ausguals sping 08 recruitment story :)

[Benzgirl]

Originally Posted by BabyPiNK_FL

I it's a sporting event for one of your school's teams then most likely there is no entrance fee. (At my school your student ID allows for you and a guest to enter for free). I find it hard to believe they would invite someone to something and then have it be a significant financial burden. They would (or should) have mentioned in the email or letter or whatever notice they sent you. Whatever the case, be sure to have fun and let us know how the events go!

Depends on the school and on the sport.

I'm sure since it's informal and not that many PNMs will be in attendance, they will pick it up. But, as you said, bring a little money, just in case.

Have a great time at the events. It's wonderful that you have two prospects

[ausguals]

I'm starting to think maybe if I get a bid, it might not be the best idea to accept it. Though originally I was told my family would be able to afford it, as much as I would LOVE to be part of greek life, things have come up recently that make me feel as though I really shouldn't be selfish with the money that my parents earn (I definately can't afford it on my own). Because I'm out of state, I'm already a burden because I'm paying almost double what I would be paying for in state, and though I feel like sometimes I might regret it, I don't know if greek life is the best thing for me to be participating in right now...especially because if I do get a bid from Emerald, they are the most expensive on campus. I'm still going to go through rush...but I have to seriously consider all of this now.

[momofpnm]

If you haven't, you need to talk to your parents ASAP and tell them what you just told us. Don't just decide to refuse a bid before you know how they feel about it. They may really want you to do this and want to support you financially. Or there may be a grandparent, aunt, etc. who wants to help you with this. If not, kudos to you for having your priorities straight, unlike some girls who feel "entitled" to whatever money Mummy and Daddy can dish out! I really hope this works out for you sweetie!

[LucyKKG]

IMO, you could discuss it with the sororities (or maybe look online). They may have payment plans that could help out. I know you'd still be paying the full amount, but it could be helpful.

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by ausguals

I don't know if greek life is the best thing for me to be participating in right now...especially because if I do get a bid from Emerald, they are the most expensive on campus. I'm still going to go through rush...but I have to seriously consider all of this now.

Has Emerald provided you with any info about costs (even if it's just an estimated amount)? I know where I went to school, we were required to hand out financial info to PNMs during both formal and COB.

Talk to your parents and make sure you have as much financial info about the sorority as possible. They may have payment plans for you (my chapter did, as well as other chapters on campus).

My sincere advice to you is: Make sure this is something you can afford before you continue with the recruitment process. Think about it, you wouldn't want them to give you a bid, if you had to decline it for financial reasons. You also don't want to get a bid, accept it, and then have to depledge because you cannot afford it. That wouldn't be good for you or Emerald.

[Fleur de Lis]

Do you have/could you get a part-time job? I paid all my sorority dues and extras by working 10-15 hours a week at the library. I had a payment plan and the treasurer really worked with me. Don't give up because there are a lot of options out there, but congrats to you for having your priorities straight! Just make sure you get all the info before you turn down a potential bid.

[breathesgelatin]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

Has Emerald provided you with any info about costs (even if it's just an estimated amount)? I know where I went to school, we were required to hand out financial info to PNMs during both formal and COB.

Talk to your parents and make sure you have as much financial info about the sorority as possible. They may have payment plans for you (my chapter did, as well as other chapters on campus).

My sincere advice to you is: Make sure this is something you can afford before you continue with the recruitment process. Think about it, you wouldn't want them to give you a bid, if you had to decline it for financial reasons. You also don't want to get a bid, accept it, and then have to depledge because you cannot afford it. That wouldn't be good for you or Emerald.

Agreed. Make sure you double-check the info. Sometimes the "rumor" about which group is most expensive doesn't match up to reality.

Also sometimes college Panhellenics offer scholarships to new members.

