update on my recruitment week so far...

[UWO_2007]

My age should have nothing to do with wanting to get involved. There are members OLDER than me in the greek system where I go to school. I also checked into the age issue for every sorrority on campus BEFORE recruitment... there are none. In addition, NONE of the young ladies asked my age. (I also don't look anywhere near my mid 20's... so it's not like I look like an old spinster or something)

[UWO_2007]

Pref night is Wednesday. I do intend on going to the meetings tonight. I'm staying open, but with not feeling comfortable and being a lifelong commitment to the sorority, I don't want to do something I am not feeling, does that make sense???

[LPIDelta]

Whether they say so or not--age can be an issue. I certainly don't think its a "take what you can get" situation, but you do need to accept that may be a reason why you get cut.

Hopefully group A will work out for you--but you should give all a chance because sometimes its just a bad night or you don't talk with the right people.

[SthrnZeta]

I agree with Delta, you may end up talking to one girl tonight you totally click with and change your opinion of D or E entirely (it happened to me!) so don't discount them too early. It's definitely good to keep an open mind. Also, rushing is really nerve-wracking, think about it from their side also. They're just as nervous, if not more so, than you. THEY'RE the ones who have to impress you, THEY'RE the ones who need/want new members. I felt that when you walked into the room feeling confident like that, it helped my nerves and I was able to have better conversations with the women there, which ultimately helped me find my home. I have to say though, I remember cutting girls because they were Juniors, too busy with jobs, etc. so, though they may tell you they don't care, it is a reality, harsh though it may be. Sororities want freshman because they know they're more likely to be an active collegiate for a longer period of time, it's just the logistics of it.

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by UWO_2007

My age should have nothing to do with wanting to get involved. There are members OLDER than me in the greek system where I go to school. I also checked into the age issue for every sorrority on campus BEFORE recruitment... there are none. In addition, NONE of the young ladies asked my age. (I also don't look anywhere near my mid 20's... so it's not like I look like an old spinster or something)

You WANTING to get involved and you being CHOSEN to be involved are two seperate issues. In reality, YOU may be mature enough to realize that you could be an asset to a group...but you're not voting on yourself...a group of 18-22 year olds are. They may see it differently. If you say there are older folks on your campus in the Greek system...well, you know your campus better then I do. But, I'm just warning you.

[fantASTic]

Originally Posted by UWO_2007

My age should have nothing to do with wanting to get involved. There are members OLDER than me in the greek system where I go to school. I also checked into the age issue for every sorrority on campus BEFORE recruitment... there are none. In addition, NONE of the young ladies asked my age. (I also don't look anywhere near my mid 20's... so it's not like I look like an old spinster or something)

It's not that older members can't be involved. It's that a member who is that much older than the others is probably going to have different priorities. Also...and maybe no one else has ever experienced this, but I'm just going to throw it out there:

A lot of times, people who are in their 30's or above tend to 'talk down' to younger adults, try to reorganize and run things, and argue with the way things are done based on their "life experience". I'm not saying you do; I don't even know you. I'm just saying that I personally would be hesitant in bidding an older member because I wouldn't want her to disrupt the chapter in such a way. Of course, I would definitely give her a fair chance, but I would be more cautious.

[AnatraAmore]

I was talking to a chapter advisor whose chapter is just finishing up recruitment and this topic came up. They had a woman come through recruitment who was 27. On her campus, this wasn't a huge event, but it wasn't out of the ordinary either. The woman did end up receiving a bid, but it raised questions about how the PNM's would feel about having someone is a bit older and MUCH more mature than the average 18 year old freshmen pledging with them. We agreed that there are definite benefits to having someone who has experience and maturity coming through, but also wondering how she is going to "mesh" with 20 other 18 - 20 year old women with completely different priorities who she'll be going through her new member process with.

Anyway, the point of the little story is that it is possible for an older woman to receive a bid, however this woman did receive heavy cuts in the early rounds. Best of luck! Let us know where you end!

[Scandia]

I can only think of 2 NPC's that I know of that let students who already have a BA or BS join as an undergrad. It's something you might want to think about.

Which two are those? You can PM me the names.

Also, if an NPC sorority colonizes on a campus while a student is a graduate student, would collegiate membership be allowed in that case as well?

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by Scandia

Also, if an NPC sorority colonizes on a campus while a student is a graduate student, would collegiate membership be allowed in that case as well?

Only if the NPC is one of those that allows grad students as new members. As far as I know there are only a couple that do. This thread talks about grad students pursuing collegiate membership in NPCs:


http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...udents+joining

Please note that just because a sorority's national policies allow for grad students to join, that doesn't mean they will automatically be asked to. It's just like a GPA requirement. Just because you have the minimum 3.0 that XYZ requires, does not mean you'll be asked to join.

[UWO_2007]

to answer all of the questions, i have an Associates Degree. I am a transfer freshman because UW only allowed one of my credits, so I am only entering the semester with 3 credits... so I AM AN UNDERGRAD. Once I finish my bachelors (BA and I want to do a BS)I want to go into their MBA program.
Yes they all know of my degree. I spoke with the greek life advisor on campus MONTHS before school even started.
I have completely honest with all of the young ladies I have had conversations with. I was invited back to 3, there were some girls who were invited back to one or none.
I do "mesh" well with younger people... I have to communicate with them daily in my line of work. Most of the people I do know since moving up here... are in that age range.
I'm not doing this the wrong way or hiding anything from any of the young ladies.

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by fantASTic

It's not that older members can't be involved. It's that a member who is that much older than the others is probably going to have different priorities. Also...and maybe no one else has ever experienced this, but I'm just going to throw it out there:

A lot of times, people who are in their 30's or above tend to 'talk down' to younger adults, try to reorganize and run things, and argue with the way things are done based on their "life experience". I'm not saying you do; I don't even know you. I'm just saying that I personally would be hesitant in bidding an older member because I wouldn't want her to disrupt the chapter in such a way. Of course, I would definitely give her a fair chance, but I would be more cautious.

I would say that it's probably the case here...

Originally Posted by UWO_2007

to answer all of the questions, i have an Associates Degree. I am a transfer freshman because UW only allowed one of my credits, so I am only entering the semester with 3 credits... so I AM AN UNDERGRAD. Once I finish my bachelors (BA and I want to do a BS)I want to go into their MBA program.
Yes they all know of my degree. I spoke with the greek life advisor on campus MONTHS before school even started.
I have completely honest with all of the young ladies I have had conversations with. I was invited back to 3, there were some girls who were invited back to one or none.
I do "mesh" well with younger people... I have to communicate with them daily in my line of work. Most of the people I do know since moving up here... are in that age range.
I'm not doing this the wrong way or hiding anything from any of the young ladies.

I know everyone is different, but I'm 24, and I couldn't imagine wanting to pledge with a group of 18 year olds. I'm in a different stage in my life. Even if I wasn't married and a mom, I don't have the same interests as I did when I was an undergrad. I'm on my district's Education Coaching team, so I'll be doing a little supervising, but I wouldn't want to be committed to going to meetings and events constantly.

[LadyLonghorn]

Originally Posted by Scandia

Which two are those? You can PM me the names.

Also, if an NPC sorority colonizes on a campus while a student is a graduate student, would collegiate membership be allowed in that case as well?

Good God, woman, do you EVER give up?!

[kk_bama]

Congrats and welcome to our sisterhood!

[FloridaTish]

Congratulations and welcome to the sisterhood of Gamma Phi Beta! I'm glad to hear everything turned out well for you!