Ole Miss drops GPA exceptions for rush

[GatorDG]

Grades are only part of the package. A 3.5 student at some high schools would not be a 3.5 student at others. I was looking through the packet of my daughter's pledge class where a girl had a 96% out of 100% as her high school gpa but only a 22 ACT. Another had a 3.2 and a 29 ACT. My daughter had a 2.7 from her high school and a 23 ACT, yet is now on the Dean's list. You can have a 4.0 student that goes off the deep end in college.

There has to be standards, but I hate to see such a firm line drawn without a look at the overall package. Sometimes being part of a GLO can help a girl academically. It is very foreign to many of us whose schools have minimum admisson requirement of 3.5 and the reality is that even with a 4.0 you may not be admitted. But it is not for us to judge a school about their admission policies.

I am sure that Ole Miss has it reasons. It might be a way to cut down on the number of girls going through recruitment. I do believe that the last several years the pledge classes at Ole Miss have been larger than the chapter total on many campuses.

I wish all those going through recruitment in the fall the best of luck!

[Tippiechick]

Originally Posted by GatorDG

Grades are only part of the package. A 3.5 student at some high schools would not be a 3.5 student at others. I was looking through the packet of my daughter's pledge class where a girl had a 96% out of 100% as her high school gpa but only a 22 ACT. Another had a 3.2 and a 29 ACT. My daughter had a 2.7 from her high school and a 23 ACT, yet is now on the Dean's list. You can have a 4.0 student that goes off the deep end in college.

There has to be standards, but I hate to see such a firm line drawn without a look at the overall package. Sometimes being part of a GLO can help a girl academically. It is very foreign to many of us whose schools have minimum admisson requirement of 3.5 and the reality is that even with a 4.0 you may not be admitted. But it is not for us to judge a school about their admission policies.

I am sure that Ole Miss has it reasons. It might be a way to cut down on the number of girls going through recruitment. I do believe that the last several years the pledge classes at Ole Miss have been larger than the chapter total on many campuses.

I wish all those going through recruitment in the fall the best of luck!

Did you even read the thread or even the first post?

First, it's not admission policies we are talking about -- it's rush requirements!

Second, lowering the gpa requirement would INCREASE the total number of girls. It just means more girls to pay the rush fee and more girls to end up bidless when they don't meet the glo's requirements as mentioned below. Exceptions had been made to accomodate those with a learning disability. But, learning disabilities aren't going to be an excuse in the real world. And, they shouldn't be an excuse for someone with a low gpa to get into rush. (And, don't bitch about how heartless I am... It's the truth.) Dropping the learning disability exceptions will decrease the number of girls going through rush.

Third, it really doesn't matter much. GLOs have their own new member gpa requirements. It's ultimately their decision. So, if a girl rushes with a 2.5, at least some groups will drop her 1st round just on grades alone.

You can hem and haw 'til the cows come home about the "overall package," but if a girl underperformed in high school academically, she should be focusing her efforts on her academic life. Sorority life is great. But, the goal of college is to prepare you for your career path. If you are struggling academically (I consider anything below a 3.0 in high school to be just that) you don't need to join. You need to keep your ass focused on what really matters.

Plus, let's not bullshit about the "overall package," ok? When someone says that we need to look at the overall package, it just means that the girl was underperforming in one of the areas of focus. She's ugly, but look at the overall package-- she has great grades and community involvement so overlook her third eye. She has shitty grades, but look at the overall picture - she's cute and would look so nice in the composite so overlook the fact that she doesn't care about her academic performance.

If you want to be in a sorority at Ole Miss, you'd better be pretty outstanding in every way-- period. Or, you should be the third generation legacy of a chapter. But, hell what do I know about it, right? I only went there. BTW, I think that gives me the right to discuss my feelings about their policies.

And, we are talking about Ole Miss. Girls who want to get into a sorority at Ole Miss know that they have to have the grades. They get one shot basically. Those that choose to piss away their high school days having fun or being lazy, etc. do not have a great "Overall Package."

[carnation]

Originally Posted by Tippiechick

You can hem and haw 'til the cows come home about the "overall package," but if a girl underperformed in high school academically, she should be focusing her efforts on her academic life. Sorority life is great. But, the goal of college is to prepare you for your career path. If you are struggling academically (I consider anything below a 3.0 in high school to be just that) you don't need to join. You need to keep your ass focused on what really matters.

Plus, let's not bullshit about the "overall package," ok? When someone says that we need to look at the overall package, it just means that the girl was underperforming in one of the areas of focus. She's ugly, but look at the overall package-- she has great grades and community involvement so overlook her third eye. She has shitty grades, but look at the overall picture - she's cute and would look so nice in the composite so overlook the fact that she doesn't care about her academic performance.

If you want to be in a sorority at Ole Miss, you'd better be pretty outstanding in every way-- period. Or, you should be the third generation legacy of a chapter. But, hell what do I know about it, right? I only went there. BTW, I think that gives me the right to discuss my feelings about their policies.

