Going Early Alum... need help.

[agzg]

OK, this thread is getting a little testy. Since some Alpha Gams have already responded to the OP regarding Alpha Gam policy specifically, could we keep the speculation and "some groups" talk to a minimum, since there are those of us here that can more specifically answer her question?

sarawoof, you're going to be an alumna if your membership stuff gets figured out in your favor, so it's time to make the best of the situation. Once your membership stuff is figured out, inquire about contact information for the local JC or other Alumnae group and try to get involved there.

No, you probably won't be able to be someone's sister-mother. It's very rare that an alumna would become someone's sister-mother, and it's usually a very special situation to boot. So I would put that out of your mind.

There are opportunities, once you get used to the "being an alumna, going to JC or Alumnae Chapter/Club meetings" thing, to form close bonds with the women in those groups. Those opportunities are dependent on the group you become involved with. Inquire about the opportunity to be mentored/when you've been around a while, be a mentor. To be quite honest, it seems like you need some mentoring yourself, so I'd inquire about that first.

Once you're used to being an alumna, there are also Pearl Sisters, which have been mentioned already. Please keep in mind that being a Pearl Sister for any colonies in the very near future is inadvisable - you're (first off), still in college, you're busy, and you're trying to figure out what it means to be an Alumna member of Alpha Gamma Delta while you haven't had the opportunity to figure out what it means to be a Collegiate member of Alpha Gamma Delta. Adjusting is going to take a while, so please don't expect it to happen overnight, and practice patience.

At the very least, given the backstory, I'd wait to get at least a few really positive alumna experiences under my belt prior to jumping into a mentor role for any other members. Negativity breeds negativity, etc.

As far as dealing with the emotions, you're just going to have to give yourself time to adjust and remain patient.

Originally Posted by agzg

OK, this thread is getting a little testy. Since some Alpha Gams have already responded to the OP regarding Alpha Gam policy specifically, could we keep the speculation and "some groups" talk to a minimum, since there are those of us here that can more specifically answer her question?

sarawoof, you're going to be an alumna if your membership stuff gets figured out in your favor, so it's time to make the best of the situation. Once your membership stuff is figured out, inquire about contact information for the local JC or other Alumnae group and try to get involved there.

No, you probably won't be able to be someone's sister-mother. It's very rare that an alumna would become someone's sister-mother, and it's usually a very special situation to boot. So I would put that out of your mind.

There are opportunities, once you get used to the "being an alumna, going to JC or Alumnae Chapter/Club meetings" thing, to form close bonds with the women in those groups. Those opportunities are dependent on the group you become involved with. Inquire about the opportunity to be mentored/when you've been around a while, be a mentor. To be quite honest, it seems like you need some mentoring yourself, so I'd inquire about that first.

Once you're used to being an alumna, there are also Pearl Sisters, which have been mentioned already. Please keep in mind that being a Pearl Sister for any colonies in the very near future is inadvisable - you're (first off), still in college, you're busy, and you're trying to figure out what it means to be an Alumna member of Alpha Gamma Delta while you haven't had the opportunity to figure out what it means to be a Collegiate member of Alpha Gamma Delta. Adjusting is going to take a while, so please don't expect it to happen overnight, and practice patience.

At the very least, given the backstory, I'd wait to get at least a few really positive alumna experiences under my belt prior to jumping into a mentor role for any other members. Negativity breeds negativity, etc.

As far as dealing with the emotions, you're just going to have to give yourself time to adjust and remain patient.

This was exactly what I was looking for, so thank you VERY much. I know that I am going to wait before trying to start up any mentor position. I have no negative feelings towards my sorority, just how people acted, and the main causes of the issues that came about. I'm really looking forward to joining my local JC. I can't wait for January to come so that all of this is under way and I can get started!

Thanks for the nicely worded advice. It's nice to not be attacked for once.

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by sarawoof

It's nice to not be attacked for once.