Auburn University Recruitment 2014

[PalmTree]

Good luck to all PNM's! Daughter reporting 1,402 coming through recruitment -- not sure that's an official number. Can't believe she is a senior this year. Her recruitment seems like it was just yesterday!

[iamamom]

Okay I'll join in. D also going through recruitment. She is another one who did zero research and just wants to be in a sorority where she'll fit. She's also out of state and had at least one rec for each sorority.

I've gotten a few texts, she's having a lot of fun and it's super loud. She is a hair straightening champion, but I wonder if her naturally curly hair is starting to show itself.

I live in a climate that gets hot and humid, but boy that sun is STRONG in Alabama!

[FuturePNMMom]

I joined this group five years ago, a year before my DD graduated from high school. It is so hard to believe she is participating in her final recruitment and next weekend, we will attend our final Bid Day together. Greek Life at Auburn has been the most amazing, wonderful experience for my DD. Time has surely flown! These girls work so hard to make this a special week for the PNMs. It is truly amazing to see all of the behind the scenes work that goes into recruitment. I wish all of you a great week and I can't wait to hear your stories!

Just for your encouragement, my DD is from Alabama. She attended a very small private school outside of Birmingham. She had a great GPA, but a mediocre ACT score. She had no legacy to any house, and only knew a handful of girls in any of the houses on campus. She did her homework and had a Rec for almost every sorority. Her recruitment was not "perfect", but she maintained an almost full schedule - I think she had 10/12 visits on Philanthropy Days, but all the rest were full and maximized her options after Pref and got in the house that was her first choice from day 1. She has been a leader in her sorority and has made life long friends.

Enjoy this week as crazy as it will be!

[Griffins&Quills]

I think it's wrong that they mislead girls and parents into thinking recs were not required. I think there are going to be a lot of unhappy girls. As someone else stated, recs are never required (per se) to participate but to have a successful recruitment is a different story

[WregleXO]

What drives me crazy is when the Mom is greek and tells me that recs are not really needed any more. This girl is not going through rush at Auburn but is going through rush at a Texas school later this year. Of course, this mom also thinks that it is given that since her daughter is a legacy at a chapter at this school that all is good.

[irishpipes]

Originally Posted by WregleXO

What drives me crazy is when the Mom is greek and tells me that recs are not really needed any more. This girl is not going through rush at Auburn but is going through rush at a Texas school later this year. Of course, this mom also thinks that it is given that since her daughter is a legacy at a chapter at this school that all is good.

This happens so much. Greek mom went to BFE State U and "knows" that her sorority doesn't use recs.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by irishpipes

This happens so much. Greek mom went to BFE State U and "knows" that her sorority doesn't use recs.

Whereas if she traveled from BFE to Great Big City, she would do things differently -always locking the car etc. When you go to a different place things are different. Even if it is your sisters. How anyone gets through one issue of their national magazine and doesn't figure that out I do not understand.

[AUmom14]

Talked to my daughter after her last 5 ice water teas and her ranking. She had to list her top 5 to drop. She is exhausted and is starting to question if sorority life is really for her. She has been disappointed that she has not met any engineering majors in the sorority houses and knows her course load will take up more time than other majors. It would really help if she could talk to some sorority members that have done it.

She will text me how many houses she got asked back to tonight after her pi chi group meets. She is hoping she does not get asked back to a lot. I fear she might throw in the towel if she is overwhelmed.

I also think homesickness and left boyfriend are starting to catch up to her.

[FSUZeta]

Originally Posted by AUmom14

Talked to my daughter after her last 5 ice water teas and her ranking. She had to list her top 5 to drop. She is exhausted and is starting to question if sorority life is really for her. She has been disappointed that she has not met any engineering majors in the sorority houses and knows her course load will take up more time than other majors. It would really help if she could talk to some sorority members that have done it.

She will text me how many houses she got asked back to tonight after her pi chi group meets. She is hoping she does not get asked back to a lot. I fear she might throw in the towel if she is overwhelmed.

I also think homesickness and left boyfriend are starting to catch up to her.

Which is how joining a sorority might help. Please remind DD that just because she has not met any engineering students in the sororities does not mean each chapter does not have at least one member studying engineering (probably more). If she feels comfortable to do so, she might ask her rush hostesses at each sorority if they have any members who are engineering majors. Maybe the member would take that as a clue to introduce DD to said eng. major.

I hope that she sees recruitment through to the end. It is tiring and emotional and hot and sweaty, but it is worth it.

[Titchou]

Originally Posted by FSUZeta

Which is how joining a sorority might help. Please remind DD that just because she has not met any engineering students in the sororities does not mean each chapter does not have at least one member studying engineering (probably more). If she feels comfortable to do so, she might ask her rush hostesses at each sorority if they have any members who are engineering majors. Maybe the member would take that as a clue to introduce DD to said eng. major.

I hope that she sees recruitment through to the end. It is tiring and emotional and hot and sweaty, but it is worth it.

Yes, that's exactly what she should do - ASK! It's OK to do that - in fact, it will make her more memorable for all the right reasons.

