University of Illinois/Urbana-Champaign Recruitment

[IndianaSigKap]

Originally Posted by irishpipes

UIUC was definitely the largest when I was in school, too. Now, Alabama is certainly the largest. I believe UIUC would fall in at about #3 or 4.

This is just for fun, but if campus total meant anything (which we all know it really doesn't), the largest greek systems would be:

1. Alabama 268*17=4,556
2. Auburn 183*17=3,111
3. Missouri 220*14=3,080
4. Illinois 170*18=3,060
5. Georgia 170*17=2,890
6. Florida 161*16=2,576
7. Oklahoma 211*11=2,321
8. Arizona 200*11=2,200
9. Ole Miss 232*9=2,088

As well as Indiana, which would fall in there somewhere, but with 20 chapters and no established total, who knows where.

Of course since chapters may have way over total, or under total, this is not scientific at all.

So much interesting information in the last few posts! I knew that Penn State didn't have houses for sororities, do the fraternities have houses?

As far as Indiana goes, there are 19 chapters currently and most have close to 120 members (appox. 2280). There is no total, which is part of the whole Indiana situation. While there is no official total, of the 19 chapters, I believe that only 7 of them allow live outs. The largest of the chapter houses hold 110-120 women. Therefore if a chapter holds 120 and doesn't allow live outs, they have a self imposed cap of 120. As much as I love Indiana, I think all of the chapters need to allow a certain number of live outs. It would keep many of the chapters from losing their senior leadership just because they are tired of communal living.

I am not sure if Theta Phi Alpha will take that many (120) since they are part of the university's new Greek plan. They will colonize in September and then participate in the open house round in December and then recruit again after formal is over in January. From talking to a former student who is on campus in and Greek leadership, Indiana would eventually like to expand to all 26 NPC chapters. This is many years down the road, but it's a long term goal.

[AXOrushadvisor]

Originally Posted by Clara Mom

Quick question. I have learned that at some houses legacies get an automatic return invite to the first round. Is this ever the case with a non-legacy recommendation? Do girls with recommendations automatically get an invite to the first party? Just want to know if I should be fretting that two houses she might like only invited daughter back because they had to ...

I think that also depends on the Chapter.

[scrapcat]

My daughter had 5 letters of rec to 5 different houses. If it means anything, she did get invited back to first rounds from all 5. She ended up getting a bid from one of her rec houses.

[FSUZeta]

even if she was invited back due to the chapter's policy, it gives her one more opportunity to shine and impress them.

[IL Anchor Girl]

One of my rec girls checked in and things are going really well so far. She had a conflict and missed one of the two first round sets of parties, so only made it to 9 of 18. (It was a school-related absence, and she notified all the houses by email as directed by her advisors.) She was pleasantly surprised to receive 12 invites back for 2nd round, including 3 from houses she did not make it to first stage. She is keeping an open mind, and has about 6 favorites right now. We'll see how many she gets asked back to for 3rd round, she would be excited if she can max out at 7 for that round.

For the 3 who asked her back when she didn't make it to first round parties, for those who are wondering, she had a rec for one and no rec for the other two. She's relieved she had a rec for the one because it's one of her favorites going in. But again, she is keeping a very open mind.

One surprise she had was how easy it was to make conversation - she had thought talking to essentially strangers would be much more awkward, but she said all the girls she met have been really friendly and easy to talk to. She's having a great time so far. I have my fingers crossed for her that she will have a full dance card for 3rd round.

Good luck to all the other daughters and rec girls as well!

[33girl]

Originally Posted by IndianaSigKap

So much interesting information in the last few posts! I knew that Penn State didn't have houses for sororities, do the fraternities have houses?

Yes, they have big, beautiful, gorgeous houses that make me drool just thinking about them. (Although I'm sure there's some shacks that I missed when I was there.) I think Penn State might have the largest number of fraternities of any system, but obviously they are not all the same size.

