Ladybugmom

There are a lot of students that go to OU from my daughter's high school which hopefully will help her.

Does she have friends from high school in any of the chapters at OU?

Originally Posted by breathesgelatin

And as others have said, I think it's more important to be well-prepared than to be in-state.

That's the bottom line.

[ZTA72]

A high school friend of my daughters' rushed at OU in 06. We are not from Texas or OK, we are from the southeast. I don't know if she was a legacy or had recs, but she had a very successful rush and was very happy with her house. All this to say, it is possible and good luck!

[UHDEEGEE]

There are exceptions to every rule. I know a young lady from my son's high school who did NOT have a 4.0 unweighted GPA and received a bid from her first choice, and from what I gather from this board & other Greek sites one of the top houses, at OU. Our suburban high school is considered one of the most competitive high schools in the Houston area where a 4.0 doesn't even make it in the top 25%. She is a beautiful young lady who was a member of the Homecoming Court and involved in many extracurricular activities, though, so I assume that made up for the lower GPA.

[Ladybugmom]

Originally Posted by UHDEEGEE

There are exceptions to every rule. I know a young lady from my son's high school who did NOT have a 4.0 unweighted GPA and received a bid from her first choice, and from what I gather from this board & other Greek sites one of the top houses, at OU. Our suburban high school is considered one of the most competitive high schools in the Houston area where a 4.0 doesn't even make it in the top 25%. She is a beautiful young lady who was a member of the Homecoming Court and involved in many extracurricular activities, though, so I assume that made up for the lower GPA.

Thanks UHDEEGEE! You are describing my daughter almost to a "T". She is very involved at her school and outside of school which should help. I just shudder to think that a 3.8 is considered a lower GPA!! We also live in a highly competitive school district where my daughter is BARELY in the top quarter with a 3.8 (she got a B in her freshmen year and another B in an AP class, thus the 3.8 GPA..)
I find it shocking that this is considered a less than great GPA!! This will be very discouraging to my daughter, as it is to me.

[gee_ess]

I agree that school reputation can influence a chapter's opinion about gpa. If the school is known to be a competitive one, actives will take that into consideration.

I am interested in hearing more on GPA minimums at OU. Is a 3.8 really considered low for chapters there? What do the more competitive chapters consider an actual grade risk?

What about ACT or SAT scores? Are those factored in? And, someone explain the weighted score criteria. Does OU not consider weighted classes - AP,etc?

Looking forward to learning more...