[couggirl]

i don't know about your school, but at Washington State University for many of the sororities (don't know about all of them) it is cheaper to live in the sorority house with dues,ect than living in the dorm. So, if your parents are paying for you to live in the dorm then you might sell them on this angle. i don't know about your school, but I have heard this from many girls i know who go to many differnt campuses and the information is what I am saying here. If this is something that you want to do you should look into it. Most people at WSu don't realize the cost until they take a look. I mean that a lot of girls will say that they can't join a house becaues it is so expensive, but fail to realise that the most expensive is your first semester when you live in the dorms and have to pay initiation dues, but once you move into the house it is cheaper.

just a thought that you mght check into.
couggirl

[ausguals]

I talked to my mom about it and she said that if I truly felt at home and like it was worth it, that she and my dad would be willing to help. they're very understanding that i want to go through it and i think my mom is okay with the cost because she thinks it will be great for networking later in life


i went to lunch with Emerald on Saturday and had a great time. Whenever I walk into the house, someone always greets me RIGHT away, which is nice. Their house is pretty, i've been through it before and thought so as well. I don't really get along with a few of the girls because they have a bit of a different lifestyle than me but thats okay, you wont always get along with everyone. i have a dinner here tomorrow!

i left early so that i could go to the sporting event with princess. i noticed right away that NO ONE said hello or greeted me when i walked in, and it stayed that way for a good 15 minutes. however, i rode to the event with 3 of the girls and 2 other pnms and one of the sisters was the president and she was really nice. there are only a few girls that i like here so far, but i havent really met a lot of them because i don't really think they're concerned about pnms i guess. i got an e-mail tonight about an event with Princess tomorrow, and i'm going to attend after I go to Emerald. I'm a TAD nervous about this, because the event is karaoke...and though i middle school, my chorus sang at a college level, i haven't sang in years and i'm not good at it anymore so i'm not so excited about embarassing myself. but on a plus, i noticed that the invitation for the very first event they held, last week, had like 40+ email addresses on it...and this invitation was only sent to 12 or so. I think I'm the only one who wasn't invited by a sister and actually turned in a recruitment profile/application. neat.


i still can't decide on which one i am more drawn to. hopefully by tomorrow things will be more clear, but right now...its like, i can fit into Princess in one way and i can fit into Emerald another way. I'm pretty much being torn in two different directions.

[KSUViolet06]

Just a note:

There could be legitimate reasons why you haven't met as many sisters at Princess. Some chapters don't have a large number of sisters attend recruitment events because they don't want to overwhelm potential members with meeting so many people. It isn't that they "just aren't concerned with PNMs."

[ausguals]

so I'm getting ready to leave to go to dinner with Emerald! Its at 5 and my Princess karaoke night is at 7 so i'm hoping i'll be able to make that as well...though its getting a bit complicated because Emerald always picks us up and I have to find a way to make it to Princess afterwards, so i might have to walk. oh well! I'll let everyone know how tonight goes....bid day is in three days YAY!

[xoheatherxo]

good luck!!! cant wait to hear the rest of this story!!!

[ausguals]

I just got back! Dinner with Emerald was wonderful. It was very low key, and while I thought it was going to be a dinner with a TON of girls, it was actually just two PNMs and four sisters, which was nice and very focused. I have to say that I was so reluctant about continuing with Emerald because even before rush, there was all kinds of tent talk and words flying about them and I didn't think I could fit in there at all. However, Emerald has done a GREAT job at trying to go the extra mile to make their chapter seem welcoming and fun, and I do feel at home here. Though there are some cons about the chapter, I'm not listing them because I don't really want to be pessimistic about it. Dinner was amazing and the sisters are very down to earth.

Princess' COR event tonight was fun. I made a fool of myself (don't worry! there were like four sisters up there with me!) by sining don't stop believing but i think it was worth it to get up there and show them that i could do it. it was definately a good way to have them show their fun side as well. i can't really say that they have been very personal througout this expirience as much as Emerald has, but i can see myself fitting in here still.

i'm getting really scared about the whole bid thing. i mean, if i DO get bids from both, who do i take? and what if i take the wrong one and wish that i had take the other? i'm sure i'd be okay at either but i keep having nightmares. i love both of them very much, which is weird because the two sororities on campus that participate are the ones i could see myself prefing if i had gone through formal recruitment and all 17 sororities had participated...





.........................by the way, a girl from one of them just walked into my room and handed me an envelope.......

[SWTXBelle]

You are a TEASE - what is in the envelope??

[Hopeful_Bubbles]

^^^ Now that's just cruel....