University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) 2012 Recruitment

[MaryPoppins]

How RFM Works - A critical point of understanding for a PNM:

Originally Posted by Titchou

The way recruitment is done from an invitation standpoint has changed greatly since the 70's when you went thru. For schools where you absolutely have to have a rec (see sticky on this topic for a good list of them) even that may not get you invited back as the chapters are limited by RFM (Release Figures Methodology which NPC regulates). Based on an average of recent prior year returns, chapters are told how many they can invite back for each round. So it chapter A has recs for 1000 women but can only invited 800, then at least 200 of those will be released by that chapter. The number of invites given will vary by chapter based on their prior performance (how many invites they issued and how many attendees from those invites). So chapter B may get to invited 900 and chapter C 700 and so on.

Your daughter will be ranking the groups at the end of each day. So the computer will match her top ranked chapters with her invitations. So say she goes to all 18 the first day. She'll rank them all. So say she can attend 12 parites the next day and gets 13 invites. The computer will drop her lowest ranked chapter and she will get a list of jsut the 12. And so on the next day, etc. So in essense, where you picked the invitations you accepted, the computer does it for her based on the invites against her rankings. She won't see all the invites, just the ones the computer assigns her to.

The basis for this is to level the playing field for all groups so that no groups invite back tons of people only to drop them at pref. And it makes every chapter be more targeted in their efforts. So, your daughter will be required to attend all the parties slated for her - called maximizing her options. If she doesn't attend them all (even if she is slotted to go to her bottom ranked group) she could be dropped from recruitment or not get a bid at the end.

Hope this helps.

[holiday]

Congrats to both ADPi and Alpha Phi. It will be very interesting for ADPi. They are colonizing at Mississippi State this spring (2013) and then Ole Miss in the fall 2013? I believe both universities have a house requirement. Should be an exciting time for them.

[MaryPoppins]

Originally Posted by MaryPoppins

Landlocked is a relative term at Ole Miss. The Administrators have a habit of destroying parking or closing off roads to make walking malls on campus. Many places I parked while I as in school are now faculty parking, gone, malls, or a building. Of course now Newsweek named Ole MIss the #1 Beautiful Campus, so there ya go!

So who knows? They have yet to build a multilevel parking facility that has been demanded by stdents and faculty for at least 20 years. And you should see what they did to the ADA Game parking! Criminal.

[OleMissGlitter]

I'm not sure. I know they redid the student parking for this school year into zones which I think has helped (http://gis.mmri.olemiss.edu:8008/parking/default.aspx). I think as Ole Miss grows everyone (students, professors, staff, alumni) will have to understand you might not be able to park close to your sorority house/dorm/classroom/office/etc. Unfortunately our growing pains are a good thing and it's just something we all need to deal with in strides.

I know as a staff member and sorority alumna, the parking on Rebel Drive has been awful since oh about 2008. Whenever I have something at the AOII house I have my husband drop me off or I just prepare to walk. The last time I was there I parked all the way down Rebel Drive near the Health Center. This weekend for Skit Preview I'll have my husband drop me off again.

[MaryPoppins]

Originally Posted by OleMissGlitter

This weekend for Skit Preview I'll have my husband drop me off again.

Glad to know I'm not the only one being chauffeured!

[NUBlue&Blue]

Parking at Ole Miss, oh my, don't get me started. We laughed when he was a freshman and we only had to pay $60 for his parking permit vs. $700 for daughter's parking at Georgia Tech. Well, ha ha, he got $500 worth of parking tickets his first semester.

At least she had someplace to park. Our son was afraid to move his car because he could never find anyplace to park it again when he came back, so of course being an 18 year old boy, he just parked anywhere, left it there and the tickets piled up. I think I would rather pay $500 up front and know there was going to be someplace to leave my car.

Now that he lives off campus near a bike trail, he rides his bike. So far so good, it hasn't walked away yet.

[blueblood]

Ole Miss will not address the parking situation. My first child was a freshman there in 1993, second in 1998, and third in 2007. I have been asking all this time for parking garages- I would pay $500 per semester extra. I was told by an Ole Miss staffer that parking garages don't fit into the planned look for Ole Miss. Are you kidding me!! The garages at Bama look great.

[newgreekmommy]

Where are the Moms of the PNMs? My daughter rushed at Ole Miss last year... and was so worried.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by newgreekmommy

if she doesn't have a 3.0, she may be cut from as many as 4 (or more) houses right after round 1 (Chi O, DDD for sure... KD, Kappa usually, Phi Mu and DG may as well).