And, we are talking about Ole Miss. Girls who want to get into a sorority at Ole Miss know that they have to have the grades. They get one shot basically. Those that choose to piss away their high school days having fun or being lazy, etc. do not have a great "Overall Package."

rotfl

[couggirl]

Originally Posted by Tippiechick

Those that choose to piss away their high school days having fun or being lazy, etc. do not have a great "Overall Package."

Just because someone has a low GPA or SAT scores does not mean that they are lazy or pissed away their high school days. I know this is off topic, but this kind of offends me. I worked really hard in High school and had a okay GPA (3.3 due to lots of Art classes which =graranteeded A at my school) and Low SAT scores, but the does not mean that i did not work hard. I had a problem and the doctors could not figure out what was wrong with me. In college my grades were some times good, but sometimes bad. I could not figure out why. My GPA was barley a 2.3 for most of my college education. It was not until after I graduated from college that someone figured out that I have a pre-diabetic condition. Now that I am being treated for that this condition School is soo much easier and what use to take me hours to do I can do in about 30 minutes.

So please don't assume that just because someones grades are lower that they are lazy. Obviously their are exceptions, but there are actually reasons that some people have a hard time in school and therefor low GPA.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by couggirl

Just because someone has a low GPA or SAT scores does not mean that they are lazy or pissed away their high school days. I know this is off topic, but this kind of offends me. I worked really hard in High school and had a okay GPA (3.3 due to lots of Art classes which =graranteeded A at my school) and Low SAT scores, but the does not mean that i did not work hard. I had a problem and the doctors could not figure out what was wrong with me. In college my grades were some times good, but sometimes bad. I could not figure out why. My GPA was barley a 2.3 for most of my college education. It was not until after I graduated from college that someone figured out that I have a pre-diabetic condition. Now that I am being treated for that this condition School is soo much easier and what use to take me hours to do I can do in about 30 minutes.

So please don't assume that just because someones grades are lower that they are lazy. Obviously their are exceptions, but there are actually reasons that some people have a hard time in school and therefor low GPA.

I agree...having bad grades doesn't mean you're lazy or dumb. But...it does mean that you will likely have difficulties achieving good grades in college where your grades actually may mean something down the line (and you admitted that you did have difficulties.) The main point espoused in this thread is that students with low GPAs (2.5 and below...might I add that even though you said you took guaranteed A classes, you had a 3.3 in HS much higher than the mentioned cutoff.) should concentrate on their grades not a social organization. One of the main goals of NPC orgs is to encourage academic excellence. We wouldn't be doing that if we accepted women who needed the extra time that they would be using to attend sorority functions in order to keep passing grades. Greek life really isn't for everyone.

[couggirl]

Yes, I agree with you. I didn't want to hijack the tread I was a little miffed about about the
bad grades=lazyness assumption. I just wanted to give an example as to why that statement is not always correct. My brother is very intelligent, but graduated high school with like a 1.5 GPA because he did not do his homework. But that is not always the case.


I also know that I would not have done well at a school like Old Miss. Part of the reason why I ended up at my school.

[violetpretty]

Originally Posted by Tippiechick

Did you even read the thread or even the first post?

First, it's not admission policies we are talking about -- it's rush requirements!

Second, lowering the gpa requirement would INCREASE the total number of girls. It just means more girls to pay the rush fee and more girls to end up bidless when they don't meet the glo's requirements as mentioned below. Exceptions had been made to accomodate those with a learning disability. But, learning disabilities aren't going to be an excuse in the real world. And, they shouldn't be an excuse for someone with a low gpa to get into rush. (And, don't bitch about how heartless I am... It's the truth.) Dropping the learning disability exceptions will decrease the number of girls going through rush.

Third, it really doesn't matter much. GLOs have their own new member gpa requirements. It's ultimately their decision. So, if a girl rushes with a 2.5, at least some groups will drop her 1st round just on grades alone.

You can hem and haw 'til the cows come home about the "overall package," but if a girl underperformed in high school academically, she should be focusing her efforts on her academic life. Sorority life is great. But, the goal of college is to prepare you for your career path. If you are struggling academically (I consider anything below a 3.0 in high school to be just that) you don't need to join. You need to keep your ass focused on what really matters.

Plus, let's not bullshit about the "overall package," ok? When someone says that we need to look at the overall package, it just means that the girl was underperforming in one of the areas of focus. She's ugly, but look at the overall package-- she has great grades and community involvement so overlook her third eye. She has shitty grades, but look at the overall picture - she's cute and would look so nice in the composite so overlook the fact that she doesn't care about her academic performance.

If you want to be in a sorority at Ole Miss, you'd better be pretty outstanding in every way-- period. Or, you should be the third generation legacy of a chapter. But, hell what do I know about it, right? I only went there. BTW, I think that gives me the right to discuss my feelings about their policies.

