Transfer Recruitment Story

[Nanners52674]

Originally Posted by ALynnJ

Thanks for the luck! I seriously think it's either going to be Tulip or Daisy. But like I said, I shouldn't go in to it with assumptions, so who knows? I could end up a Lily even though I said I probably wouldn't end up there.

Originally Posted by ALynnJ

Yay! Good luck! I had actually been looking all over the forums for stories of older transfer PNMs, but I could never find one. I'll be sure to check your story out!

Originally Posted by ALynnJ

Thanks for the advice, Blue Skies. I'm interested in joining a sorority to make friends and be more involved on campus. I truly don't care if I get in a popular sorority or not. I just want to make friends with like minded people and be involved on campus.

Originally Posted by ALynnJ

I didn't find her on Facebook, hers is deactivated. But her chapter's blog didn't take down her name and that's how I found out. I don't think it's going to be awkward because I'm not going to mention it and I know it's her job to help us with recruitment and not promote her sorority. So even if I don't like her sorority or if I do like them and get cut by them, it's not her fault.

Originally Posted by ALynnJ

Sometimes it's hard for counselors to be completely secret about their affiliations. Upperclassmen going through recruitment may have seen their counselors wearing their letters before, or like in your situation, friends of those going through recruitment know their affiliation and tell, or in my situation, the chapter may have forgotten to edit their blog as well as their official site. All I know is that if you keep an open mind about it and judge the chapters as a whole rather than on one member, you should be fine.

I'm sorry but you're saying one thing and typing another. You keep talking about how you're not going in with a clear mind, and no judgments and willing to accept any chapter. But your whole first post was all about preconceived notions. You even went to so far as to say what two chapters you think you are most likely to end up at.

This is NEVER the attitude to have going into recruitment. Hopefully you can shake this off and truly go in with clear eyes so that you can maximize your options and have the best recruitment possible.

[IndianaSigKap]

Also remember that each chapter trains its members to be good recruiters! They are supposed to make you feel at ease, isn't that what you would do for a guest in your home? Don't allow that to cloud your judgement.

Which chapters have the same values as you do? Some chapters place a higher priority on scholarship or philanthropy or intramurals than than others do, what values/aspects of Greek life speak to you the most? Those are the type of things you should be looking for when evaluating a chapter.

[ALynnJ]

Originally Posted by Xidelt

(even though I know you're not supposed to go through recruitment judging sororities based on assumptions).

Yet this is exactly what you are doing. As an older, upperclassmen transfer, you will get your ass kicked in rush if you do this.

Originally Posted by Nanners52674

I'm sorry but you're saying one thing and typing another. You keep talking about how you're not going in with a clear mind, and no judgments and willing to accept any chapter. But your whole first post was all about preconceived notions. You even went to so far as to say what two chapters you think you are most likely to end up at.

This is NEVER the attitude to have going into recruitment. Hopefully you can shake this off and truly go in with clear eyes so that you can maximize your options and have the best recruitment possible.

Originally Posted by IndianaSigKap

Also remember that each chapter trains its members to be good recruiters! They are supposed to make you feel at ease, isn't that what you would do for a guest in your home? Don't allow that to cloud your judgement.

Which chapters have the same values as you do? Some chapters place a higher priority on scholarship or philanthropy or intramurals than than others do, what values/aspects of Greek life speak to you the most? Those are the type of things you should be looking for when evaluating a chapter.

Maybe what I should have said was I share the same values as Daisy and Tulip as they are the ones who openly value philanthropy and academics. That's what I'm looking for in a sorority. That's what I was trying to say, I'm sorry I worded that wrong.

And please don't jump down my throat for what I'm about to say next but regardless of how competitive my school is or what year/age/status I am isn't the point of recruitment to find a group of likeminded people? If XYZ values high GPAs, participating in a lot of philanthropies, and I get along with them but it's also considered a popular sorority, don't I have the same right to rank them at the top as an 18 year old freshman would? If the sorority doesn't agree that I belong then I get cut from them and go to the sororities that invite me back. Again, recruitment hasn't officially started yet, I'm just excited about getting to meet the chapters. I'm sorry I decided to start early and use the resources available to see what each chapter values.

I hope yall don't think I'm a diva who thinks she deserves to be in the #1 sorority and if I get cut by them I'll drop out, because I don't and I won't.

[DubaiSis]

You are absolutely allowed your opinions, and ranking and reputations on campus exist for a reason. The concern is you seem to be saying the right thing but then throwing in a few nuggets that seem to negate the good parts of what you're telling us.

To the extent that you have a choice, rush is a mutual selection process. Go ahead and describe your likes and dislikes for each chapter, and do keep that open mind as your invitations come around again. It sounds like you are realistic enough to know that you might see the Awesome Alphas as the best today, but maybe they don't see the same in you. So tomorrow the Best Betas are your new favorite. That's cool. It's how it SHOULD work, but those of us who have been around for awhile have heard it over and over that "I'm keeping an open mind" but what she means is "except for THAT chapter" and sometimes "but still, I am only going to worry about these 3 chapters because #1 is what I'm going to get but I suppose I could accept #2 or 3 out of 15."

[Xidelt]

You can't tell what a group values or is like from a blog post or Facebook page.
Social media ftw.

[ALynnJ]

Originally Posted by DubaiSis

You are absolutely allowed your opinions, and ranking and reputations on campus exist for a reason. The concern is you seem to be saying the right thing but then throwing in a few nuggets that seem to negate the good parts of what you're telling us.

