Ohioan rushing a Southern Fraternity

[Benzgirl]

Cincinnati is a lot more "southern" than you think. There is Ohio (academia and blue collar), and then there is Cincinnati (conservative).

Back to the SEC. It will be more of who you know if you land in the Deep South. Not so much for the northern SEC schools.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by Benzgirl

Cincinnati is a lot more "southern" than you think. There is Ohio (academia and blue collar), and then there is Cincinnati (conservative).

Back to the SEC. It will be more of who you know if you land in the Deep South. Not so much for the northern SEC schools.

This is an interesting distinction. By Northern SEC do you mean Tennessee and Kentucky? Is Arkansas in there too?

Your observation seems pretty valid to me although I bet some houses at Vandy are still pretty elite/ist. (It's weird that I never thought of it as being a north/south thing.The states do seem like of different "culturally," but Memphis really throws things off for me, and the Greek system at Arkansas, especially for sororities seems pretty intense.)

I think the OP is probably rightly concerned since he's kind of limiting himself to certain chapters right off the bat. If you have your mind set only on certain chapters, then I think you always have to know people already or make contacts pre-rush.

[PGroove11]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

This is an interesting distinction. By Northern SEC do you mean Tennessee and Kentucky? Is Arkansas in there too?

Your observation seems pretty valid to me although I bet some houses at Vandy are still pretty elite/ist. (It's weird that I never thought of it as being a north/south thing.The states do seem like of different "culturally," but Memphis really throws things off for me, and the Greek system at Arkansas, especially for sororities seems pretty intense.)

I think the OP is probably rightly concerned since he's kind of limiting himself to certain chapters right off the bat. If you have your mind set only on certain chapters, then I think you always have to know people already or make contacts pre-rush.

I wasn't necessarily limiting myself to only the certain chapters I had previously stated in my original post. I had only brought those certain fraternities into discussion due to meeting actives of those fraternities before (not necessarily from where I'm planning on attending) and thinking that I'd be a good fit (assuming the fraternities are similar to where I visited). Sorry about the confusion.
Also, I understand that assuming anything is probably not necessarily the best idea possible, but I do believe it's better to have some type of direction rather than going into rush with no idea. As I said though, I'm not just limiting myself to the select few I had brought up.

Also I think the only school two schools that have any significant differences compared to the rest would be Kentucky and Vanderbilt.
Kentucky is simply due to the fact that of it's location. Vanderbilt is more diverse due to it's academics and it's elite selectivity in it's admissions process.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by PGroove11

I wasn't necessarily limiting myself to only the certain chapters I had previously stated in my original post. I had only brought those certain fraternities into discussion due to meeting actives of those fraternities before (not necessarily from where I'm planning on attending) and thinking that I'd be a good fit (assuming the fraternities are similar to where I visited). Sorry about the confusion.
Also, I understand that assuming anything is probably not necessarily the best idea possible, but I do believe it's better to have some type of direction rather than going into rush with no idea. As I said though, I'm not just limiting myself to the select few I had brought up.

Also I think the only school two schools that have any significant differences compared to the rest would be Kentucky and Vanderbilt.
Kentucky is simply due to the fact that of it's location. Vanderbilt is more diverse due to it's academics and it's elite selectivity in it's admissions process.

I'm sorry if it seems like I was judging you harshly or something. I actually agree with your basic take. If you want to pledge at a traditional, strong southern fraternity chapter, it's going to help you to know people in advance.

I'm not saying no one gets a bid who doesn't already have connections, but if a pledge class for a chapter primarily comes from summer rush and you don't even know about, it makes it hard. As long as you can conduct your research and make your connections without seeming desperate (and I do think that's possible) it's hard to see how it could hurt to do stuff in preparation for rush.

But there are good chapters who provide a worthwhile experience at SEC campuses who do actually pledge guys they meet in formal, so it's not like all is lost if you don't get in to the most exclusive chapter.

Guys are fortunate that you can receive multiple bids and decide and you can get bids even before formal is over. I'm not sure that keeping an open mind about the whole process is quiet as important.

[PGroove11]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

I'm sorry if it seems like I was judging you harshly or something. I actually agree with your basic take. If you want to pledge at a traditional, strong southern fraternity chapter, it's going to help you to know people in advance.

I'm not saying no one gets a bid who doesn't already have connections, but if a pledge class for a chapter primarily comes from summer rush and you don't even know about, it makes it hard. As long as you can conduct your research and make your connections without seeming desperate (and I do think that's possible) it's hard to see how it could hurt to do stuff in preparation for rush.

