Where did you go on Pref Night?

[KillarneyRose]

Originally posted by AZ-AlphaXi

At this point her name is crossed off all other bid lists and if on any first lists is replaced by the first name from the second bid list.

AZ-AlphaXi, your explanation of bid matching is excellent! Finally, 17 years after I rushed, it has actually been put in terms I can understand

One question though; when the girl on the (alphabetized) bid list is matched and crossed off the list, does the girl who moves up from the second bid list take the girl who left's spot or is she figured into the alphabetization?

EX: If the first bid list reads -
Andrews
Baker
Carter
Davidson

and Baker gets matched, someone with the last name "Smith" moves up to the first bid list. Does Smith replace Baker (i.e. second on the list) or would she be put after Davidson because her name starts with "S"? Or would she just be last on the first bid list regardless of name?

[CarolinaDG]

Actually, it wouldn't matter whether or not they were alphabetized. Either way, they'd move up to the first bid list and wouldn't have any possible way to get knocked off.

As for the question about whether it's done in groups... I think that the sororities actually have no part in this at all. They just give greek life their two lists and the greek life coordinators go through it. This way there's no changing of the lists, I suppose.

[aggieAXO]

Originally posted by AZ-AlphaXi
You should only be "cross cut" if you are toward the bottom of all bid lists of all your preferences and all take quota before getting to your name.

Talking with panhellenic and others that had been crosscut they explained to me that I was on my second choices first bid list but they had already filled quota and thus I did not get a bid (because I guess it was my second choice I was put aside as you said above)-does this make sense? Or is this just the way my school did bid matching. Crosscutting happened to several people I know-I hope the system has worked this out by now.

[sororitygirl2]

aggieAXO,

I think there must have been problems with bid matching at your school b/c if you are on the first bid list of a house and you put them down as your first choice (or, if you did not get your first, you put them as your second) you should be matched. The first bid list only contains as many girls as can fill quota and your name is not crossed off until you are matched somewhere... therefore, they could not have filled quota without you, or without a screw up in the system.

Like you said, hopefully they fixed that...

[dggirly]

I had a hard decision in who I wanted to pref as we can only pref 2 houses and I got invited back to 4 for pref night. But i ended up choosing DG and Theta. After pref night there was something about DG that made me want to be a part of that house, so i suicided and well now I am a DG.

[AZ-AlphaXi]

The PNM's preference cards are filled out in public in that everyone will probably be in one big room filling them out. But usually you aren't allowed to talk with anyone but your recruitment councilor. These are then turned into panhellenic. So no one knows who you ranked where, unless you tell them.

The sororities use their own private process to construct their bid lists in their private space. Somehow, each chapter figures out who is on their first list and who is on their second and in what order. These lists are then turned into panhellenic.

The preference cards (or as the NPC "green" book calls them - membership recruitment acceptances ) and the sorority bid lists are then matched in private (ie behind closed doors) by panhellenic. This is usually done either by computer or by alumnae by hand. What comes out of this room is the lists of new members for each sorority and the bids for each new member.

Thus no one but Suzie Q. knows that she put Beta Beta chapter as her third choice and that's who she got a bid from. Beta Beta chapter won't even know, unless she tells them. Likewise, she won't know if she's on Beta Beta's first list or second.

All this information is highly confidential and noone in panhellenic should be telling anyone who did what.

BTW... as was said when you move a name onto the first bid list from the second it really doesn't matter where it goes. Everyone on the first bid list is "ranked" the same (ie #1). My thought is that if you're doing this by hand, you'd insert the new name in alphabetically order onto your bid list so you can find her when her name is next called.

[SigKapSweetie]

I was invited back to Pi Phi, AOPi, AXO, Phi Mu, and of course SK. I went to Pi Phi, Phi Mu, and SK, and I filled out my pref card in 30 seconds flat; after prefs, I knew I wanted to be a Sigma. (My pref story is posted somewhere in the Sig Kap forum if you're interested in why) One of my sisters claimed she knew from the instant she met me that I would be a Sigma; I guess sometimes you can just tell!

[ChiOqt]

I preffed Chi O, Gamma Phi, and AZD...but I knew after the first party where I really wanted to go...and I guess they felt the same way cause that's where I am now!

[suziesuesue]

I went Zeta and Pi Phi the last night...

went ZTA!

[ILLINIgirl]

On pref night I went to Theta, Alpha Phi, and Kappa and chose Kappa!

[PennyCarter]

Great explanation of how bid matching works! I wish it was better explained to PNMs so they could better understand the process.

Also, I just wanted to add to the part of confidentiality. I believe that the few members of Panhellenic who are doing this should never discuss what they have seen! And we had an OLD computer program that did all of the bid matching. No one had to actually go through a million cards!!! But of course, with computers or people accidents happen. I don't know that recruitment is the best process ever, but I truly believe that things work out for a reason. Usually ladies who don't get their first choice ended up being really thankful and were really happy with where they ended. I think those are my favorite stories!!!

[astroAPhi]

I went to 2 parties because that was all the sororities we had! I went to Gamma Phi Beta and Alpha Phi. I was on the fence all week, but Pref showed me where I belonged.

[ISUKappa]

I preffed Alpha Gamma Delta and Kappa Kappa Gamma. Even though AGDs were wonderful women, I knew Kappa was my home.

[Speechpath]

I went to SK, Chi-O and Pi Phi...while I liked them all I was an angel at heart!

[lyrica9]

there are two pref parties here, but i only went to one....
can you guess?