[IL Anchor Girl]

Got an update on my other cute rec girl. Totally exhausted from first and second rounds, but having fun. Had 9 invites after first round, felt disappointed because a friend had 12, and also lost her first round favorite. BUT she heard the average # of invites for 2nd round was lower than hers, around 6 or 7 (though that seems really low). She still has several houses she is very enthused about and is looking forward to 3rd round on Saturday. And of course stressing 'til Friday comes round and she finds out who asked her back...

[DubaiSis]

I think back in the day a rec got you a return invitation, but with so many girls knowing about recs and alums "selling" their sorority to the girls in their lives, they couldn't possibly invite back everyone based just on the fact that one was received. HOWEVER, having the rec means they know more about the girl in advance and can have a more directed conversation, which does increase her chances at being invited back. Unfortunately there are lot of girls with stellar credentials who a lot of chapters would love to have, if they only knew!

[psusue]

Originally Posted by IndianaSigKap

Wow, I had no idea that Penn State quotas were so small. I assumed they would be huge. The chapters are smaller there than I guessed they would be.

About 800-950 women start recruitment, but last year I believe only about 450 completed it. A LOT of women drop out because they don't get the invites they want; hence quota is smaller than one would expect.

Originally Posted by IndianaSigKap

So much interesting information in the last few posts! I knew that Penn State didn't have houses for sororities, do the fraternities have houses?

Yep, they do, and sororities used to have houses before WWII, but after that the cost of living rose and space opened up in the new dormitories so that is where they moved.

Originally Posted by 33girl

Yes, they have big, beautiful, gorgeous houses that make me drool just thinking about them. (Although I'm sure there's some shacks that I missed when I was there.) I think Penn State might have the largest number of fraternities of any system, but obviously they are not all the same size.

Most of the prettiest houses downtown are fraternity houses. Some are smaller and maybe less grand, but so many are beautiful in the architecture and proportions. I still remember on my first visit to PSU I kept saying "I like that house, and that one too" and my mom kept saying "they're all fraternity houses". I remember being so mad that I'd never get to live in them, some look really quaint and magical.

I've heard that if four sororities could move off campus at once that we could have off campus housing, however the chances of four houses suitable for sororities to live in being for sale all at once in State College, where housing and land is at a premium, is unlikely. Therefore we're moving toward the Greek Village concept, but again we'll see where it goes.

I think there are about 52 fraternities at Penn State, though I may be making up that number it's definitely more than 50. They range in size like 33girl said but we do have quite a lot.

//back to your regularly scheduled UIUC programming.

[scrapinfificat]

Friday feels like a long way off - sorry but I am really enjoying this thread. Not to mention I don't really care for cliffhangers!

[Clara Mom]

The Second Invitational starts at 8:30 am on Saturday. Do the girls get their invites on Friday night or Saturday morning?

[IL Anchor Girl]

Originally Posted by Clara Mom

The Second Invitational starts at 8:30 am on Saturday. Do the girls get their invites on Friday night or Saturday morning?

Clara Mom, I was told they get them on Friday -

[DeltaBetaBaby]

They get their schedules when they meet with their groups to begin the next round of parties.

[Clara Mom]

For all the PNMs going through recruitment at Illinois, here is sage advice (cut and pasted from other ladies here on this thread) going into the Second Invitational:

Cuts will be heavy, because there are so many PNMs going through. 18-13-7-3 means that the cuts get worse as the rounds go on. Be prepared that you might not get invited back to all, or even any, of your favorites. That doesn't mean they all didn't want you back, it just means they had too many girls to consider. All that being said, very few women are released from all chapters. The vast majority not completing recruitment drop out themselves. Here are some things to consider, though, if you don't get all of your favorite invites:

1) You have been invited back to "X" number of sororities. You should try to find new favorites. Some of your favorites changed from Open House to First Invitational, so you know it can happen.

