My Fall 09 Recruitment Story

[brittai927]

I think that the "Florida already had their bid list picked" scenario is probably unlikely, but they probably already did have a pretty good idea of who would be coming back for the second round of parties. A lot of ranking goes on before a PNM is met, with grades, recs, activities, etc. In this way, it's pretty hard for one day of meeting a PNM to have a significant impact on a score. Large houses have to make huge cuts, especially after the first round, so much of this does not have anything to do with the short time you spend in the house on that day.

[phimusam]

Also, it's usually not that you are cut (except for grades) - it's usually that you were further down the list than the ones who were "invited" back.

[UGAalum94]

I'm sorry it didn't work out for you, and I hope you get a chance to COB if that's what you are looking for.

The dance party thing just seems rude. It seems like the equivalent of the fraternity rush party stories I've heard when during formal rush at houses that only give summer bids, they just kind of ignore the visiting rushees.

It seems like people would want to do a better job with hospitality. Even if you aren't going to invite a lot of people back, you can still make them feel welcome and as if you are interested in them as human beings, despite not asking them to actually join your organization.

I'm surprised that's an acceptable solution from a HQ and PR perspective, even if the 12-22 year olds think it's swell.

[KSUViolet06]

Am I the only person who is a bit bugged that she accuses every chapter on campus of "dirty rushing" and "already having their pledge classes picked?"

I dunno, I understand that you're hurt, but with that many PNMs and chapters, I HIGHLY doubt that EVERY SINGLE ONE of them is playing dirty and has EVERY SINGLE GIRL lined up before recruitment.

I'm just one of those weird people who thinks it's not nice to accuse chapters of playing dirty.

With that said, I do hope that everything works out for you and you enjoy college.

[BabyPiNK_FL]

Throwing a "dance party" for a rush event sounds silly and (in my opinion) lazy. You don't even have to talk, so what are you going off of? It's like the anomaly of rush parties to me. I just don't get it! I would go in and ask for a chair and sit down and stare and stare.

[UGAalum94]

I have a problem with dirty rushing if we are talking about bid promising kind of stuff.

But I don't have a big problem with groups trying to get to know members who are coming to school beforehand so they have a better chance at actually offering bids to women they regard as being worthy of membership who they actually know and have talked to for more than two hours cumulatively.

Sure, the downside of this is that it cuts other worthy women out of the process, and that stinks. But since I don't think that all groups are actually able to pre-choose their pledge classes since they all often want a lot of the same girls, I think this problem is sort of self correcting. Amazing unknowns get pick up by other chapters and those chapters get stronger.

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

But since I don't think that all groups are actually able to pre-choose their pledge classes since they all often want a lot of the same girls, I think this problem is sort of self correcting. Amazing unknowns get pick up by other chapters and those chapters get stronger.

This is more of what I was trying to say. It's almost impossible for ALL 14 chapters at a school to select an entire class before recruitment.

I dunno, I'm just a little bothered by the whole "I didn't get a bid so now I'm going to assume that everyone has every single member chosen beforehand" thing. It just doesn't seem like it could be the case for every chapter.

[OPhiAGinger]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

I'm just a little bothered by the whole "I didn't get a bid so now I'm going to assume that everyone has every single member chosen beforehand" thing. It just doesn't seem like it could be the case for every chapter.

You've said that three times now. Enough.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by OPhiAGinger

You've said that three times now. Enough.

Oh, badly played, you with your 119 total posts. What in the world could possibly make you think you can decide when KSU has said enough?

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

This is more of what I was trying to say. It's almost impossible for ALL 14 chapters at a school to select an entire class before recruitment.

I dunno, I'm just a little bothered by the whole "I didn't get a bid so now I'm going to assume that everyone has every single member chosen beforehand" thing. It just doesn't seem like it could be the case for every chapter.

Sure, it's probably not completely a reflection of reality, and it comes off a little bit like a sweeping attack on the whole system because of bad individual results, which while totally understandable emotionally, isn't what those of us who generally promote the system consider reasonable in the context of overall results.

But it seems like this campus has some chapters that make it really clear during round one that they aren't even interested in talking to PNMs they don't yet know. If you went through that and then had a bad overall outcome, it wouldn't be hard to believe that all the chapters must do something similar.

At least some chapters and maybe this whole campus seem to have a pretty serious PR problem caused at least in part by what's become cool to do at popular chapters first round.

[BadCat25]

Nothing gets the GC gang more enraged than the suggestion that the recruitment process is essentially rigged like elections in Iran. Lets face it, in many cases, especially in the elite chapters in the South, many of the bid lists slots are decided before rush begins. Friends from high school, girls pushed by powerful alum associations and other connections dominate these lists. That is not to say that someone who walks in cold to these chapters can’t get a bid but she would have to be spectacular, as in drop dead gorgeous to stand a chance. To deny this is just foolish.

[APhiAnna]

The dance party situation is insanely weird. HQ is chill with that? Even if they were the most desired group on campus I'd still walk out of that party thinking "that was beyond lame"...even the biggest status climbers would likely have enough other desired groups to focus on after sitting (or dancing) through a hot mess like that. Not to mention it'd be insulting that they care so little about getting to know you. Plus can you imagine being an active and dancing through that many parties? Was that an exaggerated description of how it goes down or do they really just dance the whole time? I'm baffled.

Then again, the girls they want probably already want them (legacies, hometowns, etc.) so maybe the girls that know they want Florida already know what to expect. But....really???

[wannabeagreek2]

For the record, I know that not ALL of the chapters dirty rush, I just know that it happens so frequently here that it doesn't raise any eyebrows. It made Amy extremely angry when she heard my story and she wanted to tell Panhellenic. I just feel extremely disappointed because I DIDN'T know anyone here going into rush, and if that counted against me, then that's pretty unfair.

But I'm definitely not knocking the Greek system, because I still want to be a part of it. I just feel that there are several houses I would have fit wonderfully in, and they didn't even care to get to know me so bottom line is it really sucks. I just wish that my experience had gone differently, and that hopefully I will get a COB.

Oh and also, COBs are only for girls who were released from recruitment I'm pretty sure. I think you have to have at least registered for Panhellenic for the chapters to be allowed to contact you.

[UGAalum94]

I don't know how COB works on your campus, but while a lot of school do have interested PNM sign up for it, I think it would be rare for it to be limited to PNMs who participated in formal.

Good luck! I hope that it works out for you like you want it to.

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

I don't know how COB works on your campus, but while a lot of school do have interested PNM sign up for it, I think it would be rare for it to be limited to PNMs who participated in formal.

I know that every school is different, but I'm pretty sure that participation in formal isn't typically a requirement to be eligible for COB.