Going through recruitment twice?

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by Jenriv

Its not even about being in the "top" house for me. One of the ones im interested in is not considered the top house by any means. I really want to be in a house that I think fits my personality and that i can see fitting into. One of the houses I got asked back to was popular but i just didnt click with them. So this isnt about being in the best sorority its being in the best sorority for me, thats why i didnt join the first round.

That's good to know! However, you see how your statement has been misinterpreted? Don't expect the girls recruiting you to ask what you mean...they may just assume they know! I wish you the best of luck in joining the sisterhood that is right for you. Just be careful how you address the previous recruitment process.

[violetpretty]

Originally Posted by 33girl

2) if the chapters are struggling for numbers, they may be under direction to invite everyone back that they can, even if those people cut them previously. I realize that this is a stupid and counterproductive strategy, but some groups/advisors/etc apparently think it works.

Well, this assumes that the PNM doesn't mature at all and is still unwilling to consider groups that she deemed not good enough last year/semester, and/or that she was particularly rude the first time. A friend of several of my sisters (myself included) went through FMR in Spring 05 (when most of her friends went through) and was "unhappy with her choices" (in other words, she didn't think her remaining options were good enough and told some of my sisters that). She then went through informal in Fall 05 but didn't get a bid from any of the chapters she wanted (there was another chapter that she was in the same boat as us---burned her bridges too early and then changed her mind but enough people were offended the first time to not give her another chance). She went through again in Spring 06 and accepted a bid to, at the time, arguably the "lowest chapter on the totem pole" and became a very active and enthusiastic sister, holding a very high executive position and taking 2 littles.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by violetpretty

Well, this assumes that the PNM doesn't mature at all and is still unwilling to consider groups that she deemed not good enough last year/semester, and/or that she was particularly rude the first time. A friend of several of my sisters (myself included) went through FMR in Spring 05 (when most of her friends went through) and was "unhappy with her choices" (in other words, she didn't think her remaining options were good enough and told some of my sisters that). She then went through informal in Fall 05 but didn't get a bid from any of the chapters she wanted (there was another chapter that she was in the same boat as us---burned her bridges too early and then changed her mind but enough people were offended the first time to not give her another chance). She went through again in Spring 06 and accepted a bid to, at the time, arguably the "lowest chapter on the totem pole" and became a very active and enthusiastic sister, holding a very high executive position and taking 2 littles.

All the above is true. But in this case, I was more referring to the OP's situation, which as she's now told us we misinterpreted a bit.

[Jenriv]

Yes I did not mean to come off that I was just trying to get into the top houses because that is not the case at all. I just wanted to be in a house that I could truly see my self in and there was nothing wrong with the girls in those two chapters--it just wasn't for me. I'm sorry if i misinterpreted things to seem that way because thats not true at all. I really want to be a part of sisterhood just the right one for me.

[gee_ess]

After your explanation of why you didn't pledge, and after the easy way so many of us misunderstood, I think it is important that you figure out an effective and POSITIVE way to explain your decision last year and stick with it.

Trying to explain to people that you just didn't click, etc is hard to do in a short time. I, again, think you ought to start saying to anyone and everyone, " Last year, I dropped out before pref but realized afterwards what a mistake that was. I met some great girls and have met even more throughout the school year. I am excited and looking forward to recruitment this fall." If people press you, you can even explain how overwhelmed you were with recruitment and it negatively affected your decision making. For most, formal recruitment can be a very overwhelming and stressful experience. Maybe this was true for you? Again, it depends on your campus.

Also, you did not answer the gpa question I asked earlier. If rush is competitive where you are, this could still be an issue for you...

[Jenriv]

At my school, Rush is in Early November, so they only looked at my high school grades. My GPA in high school was a 3.3/4.0 which I think is pretty good. But I heard that some chapters didnt even consider girls without a 3.5 or higher just as a method of elimination. My GPA currently is a 3.7/4.0 which is significantly greater considering its college and I had to deal with a bad roommate issue my first quarter and had to deal with the hassle of moving home in the middle of my fall quarter and moving back to campus my winter quarter. I'm confident that my GPA will be about the same if I decide to rush again in the fall. But thanks for that advice I think that is a very good explanation and will still leave my options open. I regret not finding GC before going through recruitment my first time..i have learned so much and you all are such a great help!

[gee_ess]

Great grades! That should be a help. Also, it sounds like your first year of college was tough- for a lot of reasons.
I definitely think you should give it a go this fall and keep us posted!

[Zillini]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Not necessarily. I mean, you would think they would, but

1) voting stuff is supposed to be destroyed after rush is over - if the chapter had a big turnover in their membership they may not remember her, or that she cut them.

To be honest I'm always surprised by the number of actives who distinctly remember a PNM who went through the year before. But just because a PNM was cut previously doesn't mean she will automatically be cut this year. As several others have said it largely depends on what that PNM did on campus (resume wise), becoming friends with many actives and her grades during that freshman year. I've even seen situations where someone with a questionable rep in HS overcame that by turning over a new leaf once she was in college.