Sophomore freaking out

[HannahXO]

Originally Posted by roses1992

I have one last question, I've seen several post saying I wouldn't qualify for a NPHC organization but the GPA requirements for several are in the 2.5+ range, I was just wondering if someone could explain what reasons for a 2.9 not being acceptable are I would appreciate it I'm currently confused, is it my undergrad status as a sophomore?

Just wondering,

Thanks!

On paper, they are looking for a 2.5...that is to say, they won't even begin to look at you if you don't have that GPA in most cases. But they are generally looking for something higher, something that shows you are very dedicated to your academics and will be able to handle splitting your time between class and a GLO. This is the case for NPC orgs at least, and I think the reasoning is similar for NPHC, but I defer to the NPHCers for clarification on this one.

As others have said, you will never know what happens until you try. A 2.9 coming from an engineer at my school wouldn't bat an eyelash (like others have said, it's not about engineering being a "hard" major, A's are just not typically given in that college) but if your school is known for grade inflation or you're against other women with 4.0's, you could be worse off. Good luck!

[IrishLake]

/offtopic
Damn, where are these schools where 2.9 or above is Deans List? Shit, I would have been on it all the time! 3.5 is the lowest I've ever heard of, and I made it once, my very last quarter of school! Jealous!
/backontopic

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by IrishLake

/offtopic
Damn, where are these schools where 2.9 or above is Deans List? Shit, I would have been on it all the time! 3.5 is the lowest I've ever heard of, and I made it once, my very last quarter of school! Jealous!
/backontopic

I posted the requirements for Mizzou earlier in the thread. 3.0 is Deans List for 3 or 4 of their colleges.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by IrishLake

/offtopic
Damn, where are these schools where 2.9 or above is Deans List? Shit, I would have been on it all the time! 3.5 is the lowest I've ever heard of, and I made it once, my very last quarter of school! Jealous!
/backontopic

The difference between term gpa, major gpa, and overall gpa.

Some schools require minimum 3.0 term gpa and some require minimum 3.5 term gpa.

[VandalSquirrel]

Originally Posted by IrishLake

/offtopic
Damn, where are these schools where 2.9 or above is Deans List? Shit, I would have been on it all the time! 3.5 is the lowest I've ever heard of, and I made it once, my very last quarter of school! Jealous!
/backontopic

Idaho has a flat across the board Dean's List requirement of a 3.5 semester GPA of 12 graded credits for all undergraduate and graduate students, except Law, where it is a 3.0 for 10 graded credits. Honors at graduation depends on the individual college and is an average of GPAs over the past five years. Top 3% is summa cum laude, under 3% but above 6% is magna cum laude, and above 6% but in the top 10% is cum laude. The range is pretty narrow here, even Engineering is high at 3.96, 3.91, and 3.81 and Science is 4.0, 3.95, 3.89. This is only for undergraduates, and Law has their own honors. Funny enough Business has the lowest honors graduation GPA requirement, which most people would assume would belong to Engineering, Science, Natural Resources, or Agriculture & Life Sciences.

[DTD Alum]

* To the OP: I'm not a member of a Panhellenic sorority nor did I attend your university, so please disregard anything I'm about to write as advice...it is more a question to other posters on this site.

Please pardon my lane swerve, I'm just trying to understand something here. While I'm well aware of the fact that academics is a focal point for most (if not all) Panhellenic GLOs, and that there may be things in membership selection (for example, adding/subtracting points based on a GPA) that may be unchangeable, I'm just wondering if you have really seen the majority of sisters in the chapters you advise actively focus on grades over personality.

I'm just wondering out loud if the advice often given here (grades, leadership and activities are the most important, 4.0s are viewed exponentially higher than 3.0s, etc) may more closely reflect a stance held by the national organization(s), and that may not always be viewed with the same degree of respect/importance by active collegians who are really focused on a fun pledge class that will attract good mixers, good rushers for next year, etc. When I was in college (which was only 2-3 years ago), the sorority members would always gush over personality and, frankly, looks. "We want Jane Smith sooo bad, she is so funny and the cutest thing," etc. At most, it seemed to be the type of thing like, “Well, she has to meet [x] GPA and have a rec sent in, but after that it’s about who we like the most.”

Of course, I have no idea of the Mizzou campus culture. Especially since she is a sophomore, there very well be huge hoops she has to overcome even without the GPA issue. And please note that this conjecture/tangent is more about girls who are "just OK" in terms of stats but excellent in terms of personality, not about girls that are actual grade risks (ie, below minimum GPAs) or about comparing two equally “awesome personality” girls who have widely different GPAs. I just can't see a group of 20 year old girls voluntarily releasing a gorgeous and fun PNM with a 3.0 over a quieter, reserved PNM with a 4.0, which is why I'm puzzled when the advice seems to be "you're going to have an uphill battle" if they have anything less than a perfect GPA. At my school (which was admittedly in California but still fairly competitive), I knew a girl with a full ride merit based scholarship that was dropped from all but one chapter, and plenty of girls with "meh" GPAs that waltzed right through rush without getting cut once.