Unless you are sitting in the membership selection sessions for all these chapters, you have NO idea why women were cut. I know you're trying to help, but advice like this gets turned on its head to "well, I have a 3.7, I'll have NO problem getting to the second round with Phi Mu."

[newgreekmommy]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Unless you are sitting in the membership selection sessions for all these chapters, you have NO idea why women were cut. I know you're trying to help, but advice like this gets turned on its head to "well, I have a 3.7, I'll have NO problem getting to the second round with Phi Mu."

If I wasn't clear, I was trying to explain that no matter what a girl does, there's a 99% chance she will be cut from a certain number of houses after round 1... and it's 100% because of grades. With as many girls as they have going through, the first way certain houses cut is by grades.

Don't believe me... just look at some of the chapter websites... it says right on the websites... "must have a minimum 3.0". This is not Ole Miss' minimum, it's the house minimum.

From what I understand, my daughter's sorority can waive the 3.0 for a tiny number of girls before rush starts for certain legacies or top girls, but that's before rush starts.

[Always AlphaGam]

Originally Posted by newgreekmommy

If I wasn't clear, I was trying to explain that no matter what a girl does, there's a 99% chance she will be cut from a certain number of houses after round 1... and it's 100% because of grades. With as many girls as they have going through, the first way certain houses cut is by grades.

Don't believe me... just look at some of the chapter websites... it says right on the websites... "must have a minimum 3.0". This is not Ole Miss' minimum, it's the house minimum.

From what I understand, my daughter's sorority can waive the 3.0 for a tiny number of girls before rush starts for certain legacies or top girls, but that's before rush starts.

Stop. Just STOP.

[WCsweet<3]

Originally Posted by newgreekmommy

If I wasn't clear, I was trying to explain that no matter what a girl does, there's a 99% chance she will be cut from a certain number of houses after round 1... and it's 100% because of grades. With as many girls as they have going through, the first way certain houses cut is by grades.

Don't believe me... just look at some of the chapter websites... it says right on the websites... "must have a minimum 3.0". This is not Ole Miss' minimum, it's the house minimum.

From what I understand, my daughter's sorority can waive the 3.0 for a tiny number of girls before rush starts for certain legacies or top girls, but that's before rush starts.

And I can guarantee that you cannot know that unless you sit in membership selection with each chapter. Chapters will take grade risks. Sometimes there are other reasons why PNMs are dropped. Also, what happens in your daughter's chapter is not complete for all chapters.

[Hartofsec]

Originally Posted by WCsweet<3

And I can guarantee that you cannot know that unless you sit in membership selection with each chapter. Chapters will take grade risks. Sometimes there are other reasons why PNMs are dropped. Also, what happens in your daughter's chapter is not complete for all chapters.

I think it is fairly widely known that that PNMs who have less than a 3.0 will very likely have fewer options in a competitive recruitment process. And frankly, I think it is a lot kinder for them to be aware of this on the front end of rush, so that they don't feel 'rejected' thinking that they were dropped for reasons more personal.

Chapters do take "grade risks" (though sometimes very very few) -- but how many, what is considered a "grade risk," and the circumstances may vary greatly among chapters.

The chapter GPAs are often listed by the Greek Affairs/Greek Life office. One can see which chapters cluster toward the top of chapter GPAs -- and these are often the chapters where a PNM with a low GPA is more likely to be released (of course, nothing is always true without exception -- just speaking in general terms here).

Ole Miss:

http://dos.orgsync.com/org/umgreeks/scholarship

[33girl]

Originally Posted by newgreekmommy

If I wasn't clear, I was trying to explain that no matter what a girl does, there's a 99% chance she will be cut from a certain number of houses after round 1... and it's 100% because of grades. With as many girls as they have going through, the first way certain houses cut is by grades.

Unless you are sitting in on membership selection sessions, you do not know FOR SURE why women were cut. PERIOD.

And I never thought I'd agree with Hartofsec on anything, but she is right in that you really need to shut your pie hole as far as "my daughter's chapter does this" and "my daughter's chapter does that." If she shared confidential sorority business with you, I sincerely doubt she meant for you to spew it all over an internet message board.

Is it common knowledge that women with lower grades will get cut from more groups sooner? Yes. Is it appropriate to list names of chapters and why you think they will cut for ANYTHING? NO.

