PNM Ranking Question

jwright25 · #1 07-18-2005, 06:44 PM

I have just learned of a different way for potential new members to "rank" sororities at the end of each round of parties. My campus has 4 NPC sororities that participate in a fully structured formal recruitment. At the end of the evening, the PNMs rank 1,2,3,4 in the order they prefer to attend the next day's events. They continue ranking 1,2,3,4 throughout the week.

The way I understand the other way, which is supposedly preferred by NPC, is a "cluster" ranking. If, for example, during the next round of parties, a PNM may attend 3 parties of the four, she would rank 1,1,1,2. Then when it comes to ranking for Preference, she would rank 1,1,2,3. Of course after Preference she would have to go to 1,2,3,4 for accurate bid matching (which we do by hand as well as by computer - PRUSH)

The reasoning that I have heard for this is so that mentally, a PNM isn't thinking about how the sororities rank in her mind - rather thinking about any house that she would be happy with and grouping those together.

I read the old thread on PRUSH vs SORUSH and noticed that DeltaBetaBaby and lagirl33 both made reference to ranking this way. We do PRUSH but the PNMS currently rank 1,2,3,4. Then we turn in invite lists and the computer matches them up and the PNMs get a list of where they are going and we get a list of who is coming.

So my questions are: A - For those of you who do it the way of 1,1,1,2 - do you ever have any problems? Do the PNMs ever think it is weird or complain about it? B - Have any of you ever done it BOTH ways and have any insight to offer as to which is best? C - Does anyone know where it is that NPC has recommended this version?

Thank you!

ADPi Conniebama · #2 07-18-2005, 10:00 PM

OOOO I love that 1112 thing. I like that better then 1234 each night. Until the last night. Also, that stops the girls from single intention bidding. (if they wait until the last night to "rank")

Because, you are right how can you go 1234 after ice water tea (or what ever it is called).

I know you had a question. I don't have the answer I just liked the idea and I wanted to express my opinion.

STL Kappa · #3 07-18-2005, 11:49 PM

Haha, all of this makes no sense to me! On the first day of our recruitment a PNM can attend 13 houses, then 9, then 5, then 3... and finally they pref. We don't "rank" them until pref day. You find out which chapters have invited you back and then, if you have more invitations than parties, you cut the ones you don't like. All this talk of ranking confuses me!

valkyrie · #4 07-18-2005, 11:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by STL Kappa
Haha, all of this makes no sense to me! On the first day of our recruitment a PNM can attend 13 houses, then 9, then 5, then 3... and finally they pref. We don't "rank" them until pref day. You find out which chapters have invited you back and then, if you have more invitations than parties, you cut the ones you don't like. All this talk of ranking confuses me!

I think that makes WAY more sense than anything else. What's the point of ranking if a girl might end up cut by more houses than she can visit anyway?

DeltaEtaKP · #5 07-19-2005, 02:11 AM

My campus also has only four sororities, and we don't do ranking until the last night either. The first two nights, all PNM's attend all parties, and then the third night, they attend up to three, and the fourth night up to two.
On the day of the third parties, the PNM's go to the Student Life Office at a certain time and see where they were invited back...If there are more than 3 that invite them back, they chose one not to attend and the same thing on the fourth night. There is no ranking until after Pref night.

adpiucf · #6 07-19-2005, 05:22 AM

When I rushed in the late 90's, we used that method. After the day's recruitment parties, we ranked our top "number 1's", etc... the next day, we got invites back.

I liked that so much better than the method they used when I was a recruitment counselor-- go to the houses and then go home, come back super early in the morning to learn who has invited you back and select the max number of parties to attend based on those invites.

On one hand, the latter showed girls their options fully, but I think logistically, it was so much extra work. Either method has its pros and cons-- depends on the campus.

CarolinaCutie · #7 07-19-2005, 08:10 AM

The thread on PRUSH vs. SORUSH is relevant here.

I really like this idea of PRUSH ranking. It is more intuitive and seems like it would help PNMs to think less about the arbitrary ranking of sororities that they are uncertain about, and more about how they FEEL about the group in general.

As an aside: Although SORUSH makes a lot of SENSE, some schools have problems with PNMs cutting groups based on who invited them back instead of who they really like. For example, a girl may have liked Sororities 1, 3, and 5 best, but because she is flattered that Sorority 4, a top chapter, has invited her back, she accepts that invite instead. By the end of the week though, Sorority 4 has dropped her and she has lost her chance with a sorority that might have given her a bid.

