UGA Recruitment Winds Down

[Lightning Bug!]

Originally Posted by UGAMOMof4

Just got the news that she got a bid! YEAH! Thanks for all you support, information sharing and kind words throughout!

I am SO relieved...I have been following UGA rush and was getting nervous as you relayed your daughter's story...hitting the refresh button WAY too often...congratulations to both of you, and I hope she has a wonderful bid day! Do keep us updated not only on where her new home is but also on bid day activities, once she tells you about them... we all need to re-live the magic!

[UGAMOMof4]

Thanks Lightening Bug! I keep hitting refresh too! I don't want to miss anything. I'm worried about our local girls. We sent quite a few to UGA this year and there has been no buzz in the community and no emails about recruitment. I don't want to be the one to ask, but the fact that no one is talking might indicate that it was a tough year for our local girls.

[BBelleADPi]

Originally Posted by UGAMOMof4

Just got the news that she got a bid! YEAH! Thanks for all you support, information sharing and kind words throughout!

Hooray!! Another happy ending! (And yes, we do want to know the name of her new house)

[UGAALUM]

The sororities membership get the list at 4pm today, but probably won't tell the girls until closer to the time the PNM actually receive their bids.

[ugagreekgrad]

Originally Posted by UGAMOMof4

Just got the news that she got a bid! YEAH! Thanks for all you support, information sharing and kind words throughout!

How did she hear so soon? Still waiting to hear frommy rec PNM. Is the snap bidding going on now? Does anyone know?

[UGADad]

Originally Posted by icelandelf

I miss UGADad. That was such an awesome story (of many) last year

Thanks so much ice, I’m flattered that you remember me. This site was such a help last year for us, and I’m glad that the GC crew has continued to help out this year’s group of PNMs and parents. You really do provide a great service for those lucky enough to find you. I must admit that I have been lurking since this year’s recruitment began. Your remembering me inspired me to post.

I thought I would post one perspective from the other side of recruitment that may, at least eventually, be some comfort to disappointed PNMs and parents. It has been a huge surprise to me (because I guess I never thought about it last year from the other side), but PNMs and parents should know that there are just as many, and maybe even more, tears and fears on the other side of this process. Most of you who post here know that far better than I do, but I didn’t expect the level of tension and emotion that UGADaughter is going through again this year. It should be at least some comfort to know that these are not a bunch of heartless girls on the other side – they are going through a heart-wrenching experience themselves, as they fall in love with more girls than they can keep and then sometimes fight hard for a girl who ends up going in another direction. They care so much about the girls coming through -- the ones they keep and the ones they can't keep. With so many great sororities and great PNMs at UGA, it is an awful (but I guess necessary) process to sort through all this in less than one week (maybe “rush” isn’t such a bad description of the process).

My sincere sympathies go out to all the PNMs and parents who are experiencing this for the first time as we did last year. But my sympathies also go out to the sisters at all the houses as they experience the very high highs and the very low lows of recruitment from the other side. I am so glad things worked out okay for UGAMomof4 and her daughter. Best wishes!

[GeorgiaMom]

So true UGADad... Our daughter went through recruitment last year and was probably just as nervous this year being on the other side.

UGAMomof4, I have you in my thoughts - I know what you are going through. Can't wait for your update...

[Greek Stress]

ok I am new at this and just spent 5 min. writing my thoughts and got kicked out.
So I am just going to hit the button and see if it works first.

[Greek Stress]

I have just spent the last week talking and texting with my daughter a PNM at UGA.
What a stressful week for both of us. I come from greek life of 30 years ago. It was never this bad. Yes my daughter got a bid from a sorority she wanted but she was forced to suicide that bid. The only other pref she was invited to was a sorority she felt she would not fit at all at. She did not want to be forced to join it if her first choice did not take her. But because she did not maximise her bid process, if the 1st choice had denied her she would not have been able to be picked up by others or go through informal rush. I understand this rule and that some would abuse it if they could "work the system" But what about those that are truly unmatched with any other choices? She was cut early by a couple sororities who she felt she knew several girls and would be ok. I have heard that if they are a sophomore they have "no say". How can so many girls get cut with only 7-10 min. with one or 2 girls who may also have not had much in common with her? She got mismatched but took the boot because of it. There must be a better way?

Originally Posted by Greek Stress

I have just spent the last week talking and texting with my daughter a PNM at UGA.
What a stressful week for both of us. I come from greek life of 30 years ago. It was never this bad. Yes my daughter got a bid from a sorority she wanted but she was forced to suicide that bid. The only other pref she was invited to was a sorority she felt she would not fit at all at. She did not want to be forced to join it if her first choice did not take her. But because she did not maximise her bid process, if the 1st choice had denied her she would not have been able to be picked up by others or go through informal rush. I understand this rule and that some would abuse it if they could "work the system" But what about those that are truly unmatched with any other choices? She was cut early by a couple sororities who she felt she knew several girls and would be ok. I have heard that if they are a sophomore they have "no say". How can so many girls get cut with only 7-10 min. with one or 2 girls who may also have not had much in common with her? She got mismatched but took the boot because of it. There must be a better way?

