Most Competitive Greek Systems?

[HDL66]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

It had never occurred to me that this statistic was an attempt to "spin" as much as it is a soundbite reflection of one part of the compete statistics that Alabama releases.

I disagree that anyone is deliberately bending the truth on this point. Would does panhellenic gain with this spin?

IMHO, two things.

1) More PNMs going through recruitment. You have to have more girls to increase your system. Bigger greek system --> expansion of chapters, expanded programing, more influence on campus, increased budgets, bragging rights, whatever.

There is a solid subset of girls that are raised knowing they will be rushing when they go to college. The competitiveness of the experience will not dissuade them, in fact, some embrace it. They are ready and know the game. There is a significant contingent, however, that aren't from this camp. If they realized that many strong houses will be cutting up to half of the PNMs in the first round or two, and the fact that you have a good GPA and resume may mean nothing if you don't have connections or "the look" or an elusive "something else," and you may come home with severely battered self esteem and a choice that you were less than enthusiastic about, I think some would say, "Who needs that? I'm not going to bother."

I honestly think this is a marketing tactic as much as an inert statistic made available to the public. The "statistic" of heavy cuts during early rounds is never mentioned to PNMs and specifics are not even available to alumni (unless you talk to your own house's recruitment advisor.) Panhellenic markets the greek system well and makes it sound like you are likely to get your "first choice." Don't get mad at these girls for having unrealistic expectations. Panhellenic (and sometimes alums) encourage girls casually interested to "try it out, what do you have to lose?" And then they feel like they had the rug pulled under them, and the response is, "well, what did you expect?" They EXPECTED that 87% of the girls were going to get their top pick, not their top pick of the 2 houses that hadn't cut them.

2) I think it protects the Greek system from bad press in a neutral-to-greek-hating media.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by HDL66

There is a significant contingent, however, that aren't from this camp. If they realized that many strong houses will be cutting up to half of the PNMs in the first round or two, and the fact that you have a good GPA and r e s u m e may mean nothing if you don't have connections or "the look" or an elusive "something else," and you may come home with severely battered self esteem and a choice that you were less than enthusiastic about, I think some would say, "Who needs that? I'm not going to bother."

This is another reason why I dislike first semester (hell - first MINUTE you step on campus) rush. I can't imagine if my first college experience would have been judgement by a gaggle of girls I never met before. Not saying that girls don't suffer rejection in deferred rush, but you usually have made friends on campus, know your way around the school and are on a firm enough footing for it not to completely break you.

Supposedly rushing right away helps prevent "tent talk" but if that's the case, why do we have stronger and weaker chapters at schools that do it?

[preciousjeni]

Originally Posted by 33girl

This is another reason why I dislike first semester (hell - first MINUTE you step on campus) rush. I can't imagine if my first college experience would have been judgement by a gaggle of girls I never met before. Not saying that girls don't suffer rejection in deferred rush, but you usually have made friends on campus, know your way around the school and are on a firm enough footing for it not to completely break you.

Supposedly rushing right away helps prevent "tent talk" but if that's the case, why do we have stronger and weaker chapters at schools that do it?

I love when people use the word "gaggle." LOL!

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by HDL66

2) I think it protects the Greek system from bad press in a neutral-to-greek-hating media.

So maybe it does, but that same media doesn't understand that 1600 PNMs can't all have the same bid. It's a fact of life that you will be cut and that Suzy Badattitude may actually not get a bid at all. Recruitment isn't perfect, but if you asked the 87% of women who got their first choice on bid day, 99.9% of them are going to be ecstatically happy and not give a crap about what their first choice might have been on day 1 or 2 or even 3. The girls at these schools that HAVE to be in THE sorority are the same 12% that drop out when they get cut from the chapters that they are interested in. Maybe they could do a little better job of warning PNMs about the heavy cuts, but from what PNMs report, this is explained pretty well at the beginning of recruitment. Some PNMs, though, only want to hear what they want to hear.

[NutBrnHair]

Has anyone said University of Tennessee yet? I'll add them to the list!

[UGAalum94]

When it comes to rush, I think people hear what they want to hear until something particularly happens to them, and then they often want to believe that what happened to them is unprecedented. So we get PNMs who want to believe that even though there have been heavy early releases for years that their recruitment counselors warned them about, that this year the computers messed up and the cuts were even worse.

And they are 18 years old, so I don't know that I have a big problem with it, but what I do sort of take issue with is finding fault with greek systems for the intensity of their recruitment when they do almost everything they really can to make it generate a bid for everyone.

If a system matches more than 90% of the girls who stay in recruitment with the options they have left, I think panhellenic is doing about all it can. Sure, it would be more accurate to say "X% are matched to the the first ranked of the houses they have left after the last round." But I really doubt that it will change anything about the experience of rushing.

ETA: the issues that do bug me about panhellenic are the misleading info they give out that ends up hurting the least in the loop, like when they give the party line on recommendations at campuses where recs are expects. We at GC all know, yes, officially the group will find you one if they want you and have to have one, but if you are an unknown PNM at Alabama, you need get your own recs sent.

[KKGis4Me]

[QUOTE=We at GC all know, yes, officially the group will find you one if they want you and have to have one, but if you are an unknown PNM at Alabama, you need get your own recs sent.[/QUOTE]

Ok, this is a bit off topic, but when I rushed this statement confused me...so are they basically saying that if you didn't have a rec, they would find someone to write one for you? Because if so, I feel it would defeat the purpose of the rec, cause that person really doesn't know you...please someone explain!

[Zillini]

Originally Posted by KKGis4Me

Ok, this is a bit off topic, but when I rushed this statement confused me...so are they basically saying that if you didn't have a rec, they would find someone to write one for you? Because if so, I feel it would defeat the purpose of the rec, cause that person really doesn't know you...please someone explain!

On this highly Rec oriented and competitive campus, the following is what I've witnessed.

PNM A has good grades, resume, etc, but does not have a Rec. While the actives like her well enough, there are plenty of other PNMs they like just as much who have just as good grades, resume, etc. and already have a Rec.

PNM B also has good grades, resume and doesn't have a Rec. Some of the actives fall madly in love with her. "OMG, this girl is my Rush Crush! I want to be her big sister! She's like the BFF I never knew I was missing!" The actives start scrambling to find an alumna willing to write her a Rec. (While this does happen, it is not the norm and no PNM should count on it being the case for her.)