University of Illinois/Urbana-Champaign Recruitment - Page 15

DeltaBetaBaby · #**211** 09-18-2011, 11:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IL Anchor Girl

Can some of you who are more familiar with the rules comment on this and tell me what you think? I just heard this today, it really made me sad.

Incoming freshman has a solid 3.5 (out of 4.0) GPA upon high school graduation. She decides to take a college level class over the summer at her local community college to satisfy the prerequisite for a challenging class she wants to take at U of I in the fall. She completes the class and, though it's very difficult, passes with a "C". She is able to enroll in the class and starts packing for school.

Said freshman registers for rush, and things progress very smoothly until after 2nd stage when she is dropped by every house except the 2 lowest houses on her list. She is devastated and mystified as to what happened; although she certainly never expected to get 100% back, this was really drastic. She receives an "off the record", tearful phone call from an older friend, an active in a house she really liked, explaining that she was dropped by her house, and probably all the others as well, because of her 2.0 GPA. PNM is thoroughly confused, until it is explained that only her college GPA is being considered (remember, this consists of 1 summer school course), and her 4 years of high school work is ignored.

Is this really how it's done? It seems incredibly harsh, and certainly penalizes a kid who was trying to take initiative academically. If it is, I don't think PNMs are aware of it at all. In this young woman's case, I don't think she would change anything, since her academics are her top priority and she wouldn't have opted not to take the summer class just to play it safe and go through rush on her high school GPA, but it seems like a shame.

Thanks.

When did she register, and what did she put on her registration form?

DubaiSis · #**212** 09-19-2011, 01:23 AM

What you put on the registration form doesn't matter - she could be lying top to bottom - it's what the transcript says. But I do think it's odd that this grade counted since it wasn't at Illinois. I suppose there could be a CC that feeds directly to Illinois so they accept the class directly.

I'm so sorry she had to go through this. I would suggest she keep pressing for resolution, in case any of the chapters have a snap-bid opportunity. But I guess it's a late date for that.

Clara Mom · #**213** 09-19-2011, 04:14 AM

http://registrar.illinois.edu/grades/GPA.html

Relevant section:

4 different grade point averages (GPA) display on your UIUC official transcript:

TERM GPA - the GPA for your grades for a single semester
TOTAL INSTITUTION – the GPA for all courses completed at UIUC
TOTAL TRANSFER – the GPA for courses outside of UIUC
OVERALL – the Institution and Transfer GPA combined

What was the class that she had to take?

IL Anchor Girl · #**214** 09-19-2011, 09:29 AM

Clara Mom, I don't want to provide any details that would potentially identify the PNM or the active who confided in her and make a bad situation worse. I continue to feel it shouldn't have gone down this way, and the comments here seem to confirm that.

The next days are going to be rough for her as she watches her roommates and dorm floor friends get their bids. I hope she'll look into informal, but I don't know how many houses really do it, and/or if her heart will be in it.

The main thing is, if what happened was actually accurate, it would be good to make it a LOT more clear for freshmen PNMs so they know exactly what GPA they are being considered on - their H.S. GPA (as this young lady assumed), or a summer transfer grade.

Good luck to all the young ladies at Bid Day today!!

DeltaBetaBaby · #**215** 09-19-2011, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DubaiSis

What you put on the registration form doesn't matter - she could be lying top to bottom - it's what the transcript says.

No, it definitely matters for women with no college GPA. Yes, you are pretty much just taking their words for it...that's why there are almost no grade cuts for freshmen.

Drolefille · #**216** 09-19-2011, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

No, it definitely matters for women with no college GPA. Yes, you are pretty much just taking their words for it...that's why there are almost no grade cuts for freshmen.

High school GPAs are generally verified with the school in my experience. So if they're lying then their high school transcript catches it. Are you speaking about Illinois specifically or schools generally.

I figure there are almost no grade cuts for freshmen because high school GPAs tend to be higher than college ones and getting into the school often requires having higher than the minimum.

AOII Angel · #**217** 09-19-2011, 09:53 AM

Note to self, don't recommend anyone take a difficult course the summer before recruitment. Wow! That's sad.

