Rushing as an exchange student

[Fizzan]

Hi!

I am going to be an exchange student at William & Mary for my junior year, and I was considering going through recruitment. My country (I'm from England) does not have sororities, and I would love to have the opportunity to experience one while I'm in the US, get involved on campus and meet lots of people.

I was wondering if it is at all likely for me to be able to join a sorority, even though I will only be at W&M for a year?

Thank you for your help

[carnation]

It really depends on the campus; one of my daughters' chapters had a European student,. I have heard of some schools letting exchange students rush as free choices (they don't count against quota).

[Fizzan]

Interesting, I'll try and look into it! I think I'll go along to recruitment and see how it goes. I'd like to be part of a sorority, but I won't be heartbroken if it ends up not happening.

Thank you for your help!

[thetalady]

Consider the costs of joining in your decision. The first year is the most expensive.

[Kevin]

We've had a few exchange students as members. I know it's totally different on the fraternity side, but it has always been a great experience for the members and for the individual. One of my fellow founders was Japanese. His grandfather was an American POW (a Japanese prisoner of the U.S.) in WWII and had talked up America to his family ever since the War as back in those days, we treated Japanese POWs far better than they expected to be treated.

We've kept in touch for around 20 years and he actually flies in every few years for alumni events. This can be a very special experience and a really unique way to immerse yourself in the U.S.

[clemsongirl]

I'm a graduate student at W&M, so not directly involved in Greek life, but recruitment is not so competitive that you wouldn't find success, I think. Are you going to be there for the whole year? That will help you.

[ChioLu]

UCLA gets many exchange students who go through recruitment - even if they are only there for a year! I would say that most chapters have at least a half dozen exchange students in their membership.

[Fizzan]

Yes, I'm going to be there for the whole year - it's good to hear that W&M recruitment isn't super competitive, thank you for that!

How expensive does the first year tend to be?

[clemsongirl]

Honestly, I looked for that information on their website and couldn't find anything. W&M does have houses but they're fairly small and old so they're not going to be thousands of dollars a semester in dues if you don't live in.

I'd email one of the staff members here to ask about costs.

[Sciencewoman]

We have an Alumnae Chapter in the UK -- you can read about it here. And, there's an email contact in case you'd like to talk about sorority life, and maybe make a connection for a possible recruitment recommendation, because we have a collegiate chapter at William and Mary. Just sayin'....

https://www.gammaphibeta.org/sites/d...l/page-19.html

[Fizzan]

Brilliant, thank you both! I'll look into that Money isn't a massive problem, but thousands of dollars would be! It's very cool that there's an alumnae chapter in London, that's a fantastic idea!

[clemsongirl]

I will add that while W&M recruitment is not competitive and recommendations aren't common, in your situation they will be helpful explaining who you are and your interest in Greek life. Whether you get them from an alumnae chapter or personal connections, I think situations like yours are where they help most, since you won't know anyone coming in to recruitment.

Here is the link about them, but feel free to message me if you have more specific questions!

[Fizzan]

Thank you! I'll definitely look into that everyone has been so helpful!

[oldnorthstate]

My sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma, also has both a chapter at W&M and an alumnae association in London. There's an email address for the AA here:

https://www.kappakappagamma.org/Kapp...aspx?id=301649

Good luck with recruitment! Even with just one year of collegiate membership, the sorority experience is so worth it. Enjoy your year abroad!

[Fizzan]

Hi!

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for your help - I've been through one round of recruitment so far, and I've enjoyed it so much! All of the houses have been so welcoming, and I've met some great women already! I'm so glad I decided to go through with it