Flame away and correct me if I'm totally off base (and I very likely am), like I said this is just what I've gleaned from what I've been told about sorority rush, not off of any experience obviously.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by DTD Alum

I just can't see a group of 20 year old girls voluntarily releasing a gorgeous and fun PNM with a 3.0 over a quieter, reserved PNM with a 4.0, which is why I'm puzzled when the advice seems to be "you're going to have an uphill battle" if they have anything less than a perfect GPA.

It's Mizzou. They have a shitload of gorgeous and fun PNMs WITH 4.0s, so they really don't need to screw with the g & f PNM with the 3.0.

Personality is more likely to win out over grades at smaller chapters with smaller rushes and a smaller amount of women to choose from. It doesn't matter quite as much in that sort of setting if you have a great GPA - you need girls who will be social and get your name out there. It's easier to bid the social girls and THEN get their grades up.

[AGDee]

^^^ Yes, you are a bit off base.

To not tread into Membership Selection, I'm going to use an analogy. When I was an undergrad, to get into the Occupational Therapy program, we had to fill out an application, have at least a 2.5 GPA (with at least Bs in specific courses like Biology, Chemistry, Psychology and Child Development), have a certain number of volunteer hours, write an essay and have an interview. There were about 250 people competing for 50 spots each year. Each of those items were scored and weighted in some manner and the top 50 scored/weighted scores were offered a slot. A few would be on a waiting list in case everybody offered a slot didn't accept it. In reality, the competition was so tight that after scoring, nobody with less than a 3.5 GPA got in even though the minimum GPA to be admitted was technically a 2.5.

Make more sense that way?

[DeltaBetaBaby]

It has been my experience that GPA is more important when ranking women for the final bid list than it is in issuing yes/no invites (assuming the woman meets the minimum).

[AOII Angel]

Every group has a different method for factoring in GPA. DTD alum, collegiate members may not have much choice in whether they can admit the cute girl with the low GPA into their chapter. There are often rules that dictate this policy that can't be over-ruled (or only if appealed to much higher levels in the organization.)

[IrishLake]

^ Ditto the wise women above me. And even coming from a smaller campus environment, I HAVE seen (10+ ago and recent formal recruitment) the "cutest, funniest girl who everyone loves!!!" get released from chapters (not specifically mine) because of her 2.3 GPA.

[DTD Alum]

Originally Posted by IrishLake

^ Ditto the wise women above me. And even coming from a smaller campus environment, I HAVE seen (10+ ago and last years formal recruitment) the "cutest, funniest girl who everyone loves!!!" get released from chapters (not specifically mine) because of her 2.3 GPA.

But, like I said, I wasn't talking about PNMs who are drastically below the minimum with a 2.3 GPA, obviously those are tossed. I was questioning more about a girl that has amazing grades but a bland personality vs. a girl with a 3.4 (when the minimum is, say, 2.5) who has an amazing personality and has people already fighting over whose little she'll be. I just can't imagine that collegiate sisters wouldn't fight tooth and nail for the second girl over the first, but if it's built in in some way that for the most competitive chapters the girl with the higher GPA but bland personality is more likely to be invited back than all the advice in threads like these makes sense.

Now if it's a rush where there are so many girls with both 4.0s and good personalities that they can fill up all the competitive chapters and all of the "mid tiers" while they are at it then I understand completely, because then it makes my hypothetical moot. I guess call me skeptical though, because except at the most prestigious universities in the nation I would guess that saying there are enough girls with perfect grades to fill up two thirds of the chapters would be hyperbole to make a point that rush is competitive, not the actual reality. And in that situation, I would also guess that simply to get into the college where everybody has such a perfect resume that you'd have to have a perfect resume too.

I guess I'm just trying to understand the sorority process more without delving into membership selection simply because ours was so simple...we didn't look at GPA or leadership at all, just voted on their personality and I believe you needed something like 85% of the chapter to say "Yes" to get a bid. So in our scenario, the PNM with the great personality but medium grades (or really even terrible grades) would get a bid while the bland personality with a stunning GPA wouldn't make it very far. If the guy seemed like a slacker or whatever that would be brought up, and if the guy seemed like a leader it would also be brought up, but we weren't sitting around analyzing their GPA and leadership activities, and at the end of the day the personality was the deciding factor. Not saying one way is better than the other, just different.

[IrishLake]

I gotcha, I gotcha....

Originally Posted by DTD Alum

I guess I'm just trying to understand the sorority process more without delving into membership selection simply because ours was so simple...

You mean to tell me you have not yet learned that women are more complicated?

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by DTD Alum

But, like I said, I wasn't talking about PNMs who are drastically below the minimum with a 2.3 GPA, obviously those are tossed. I was questioning more about a girl that has amazing grades but a bland personality vs. a girl with a 3.4 (when the minimum is, say, 2.5) who has an amazing personality and has people already fighting over whose little she'll be. I just can't imagine that collegiate sisters wouldn't fight tooth and nail for the second girl over the first, but if it's built in in some way that for the most competitive chapters the girl with the higher GPA but bland personality is more likely to be invited back than all the advice in threads like these makes sense.

I think you are right. I don't think the average chapter member even knows the grades of the PNM's.

ETA: If you have first-semester rush, too, all the PNM has is a high school GPA. That is almost totally meaningless, unless you have a class rank to go along with it.

[DTD Alum]

OK, that all makes sense to some degree. I understand sorority voting is infinitely more regimented and structured than fraternity voting.