TriDeltaSallie · #**218** 09-19-2011, 09:56 AM

I can imagine membership discussions going something like this...

"She had a 3.5 in high school."

"But she got a 2.0 in calculus at CC and she was only taking one class. How well is she going to handle four classes here?"

When there are so many women to choose from, chapters don't need to play the "what if" game with PNMs with sketchy grades. They can just release them because they already have so many others from which to choose.

That said, it is really unfortunate.

HQWest · #**219** 09-19-2011, 01:12 PM

Granted this would be on a chapter by chapter based requirement - but chapters have a grade requirement to initiate, too. If her summer class grade was a C for some chapters that would be too low to be allowed to be initiated after pledging - which would be just as sad as getting cut after recruitment.

Some don't count summer sessions for keeping track of who is in good standing, but some do, and that is probably part of the problem as well.

Her best bet is to do the best she can this semester, and try again or hope for a possibility to COB.

DG Illinois · #**220** 09-19-2011, 02:23 PM

What just happened?

So while I have been sharing about my niece's rush, I do have other girls I wrote recs for and know very well. So I just had the craziest thing happen with a pnm that suicided.

PNM loves house A, B,C,D. She goes to all their parties, but loses A,B and C when the invites for pref night come. She goes to D, E, and F but suicided D last night.
So she's waiting for the call that she lost D or planning to go to Bid Day pick up.
She gets a call, she didn't match and did not get house D, but House A who she did not pref (because she was cut) has extended her a bid.
Here is where I'm confused...House A is a highly selective house that cut drastically throughout rush. Yes, she would love to be in house A, she loved them from the beginning. What happened? Was this where RFM made some of the houses cut too drastically and they didn't make quota? I've never seen this happen before and not with this particular house. My pnm is thrilled and really confused, as am I, so that is why she knows as she had to go to the office and fill something out.

arrowlady · #**221** 09-19-2011, 02:27 PM

What time do they get their bids today

33girl · #**222** 09-19-2011, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DG Illinois

What just happened?

So while I have been sharing about my niece's rush, I do have other girls I wrote recs for and know very well. So I just had the craziest thing happen with a pnm that suicided.

PNM loves house A, B,C,D. She goes to all their parties, but loses A,B and C when the invites for pref night come. She goes to D, E, and F but suicided D last night.
So she's waiting for the call that she lost D or planning to go to Bid Day pick up.
She gets a call, she didn't match and did not get house D, but House A who she did not pref (because she was cut) has extended her a bid.
Here is where I'm confused...House A is a highly selective house that cut drastically throughout rush. Yes, she would love to be in house A, she loved them from the beginning. What happened? Was this where RFM made some of the houses cut too drastically and they didn't make quota? I've never seen this happen before and not with this particular house. My pnm is thrilled and really confused, as am I, so that is why she knows as she had to go to the office and fill something out.

Yes.

It's not necessarily that they cut too drastically - they cut based on their retention rates from previous years. It's just that the girls they kept chose another group. Unfortunately RFM does not come with the Carnac Mind Reading Turban.

DubaiSis · #**223** 09-19-2011, 02:30 PM

I think this is exactly what happened. Looking at ASU (or was it Arizona?) several chapters missed quota by a long way, chapters that are historically strong. So chapter A didn't make quota and went through the list of un-placed girls, went back through their rankings, and voila! Match. The part I am a little confused about is when the chapter voted on her. Did they know going into Pref that they were going to miss quota? Do they do a hurried vote at noon before bid day activities start?

Congratulations on her pulling a win out of a potential disaster.

Old_Row · #**224** 09-19-2011, 02:38 PM

Are people who suicide eligible for snap bids?

lovespink88 · #**225** 09-19-2011, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arrowlady

What time do they get their bids today

It's my understanding that bids go out at 6ish today?

Which is why I'm confused that DG Illinois's rec girl has received a bid already? I thought they kind of had someone doing that as bids were going out?

I have heard of this happening on U of I's campus before. During my freshmen year, another highly selective chapter did a few snap bids* on bid day.

*this is the correct definition of a snap bid, right?