This isn't that site that you disparaged for "stupid myths." We try really hard to be Panhellenic and NOT repeat chapter gossip, reputations or why this chpater or that chapter cuts someone. If you don't get that, this isn't the site for you.

[irishpipes]

Originally Posted by newgreekmommy

Where are the Moms of the PNMs? My daughter rushed at Ole Miss last year... and was so worried.

My advise to you moms who may be looking and frustrated that there's no info about RUSH on this page lately...

1. Make sure you have a reservation at the Holiday Inn Express or somewhere... this will give your daughter a place to go as soon as rush is over each day -- or before/between classes. They have to spend the night in the dorm, but they can veg with you, eat and watch TV and not obsess like all the girls in the dorm are doing.

I checked in on Wednesday and my daughter loved having a place to get away, study and relax.

Yes, many moms do spend the whole week. (It's a fun time to meet other moms...)

SOME mom's are CRAZY though... they actually caught a mom who had climbed a tree to listen to the chit chat while the girls were talking on a lawn.

2. Prepare your daughter... if she doesn't have a 3.0, she may be cut from as many as 4 (or more) houses right after round 1 (Chi O, DDD for sure... KD, Kappa usually, Phi Mu and DG may as well). If she doesn't have the 3.0, get her in the right frame of mind NOW to accept it.

3. Remember, they cannot have their phones. They won't call you; they can't. No purses... they usually get a bag from their rush counselor to put a brush, lip gloss, etc in.

4. Clothes:

For Philanthropy round, instead of being just another girl in the rush shirt and nike shorts, suggest she wear ultra-cute shorts and tuck the shirt in. (My daughter had to since she'd ordered a small t-shirt by mistake. She paired it with hot pink J. Crew shorts, gold sandals and a gold belt... the girls told her it made her easy to remember in a sea of Nike.) If your daughter doesn't want to buck the system, have her wear Nike shorts (they MUST be Nike), then go for bright colors or cool patterns.

Skit Round: My daughter wore a nice, lady like Lilly Pulitzer dress with pearls and her hair pulled back off her face.

Pref Round: Black dress... black dress... black dress. Avoid sparkles, sequins and ruffles. Think "classy" and "elegant". And please... long enough so that when the girls are sitting at their feet, they won't see up the dress. (So not short, short!) "Lovely" earrings... pearls, CZ solitare, etc.

5. It is absolutely possible for a girl who doesn't know anyone to get the house she wants! We are from two states away. My daughter pledged Chi O or DDD (not saying which). She was not cut from a single house. She got her top choices every time. She had an amazing rush.


6. DRAMA... there will be tears from girls all around her... and maybe even her. Due to grades and due to girls NOT maximizing their options by listing all houses, many girls were cut or down to 1-2 houses after Philanthropy. THIS seemed to be more an issue for the Mississippi girls since they have firm ideas of what they want.

7. There may be issues outside of your daughter's control. If she thinks something looks wrong on her card, tell her to ask RIGHT AWAY.

A girl on my daughter's hall was a triple legacy.. BIG TIME legacy for one of the top houses. A glitch happened and the house didn't show on her schedule. She didn't go... her sister (an active) called to find out why she didn't show. Since she had missed the house, she wasn't permitted to go... long story.. she pledged elsewhere. Grandma and Mama were not pleased, but the girl had a great year.

8. MAXIMIZE options... tell her to write down every house... don't leave a space open on that form at the end of each night!

9. Out of State? All houses have tons of girls from out-of-state, including Chi O, DDD, etc.

10. Tip for you: A few of us moms parked in the student center parking lot... backed in and facing the road... when our daughters came down the hill on the way to Skit and then on the way to Prefs, they swung by. I took a quick pic of their tiny slip that has their schedule and they were off... 10 seconds... they didn't say a word to us... but we were so happy to know exactly where they were going and when they'd be done.

NOTE: They will not let mom's hang out in the circle or walk on the sidewalk... so my trick may work for you...

Hope it goes well for you... my daughter had an amazing rush, because she knew going in that she would maximize her options so that she would have the best chance for a bid. The "worst" sorority at Ole Miss (let's call it BLANK) is the best at the University in our state. So, in her opinion, even if she pledgedBLANK, she would graduate in a few years and then always be a BLANK. Several girls she met during rush did pledge "BLANK" and they are so happy!

Good luck to all the girls and prayers to the Moms.... I know you'll be worried about your girls during the long rush process!

Wow