Transferring not yet initatied

[pinksequins]

Aggiegirl is a new member but not yet initiated.

Aggiegirl, of all of the advice on pros and cons, take a very hard look at Greek Life at your new school now (to the best that you can). You are currently a new member of ABC. If ABC is not on your new campus, then your choice in a nutshell is either go through recruitment at the new school or to be an ABC alum. The hard questions arise if ABC is on your new campus. Is the personality of the chapter similar or very different? How does a different personality make you feel? How many other groups are on your new campus -- a lot like TAMU or maybe only a handful? Would you rather have the opportunity to investigate a new set of chapters? The chapters at TAMU tend to be large with a variety of members. Are the chapters at your new school equally large or are they smaller, where chapter personality is more pronounced?

[Sciencewoman]

I transferred and affiliated, and my new chapter was a very good fit. I contacted them the spring before I transferred, and made arrangements to live in the house. We had another transfer member from a different chapter, and my original chapter also had an affiliate member from another Big 10 school.

My advice is to be totally above board in the process. If you're thinking of transferring again, I'm assuming you're going to visit that campus and make a good decision about the school fit. Contact the chapter president there and explain your situation - you're a new member at TAMU who is likely to transfer and you'd love to meet some chapter members. Ask if you can visit and meet some sisters. See what kind of vibe you get. If you feel like it's a good fit, and you get a welcoming vibe, then I would initiate at TAMU.

Your current chapter and the potential affiliate chapter will appreciate a drama-free, honest approach. You're a member of this organization, who has not been initiated yet. See what your options are with the other chapter, and make an informed decision.

[jenidallas]

I also transferred and affiliated.

I was 75% certain I was going to transfer before I initiated - I initiated because I was 90% sure I was ready to make a lifetime commitment to my organization. (That 10% was all about being 18 and a bit flaky!)

I considered four schools for my transfer choices - two had my sorority and two didn't. I made an extra effort to get to know the chapters at both. I ended up at one of those but was only about 50% on affiliating so it took me (and the chapter) the full allowed affiliation period to make that decision.

Now more than two decades later, I know that all my choices were the right ones - but at the time it took a leap of faith and a little bit of extra effort on my part.

Boone can say what the right choices for you but the best advice possible is to follow YOUR heart... But also use your head.

[pinksequins]

Sciencewoman gives sound advice about being straightforward with your inquiry and visitng the chapter of ABC at your new school. There are as many tales of affiliation as there are circumstnaces. Here is one that I know (for comparison):

In a new member class after mine was a cute, effervescent new member. She decided to transfer to another university in the region that had many chapters including one of ours. She depledged ABC and went through recruitment at her new university and had one of those golden recruitments. She did not pledge ABC but instead pledged DEF. DEF was the oddball chapter at our university so many of us were shocked. (We did not have websites or social media, so we didn't know about DEF at school #2.) Later when we visited school #2, we found that DEF at school #2 was more like ABC at school #1 than ABC at school #2 was (and almost nothing like DEF at school #1). So her choice then made sense to us. The takeaway is that chapter personalities can vary among schools. At your new school, your NPC may be a good fit for you or not. Your visiting that chapter can help you with your current decision.

[KDCat]