The Best Strategy for a "Weak Recruiting" Chapter

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by Greek_or_Geek?

Well, I hope this doesn't happen at schools where the PNMs line up alphabetically or by height.

By height? Really? That's a thing?

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

By height? Really? That's a thing?

I couldn't remember if I had asked about it before and don't know how to use the search function well, but I really think PNM lined up randomly back in the day for most of the rounds. It wouldn't surprise me if the recruitment groups sometimes just goofed around lining up different ways for fun.

Can anyone from UGA speak to whether anything but pref is matched up in advance these days? My guess is that it varies a lot based on your return rate and how many girls you have a party, but for the groups that invite a whole lot of girls to each party, are they walking the whole recruitment group in with a certain order and have the chapters lined up to catch them?

I'm not asking for recruitment trade secrets. I'm just curious. It seems so hard to pull off in a meaningful way with big numbers. By pref, I get it, but for the early rounds?

[KSUViolet06]

Yeah, I think there's something to be said for focusing recruitment on the "middle of the bell curve."

This sounds bad, but it makes sense.

Don't concentrate your "single rusher, meet the President, top shelf best recruiter in the chapter on her" efforts on that top 2% of PNMs who are going to have their pick of any chapter and (being honest) probably aren't all that interested in you and are just being polite.

I think that's where chapters make mistakes. Don't focus on Superstar Suzy who is probably getting the red-carpet treatment at every top house. Sure, give her a great experience, but don't overdo it.

Focus it on that middle group who maybe isn't super well-known, or maybe not even super sold on the idea of being Greek. A lot of those women just get cycled through parties with small talk and just kind of fall through the cracks.

I think your returns change a lot when you switch your focus.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

Don't concentrate your "single rusher, meet the President, top shelf best recruiter in the chapter on her" efforts on that top 2% of PNMs who are going to have their pick of any chapter and (being honest) probably aren't all that interested in you and are just being polite.

I think that it not only messes up your returns, but breaks girls' hearts. I can't tell you how many times I'd see a sister SO excited about someone she rushed, only for that girl not to be on our list.

[UGAalum94]

I had thought that RFM would pull those super-highly desirable, polite but really uninterested PNMs from a WRC as the process went on. Does it not work out that way because very few PNM are wanted by all chapters?

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

I had thought that RFM would pull those super-highly desirable, polite but really uninterested PNMs from a WRC as the process went on. Does it not work out that way because very few PNM are wanted by all chapters?

No, not at all. If anything, there are MORE of them there, because they are getting cut more harshly from the SRC's. In order for it to do what you describe, you'd have to let the top PNM's return to fewer parties as well.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

No, not at all. If anything, there are MORE of them there, because they are getting cut more harshly from the SRC's. In order for it to do what you describe, you'd have to let the top PNM's return to fewer parties as well.

I trust your experience. I'm not second guessing, just explaining.

I was thinking that having fewer parties [edited for clarity] as the rounds went on would sort of have that effect. PNM #1 can only go back to 10 of 17 (or whatever the real number) for second round, so assuming she was going to be invited back everywhere, she's now out of the running at 11-17. And since, as you don't re-invite as I understand RFM, she's gone for good.

I did understand that WRC ended up with more girls than SRC, but I was thinking they were mid-range PNM in an imaginary world where all PNM were equally as desirable to all chapters.

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

I think that it not only messes up your returns, but breaks girls' hearts. I can't tell you how many times I'd see a sister SO excited about someone she rushed, only for that girl not to be on our list.

Oh yes.

I really wish I could be super honest with the collegians I work with about the unrealistic expectations they have for certain girls to join.

I'm sorry, but Super Cute Suzie has a sister in one Super Strong Chapter and a best friend in another. As much as you squeal "Omg, she's soooo cute! I want her to be my little soooo bad" she's not going to be. In fact, while you were thinking that, she was probably dropping your chapter. She should not be the focus of your recruiting efforts (single rushed, president intro, etc.)

Meanwhile Regular Renee, who knows no one in Greek Life, but is very excited about Greek Life, just got the double rusher treatment with the most quiet girl in your whole chapter.

[FleurGirl]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

Focus it on that middle group who maybe isn't super well-known, or maybe not even super sold on the idea of being Greek. A lot of those women just get cycled through parties with small talk and just kind of fall through the cracks.

Along those same lines, I think those sort of "middle of the pack" PNMs getting the superstar treatment at the weak recruiting house will make the chapter stick out more in her mind and creep up to the top of her list. If you're just getting the "uh huh, yeah, that's nice" treatment everywhere else and then you go to a chapter that makes you feel like a rockstar by focusing the strong recruiting girls with those PNMs, you're probably more likely to get a better return within that middle group.

[AZ-AlphaXi]

Me to ... I'm such a geek for the numbers of recruitment.

The following is old and pre-RFM .. but an interesting statistical treatment of "rush"

http://kuznets.fas.harvard.edu/~aroth/sorority.html

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by AZ-AlphaXi

Me to ... I'm such a geek for the numbers of recruitment.

The following is old and pre-RFM .. but an interesting statistical treatment of "rush"

http://kuznets.fas.harvard.edu/~aroth/sorority.html

Oh, this looks interesting. Super-nerdy. yea! Thanks for linking it!

[33girl]

I'm afraid that all this talking about not focusing on SuperDuperSusie is going to backfire, and chapters will say "well, we could NEVER attract someone like that." It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.

We had a super kickass rush chair one year, as well as a very motivated senior class. It definitely showed in our rushing. You could have knocked us over with a feather when we found out that many of the women coming to our events were torn, not between us and our usual "rival," but between us and BigDealPrettyPrincess Chapter. It definitely was a lesson for us to not be narrow-minded in the types of women we rushed.

Should you go overboard at the expense of other rushees to try and attract a super rushee? No, but it doesn't hurt to let her know that you like her company.

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Should you go overboard at the expense of other rushees to try and attract a super rushee?

This is what I'm referring to.

Go after those top 2% PNMs. Give them a great experience.

I'm not saying totally ignore every "longshot" PNM you don't feel you have a shot with.

I'm saying just don't overlook that middle ground group because you're so focused on those "longshot" women.

It's like college admissions. You aren't going to focus all of your time and energy on your "reaches."

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by 33girl

I'm afraid that all this talking about not focusing on SuperDuperSusie is going to backfire, and chapters will say "well, we could NEVER attract someone like that." It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.

We had a super kickass rush chair one year, as well as a very motivated senior class. It definitely showed in our rushing. You could have knocked us over with a feather when we found out that many of the women coming to our events were torn, not between us and our usual "rival," but between us and BigDealPrettyPrincess Chapter. It definitely was a lesson for us to not be narrow-minded in the types of women we rushed.

Should you go overboard at the expense of other rushees to try and attract a super rushee? No, but it doesn't hurt to let her know that you like her company.

Right, it's not a matter of ignoring the top rushees. It's a matter of making the middle-tier rushees feel just as special.

[carnation]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

Right, it's not a matter of ignoring the top rushees. It's a matter of making the middle-tier rushees feel just as special.

It would be wonderful if we could make all rushees feel special. Only, the downside of that is that they then get a horrible shock when they're not invited back.