Parent Troubles...

[PsychTau2]

Originally Posted by mscongeniality1

On Monday I received the financial info...and the new member fees are TWICE what I expected them to be (I had checked out the university Panhel website, which lists all the estimates for fees for each sorority). Apparently they didn't include next semester's dues in with the estimate, so, needless to say, I felt pretty misled. I don't really blame anyone necessarily, I just feel like I was kept in the dark.

First of all, congratulations on AGD!

Secondly, it sounds like the fees they told you about include this semester and next semester dues. Correct? If so, don't forget to ask the Financial Advisor these questions: when do you have to pay them by? Are they all due at once? Is there some sort of payment plan?

Good luck and keep thinking creatively to figure this out I'm sure you can!

PsychTau

[Thetamomtoo]

After reading through this thread, it seems a lot of the issues causing bad feelings on the part of both the new member, as well as her parents, stemmed from unwelcome surprises. Speaking as a mom, I REALLY appreciate it when my kids don't spring things on me that have been brewing for some time. It's nice to ease into ideas, and not have something hit you from out of the blue. I respect my daughters and their thought processes, and like seeing the steps they take to get to their final decisions. I don't always agree, and sometimes I can't hold my tongue, but I try to let them make their own choices. If you point out to your parents that most sororities have a higher GPA than the campus average, study hours, and opportunities for leadership that can really shine on a future resume, they will probably come around. Let it all sink in. In the future, fill them in on what you are thinking along the way, instead of after the decision has essentially been made.

As for the money, can you work over the winter break between semesters? It may not seem like much, but if you apply soon for holiday employment either around your school or in your hometown, you'd be surprised how much you can make. Just don't let your grades suffer.

Best of luck!

[WarEagle07]

When you meet with the advisor please ask about incidental fees that can be associated with being in a sorority. The fees that come to mind are the small things like t-shirt's that are required for certain events, secret-santa gifts, etc.. I know what it is like to be a broke college kid, where $20.00 is a lot of money and hard to come by. There were times when I felt very bad when I couldn't afford the t-shirt, picture, or gift. Having said that, I managed to scrape by and it was well worth it. Good luck to you!

[mscongeniality1]

It's been a while since I gave an update, so I'll wrap up this 'lil drama right here...
Yes, I understand that I did an underhanded thing by not telling my parents. It was really hard for me and I felt bad about it, but I knew I didn't want to tell them because I really didn't want to be influenced by people who didn't know much about the Greek system. I think my parents and I are on the same page now (they even gave me some money for my birthday to help out with dues--YAY!) so everything on that front is fine.
A couple days ago, I had an epiphany: it wasn't the amount of money that bothered me, because after some number-crunching, I figured out I'd come out okay. I just really needed to do some soul-searching to figure out if this was what I really wanted to commit to, both financially and time-wise. Quite honestly, I think I've been discouraged because I haven't been up at the house much lately. We got back from our fall break last Wednesday and not much has gone on before or after then because it's midterm time! I talked to my friend today (she is also in my sorority) and she said basically the same thing--that all I'd gotten so far is the alcohol education convocation we'd had to attend a week ago.
But anyway...I'm going to study tables tomorrow and new member education/dinner on Monday, and I'm very excited about that! I am glad everything has worked out okay, and I just want to thank everyone for the helpful advice. I have really appreciated it