WA state resident looking to rush at Ole Miss - Any Advice?

[candiceena]

Kite - also thanks for the Lilly Pullitzer suggestion. I just checked out her website and the dresses are adorable!

I have a question too for anyone who is down south right now, regarding handbags. Up here Dooney & Bourke and Coach bags are HUGE - is this the case down there as well? If not, what is popular? I have heard rumors of PNMs being judged on what designer handbag they carry - is this the case?

[adpiucf]

you don't bring a purse into a recruitment event-- so this won't matter. Your recruitment counselor will watch over your stuff (cell phone, purse, makeup) when you go into a party.

[violetpretty]

Originally Posted by adpiucf

you don't bring a purse into a recruitment event-- so this won't matter. Your recruitment counselor will watch over your stuff (cell phone, purse, makeup) when you go into a party.

This may or may not be the case at Ole Miss (PNMs bring their purses with them to recruitment parties at my school). Can a current Ole Miss sorority member or very recent alum verify that?

[Ole Miss Phi Mu]

Originally Posted by JessSigKap

This may or may not be the case at Ole Miss (PNMs bring their purses with them to recruitment parties at my school). Can a current Ole Miss sorority member or very recent alum verify that?

At Ole Miss, PNMs don't bring purses at all to the parties. Their Gamma Chis give them a sandwich bag to put all their stuff in, except cell phones. Cell phones have to stay at home.

[lsu_rosewhite]

I pm'ed you wear-a-kite. Check your messages please.

[AnchorAlum]

This thread is hilarious. Remember to buy this, wear that, affect this attitude and act like you're from Mississippi. Bless your heart. You will be the proverbial fish out of water. No offense to Mississippi ladies - my GLO has Ole Miss roots, after all.

PLEASE do yourself a favor and go to school somewhere else. Texas schools for one offer a better opportunity for membership in a GLO, as do either of the big two Florida schools.

Tallahassee is still as deep South as you can get. Gainesville is, too. All of the above are more down to earth, more welcoming of outsiders, and offer terrific college experiences.

[adpiucf]

I also want to gently point out that it is very feasible to finish up your BA/BS in WA and then move to the South to get a job, go to grad school, etc.

You can join the Junior League there, as well, and be involved with sorority alumnae life if you join a sorority in undergrad.

I went to school in FL and fit in just fine with my AA and the Alum Panhellenic in my area of Texas quite well. Just something to think about since you have a year before you would transfer to a 4-year school.

If you are really interested in sorority membership, rushing at the majority of schools in the "Deep South" or an SEC school is not going to be a very pleasant experience for the vast majority of upperclassmen. Just putting it out there. I'm sure you will make the decision that best fits you and your needs.

[candiceena]

Thanks for the advice.

A friend of mine is against me going to college down South (mainly just because she thinks it is ridiculous to pay for out-of-state tuition) however I am having mental battles.

On one hand, I really want to go to school in the South. I have for a while now and I think that if I didn't, I would regret it. College is not something that you can just go back and do over. It's four years of your life that you will remember forever, you know what I mean? I'm sure I'd get a good education and have a good time here in WA but I think I will always regret not going to a Southern school.

On the other hand, sorority membership is something that I want very badly as well. I'm sure I could pick somewhere else and go to school there, as well as be 99% certain I could get a bid, but then how would I feel about "selling out" (for major lack of a better term) just so that I can be in a sorority?

Then, when I think about it like that, I wonder just how happy I would be at a southern school if I weren't in a sorority.

Meh. I am conflicted. But I am definitely 90% that in the end my decision will be to go down south and go through with it, if for nothing else than to know that I actually tried and put my best foot forward. I'd much rather try and fail than never try and wonder "what if" 20 years from now.

[adpiucf]

You have a wonderful outlook and plenty of time to make the decision. Definitely apply to the schools you are interested in, both closer to home and in the South and make the decision when the time is nearer and you've analyzed the pros and cons.

Please keep us posted! I personally think you'll have a wonderful experience, sorority or not, no matter where you go to college. It is all what you make of it, and you're absolutely right-- you don't know if you don't try.

[PeppyGPhiB]

I've been repeatedly invited to Seattle Junior League orientations, and I haven't gone to a single one. Why? Not because I'm not interested (I am), but because I know I don't have the time to dedicate to it right now.