2) At Illinois, tiers and reputations change. Houses once considered "top" have changed over the years - some are like night and day.

3) Every chapter at Illinois has over 150 women. Every chapter has women who party, and women who go to church, and women who study, and women who play sports, etc, etc. Every NPC chapter has a house, and a barn dance, and a formal, and exchanges, etc. Every chapter also has drama.

4) The fraternities vastly outnumber the sororities, something like 50 housed fraternities to 18 sororities. This means that no sorority ever hurts for a social calendar, and every sorority has at least two fraternities that consider that sorority their favorite.

5) Even by the second round, there are so many PNMs coming through, that most of the chapters do not assign hostesses, and the PNM is paired with whomever happens to be next in line when she walks through the door. This means that your experience with the chapter has a lot to do with the luck of the draw. Everyone tries to let PNMs meet more than one active, but again, in such large chapters, the PNM is lucky if she meets 10%.

6) Please make sure you maximize your invitations. Even if there are still some chapters where you are not feeling a connection, please be certain to fill out your preferences completely. If you do not do this, you will lose the opportunity to be a quota addition to one of your top choices, if it comes down to that. If you play by the rules, you have a very good chance of getting a bid from one of the three chapters you pref.

7) When bid day finally comes, if it's not your very first choice, or even your second choice, please remember that even though you have received a bid to join the sisterhood you least wanted or expected, if you give it a chance, you may come to realize that it was the place where you belonged most. Please try to keep your heart open and enjoy the fact that the girls in this chapter really want you.

Finally, the best home for you is where you are invited back, where your new sisters know you are out there and want you, and the Greek universe has a way of showing you and helping you find your true home.

[FSUZeta]

Originally Posted by Clara Mom

For all the PNMs going through recruitment at Illinois, here is sage advice (cut and pasted from other ladies here on this thread) going into the Second Invitational:

Cuts will be heavy, because there are so many PNMs going through. 18-13-7-3 means that the cuts get worse as the rounds go on. Be prepared that you might not get invited back to all, or even any, of your favorites. That doesn't mean they all didn't want you back, it just means they had too many girls to consider. All that being said, very few women are released from all chapters. The vast majority not completing recruitment drop out themselves. Here are some things to consider, though, if you don't get all of your favorite invites:

1) You have been invited back to "X" number of sororities. You should try to find new favorites. Some of your favorites changed from Open House to First Invitational, so you know it can happen.

2) At Illinois, tiers and reputations change. Houses once considered "top" have changed over the years - some are like night and day.

3) Every chapter at Illinois has over 150 women. Every chapter has women who party, and women who go to church, and women who study, and women who play sports, etc, etc. Every NPC chapter has a house, and a barn dance, and a formal, and exchanges, etc. Every chapter also has drama.

4) The fraternities vastly outnumber the sororities, something like 50 housed fraternities to 18 sororities. This means that no sorority ever hurts for a social calendar, and every sorority has at least two fraternities that consider that sorority their favorite.

5) Even by the second round, there are so many PNMs coming through, that most of the chapters do not assign hostesses, and the PNM is paired with whomever happens to be next in line when she walks through the door. This means that your experience with the chapter has a lot to do with the luck of the draw. Everyone tries to let PNMs meet more than one active, but again, in such large chapters, the PNM is lucky if she meets 10%.

6) Please make sure you maximize your bids. Even if there are still some chapters where you are not feeling a connection, please be certain to fill out your preferences completely. If you do not do this, you will lose the opportunity to be a quota addition to one of your top choices, if it comes down to that. If you play by the rules, you have a very good chance of getting a bid from one of the three chapters you pref.

Finally, the best home for you is where you are invited back, where your new sisters know you are out there and want you, and the Greek universe has a way of showing you and helping you find your true home.

good advice for any campus! would you mind changing the highlighted word, "bids" to "invitations"? during formal recruitment, bids only happen after pref. round, and a PNM can only receive one.