But there are good chapters who provide a worthwhile experience at SEC campuses who do actually pledge guys they meet in formal, so it's not like all is lost if you don't get in to the most exclusive chapter.

Guys are fortunate that you can receive multiple bids and decide and you can get bids even before formal is over. I'm not sure that keeping an open mind about the whole process is quiet as important.

Thanks for the info.

Is there any specific type of way that you would recommend for me to get or find any potential connections? Any advice like that would be really appreciated since I don't want to be assumed as desperate by doing something a little off or something.

Hopefully (as I brought up before) my roommate will get me introduced to some of the guys since from what I've heard (on here and through others) that nothing really can substitute or add up like a good reputation and relationship with actives.
...
I look at the situation like this: Academics, Extra-Curricula, Volunteering and Recs only get you to be in the mix, but it comes really comes down to separating yourself when meeting actives during rush events (obviously whether it's spring, summer or fall). Not being proactive about meeting brothers or showing no sense of care would be my guess for what will get you cut.

..and let's be frankly honest here. I'm out-of-state, don't know very much people, and I simply don't have much connection with most of the fraternities. It's pretty safe to say that getting cut from multiple fraternities that I'll be looking at is highly expected. Even for the guys coming in with more relations and connections, they'll most likely be cut from many of the houses also.
I'm not really making that a big deal since it happens to everyone.

Another question though..
How exactly does rush work for fraternities? Does it go by each day having a different event similar to sororities? How do you find out about cuts? Are you part of a group like sororities?

I've heard about the sorority rush and how it's really organized, but I don't know if it's the same with the fraternities. Just a brief summary with what you do and stuff would be really nice.

Thanks again.

[jarred66]

yea I understand your predicament. I'm a out of stater going to LSU. I'm from there, but don't know anyone. I get the feeling that most SEC schools have enough fraternities and there will be one for me, especially at LSU. LSU is different than most southern schools though.

[violetpretty]

Originally Posted by PGroove11

Another question though..
How exactly does rush work for fraternities? Does it go by each day having a different event similar to sororities? How do you find out about cuts? Are you part of a group like sororities?

I've heard about the sorority rush and how it's really organized, but I don't know if it's the same with the fraternities. Just a brief summary with what you do and stuff would be really nice.

Thanks again.

It depends where you go. I've heard of some campus IFCs having a structured recruitment with "rounds" like with Panhellenic sorority recruitment, but they are in the minority.

The majority of schools will let each chapter set their own schedule of parties and you are free to come and go as you please to the open house parties. Brothers will contact you to invite you to invite only parties.

If you don't hear anything for a few days after open house parties/you don't get contacted to be invited to an invite only party, consider yourself cut. A chapter won't necessarily call you to say you were cut. I'd imagine most don't. Also, I've heard of brothers literally showing the door to some PNMs they don't like, but I think you'd have to be pretty socially retarded or obnoxious to have that happen.

[CrackerBarrel]

Originally Posted by violetpretty

It depends where you go. I've heard of some campus IFCs having a structured recruitment with "rounds" like with Panhellenic sorority recruitment, but they are in the minority.

The majority of schools will let each chapter set their own schedule of parties and you are free to come and go as you please to the open house parties. Brothers will contact you to invite you to invite only parties.

If you don't hear anything for a few days after open house parties/you don't get contacted to be invited to an invite only party, consider yourself cut. A chapter won't necessarily call you to say you were cut. I'd imagine most don't. Also, I've heard of brothers literally showing the door to some PNMs they don't like, but I think you'd have to be pretty socially retarded or obnoxious to have that happen.

Brothers can walk out the weirdos whenever they want, but towards the middle of rush week we'll start walking out guys that are coming to every event but aren't faring real well at bid rounds, give them a chance to go somewhere else since my house isn't giving them a bid.

[TSteven]

Originally Posted by Benzgirl

Cincinnati is a lot more "southern" than you think.

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

This is an interesting distinction. By Northern SEC do you mean Tennessee and Kentucky?

Originally Posted by PGroove11

Also I think the only school two schools that have any significant differences compared to the rest would be Kentucky and Vanderbilt.

Kentucky is simply due to the fact that of it's location. Vanderbilt is more diverse due to it's academics and it's elite selectivity in it's admissions process.

When I was an undergrad at UK, most of the Ohioans I met were from southern Ohio and were either legacies to UK and/or had family roots in Kentucky. Quite a few others had historical ties to other Southern states. As such, they (Ohioans with Southern roots) were not always viewed as "Yankees" (i.e. Northerners, Midwesterners, what have you) per say.