If you knew then what you know now...

[AnchorAlumna]

Had I gone through formal recruitment, I think I would have had the same result. As to life in the sorority, I would have spent less time with my boyfriend (now husband) and less time in my room alone, and more time hanging out at the house, getting to know the sisters.

[MaggieXi]

Looking back, I wish I had listened a little more to my extremely southern and well versed roomate during the fall, prior to recruitment. I was clueless all semester and know that I may have not always acted appropriately.

[honeychile]

"extremely southern"... as in, a penguin?

I should probably say that I should have waited to rush until my sophmore year and after I transferred - but I think I'll just say that I wish I had demanded an advisor who spoke English and worked harder on my grades.

[TriDeltaSallie]

Originally Posted by honeychile

"extremely southern"... as in, a penguin?

I should probably say that I should have waited to rush until my sophmore year and after I transferred - but I think I'll just say that I wish I had demanded an advisor who spoke English and worked harder on my grades.

This isn't sorority related, but one of the great regrets of my life is that I dropped a math class. Math is not my strongest subject and I had a huge lecture and a TA who couldn't speak English. We only had a couple of exams for the class and after the first one I was sure I didn't do well. I decided to drop the class since I didn't have to have it and I knew it would probably be a drag on my GPA.

Imagine the sick feeling in my stomach when it was time to graduate and I discovered I had met all the qualifications for Phi Beta Kappa - except taking that math class.

Even typing this I feel sick to my stomach over twenty years later. And I never knew what I got on that exam or if I might have at least made it through with a passing grade and been Phi Beta Kappa.

Ugh.

[33girl]

On those lines, I wish I HAD dropped a math class. My SATs put me into a calc class that I had no actual preparation for (I took accounting in HS instead of calc, being under the silly delusion that it might help me as an accounting major) and my advisor encouraged me to stick with it. I just squeaked by with tutoring. The problem was I then had to take an even MORE advanced class. These classes had nothing to do with my major and I wish I had spoken up and said "I didn't take this in high school like everyone else in it, I don't know what I'm doing. I'm dropping it and taking regular freshman math. Period."

[thetygerlily]

Testing into (or out of) classes is a flawed system for sure. I had 4 years of Spanish and 1 of French going into college. Thanks to my Spanish, I tested very well in the multiple choice French placement exam. I effectively skipped 2 years of grammar and vocabulary, and did not do so well.

Academically, I wish I had been more conservative and pushed back on my optimistic adviser who signed off on the French level. She also waived the pre-reqs for a junior level course... my first term. I switched advisers a couple of years later but that damage was already done. Sometimes being an overachiever just needs to be talked down!

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by thetygerlily

Testing into (or out of) classes is a flawed system for sure. I had 4 years of Spanish and 1 of French going into college. Thanks to my Spanish, I tested very well in the multiple choice French placement exam. I effectively skipped 2 years of grammar and vocabulary, and did not do so well.

Academically, I wish I had been more conservative and pushed back on my optimistic adviser who signed off on the French level. She also waived the pre-reqs for a junior level course... my first term. I switched advisers a couple of years later but that damage was already done. Sometimes being an overachiever just needs to be talked down!

I say this all the time. If I had just taken all of the courses I tested out of, I would have had that many hours worth of "A". Instead, I had a bunch of hours on my transcript that counted for nothing. Oh well, I hate math, and with the CLEP test I took, all I had to take was Trig in college, and I was done. I have never taken calculus and am proud to say I know nothing about it! If I could do anything else differently, it would be to major in biology or chemistry, not Pre-Med. What a dumb decision! Oh well. It all turned out well in the end.

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by thetygerlily

Testing into (or out of) classes is a flawed system for sure. I had 4 years of Spanish and 1 of French going into college. Thanks to my Spanish, I tested very well in the multiple choice French placement exam. I effectively skipped 2 years of grammar and vocabulary, and did not do so well.

Academically, I wish I had been more conservative and pushed back on my optimistic adviser who signed off on the French level. She also waived the pre-reqs for a junior level course... my first term. I switched advisers a couple of years later but that damage was already done. Sometimes being an overachiever just needs to be talked down!

^^^^^

THIS is why I (against my parents' and high school guidance counselor's advice) did not test out of my college French coursework (I needed 4 semesters.)

I took all the way up to French 5 (the most advanced French course my HS offered.) Pretty much everyone I talked to was like "Violet, you should definitely CLEP out of your freshman and soph year college French courses. You've already taken 5 years of French (I started HS French in 8th grade) and you're excellent. Practically all the other honors seniors are doing it."

My gut reaction was "No way! Wht if I test out of everything and end up taking some crazy college senior level French course that I'm not prepared for? It's not like I'm a French major or anything."

So I didn't do CLEP like everyone else. Come freshman year, I was in French 10001 while peeps from who DID CLEP were in Advanced French Comp or some other junior/senior level French course.

