2.4 GPA and looking to rush at University of Alabama?

[Kenzie2016]

If I am able to get it up to a 2.7, do you think I will have better luck?

[AZTheta]

Originally Posted by Kenzie2016

If I am able to get it up to a 2.7, do you think I will have better luck?

OK, enough already. Now I'm thinking you are a troll. On the off chance that you aren't, here's the bottom line, no rainbows, no hand holding, no sugar coating, no "weighted vs. unweighted", no spinning of the facts. Look - you have been given stellar advice by alumnae of groups at Alabama, who are experienced. Each and every single one of us is saying NO don't do it.

Proceed at your own risk.

[ladybug12]

Despite all of the advice to not rush fall 2016, you keep coming back with different questions. No, I do not think that a 2.7 would change your outcome unless you had some very strong personal connections in some houses who could explain your situation and point out your stellar community service.
It really sounds like you have a lot to offer but I think you will have more options if you get involved next fall and make great grades.
But, the ultimate choice is up to you. Those of us who know this campus have tried to give you honest opinions.

[Titchou]

Let me explain it this way. Over 2300 women will register and go thru the first day at Alabama. For the second round, all the groups will have to release some women. After only 20 minutes of floating thru their houses the first round, how do you think they are going to pick the 200 or more they have to release? Pull up that Excel spreadsheet, sort according to GPA and count them off. You won't make the cut. Don't put yourself in that position when you have a viable alternative. Learn to defer gratification.

[FSUZeta]

A 2.7 will be an improvement, but it will still be hard to overcome a GPA below a 3.00.

Several thousand girls will rush, most who have numerous volunteer hours, recommendations, are well put together, and good conversationalists-just like you. What will set them apart from you is they will have gpas of 3.0 or higher. Low GPAs are the easiest cut to make and all the chapters will have to cut some PNMs at some point.

You will have a much better chance receiving a bid if you study hard, get a 3.0 or higher your first semester, join an organization such as Freshman Forum as HartofSEC suggested, make friends with fellow freshmen, and rush in 2017. I don't know any other way to tell you, as you have been told this over and over and over.

[AnchorAlumna]

Originally Posted by Kenzie2016

If I am able to get it up to a 2.7, do you think I will have better luck?

No.
If you had a 2.9, plus fabulous activities, you might have a chance of a chance.
But not with a 2.7.
Go through with a 3.0 (but preferably higher) GPA as a second-semester freshman or a sophomore, you have a much better chance.

[ladybug12]

Originally Posted by Titchou

Let me explain it this way. Over 2300 women will register and go thru the first day at Alabama. For the second round, all the groups will have to release some women. After only 20 minutes of floating thru their houses the first round, how do you think they are going to pick the 200 or more they have to release? Pull up that Excel spreadsheet, sort according to GPA and count them off. You won't make the cut. Don't put yourself in that position when you have a viable alternative. Learn to defer gratification.

My organization has to release about half of the total PNMs first round, so use your information with 1000+ releases first round...

[FSUZeta]

Look at the link provided by Sciencewoman. Go to page 34. Read it. Printed in bold letters it says, and I paraphrase, " it is highly recommended that PNMs have a 3.0 or over".

On the same page it gives three zones of GPAs, green, yellow, and red. The green zone is 3.0 and higher, the yellow zone is 2.8 to 2.99, and red zone is 2.79 and below, which is where your GPA falls. You have the least chance of having a successful recruitment if your GPA falls in the red zone. You will still be in the red zone should you raise your GPA as you hope. Yellow zone girls will also have a tough time, but the red zone girls will suffer the worst cuts.

Did you see that the average freshman GPA is 3.65 and the average college GPA is 3.18?That is the average. Even if you raise your GPA you will still be well below that.

[Titchou]

Originally Posted by ladybug12

My organization has to release about half of the total PNMs first round, so use your information with 1000+ releases first round...

Each group has a different number to release. But if 99% of the PNMs have a 3.0 or better, whether they have to release 200 or 1000, she's going to be in the ones released.

[irishpipes]

Keep in mind that some groups have a "once cut, always cut" philosophy. If you go through this fall just to see what happens and end up bidless, your options may be greatly reduced for future recruitments.

Also, without knowing your full story, chapters may look negatively on your community service. They may wonder if you will make good time-management decisions. Sorority life presents an overwhelming number of options for philanthropy and social activities. If you have a history of choosing those activities over grades, they might perceive you as a severe grade risk.

[Kenzie2016]

Based off of what you all have said (thank you all for the support with my mother and grandmother) do any of you know which sororities have spring recruitment?

[FSUZeta]

Kenzie, even the chapters won't know if they qualify to participate in spring recruitment until after everyone returns from Christmas break. The earliest they might know would be the first few weeks of class Spring semester 2017. You should call the Greek life office after classes begin spring semester 2017 and ask to enroll in informal recruitment.

[Hartofsec]

Originally Posted by Kenzie2016

Based off of what you all have said (thank you all for the support with my mother and grandmother) do any of you know which sororities have spring recruitment?

Don't worry about which sororities may have recruitment in the spring -- you have a lot to do meanwhile to prepare for the possibility of a successful recruitment in 2017, and even more importantly, a positive and productive freshman year.

You might consider making some contacts now (like teachers before you graduate), and asking these alums to write recs in the future, especially if you are interested in spring recruitment (you will not know months in advance which chapters are participating).

It takes a lot of time to secure two for each chapter, and it would probably be easier to provide some mature reasons for delaying recruitment than to ask these same alums twice (assuming an unsuccessful fall 2016 recruitment due to grades). And a lot of the alums you ask to write recs will not have an optimistic view of your fall 2016 chances -- just like us.

If you involve yourself on campus, those sorority women you meet may be the ones responsible for an invite to a spring COB event, or the ones who are familiar faces and advocates in the chaos of an enormous fall recruitment when you are a sophomore.

Since my previous post suggesting you research campus involvement, I tripped across a resource I didn't realize we had -- The Office of Student Involvement.

AND there is even a link to the "Top 5 Ways to Get Involved at UA Before Arriving on Campus!" Check it out -- this will make researching campus orgs and involvement easy. (and hey, see #5 -- they point you to Freshman Forum! ):

Top 5 Ways to Get Involved at UA Before Arriving on Campus:
http://studentinvolvement.ua.edu/beforearrivingoncampus.cfm

[DubaiSis]

Or alternatively, do whatever you want. These women don't really know what they're talking about. Yes, they've literally seen tens of thousands (yes, literally tens of thousands) of young women walk through the doors of their chapter houses at the University of Alabama and have overseen the dismissal of, again, tens of thousands of young women. But you are a super special snowflake and know better than them. So I'd go for it.

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by Kenzie2016

Based off of what you all have said (thank you all for the support with my mother and grandmother) do any of you know which sororities have spring recruitment?

There is no way to really tell, as that depends on the chapter's numbers after fall recruitment/readjustment of total/etc.


Honestly, you need to be concerned about your grades.

There is no off-setting a 2.7.

You could seriously be the most beautiful PNM in school who has previously cured cancer. No dice if you don't have the grades.