And, we are talking about Ole Miss. Girls who want to get into a sorority at Ole Miss know that they have to have the grades. They get one shot basically. Those that choose to piss away their high school days having fun or being lazy, etc. do not have a great "Overall Package."

I've missed you.

Originally Posted by 33girl

It would be a lot easier if everyone had deferred rush and what your HS grades had been would be a moot point since everyone would have a college GPA, from that college. But I know I'm shouting into the wind on that one.

Right there with you, 33.

[Tippiechick]

Originally Posted by violetpretty

I've missed you.

It's good to be back. (And bitchier than ever...)

[bamagirl09]

I have a question. I know there had been some talk at Alabama about putting a GPA requirement up to participate, but a girl on panhellenic exec. said that the unanimous agreement prevents college panhellenics from restricting anyone from participating in recruitment. If this is the case, then why are some schools doing this? If it is not the case, then why doesn't every school do this?

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by bamagirl09

If it is not the case, then why doesn't every school do this?

Alot of schools don't impose GPA requirements for recruitment registration because they feel like it decreases numbers (particularly true at schools who struggle with getting PNMs to register). It doesn't really make sense because the pool ends up being limited anyway because even if you let a girl with a low GPA register, she won't make it all the way through and get a bid.

Honestly, I think it's a money thing as well. Particularly at schools with recruitment fees of $200 or more, I'm sure that they want as many girls to sign up as possible to get those fees. Limiting recruitment to certain GPAs means fewer girls signing up, and fewer dollars.

[ValpoKD]

Originally Posted by bamagirl09

I have a question. I know there had been some talk at Alabama about putting a GPA requirement up to participate, but a girl on panhellenic exec. said that the unanimous agreement prevents college panhellenics from restricting anyone from participating in recruitment. If this is the case, then why are some schools doing this? If it is not the case, then why doesn't every school do this?

I just knew this question was going to pop up!

There is a difference between College Panhellenics and the University/College.

College Panhellenics cannot place restrictions upon recruitment participation or the membership criteria/standards of its member groups. The Manual of Information applies to the actions of the College Panhellenics, especially the Unanimous Agreements.

The College or University can place requirements, such as a minimum GPA or college credits completed, on the organizations on campus. If any such policies exist and are listed in the recruitment rules, it should be specifically stated that such policies are University/College requirements to be followed.

I have worked with chapter advisors who still do not get this after about four years of discussion. Totally drives me crazy!

[Tippiechick]

Originally Posted by couggirl

Just because someone has a low GPA or SAT scores does not mean that they are lazy or pissed away their high school days. I know this is off topic, but this kind of offends me. I worked really hard in High school and had a okay GPA (3.3 due to lots of Art classes which =graranteeded A at my school) and Low SAT scores, but the does not mean that i did not work hard. I had a problem and the doctors could not figure out what was wrong with me. In college my grades were some times good, but sometimes bad. I could not figure out why. My GPA was barley a 2.3 for most of my college education. It was not until after I graduated from college that someone figured out that I have a pre-diabetic condition. Now that I am being treated for that this condition School is soo much easier and what use to take me hours to do I can do in about 30 minutes.

So please don't assume that just because someones grades are lower that they are lazy. Obviously their are exceptions, but there are actually reasons that some people have a hard time in school and therefor low GPA.

Go cry and bitch to someone who cares. I don't give two shits about people's medical problems. In the real world, you either make it or you don't. No one cares what problems you are having. College is a dress rehearsal for working life. And, somehow, people have to take personal responsibility if they did not do well academically, whatever the reason.

I was referring to the poster I QUOTED. Her daughter did well on exams, but didn't follow that with the grades to back up her intelligence.

By the way, it's Ole Miss... Not Old Miss. Get it right.

[OleMissGlitter]

Originally Posted by Tippiechick

By the way, it's Ole Miss... Not Old Miss. Get it right.

Have I told you lately, that I love you?

[Blue Skies]

Some students with good grades will never do well on standardized tests. High school guidance counselors and college admission officers are well aware of this and it is taken into account.

I'm guessing that with the huge emphasis on test scores under "No Child Left Behind", though, that we will see a generation of students who are really, really good test-takers. I should add that there is increased pressure on principals to "find a disability" (and thereby get testing accommodations) for students who are not good test-takers. Parents should be aware of this and take it into account when making decisions about their child's education.

I went to an excellent public high school and a well-regarded public university. I actually found my college courses to be easy in comparison to my high school courses, and I attribute that to my excellent preparation in high school. However I do know of students who were well prepared in high school, but who struggled in college. As I get older, I've come to think that it's all about finding the "right fit" -- whether it's with a student to a college, a worker to a boss and a job, or a PNM to a particular chapter.

[brenda178]

I think it's a great idea to cut it off at 2.5. I mean, were that many chapters taking girls below a 2.5 before? I'm guessing someone with a GPA below 2.5 was considered a grade risk. The chapter I was in had a cap on how many of those we could take. Don't know how it worked at other houses.