Don't get me wrong, it was somewhat annoying to be in a French class where half the class was struggling to count to 100, but come the end of the semester, I got an A. Every other person who CLEPed into a higher French barely got B's or in some cases Cs/Ds, because excelling in HS French doesn't = getting As in junior level composition.

[BraveMaroon]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

^^^^^

THIS is why I (against my parents' and high school guidance counselor's advice) did not test out of my college French coursework (I needed 4 semesters.)

I took all the way up to French 5 (the most advanced French course my HS offered.) Pretty much everyone I talked to was like "Violet, you should definitely CLEP out of your freshman and soph year college French courses. You've already taken 5 years of French (I started HS French in 8th grade) and you're excellent. Practically all the other honors seniors are doing it."

My gut reaction was "No way! Wht if I test out of everything and end up taking some crazy college senior level French course that I'm not prepared for? It's not like I'm a French major or anything."

So I didn't do CLEP like everyone else. Come freshman year, I was in French 10001 while peeps from who DID CLEP were in Advanced French Comp or some other junior/senior level French course.

Don't get me wrong, it was somewhat annoying to be in a French class where half the class was struggling to count to 100, but come the end of the semester, I got an A. Every other person who CLEPed into a higher French barely got B's or in some cases Cs/Ds, because excelling in HS French doesn't = getting As in junior level composition.

I had a different version of a similar story. I tested out of all but a single French class, which I took first Quarter of Freshman year. I found it very, very easy. We were required to meet our TA and prepare a 5 minute talk on the topic of our choosing in French, and when we met, he said, "This has been pretty easy for you, hasn't it?" I said it had, and he showed me that I had a 97 going into the final. He asked me what my Major was. I explained I was pre-Journalism, but that I couldn't apply to J-School for at least 4 quarters. He mentioned that I could have a minor in French by the time I applied to get into the J program, and I listened.

I took 5 more classes in the French department, and they stretched my brain to the limit, but I am so glad I did. I recently found that old TA on LinkedIn to thank him.

So, I don't categorically advise against testing out, for me, it made a huge impact, but everyone's experience is different.

[psy]

As much I love my NPC sorority (and I do love it deeply) and as much as I wouldn't trade my sisters for the world, I sometimes wish I had gone to a school with NPHC or MCGLO sororities (and I'm white). They seem to lack the stigma often attached to NPC sororities, and thus are more "appropriate" to identify with as an alumna--the "am" whether than "was," for one thing. That, and they seem to have amazing histories and public traditions that are recognized and respected, where as the history and traditions of NPC sororities seem to be often mocked and conflated with Animal House.

Like I said, I love my sorority and my sisters very deeply, so I'm in no way trying to discredit the sisterhood or amazing history and traditions of my sorority and other NPC sororities--I just wish I had known about the NPHC/MCGLO side of things earlier as well.

[preciousjeni]

I would have been much more serious about attempting to found a chapter of my sorority at my alma mater. As things went, I wasn't able to join until after I had graduated.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by psy

As much I love my NPC sorority (and I do love it deeply) and as much as I wouldn't trade my sisters for the world, I sometimes wish I had gone to a school with NPHC or MCGLO sororities (and I'm white). They seem to lack the stigma often attached to NPC sororities, and thus are more "appropriate" to identify with as an alumna--the "am" whether than "was," for one thing. That, and they seem to have amazing histories and public traditions that are recognized and respected, where as the history and traditions of NPC sororities seem to be often mocked and conflated with Animal House.

Like I said, I love my sorority and my sisters very deeply, so I'm in no way trying to discredit the sisterhood or amazing history and traditions of my sorority and other NPC sororities--I just wish I had known about the NPHC/MCGLO side of things earlier as well.

They have their own different ish to deal with. Trust me.

[Tulip86]

If I could go back I would have spent a little less time organizing stuff and always being hands on, and instead just relax more and enjoy being an active.

[honeychile]

Adding... I wish I hadn't concentrated on getting to know just one or two group of sisters. That's okay as a new member, but coming back after the summer, it can be so easy to whine, "I don't have any friends now!" I was fortunate, because my mother had always insisted that I learn how to talk and get to know everyone, and swallowed my pride & did so. There were a lot of my pledge class who didn't, though, and ended up sans sorority.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by psy

As much I love my NPC sorority (and I do love it deeply) and as much as I wouldn't trade my sisters for the world, I sometimes wish I had gone to a school with NPHC or MCGLO sororities (and I'm white). They seem to lack the stigma often attached to NPC sororities, and thus are more "appropriate" to identify with as an alumna--the "am" whether than "was," for one thing. That, and they seem to have amazing histories and public traditions that are recognized and respected, where as the history and traditions of NPC sororities seem to be often mocked and conflated with Animal House.

Like I said, I love my sorority and my sisters very deeply, so I'm in no way trying to discredit the sisterhood or amazing history and traditions of my sorority and other NPC sororities--I just wish I had known about the NPHC/MCGLO side of things earlier as well.

I don't understand this.

Originally Posted by 33girl

They have their own different ish to deal with. Trust me.

Everything has its pros and cons. That truly goes without saying.