UT Austin rush

[TXDG]

Originally Posted by aephi alum

And ditto what thetalady said about the financial obligations associated with sorority membership. You're looking at a few hundred dollars per semester even if you're not living in the house, and your first semester is going to be the most expensive as you will have to pay some one-time fees (e.g. initiation fee, cost of a badge).

A few thousand dollars, not a few hundred. The range of mandatory fees for the New Member school year is $2700-4700, varies by house. These estimates don't include paying for social events, tshirts, etc which can easily add a few hundred extra per semester.

[DeltaGlamorous0]

I'm currently in a sorority at UT. I have to say that it isn't a good idea to come into recruitment with a ton of preconceived notions about the different houses. That being said, there are some things you should know.

1)Despite what was previously posted, AEPhi at the University of Texas is 99-100% Jewish. So many girls like them every year, only to eventually be cut because of this. It is apparently the only AEPhi chapter in the country that takes only jewish girls. That being said, girls who are jewish do not always go AEPhi at UT
2)There are sororities that will take you if you do not have a rec, but you may not feel like you fit in with those sororities, so try and do everything you can to obtain as many as possible.
3)You are at a disadvantage for starting so late. The unofficial deadline for recs is typically July 1st. We will look at them if you send them in after that though.
4)The rankings that you talked about were determined in the 70s, and it is archaic. Some of the top sororities you described are not widely liked, and some of the ones you listed in the middle are widely loved.
5)OOS girls get bids all the time. I would say there is a house with the highest concentration of them, but every sorority has OOS girls.

Also, a word of advice, rank is not everything. There are some snotty people that think it matters. Those people don't get very far during recruitment. Often times girls who only go for "top" houses end up miserable because they don't fit in, and they could've been really happy at a house they thought wasn't "top" enough for them. It also really rubs everyone the wrong way when you try and rank the houses. Even girls in "top" sororities get offended because they have friends in other houses.
All of the sororities who participate in formal recruitment are strong at UT. You couldn't go wrong with any of them. It is all about where you fit in.
It also does cost a lot of money. Be prepared to spend around 4000 for your first year, and this often does not include things like t-shirts, parent's weekend activities, possibly eating at the house, etc. UT greek like is expensive.
You should try and get a rec for every house you can!!

If it doesn't work out, plenty of girls go through as sophomores and find the process much easier. Every house has sophomore quotas.

As for general advice, don't worry too much about your clothing. Yes, it should be appropriate, but if a house is going to cut you cause you didn't wear the right brand or something, you don't want to be in that house anyways. Instead, focus on finding outfits that you feel comfortable in. If you're comfortable in your outfit, you are going to be more comfortable and confident in the houses. That will take you farther than a designer dress ever will.
You might already know this, but don't talk about boys, alcohol, religion, or politics.
Bring flip flops or something to walk between houses during the later rounds. Your feet will thank you.
Give every sorority a shot. You're there for a reason.

[thetalady]

Originally Posted by TXDG

A few thousand dollars, not a few hundred. The range of mandatory fees for the New Member school year is $2700-4700, varies by house. These estimates don't include paying for social events, tshirts, etc which can easily add a few hundred extra per semester.

This estimate is from the University and can be VERY misleading. There is so much that is not included with these figures. Please use them as a rough estimate and assume they can be higher.

UT Austin sorority costs

"Additional costs throughout the semester may include parking at the chapter house*, optional meal plans, pictures, gifts, social events, T-shirts, etc. **parking availability and cost will vary by chapter"

[aephi alum]

Originally Posted by TXDG

A few thousand dollars, not a few hundred. The range of mandatory fees for the New Member school year is $2700-4700, varies by house. These estimates don't include paying for social events, tshirts, etc which can easily add a few hundred extra per semester.

I guess I'm showing my age, LOL. I can't remember dropping more than about $1000 in any given semester.

My chapter also did not have a house, which means I didn't have to pay parlor fees and the like.

[SarahE]

Well, I have 5 rec letters total and 2 supposedly going to chapters in the next few days. Hope that happens because I've done all I can. My parents got zero financial aid on my OOS tuition so I guess that means they can afford the dues and extras haha. I owe them! We saw the chapter houses at night earlier this summer and I remember AEPhi's had some sort of new construction or addition out to the side. It was a really nice house. From Delta Glamorous' post, Jewish girls have other options besides AEPhi but not many non Jewish girls going into it. They're one of the houses I don't have a rec for, which is fine.

Thanks for the advice everyone!!!

[SarahE]

Delta Glamorous, I have a question for you. Will pm u

[thetalady]

Originally Posted by SarahE

My parents got zero financial aid on my OOS tuition so I guess that means they can afford the dues and extras haha. I owe them!

SarahE, have you had a talk with your parents about the cost of sorority membership? It might not be something else they can handle on top of your other expenses.... sorry, I worry. $4000 is a big chunk of cash

[SarahE]

Originally Posted by thetalady

SarahE, have you had a talk with your parents about the cost of sorority membership? It might not be something else they can handle on top of your other expenses.... sorry, I worry. $4000 is a big chunk of cash

Oh yes ma'am. I would not have been able to rush if they had not agreed to pay, because I sure don't have 4000 dollars plus! I don't understand how anyone would go through not knowing how much it's gonna cost.

[thetalady]

Originally Posted by SarahE

Oh yes ma'am. I would not have been able to rush if they had not agreed to pay, because I sure don't have 4000 dollars plus! I don't understand how anyone would go through not knowing how much it's gonna cost.

WHEW!! Glad to hear that! Unfortunately, I have seen it happen several times. It is really sad to have a good member forced to drop out, but sororities have big expenses that have to be paid.

[austingammaphi]

Originally Posted by aephi alum

I guess I'm showing my age, LOL. I can't remember dropping more than about $1000 in any given semester.

My chapter also did not have a house, which means I didn't have to pay parlor fees and the like.

One of the reasons that UT's sorority fees are so high is because Austin has become a VERY popular place to live and work, and property taxes have skyrocketed in the past two decades as a result. It is very expensive for UT sororities and fraternities to maintain their houses.

My sorority left campus in the late '80s, and there's always talk at alum meetings about how great it would be to be back at UT. And then we start talking about how difficult it will be for any house to come back--many old houses (including our gorgeous chapter house from the late 1950s) have been razed to build condos and high-rise apartments, and the cost of the land alone would be prohibitive for many groups. Anyway, that's part of the reason that UT Greek life can be more costly than at other campuses.

[CaliAggie]

Originally Posted by austingammaphi

One of the reasons that UT's sorority fees are so high is because Austin has become a VERY popular place to live and work, and property taxes have skyrocketed in the past two decades as a result. It is very expensive for UT sororities and fraternities to maintain their houses.

My sorority left campus in the late '80s, and there's always talk at alum meetings about how great it would be to be back at UT. And then we start talking about how difficult it will be for any house to come back--many old houses (including our gorgeous chapter house from the late 1950s) have been razed to build condos and high-rise apartments, and the cost of the land alone would be prohibitive for many groups. Anyway, that's part of the reason that UT Greek life can be more costly than at other campuses.

This is a dumb question but are most national GLO's incorporated and registered with the IRS as either not for profit or social organizations? I was under the impression that most fraternities and sororities didn't have to pay property taxes because they were exempt.