To the extent that you have a choice, rush is a mutual selection process. Go ahead and describe your likes and dislikes for each chapter, and do keep that open mind as your invitations come around again. It sounds like you are realistic enough to know that you might see the Awesome Alphas as the best today, but maybe they don't see the same in you. So tomorrow the Best Betas are your new favorite. That's cool. It's how it SHOULD work, but those of us who have been around for awhile have heard it over and over that "I'm keeping an open mind" but what she means is "except for THAT chapter" and sometimes "but still, I am only going to worry about these 3 chapters because #1 is what I'm going to get but I suppose I could accept #2 or 3 out of 15."

Gotcha. I understand what yall mean now. Like I said, I'm sorry I sounded like a diva.

[ALynnJ]

Originally Posted by Xidelt

You can't tell what a group values or is like from a blog post or Facebook page.
Social media ftw.

Well, when their website says things along the lines of "XYZ has the highest required GPA and we reward those sisters who get a 4.0" I think it's safe to say they value scholarship or "ABC hosts several events to support their philanthropy and participates in other clubs's philanthropies" I think it's safe to say they value philanthropy.

I'm not already ranking the sororities based on their websites. Haven't you ever researched a car before you bought it and then went to the dealership to test drive it? It's kind of like that. I'm not going to just buy the car because the website says it's the best on the market.

[Xidelt]

Car buying =/= sorority recruitment.

I get checking stuff out on the web so you are informed. However, I don't see the wisdom in forming such hardcore opinions that you say you can see yourself in ABC or XYZ only. I have yet to encounter a sorority chapter that doesn't value academics, friendship, leadership, and philanthropy.

[ALynnJ]

Originally Posted by Xidelt

Car buying =/= sorority recruitment.

I get checking stuff out on the web so you are informed. However, I don't see the wisdom in forming such hardcore opinions that you say you can see yourself in ABC or XYZ only. I have yet to encounter a sorority chapter that doesn't value academics, friendship, leadership, and philanthropy.

I just said above that what I meant to say was that I like that Daisy and Tulip make sure that PNMs know that they do a lot of philanthropies/reward studious members. I didn't mean to imply that I only see myself as a Daisy or a Tulip (even though, I agree, the way I worded it made it sound that way). My opinion isn't "hardcore". I may meet them and find out that I don't fit in with them at all. As of right now I am open to Daisy, Tulip, Rose, Magnolia, Lily, and Daffodil (notice how that's a list of all the sororities?) and I see myself as the one that gives me a bid.

If I admit that you win at tripping me up will you stop pointing out every time I seem like I'm picking one sorority over the rest? Congrats, Xidelt, you win. I am wrong for forming an opinion and stating it wrong. Now please let me go through recruitment by myself.

[Nanners52674]

I think it's important to remember that just because Alpha and Beta have great websites that highlight scholarship and philanthropy does not mean Gamma and Delta don't. Using your car analogy Toyota might just have a glossier website than Honda run by a better web designer.

ALL sororities pride themselves on their commitments to scholarship and philanthropy, some just might have better designed social media sites than the others.

[DubaiSis]

ESPECIALLY at the chapter level. I've been amazed at how bad some of them are and how poorly maintained. If I were researching sororities today it would really be hard to not associate that bad a website with a disorganized and disinterested chapter. I can't imagine that there are that many chapters out there with not a single marketing, PR, art, journalism or creative writing major who could use their chapter website as a resume item. But the fact is the two have nothing to do with each other. And hopefully a person going through rush can separate websites from real life.

[ALynnJ]

Originally Posted by Nanners52674

I think it's important to remember that just because Alpha and Beta have great websites that highlight scholarship and philanthropy does not mean Gamma and Delta don't. Using your car analogy Toyota might just have a glossier website than Honda run by a better web designer.

ALL sororities pride themselves on their commitments to scholarship and philanthropy, some just might have better designed social media sites than the others.

That's what I meant with the car analogy. Like you said the Toyota site might be nice and make me really want to buy one but once I drive that one and the Honda, decide that I like the Honda better.

And I do realize that all sororities pride themselves on scholarship and philanthropy, if they didn't they'd lose their charters. But I feel like if Alpha and Beta highlight that rather than have a picture laden site about how many parties they have like Gamma and Delta do, they actually value it MORE than Gamma and Delta. Again, like I've said, I haven't ranked the sororities, I just wanted to get a general feel of them beforehand (I thought posting that information would be interesting... I guess it wasn't). For example, I mentioned in the first post that I heard the Roses are party girls, but I haven't said that I don't want to be a Rose because of that.

[IndianaSigKap]

ALynnJ, I totally agree with you in that checking out the social media is a good idea. If a chapter doesn't update its social media often, then it's either not a priority for them or they are not detail oriented. Chapters leave an impression by what they choose to highlight on social media and because they control the content, it is a reflection on their chapter. It may not be a comprehensive look at a chapter, but it is a snippet to be taken seriously. I know that I form opinions about businesses and organizations based on their social media.

I wish you good luck and smooth sailing!

[33girl]

Originally Posted by ALynnJ

Well, when their website says things along the lines of "XYZ has the highest required GPA and we reward those sisters who get a 4.0" I think it's safe to say they value scholarship or "ABC hosts several events to support their philanthropy and participates in other clubs's philanthropies" I think it's safe to say they value philanthropy.

No, it probably means their national organization tells them to do it. As far as participating in other groups' philanthropies, on some campi that is a social "must" that has zero to do with caring about the charity.

Some groups have their websites more strictly policed than others. Don't be surprised if the group who has zero party pictures on their page are the ones doing lines of coke off the charter.

Websites tell nothing. Period. Maybe they did back in the day when no one knew what they were doing on the internet, but not anymore.

[AGDee]

I think this really just highlights reality- chapters' web sites matter to PNMs. While we know that what is presented on a web site could be misleading, chapters should realize they do sway opinions of PNMs. I don't think this is unique to this PNM. A chapters' Internet presence says something.