Your daughter got a bid from a sorority she wanted. Others were not as lucky.

Just leave it at that and don't waste your time asking "how come?"

[Lightning Bug!]

Originally Posted by Greek Stress

I have just spent the last week talking and texting with my daughter a PNM at UGA.
What a stressful week for both of us. I come from greek life of 30 years ago. It was never this bad. Yes my daughter got a bid from a sorority she wanted but she was forced to suicide that bid. The only other pref she was invited to was a sorority she felt she would not fit at all at. She did not want to be forced to join it if her first choice did not take her. But because she did not maximise her bid process, if the 1st choice had denied her she would not have been able to be picked up by others or go through informal rush. I understand this rule and that some would abuse it if they could "work the system" But what about those that are truly unmatched with any other choices? She was cut early by a couple sororities who she felt she knew several girls and would be ok. I have heard that if they are a sophomore they have "no say". How can so many girls get cut with only 7-10 min. with one or 2 girls who may also have not had much in common with her? She got mismatched but took the boot because of it. There must be a better way?

Welcome to modern, computerized, regulated sorority recruitment in the South! Be glad your daughter's story ended up being a happy one...we all ask these questions about the recruitment process, but unfortunately PNM numbers have gotten to the point where strict regulation and expediting of the recruitment process are completely necessary. The system is far from perfect, and both the schools and the organizations are working to find the best way to do it. Of course it is unfortunate that houses cut girls they've only spoken with for 20 minutes...but you cannot have 1000+++ girls get extended time with each sorority's members...the process would drag out forever and ever and ever, and everyone would collapse!

As OTW says...count your blessings...you could be consoling a heartbroken girl instead of just a stressed out one!

[SWTXBelle]

If you have a suggestion as to how to match hundreds, if not over a thousand, girls with 10 or more sororities in a week's time I'd love to hear it. I don't want to sound snarky - I just honestly have yet to hear of a better way.

The system, flawed though it is, is the best we've come up with so far. The new release figures have done a wonderful job of helping match each girl with a sorority home - and yes, you are right, it doesn't always work. I will point out that it worked out for your daughter, and even had she been placed with her other pref group it might have - we have many threads in our recruitment threads that have that exact scenario, and many of those who didn't think they would click found that they were actually where they were meant to be.

Formal rush is really a very intense experience. I've posted elsewhere that my daughter will not be going through formal rush because she and I know she would not be comfortable with the hot-house environment of recruitment. I hope she is able to find a home through informal recruitment, but who knows.

I think the NPC has done a great job of trying to address concerns about recruitment. And I would be very surprised if they weren't always trying to think of ways to improve the three types of recruitment they currently recommend.

I'm so glad your daughter had a happy result. Hope she really enjoys her new member period.

[ellebud]

So...ok question:

What is a mismatch? I'm sort of guessing that if the pnm wants House A at pref...but House A puts her on a second or third list...but there has to be more? Like House B wants her, but...not enough?

(Sorry, in my day...no computers..)

[Lightning Bug!]

Ha! We all responded at the same time in the same way...sorry if we seem harsh, but really, life is full of poorly designed systems, and really, those of us that come through okay should be both grateful and willing to come up with constructive suggestions for fixing the system, not licking our relatively minor wounds and wondering why the whole thing couldn't have been lollypops and gumdrops.

I do feel your pain...if you haven't kept up with how recruitment goes in recent years, then I guess it can be a shock to the system, and I understand that the stress was very real for you and your daughter. We really are happy that she has found a good home, and we are confident that after a few days both of you will forget about most of the unpleasantness and be focused on how much fun she is having! But there are lots of very sad mothers posting right now about how their daughters didn't get ANY bid at all, not even one to turn down, and they are just hoping that their daughters can pick themselves up and move on (which they can, of course!)...so maybe your post seemed a little insensitive to those mothers, although we know of course that you didn't mean it that way. Stress is stress is stress, no matter the situation.

Now get some rest and decompress...you sound like you need it!

[SWTXBelle]

Originally Posted by ellebud

So...ok question:

What is a mismatch? I'm sort of guessing that if the pnm wants House A at pref...but House A puts her on a second or third list...but there has to be more? Like House B wants her, but...not enough?

(Sorry, in my day...no computers..)

I THINK that Greek Stress simply means pnms who are "forced" to attend parties at chapters where they do not feel a connection, and not a computer/matching mismatch.

Correct me if I am wrong, GS.