I just came across this thread, and wanted to throw in my opinion. Sorry if it seems repetitive...
My school only offers deferred recruitment for both men and women, which I went through this past January. While I agree that you do come into it with many preconceived ideas about the sororities, I think the chapters do an excellent job of disproving them. At my school, XYZ is known for being the partying girls, and yet during recruitment, they really showed the strength of their sisterhood - which made you forget about the stereotype. Additionally, my boyfriend is a sophomore and I knew most of his friends before I rushed, all of whom were in ABC. I came into recruitment thinking I would end up there, but ended up somewhere else, and I love it. I don't know very many people who went to their preferred stereotype, nor do I know many people who even believe said stereotypes anymore (I go to a very small school, so everyone has heard everything about everyone - or thinks they have). I think the pros of deferred recruitment by far outweigh the cons. I liked having a semester to get adjusted and establish work habits - I think rushing and pledging absolutely took time away from schoolwork. I liked being able to go into a party during recruitment and see some familiar faces - not necessarily girls that I was friends with, but situations where I had a class with a girl, and then found out at rush she was a member of XYZ or ABC. I liked that I had Christmas break to earn some extra money, so that I wouldn't just automatically expect my parents to pay for dues. I enjoy the fact that I got to know other freshman girls before recruitment, and that I now have friends in all of the sororities.
I can see both sides of the coin, but I really think that deferred recruitment was a very positive experience. It might not work in every situation, but this is one example of its strengths.
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