ausguals sping 08 recruitment story :)

[RaggedyAnn]

I also was torn between two great sororities at the end of rush. I would go to both pref parties if you are invited. A lot can be revealed there emotionally.

Next, I recommend listing everything you know about sorority life. List philanthropy, sisterhood activities, dues, mascots... Everything. Research the National Websites. Get more information. Now, decide which sorority you like better for each item listed. Use your first reaction, because it is usually the truest answer. One sorority should have more check marks and thus you should have your answer.

If this doesn't work, flip a coin. I know people are probably ready to jump out of their seats, but hear me out. If you flip the coin and wish the other sorority had won, you have your answer.

Good luck! Remember sorority is for life and it will have an impact that only an initiated member can truelly understand. I can't stress enough to follow your heart and you will have your heart's desire.

[alum]

Since it seems to be a toss-up for you and you DON'T have a strong preference one way or another:

This is not going to be a popular answer on GC, but I would go with the one that is stronger as an overall organization for networking purposes, alumnae association involvement, advising involvement at active chapters, etc. You only have 4 years as an active, you have decades as an alumna.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by RaggedyAnn

Next, I recommend listing everything you know about sorority life. List philanthropy, sisterhood activities, dues, mascots... Everything. Research the National Websites. Get more information. Now, decide which sorority you like better for each item listed. Use your first reaction, because it is usually the truest answer. One sorority should have more check marks and thus you should have your answer.

If this doesn't work, flip a coin. I know people are probably ready to jump out of their seats, but hear me out. If you flip the coin and wish the other sorority had won, you have your answer.

ha ha ha, we MUST be sisters, because I do this ALL the time.

Like Fleur de Lis said - go to both pref parties - a lot of times you go into pref confused and come out knowing exactly what your course is.

[ausguals]

i'm going to go to both tonight and see what happens. bid day is tomorrow!

princess doesn't seem to have a pref night. While Emerald's invitation is much more formal tonight, Princess invited me over for a "casual ice cream social"--which means i'll just be getting to know the girls better. I think the fact that these two chapters are handling rush so differently is part of what is making it harder for me---because I can't easily compare them.

I really can't thank you guys enough for your advice. I am / have looked into a lot of their national stuff, and I'm going to write a list of what I like of each. So we'll see where this goes tomorrow, I guess.

I'll update later tonight, I should be back around 9 or so. Maybe.


Thank goodness I found GC...I'd probably be going crazy (or crazier than I am) if I hadn't.

[ktbug10474]

good luck!! i hope everything works out for you...

[LegallyBrunette]

Ausgal, I recieved two bids when I went through informal recruitment, and should you end up in that situation, KSUViolet's advice is excellent. I endlessly considered tons of variables, from reputations on campus to the vibe I got from their National websites. In the end, I basically ended up thinking to myself: Which women would I feel more comfortable with on my worst days, not just my best days? It still wasn't the easiest decision, and I still have an immense amount of respect for the other group, but I have never regretted my choice.


That being said, I did not make my decision in the manner suggested by alum. Theta Phi Alpha is the smallest NPC. The other org I recieved a bid to is MUCH larger. If you wish to make your decision in that way, great, I would never fault someone for that. However, I don't consider the fact that I'm a member of the smallest NPC to be a negative. From what I have gathered on GC, Theta Phi has much of the same alumnae opportunities as any of the other groups. In geographical areas without chapters or alumnae associations, there are still plenty of opportunities to be involved. For example, one of my chapter sisters lives overseas and is currently the National Assistant Treasurer. Furthermore, I feel very much connected to our Grand Council and during some tough times I went through while advising, I had no qualms about calling the then National Vice President at home. I have no basis for comparison if this is the norm for other groups, so GCers, please let me know if it is!

Of course, I do hear every now and then comments like "Never heard of it, is that a local?" (including from my roommate, who's an Alpha Phi). But, instead of feeling bad about it, I look at it as an opportunity to educate people about TPA.

Basically, don't let the size of a smaller org get you down if that's the group with which your heart truly lies. (I don't think alum was insinuating doing otherwise, but it definitely got me thinking about the whole small vs large org debate and I figured I'd chime in!)


Good luck!

Originally Posted by alum

Since it seems to be a toss-up for you and you DON'T have a strong preference one way or another:

This is not going to be a popular answer on GC, but I would go with the one that is stronger as an overall organization for networking purposes, alumnae association involvement, advising involvement at active chapters, etc. You only have 4 years as an active, you have decades as an alumna.

[notyouraverage]

Go Emerald!

[luv n tpa]

LegallyBrunette, you just made my insides all fluttery. =) OT, but being a TPA makes meeting/running into another Theta Phi all that more special, and other smaller orgs can probably understand that [not to say, of course, that women in larger orgs wouldn't find it special to come upon their own sisters]. I think the day I come upon a recruitment thread that involves TPA, I might electronically jump for joy.

[texas*princess]

Originally Posted by alum

Since it seems to be a toss-up for you and you DON'T have a strong preference one way or another:

This is not going to be a popular answer on GC, but I would go with the one that is stronger as an overall organization for networking purposes, alumnae association involvement, advising involvement at active chapters, etc. You only have 4 years as an active, you have decades as an alumna.

Of course.. the most elite one is the best!

[ausguals]

Soooo I'm back!

