Spring Recruitment at UF?

So I am going to update this for all my future gator girls out there that may participate in spring recruitment at UF!
So there were 7 sororities participating this year with roughly 130 pnms! So that was interesting, considering there is at most about 10 spots open in each house.
We were divided up into 7 groups of roughly 20 girls per group. Each sorority had a different room in the student union which you were led to and stood outside of until the panhellenic council gave the sororites the go ahead to let us (there was one group at a particular house at one time).
We were in these "parties" for 20 minutes exactly (I called it sorority speed dating) and depending on the house you were interviewed/talked to by one member of the house of several memebers of the house. In the party you gave them a card with your name and pnm number. After the 20 minutes there was a 10 minute break between "rounds" to give the sororities a chance to dicuss amongst themselves what they liked.
The whole event was about 5 hours long and quite scary but exciting! Then today at noon the panhellenic council released our information to the sororities and gave them permission to contact us, and they are able to contact us (if they want of course) for the rest of the week x_x! So it is quite a sit and wait situation. So far I have been contacted by three of the seven houses which is quite exciting but confusing since you are unsure of who else may contact you (but thats just me)!

[twinkle555]

Originally Posted by kat3iseret

So I am going to update this for all my future gator girls out there that may participate in spring recruitment at UF!
So there were 7 sororities participating this year with roughly 130 pnms! So that was interesting, considering there is at most about 10 spots open in each house.
We were divided up into 7 groups of roughly 20 girls per group. Each sorority had a different room in the student union which you were led to and stood outside of until the panhellenic council gave the sororites the go ahead to let us (there was one group at a particular house at one time).
We were in these "parties" for 20 minutes exactly (I called it sorority speed dating) and depending on the house you were interviewed/talked to by one member of the house of several memebers of the house. In the party you gave them a card with your name and pnm number. After the 20 minutes there was a 10 minute break between "rounds" to give the sororities a chance to dicuss amongst themselves what they liked.
The whole event was about 5 hours long and quite scary but exciting! Then today at noon the panhellenic council released our information to the sororities and gave them permission to contact us, and they are able to contact us (if they want of course) for the rest of the week x_x! So it is quite a sit and wait situation. So far I have been contacted by three of the seven houses which is quite exciting but confusing since you are unsure of who else may contact you (but thats just me)!

How exciting for u kat3!!! Cant wait to read your next installment!

[FSUZeta]

i agree with twinkle-how exciting!!! i hope that you are able to attend as many events as you are invited to. 3 out of 7 is really good, with maybe even more to come. please keep us updated as you are able.

ps-did most girls wear the dark jeans/polo/flats ensemble?

So I decided to revisit this thread since I recklessly abandoned it

Anyways, I ended up getting offered bids from 5 of the 7 houses (which surprised me ALOT since I have no friends in sororities nor did I have any recs), but decided not to accept any bids because I was quite shocked by the cost. Once I found out it was going to be upwards of $2000 every semester I got cold feet and decided against it.
I do regret my decision since I did/do really want to be in a sorority, but in my mind I can't justify paying that kind of money. I have been going back and forth about rushing this upcoming fall so we will see where I end up.
Also, during informal recruitment a lot of the other girls were talking about their experiences in formal rush and how it was something everybody should experience, which made me feel like I was missing out on a great experience involved with joining a sorority. Not that informal rush is bad, I just am bizarre and felt weird not taking part in that tradition of "formal rush" if I was planning on joining a sorority. So I guess I have some "soul searching" this summer in regards to sorority joining Thanks for everyone’s help though!

P.S. The majority of the girls did wear dark jeans and a nice top, but some did wear nice summer dresses, and almost everyone was in flats!

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by kat3iseret

So I decided to revisit this thread since I recklessly abandoned it


Anyways, I ended up getting offered bids from 5 of the 7 houses (which surprised me ALOT since I have no friends in sororities nor did I have any recs), but decided not to accept any bids because I was quite shocked by the cost. Once I found out it was going to be upwards of $2000 every semester I got cold feet and decided against it.

I do regret my decision since I did/do really want to be in a sorority, but in my mind I can't justify paying that kind of money. I have been going back and forth about rushing this upcoming fall so we will see where I end up.

Also, during informal recruitment a lot of the other girls were talking about their experiences in formal rush and how it was something everybody should experience, which made me feel like I was missing out on a great experience involved with joining a sorority. Not that informal rush is bad, I just am bizarre and felt weird not taking part in that tradition of "formal rush" if I was planning on joining a sorority. So I guess I have some "soul searching" this summer in regards to sorority joining Thanks for everyone’s help though!


P.S. The majority of the girls did wear dark jeans and a nice top, but some did wear nice summer dresses, and almost everyone was in flats!

Some honest advice:

Take a very realistic look at your financial situation and how you would pay for sorority membership if you did join this fall.

Sorority costs (in my experience) do not decrease from year to year, in fact they tend to increase (due to increases in things like national dues/fees). I'm just putting that out there in case you were expecting the cost to change dramatically because you decided to wait.

