Tiers

[blondebutsmart]

I'm sorry. I thought this board was available to help people who had questions. I have no friends or family in Greek life. I have read a lot of the recruitment threads/stories and people have mentioned that term. I thought I was asking a legitimate question. I was taught that's how you learn things. I didn't expect to get chastised.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by blondebutsmart

I'm sorry. I thought this board was available to help people who had questions. I have no friends or family in Greek life. I have read a lot of the recruitment threads/stories and people have mentioned that term. I thought I was asking a legitimate question. I was taught that's how you learn things. I didn't expect to get chastised.

I think most people give some thought to the reputations of the groups they join, but don't let what other people think or say keep you for joining a group that you like and that likes you.

Don't worry too much about being chastised, but be aware that if you do join, and you spend all your time thinking about tiers, you might be missing out on something.

And I think that she's probably right about the parents. If your daughter likes a group, don't worry about the tier it's in. That seems silly.

[blondebutsmart]

"Don't worry too much about being chastised, but be aware that if you do join, and you spend all your time thinking about tiers, you might be missing out on something."

I'm not worried about the tiers! That was the point. I can't understand why people in the recruitment process seem so worried about what tier the sorority is rather than how they fit with the other girls. I wanted to clarify that tiers were what I thought they were (popularity based on looks, grades, and money).

I thought this was a place where I could go for help. I am still trying to decide if this (a sorority) is something I want to be a part of. Maybe my skin is not thick enough. I certainly don't feel comfortable asking any more questions, so maybe that's a sign.

[UGAalum94]

Well, it's just up to you.

(All someone said was that worrying about tiers meant one had too much time on her hands. If you know you aren't really worried about tiers, you could just kind of know that it didn't apply to you.)

[adpiucf]

Originally Posted by blondebutsmart

I'm not worried about the tiers! That was the point. I can't understand why people in the recruitment process seem so worried about what tier the sorority is rather than how they fit with the other girls. I wanted to clarify that tiers were what I thought they were (popularity based on looks, grades, and money).

PNMs worry about tiers because most PNMs are teenaged girls who are very concerned with appearances and want to join the most prestigious groups. Tiers are not based on grades or money or awards won. They're based on looks and popularity. That's it. It's silly and superficial-- tiers are completely artificial. They're a ranking developed in people's minds. And different people will have different impressions of what chapter falls into what tier.

Chapters spend a lot time and effort working to achieve an image that they are the all-around great girls that you want to emulate or aspire to be a part of. If you join a sorority, you will be expected to participate in sorority activities that work toward this purpose: academic standards, leadership training, working together in the sorority in teams to plan events and community service activities, sisterhood retreats, moral and ethical standards, considering your words and actions and how they affect others as well as how they affect others' views of your sorority, and participating in activities outside of the sorority to contribute to the well-roundedness, etc.

I hope this helps to explain the idea behind tiers-- there are no official tiers-- just the imaginary construct of the students involved with Greek Life. Please don't hesitate from asking questions. Just try to frame them constructively. From time to time, we get new posters who are here just to ridicule or chide Greeks and Greek Life, so understandably, the regulars are a bit jaded.

Good luck with recruitment. If you aren't sure if you want to join a sorority but you are curious about the Greek System, recruitment week will help you see if it is something you might enjoy being a part of.