ETA: Also, I go to a small school where Recruitment participation is not high. With SORUSH, we have a huge problem with getting PNMs to show up every night for the events, let alone getting them to come back a 2nd time during the day to see their invites.

ADPi Conniebama · #8 07-19-2005, 09:48 AM

I must state again, my university should be doing this. We only have 4 sororities. Why hasn't my university been doing this. Man, I am gonna go make a stink. There is no reason for the pm to "cut" until it is necessary.

Wow, my eyes are open.

IvySpice · #9 07-19-2005, 12:05 PM

Quote:

some schools have problems with PNMs cutting groups based on who invited them back instead of who they really like. For example, a girl may have liked Sororities 1, 3, and 5 best, but because she is flattered that Sorority 4, a top chapter, has invited her back, she accepts that invite instead.

I have a good friend whose entire sorority experience was changed by the phenomenon you're talking about. If she'd just chosen her favorite chapters without knowing who invited her back, she'd never have included XYZ, one of the "Big 3" on campus, among them. But XYZ kept inviting her back, and she was the only one in her rush group to be asked back by one of the "Big 3." She was so flattered and amazed that she'd been "chosen" by this ultra-selective group that she kept going back, even though she actually connected better with women in other groups.

To make a long story short, she ended up as a very dissatisfied XYZ who found that the "Big 3" mystique was all superficiality and cattiness. She had seen that during rush, but she was blinded by the honor of getting that invitation no one else got. If only she'd been asked to cut chapters BEFORE seeing invites...

aabby757 · #10 07-19-2005, 12:24 PM

Thinking back to when I rused at UMaryland in the 1980's I don't think I would have liked to rank my favorite houses FIRST and then see I had been cut by a few at the top of my list.

Maryland had/still has a large greek system and I had a pretty successful rush experience though I did get cut very early by one of my favorite houses.

I feel it would have given me a false sense of security had I ranked that house high. I was a clueless rusher and really truly thought I would pretty much get the house I wanted, the selection process wasn't that big of a deal, etc.

I was FLOORED when I learned about the bid list ranking, the "little things" sororities do to better help them remember which girls they want to keep and which ones they want to cut, etc and had I known all of this, ranking the houses before I got my invites would make me feel like I was jinxing my chances. Kind of like, you rank abc and xyz first and second but ha ha! they cut you.

I prefer making my cuts based on my invites. Though that doesn't really qualify as "mutual" does it? It does give the chapter the upper hand I think unless you're cut hard and don't have any cuts to make.

Very interesting topic.

BetteDavisEyes · #11 07-22-2005, 09:52 AM

Hmmm...

This was at last years RUSH but at Long Beach, the girls attend parties at all 7 houses. At the end of the day, they had to cut 3 houses. Once they did, the next day, they attended parties at the remaining houses they did not cut that also did not cut them. Finally on Pref, they attend the house(s) that they did not get cut from.

BetteDavisEyes · #12 07-22-2005, 11:38 AM

They changed it from previous years. It went from 3 days + Pref to 2 days + Pref. I guess they thought it would work well & I guess it kind of did & didn't b/c 3 houses didn't make quota & had to hold spring recruitments.

Zillini · #13 07-22-2005, 01:50 PM

Back in the 80's when I rushed at Illinois, we didn't rank at all until after Pref night. You went to all houses on 1st stage, 24 if I recall. The day after you went to Convocation and received you're list of invites. Then you marked which houses you accepted invites back for 2nd round up to the max # of parties allowed. So forth and so on. I just assumed everybody did this, even here at Bama. Guess I need to check into that.

What's the purpose of ranking before Pref at all? It would just break a PNM's heart if her #1,2&3 or #1,1,2,2 choices didn't invite her back. This way maybe she hasn't even thought quite that far ahead, though that's somewhat unlikely.

TSteven · #14 07-22-2005, 04:51 PM

Seems like the '1112' ranking works *best* where only one chapter gets *dropped* after a round. Or on a campus with six or less chapters.

Frankly, I just don't see how it would work on a campus with a large number of chapters to the benefit of the PNM. As others have pointed out, too much room for disappointment and cross cutting etc.

Zillini · #15 07-23-2005, 04:41 PM

Ok, things make more sense now. I guess I'm guilty of forgetting that not all campuses have a large number of Chapters.

While it would definately be easier to do some ranking early on with only 6 or less Chapters I still don't really see the point of why it would be a good thing.