[ree-Xi]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

Some honest advice:

Take a very realistic look at your financial situation and how you would pay for sorority membership if you did join this fall.

Sorority costs (in my experience) do not decrease from year to year, in fact they tend to increase (due to increases in things like national dues/fees). I'm just putting that out there in case you were expecting the cost to change dramatically because you decided to wait.

I might have missed this, but Is that $2000 inclusive of room and board?

[33girl]

Anyone who truly believes that everyone has to experience formal rush to have the full sorority experience is certifiable. Any girl who said that to you is a being passive agressive bia and trying to make you feel "less" for receiving a bid through informal rush.

I'm kind of wondering that you didn't even check into average dues with the Greek life office if money is a large factor to you. You would have known at least around the amount you had to pay, wouldn't have been so shocked and could have maybe figured out finances or payment arrangements. Unfortunately, now you turned down 5 sororities who probably are not going to give you another chance. Even if it truly is financial - they're going to think you didn't find them good enough and are trying to "trade up."

As KSUviolet said, the costs aren't going to be any cheaper in the fall. It might even be more expensive, with homecoming dances and whatnot.

If you can't afford it, don't bother going through rush again in the fall and wasting your time and the sororities' time.

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by ree-Xi

I might have missed this, but Is that $2000 inclusive of room and board?

I honestly don't know. She didn't say. I'm going to guess thaat if the monthly costs are that high, they are all-inclusive. I have friends who went to SEC schools with per month dues in that range, but EVERYTHING was included.

UF peeps?

[ree-Xi]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

I honestly don't know. She didn't say. I'm going to guess thaat if the monthly costs are that high, they are all-inclusive. I have friends who went to SEC schools with per month dues in that range, but EVERYTHING was included.

UF peeps?

That would have sucked if they were all-inclusive and she didn't know it. I've read many times here that on certain campuses, the costs of living in a dorm and on a meal plan are less than living in-house with a house meal plan.

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by ree-Xi

That would have sucked if they were all-inclusive and she didn't know it. I've read many times here that on certain campuses, the costs of living in a dorm and on a meal plan are less than living in-house with a house meal plan.

That was definitely true of my school.

Also, 5 bids is alot of bids to turn down. That's 5 sororities she might not have a chance at come fall.

And to be honest, the ones who WEREN'T doing spring recruitment aren't typically going to be chapters who would take a chance on an upperclassman. They also aren't going to be much different price-wise than those she saw in spring...

The price I gave does NOT include housing, it does include a meal plan- depending on the sorority it came 2-3 meals a day at the house. Yes, I asked about dues and spoke with the President of Membership for the panhellenic council and the best they will do is give you a range of prices that went from 1000-3000 a semester, which is quite vague.
The cost of a sorority here at UF goes down after each semester- it does not go up since I asked members of every house that I had contact with and once again asked individuals on the Panhellenic Council.

I can pay for a sorority, and I am well aware that prices will remain the same come fall.... I just have to decide if I want to pay it. Also, I informed the sororities which I did receive bids from that I was turning them down because of financial reasons and was encouraged to try again in the fall if I felt capable- also at UF we have 16 sororities, I had contact with 5.

[BabyPiNK_FL]

I know if sororities had been that much I would not have been able to join. If you want to join, I highly recommend talking to parents and working if you can all summer and figuring out how to get by. Also consider living in because while it may be more it will probably be less than paying for sorority & housing separately. I am so glad I had friends that I was able to ask before I went through and was prepared before as to how I would pay! good luck!

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by kat3iseret

The price I gave does NOT include housing, it does include a meal plan- depending on the sorority it came 2-3 meals a day at the house. Yes, I asked about dues and spoke with the President of Membership for the panhellenic council and the best they will do is give you a range of prices that went from 1000-3000 a semester, which is quite vague.
The cost of a sorority here at UF goes down after each semester- it does not go up since I asked members of every house that I had contact with and once again asked individuals on the Panhellenic Council.

I can pay for a sorority, and I am well aware that prices will remain the same come fall.... I just have to decide if I want to pay it. Also, I informed the sororities which I did receive bids from that I was turning them down because of financial reasons and was encouraged to try again in the fall if I felt capable- also at UF we have 16 sororities, I had contact with 5.

That's unique.

I've heard of sorority costs going down once you are initiated (they usually do slightly because you are finished paying all of the one-time new member fees), but never going down EVERY semester that you are an active.

[Splash]

That's what I took it to mean even if she might have phrased it wrong

There is of course a drop off of about 200-400 dollars after the first semester, but the individuals I spoke with said it continues to go down, not as dramatically as after the first semester, till it essentially plateaus for your final two semesters as a senior.
UF is extremely expensive, I think it may only be behind Alabama and Georgia when it comes to dues. I really don't know why it is so expensive since almost all other Florida schools are 500-1000 a semester. Who knows