Should we change the way PNMs think of Recruitment?

[carnation]

This thread has some great points!

[KSUViolet06]

^^ I agree, which is why we spend a lot of time on GC trying to get 18 yr olds to stick it out when they're all "Bid day was 2 weeks ago and I want to drop out because no one likes me." We have the benefit of knowing that those best friendships and the people you can't live without didn't just form overnight.

[melindawarren]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

^^ I agree, which is why we spend a lot of time on GC trying to get 18 yr olds to stick it out when they're all "Bid day was 2 weeks ago and I want to drop out because no one likes me." We have the benefit of knowing that those best friendships and the people you can't live without didn't just form overnight.

And that's why I love GC.

Also agree with DubaiSis. That goes back to the "could you see yourself with no makeup sitting in the kitchen in your pajamas looking like you haven't slept in a week because you have six midterms in two weeks?" argument.

[DubaiSis]

Every once in a while we do see a rush thread that says something along the lines of "these girls looked way too put together for me." True, that's not common, but some girls honestly don't want 200 beauty queens for best friends. There are issues of fit and it would be awesome if the girls going through rush could appreciate the similarities and differences of the chapters without making those differences better or worse. But that's not going to happen, so...

[ellebud]

I think that so much depends on the individual. The Reluctant One was/is very secure. She truly didn't care about the tiers. She ranked several top houses below a top three house

BUT there are those young women (one of whom I wrote about in my story so many years ago) for whom it is top tier or out. I think that it would be very interesting to see statistics on who drops out of recruitment and when....at the end...after a top 3 non invitation...or do the pnms "stick it out"?

I wish that it could/should be stressed that you will have a social life. You will make friends...whatever house you join or don't join. A friend of one of my kids makes a fabulous presentation. She's gorgeous. She dresses amazingly well. She is from a well placed family. And for an hour she can hold it together: she is the biggest dork in the world.

She is a smart dork. She pledged a "low tier" house. Her rho chi was baffled. The girl knew herself.

A few years ago a girl named...Rebelcheer something wrote...something like "isn't this about what I want?" I wanted to write "And how does it feel to want?"

[MaryPoppins]

Originally Posted by ellebud

BUT there are those young women (one of whom I wrote about in my story so many years ago) for whom it is top tier or out. I think that it would be very interesting to see statistics on who drops out of recruitment and when....at the end...after a top 3 non invitation...or do the pnms "stick it out"?

I too want to know what the stats are on when PNMs drop and why. I am a stat driven type person I guess.

[carnation]

TTT!

[33girl]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

I also wonder if it hurts the weaker chapters that the top X number are all #1, and then the "back-ups" are ranked. Basically, the PNM's have to think about which chapters they like the least, but not which chapters they like the best. It's subtle, but I think that it makes PNM's really focus on the bad.

I see the point and guess it would be better to tell them to give each one a number rank, but when we’re talking about schools with 16+ chapters that would be a head spinning nightmare.

Originally Posted by ellebud

I think that so much depends on the individual. The Reluctant One was/is very secure. She truly didn't care about the tiers. She ranked several top houses below a top three house

BUT there are those young women (one of whom I wrote about in my story so many years ago) for whom it is top tier or out. I think that it would be very interesting to see statistics on who drops out of recruitment and when....at the end...after a top 3 non invitation...or do the pnms "stick it out"?

I wish that it could/should be stressed that you will have a social life. You will make friends...whatever house you join or don't join. A friend of one of my kids makes a fabulous presentation. She's gorgeous. She dresses amazingly well. She is from a well placed family. And for an hour she can hold it together: she is the biggest dork in the world.

She is a smart dork. She pledged a "low tier" house. Her rho chi was baffled. The girl knew herself.

Unfortunately not everyone has that knowledge the minute they step on campus. Going through rush as a sophomore, the dismissive attitude of the “top” chapter on my campus just made me laugh to myself at how much they were conforming to stereotype. Had I experienced it as a brand-new freshman, it would have devastated me.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

I also wonder if retention rates are better at campuses with more chapters, all else being equal. At a campus like my alma mater, you could get cut hard, and still have a full schedule. At the end, that's three prefs. It's one thing to have a chapter that you are certain isn't good enough for you, but three? I have to think women would be more likely to at least stick it out and attend the prefs with home that they will love at least one by the end of the night.

[DubaiSis]

There are some stats here somewhere that showed all that data for the University of Illinois. It doesn't say WHY, but as I recall, the drop rates were pretty consistent over the whole time. If I were to hazard a guess I'd say they got cut from their favorites and dropped out instead of taking one of the 18 other sororities. For god's sake, with that many choices there can seriously only be 2 or 3 worth your time? That is ridiculous.

[HQWest]

We had the stats around here but a large percentage of the girls that drop out of recruitment here drop out after first round. We have had some theories on this tossed around on why that is. One is that they just wanted the opportunity to move in to campus early, and they can do that if you pay the recruitment fee. They had no intention of pledging. One was that mama expected them to go through recruitment, and they weren't in to it. One was that they are not prepared and just overwhelmed by the craziness of recruitment in general.

The next big drop is right before prefs - but its not girls that see where they are invited for prefs and then don't show? Its girls that call it a day before the end of skit night

Very very few people don't show up for bid day. Maybe a handful do not accept their bid after they open it.

[Low D Flat]

This thread is awesome for giving us the evocative term "Foofoo High."

[austennn]

I definitely think some PNM's are misinformed about how the process works. I constantly hear girls talk about how they're "rushing XYZ." Like, no. You're not "rushing" anyone. They always seem to be confused as to how they can rank a house last every single day and still get invited back to them, and sometimes even get a bid from them. PNM's need to get off their high horses. You can't walk around like you're better than it all and that everyone should worship the ground you walk on.

If EVERY chapter really, really wants you, then you can be selective and have a little more of a right to have an inflated ego, but that very rarely happens. You're more than likely going to get cut by some houses you like and invited back to some you don't. Don't act like you're too good to go to a house you ranked last. Every chapter has something special to offer.

[als463]

Originally Posted by austennn

I definitely think some PNM's are misinformed about how the process works. I constantly hear girls talk about how they're "rushing XYZ." Like, no. You're not "rushing" anyone. They always seem to be confused as to how they can rank a house last every single day and still get invited back to them, and sometimes even get a bid from them. PNM's need to get off their high horses. You can't walk around like you're better than it all and that everyone should worship the ground you walk on.

If EVERY chapter really, really wants you, then you can be selective and have a little more of a right to have an inflated ego, but that very rarely happens. You're more than likely going to get cut by some houses you like and invited back to some you don't. Don't act like you're too good to go to a house you ranked last. Every chapter has something special to offer.

If only there was a blog these young ladies could read regarding recruitment...

[33girl]

Originally Posted by als463

If only there was a blog these young ladies could read regarding recruitment...

I KNOW!!! Wouldn't that be super turbo awesome???!? Gosh gollykins, it would just be the most best magnificent thing EVER.

Originally Posted by carnation

33, that happened at you-know-where one year.

The T word? Or the you-know-where in your hood?