Tonight was fun. It didn't make my choices any easier. However..I can't say that I have actually LEARNED anything about Princess. Everything I have learned, I either learned from looking online or asking someone..there wasn't ever really a formal thing where we learned about it. The girls are very nice and outgoing, but I was really hoping at somepoint they would have a COR event that taught us more about who they are as a whole, and what they represent..that didn't happen. Though I did meet more girls that I liked.

Emerald was fun, though, too. I was really awkward because the two girls who picked me up were there atlike 7:15 and I hadn't even left Princess! So I rushed upstairs to get all nice and pretty and ran down there. First off: I WAS THE MOST AWKWARD THING EVER! I don't think any of the girls that prefed Emerald were aware of the fact that we were going to be ANNOUNCED. They dim the lights right before a girl comes in so that she can have their full attention, and I [obviously] didn't know that so everyone was just staring at me so I WAVED! HAHAHAH I was like uhhh. And then their recruitment VP introduced me and I finally understood. It was MUCH more formal and they showed us a bit of their ritual and it almost made me cry because it was so precious. I'm still torn up about this though; it is the MOST expensive chapter on campus and even if I like it, I don't know if I'm okay with spending almost $1000 more a year (atleast thats what the greek lifes website says, though that might have changed). I was told though that if I'm not completely sure, Emerald should be okay with me giving it some thought, as opposed to not walking into M. Hall and accepting a bid right when I get there. Which I like. A decision like this is a life decision and I'm not sure I can make that on the spot!


So bid day is in...eh ten hours. i don't know that i'll sleep!!!!

[BabyPiNK_FL]

Go with the one that you like. But here are some things I would think about:
-Think about who is going to fulfill your sisterhood needs. Who do you feel closer to?

-You mentioned social aspects. While reputation is NOT everything and varies from campus to campus and can change VERY quickly, look at all of the events and activities both groups participate in, how socially active are they?

-Price is also a concern apparently, list the pros and cons of the price compared to social activities, housing, food planning, etc. Which will provide more "bang for your buck"?

-Also, if there are financial hardships that may occur in the future, would you still be able to manage? While some groups allow those with hardships to go inactive, take early alumnae status, whatever program they offer, etc. Some don't have provisions for this and their rules may require you to sign away your membership. Find this out (but not in a way that makes it seem as if you will be a problem). Sisterhood is fine and dandy, but when stuff like this happens it is not usually sunshine and rainbows.

-Look at the groups and see what can you offer them! So maybe they aren't the "best" socially, but perhaps you have a knack for planning parties and would make a great social chair, or maybe they're not so tight knit, but you'd make a great sisterhood chair. Maybe you have tons of friends in different clubs and get the chapter more involved on campus.

-Can you see yourself strongly supporting the chapter through your remaining years? Or will you be looking to dash out big time on your senior year? Obviously maybe this is something you can't feel now, but it never hurts to think about it.

-Do they have a lot of members involved in campus activities so you can get a leg up? Or does this not matter to you because you are a self-starter and don't mind trailblazing? (I hope you are! ) But if you're not then what would you truly prefer for yourself? (This was something I heard a lot as a Panhellenic Council member during recruitment from PNMs!)

-You say you are from out of state-find out (google or yahoo! is super easy to use) how active these groups (collegiate and alumnae) are back in your home state, especially if you may end up transferring back to finish school or plan on moving back when you've graduated. If you JUST KNOW what you're doing for grad school, check out the alumnae activities for that area(s) as well.

-Find out if there may be any distant relatives, close past teachers, etc. who are involved with these chapters, maybe they can add a more personal perspective of their experience.

I hope I've given you some positive food for thought. I hope that your sorority dreams come true! Good luck!

[Janerz222]

Not sure if you can get any answers before receiving bid(s), but it might be worth it:
Find out if Emerald's and/or Princess's dues are "all-inclusive" or if there are other things you'll be expected to pay for throughout the year (T-shirts for recruitment, tickets to the formals, little sister gifts, etc.) That's one possibility in the difference in dues, if Emerald dues include everything, and Princess does not. Just a thought.

Glad you had fun tonight - fingers crossed for you.

[GphiBGirl10]

so, you obviously like both chapters. it seems to me that you could see yourself with both the pricesses and the emeralds. if i were you, i would choose the less expensive one. it might not be the most profound way to choose but if you can see yourself with both of them then the less expensive one will cause you less worry and probably less conflict with your parents. also, there is less chance of having to drop later on because of financial strife. i really hope this helps. again, it is just my opinion and you dont have to take my advice by any means

[LucyKKG]

Originally Posted by Janerz222

Not sure if you can get any answers before receiving bid(s), but it might be worth it:
Find out if Emerald's and/or Princess's dues are "all-inclusive" or if there are other things you'll be expected to pay for throughout the year (T-shirts for recruitment, tickets to the formals, little sister gifts, etc.) That's one possibility in the difference in dues, if Emerald dues include everything, and Princess does not. Just a thought.

That's exactly what I was going to say. I know that my chapter's fees are all inclusive. They pay for social events, t-shirts, gifts if you have a key (little) sis, etc. Some other chapters on campus don't do that, as I understand.

[Lil_ChiO_Lady]

It is very common for all the dues in the semester regarding your t-shirts,social events, etc. to be included in the total. I would suggest voicing your concern to one or both groups(you never know if princess's total are not including all the other costs and you may find it's equal to emeralds total amount)...

I have been reading your thread and it brings back memories of my spring recruitment and pref night.*tear ...I wish you luck in your decision and I'm sure you wil make the right one.I also think its great that emerald is not rushing your decision as well.