[Sciencewoman]

Originally Posted by FSUZeta

Which is how joining a sorority might help. Please remind DD that just because she has not met any engineering students in the sororities does not mean each chapter does not have at least one member studying engineering (probably more). If she feels comfortable to do so, she might ask her rush hostesses at each sorority if they have any members who are engineering majors. Maybe the member would take that as a clue to introduce DD to said eng. major.

I hope that she sees recruitment through to the end. It is tiring and emotional and hot and sweaty, but it is worth it.

Good advice!! I was also an engineering major and now I am a professor. I know many women who have combined challenging majors with sorority membership. The older members were very supportive and helpful my first year.

Classes had started when I went through recruitment, and I had an engineering classmate who was paired up with me during 2 rounds at her chapter. I'm pretty sure I was her "rush crush," because she gave me the saddest look in class when I didn't return to her house for pref (this was back in the day when we did decline "extra" invites -- I was invited to 4 chapters for pref, but we could only go to 2). After the second round, I'd realized that the conversations tended to fall flat after the rusher asked "what's your major?" Many people are intimidated by science, and they would generally say something like, "Wow," then change the subject. It made me feel weird and nerdy. Gamma Phi Beta became my solid favorite due to what they did at the start of the 3rd round. Three sisters I hadn't met yet greeted me in the entryway, and said, "are you an engineering major?" I thought, uh oh, but one of the other sisters said, "Sarah thought she saw you in the building! So are we!" They made me feel special, and I knew I didn't have to be worried that my major was a turn-off. That was the "aha moment" for me, and I knew I'd found my home. I can't promise this will happen for your daughter, but I'd encourage her to stick it out. What she is feeling right now is natural and not unusual.

[DallasMom]

Originally Posted by AUmom14

Talked to my daughter after her last 5 ice water teas and her ranking. She had to list her top 5 to drop. She is exhausted and is starting to question if sorority life is really for her. She has been disappointed that she has not met any engineering majors in the sorority houses and knows her course load will take up more time than other majors. It would really help if she could talk to some sorority members that have done it.

She will text me how many houses she got asked back to tonight after her pi chi group meets. She is hoping she does not get asked back to a lot. I fear she might throw in the towel if she is overwhelmed.

I also think homesickness and left boyfriend are starting to catch up to her.

Oh, gosh. .. .Please tell her to simply ask during the next round of parties if there are any engineering majors and could she please be introduced to them. When I was at Auburn, there were several engineering majors. My roommate was one of them.

I know she must be tired --- walking, heat, humidity, lot of small talk --- it can old. But the rest of the week should be much better as there aren't as many parties every day.

Good luck!

______
Tri Delta Alum

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by AUmom14

Talked to my daughter after her last 5 ice water teas and her ranking. She had to list her top 5 to drop. She is exhausted and is starting to question if sorority life is really for her. She has been disappointed that she has not met any engineering majors in the sorority houses and knows her course load will take up more time than other majors. It would really help if she could talk to some sorority members that have done it.

She will text me how many houses she got asked back to tonight after her pi chi group meets. She is hoping she does not get asked back to a lot. I fear she might throw in the towel if she is overwhelmed.

I also think homesickness and left boyfriend are starting to catch up to her.

I just want to throw this out there because I see the terminology being used wrong all the time:

She is not choosing "five to drop." She is indicating to Panhellenic that those are the 5 that she would least like to return to.

When people call it "to drop" it gives PNMs the impression that those houses you list will NEVER show up on your list again. They most certain can.

If any of those she ranked in her Top However Many Parties She Could List choose not to invite her back. She would see some of those chapters she placed on her lower ranked list in her schedule.

I just wanted to clarify that because often, PNMs will get their lists and be like "HOW IS XYZ ON IT? I DROPPED THEM YESTERDAY!" not realizing that they didn't "drop" anyone. They just listed them low. Best of luck to your daughter!

[DeltaBetaBaby]

But if lots of PNM's don't have recs, or have only a scattered few, then most PNM's will still have invites, just perhaps a more limited number. I know nothing specific to Auburn, but from what I know of RFM in other big recruitments, there are likely chapters that have enough invitations to invite back everyone who makes the grade cuts. In fact, the rec confusion can, in a backwards sort of way, HELP some of the weaker recruiting chapters, because they might have a shot at top PNM's who don't have recs and therefore get released from the stronger recruiting chapters.

Which is to say, the advice from AU panhellenic is still dumb, but it's likely not catastrophic.

[irishpipes]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

But if lots of PNM's don't have recs, or have only a scattered few, then most PNM's will still have invites, just perhaps a more limited number. I know nothing specific to Auburn, but from what I know of RFM in other big recruitments, there are likely chapters that have enough invitations to invite back everyone who makes the grade cuts. In fact, the rec confusion can, in a backwards sort of way, HELP some of the weaker recruiting chapters, because they might have a shot at top PNM's who don't have recs and therefore get released from the stronger recruiting chapters.

Which is to say, the advice from AU panhellenic is still dumb, but it's likely not catastrophic.

I agree that this situation can help WRCs, but it could be considered catastrophic from the vantage point of the PNM. If a PNM thinks she has a shot at a strong recruiting chapter, but doesn't get a rec since she thinks she doesn't need one, she might feel that disaster has struck.