As others have said, Junior League is a major committment, both in time and MONEY, and it's not one of those clubs you can join and then just not attend meetings. There is a two-year provisional period where you are a "trial" member; during that time you are expected to be very actively involved in the group's committees and projects. That is why most women who join Junior League are older - they're more settled, have a better handle on their time, and have more expertise and leadership skills to offer. Also, you should know that the Junior League of Seattle is one of the country's oldest, and it takes membership very seriously.

It sounds like you've read up on the Junior League of Seattle...if so, you saw that the League is very involved in mentorship programs for young women. To be frank, I think you're too young and inexperienced still to act as a kind of mentor that this League offers (career-based in many cases). Once you're out of school and have been in the workplace, I think you'll be better prepared for the League.

[irishpipes]

Originally Posted by candiceena

Thanks for the advice.

A friend of mine is against me going to college down South (mainly just because she thinks it is ridiculous to pay for out-of-state tuition) however I am having mental battles.

On one hand, I really want to go to school in the South. I have for a while now and I think that if I didn't, I would regret it. College is not something that you can just go back and do over. It's four years of your life that you will remember forever, you know what I mean? I'm sure I'd get a good education and have a good time here in WA but I think I will always regret not going to a Southern school.

On the other hand, sorority membership is something that I want very badly as well. I'm sure I could pick somewhere else and go to school there, as well as be 99% certain I could get a bid, but then how would I feel about "selling out" (for major lack of a better term) just so that I can be in a sorority?

Then, when I think about it like that, I wonder just how happy I would be at a southern school if I weren't in a sorority.

Meh. I am conflicted. But I am definitely 90% that in the end my decision will be to go down south and go through with it, if for nothing else than to know that I actually tried and put my best foot forward. I'd much rather try and fail than never try and wonder "what if" 20 years from now.

Sorry of this was already addressed, but I didn't have a chance to read the whole thread. If you are considering a different southern university in order to increase your chances at sorority membership, you may keep in mind that while Ole Miss is probably the most competitive Greek Life school, pretty much every major university in the south has similar attitudes towards Greek Life. Your chances of getting a bid wouldn't go up much by choosing a different SEC school.

[CrazyUMGirl]

This thread is hilarious. Ole Miss is not like people think it is at all, i just went through rush in 2006 and ended up at a great house. I am from the north and it was difficult for me going through rush because I thought that no one would want me because i wasnt from mississippi. which ended up being true for 3 or 4 of them. Last year only 4 girls out of all 960 something girls that went through rush got cut from every house. every other girl got a bid. Unless you are really mean, have a horrible GPA, or screw a lot of peoples boyfriends you will get into a house. no worries. dont let all these people who dont go there and only hear rumors psyche you out, rush is fun if you let it be.

Originally Posted by CrazyUMGirl

every other girl got a bid. Unless you are really mean, have a horrible GPA, or screw a lot of peoples boyfriends you will get into a house. no worries. dont let all these people who dont go there and only hear rumors psyche you out, rush is fun if you let it be.

While I don't doubt that you know how Ole Miss recruitment is like as a PNM, have you participated in a formal recruitment as a member on the other side?

The advice being given here by the non-Ole Miss students aren't meant to psyche her out. They're just giving her realistic information that might be helpful to her. Some are Ole Miss alumnae and advisors -- I think they're qualified to give advice and let the OP know what her chances are really like. As far as the others go, well...a lot of them come from similar competitive schools and they have years of recruitments under their belt. I'd say they're in good position to dish out advice as well.

In my opinion, telling the OP to go through recruitment but warning her what might be ahead is better than telling her "no worries" and have her endure disappointment later on.

[irishpipes]

Originally Posted by CrazyUMGirl

I am from the north and it was difficult for me going through rush because I thought that no one would want me because i wasnt from mississippi. which ended up being true for 3 or 4 of them.

Since there are only 9 chapters, 3 or 4 is a lot.

Originally Posted by CrazyUMGirl

Last year only 4 girls out of all 960 something girls that went through rush got cut from every house. every other girl got a bid.

I don't think this takes into account the girls who dropped when they didn't like who they had left on their invitation list. I believe that 830 bids were accepted during FR last year. (Quota was 91 but many chapters took QAs.)

It is refreshing, though, for someone to post something encouraging about Ole Miss. I'm glad you had/are having a good experience there!

[FSUZeta]

crazyumgirl, you could be a tremendous help to the op(and to all of us on GC):

of all the girls who received bids last year at ole miss, how many of them were junior transfer students? of those, how many were in state(meaning they knew sorority members) and how many, like the op, know no one? a guesstimate will do. thanks!