SCARED OF RUSHING

[juniyah08]

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]

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]

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.

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]

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]

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]

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]

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...

[VeniceIsSinking]

Originally Posted by juniyah08

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...

I might get flamed a bit for this, but whatever.

I can see your point juniyah. For me high school was incredibly hard because my courses were so rigorous. My school had a program that was actually above the AP/Honors level. We didn't even offer AP or Honors, just the International Baccalaureate program. So when I got to college, I really didn't find my courses difficult. They're challenging, but they're not hard. However, that doesn't mean I just disregard studying or homework. I study for hours on a daily basis to ensure I fully comprehend and memorize things as necessary. I don't consider that to be hard though.

IMO, college is about dedication and determination. If you can dedicate yourself to take the time to study and are determind to learn, you will succceed at the collegiate level.

[ChildoftheHorn]

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]

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.

[mystikchick]

i did the full ib too, and i go to a school that would make it onto that list of "prestigious" institutions, and yes, after doing the IB college classes weren't hard in the sense that I was well equipped to deal with the paper writing, but that didn't mean that the transition to college was easy. and once things started to feel too easy, then i took on more academic challenge. if the kids from your HS who are at the schools you say they are at are not being challenged, they're wasting the money they're paying to be at those institutions, because they cost a freakin lot of money. trust me. so again, don't take their word for it, and yeah, jr. year of HS WAS a lot of stress and hardwork, but so is college.

[juniyah08]

Originally Posted by mystikchick

if the kids from your HS who are at the schools you say they are at are not being challenged, they're wasting the money they're paying to be at those institutions, because they cost a freakin lot of money. trust me. so again, don't take their word for it, and yeah, jr. year of HS WAS a lot of stress and hardwork, but so is college.

why would i lie about the colleges the people at my hs went too??

you sound a little bitter...was college too hard?

[mystikchick]

Originally Posted by juniyah08

why would i lie about the colleges the people at my hs went too??

you sound a little bitter.

i have absolutely nothing to be bitter about. i just feel if you're forking over some $40,000 to attend an institution like columbia or stanford and you aren't being challenged, you're wasting your money. and most of the people i know who go to those institutions (stanford, columbia, penn, harvard, princeton, etc) are extremely challenged (in a positive way) by their academic experience at those schools, and they all went to excellent high schools that were rigorous as well.

and as i said, maybe the people from your HS are truly exceptional individuals, but each person is different. the thing is, college is a very different experience from HS, and while there were certain things about HS that were much harder than college (having homework for all my classes due each day, all the CAS activities of the IB, etc), college is a different type of challenge. as others have pointed out, you have to learn to balance school, socializing (life changes when your friends are around 24/7), work, extra-curriculars, and all the emotional aspects of going to college.

all i can say is keep working hard and work on your grades so that you can get into a good school and take the rest from there (like pledging).

edit: i'm a junior in college, and no, it's not too difficult, but it's a challenge, which is a good thing. i'd be worried if it weren't.

[AChiOhSnap]

Originally Posted by juniyah08

why would i lie about the colleges the people at my hs went too??

you sound a little bitter...was college too hard?

Listen Juniyah, your thread is rapidly turning into a train wreck. If you honestly want more advice about sorority recruitment via GreekChat, I think you'd be best served to quit fueling the college vs. HS debate. People are starting to get annoyed. It's a really pointless debate and you're only pissing people off who are actually in college or are college graduates.

Also, if you really want to make your point about your HS being more academically rigorous than Columbia/Yale/Stanford etc., you're going to probably want to start using correct punctuation/capitalization as well.

Just something to consider.