Bidless formal and informal

Shokiara · #1 09-25-2017, 10:50 PM

Hello. I attend University of Missouri. Formal Recruitment is in the fall here and I decided to participate. I was honestly dropped from all chapters after round 1. I tried my luck with informal, fell in love with the chapter I visited and received the rejection this past Friday. The problem is I transferred schools from a school with no Greek Life. I struggled with depression until this last year so my GPA isn't the best. I'm a junior by credits but I am a sophomore by course sequence. So that is my sob story. But here's the good part. The house I fell in love with is a newer chapter on campus so they do informal every semester. My pi chi's from formal are still in contact with me and supporting me. I'm going to focus make this a great semester and show the chapter who I really am! My GPA will be replaced after this first semester because of how transferring works so next semester my GPA will be restarted with what I get here!

DubaiSis · #2 09-25-2017, 11:17 PM

Grades are not optional. Unfortunately your opportunities may have passed you by just by time and circumstance. Get pristine grades and try again next semester. But be prepared for that not working out. Best of luck to you.

Shokiara · #3 09-25-2017, 11:34 PM

It just hurts because I wanted to do Greek life for so long and to transfer to a school where I can just to be told no.

AZTheta · #4 09-26-2017, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shokiara

Hello. I attend University of Missouri. Formal Recruitment is in the fall here and I decided to participate. I was honestly dropped from all chapters after round 1. I tried my luck with informal, fell in love with the chapter I visited and received the rejection this past Friday. The problem is I transferred schools from a school with no Greek Life. I struggled with depression until this last year so my GPA isn't the best. I'm a junior by credits but I am a sophomore by course sequence. So that is my sob story. But here's the good part. The house I fell in love with is a newer chapter on campus so they do informal every semester. My pi chi's from formal are still in contact with me and supporting me. I'm going to focus make this a great semester and show the chapter who I really am! My GPA will be replaced after this first semester because of how transferring works so next semester my GPA will be restarted with what I get here!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shokiara

It just hurts because I wanted to do Greek life for so long and to transfer to a school where I can just to be told no.

You were told no because of your GPA. Sororities value the highest scholarship. A transfer student who is a junior (credits) with a low GPA isn't a competitive or desirable PNM. Freshmen coming in with clean slates and high GPAs who will be members for four years (ideally) are what you're up against, for starters.

Also, you've got another thread going which is pretty much a carbon copy of this one, with the addition of asking for recs.

Shokiara · #5 09-26-2017, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AZTheta

Also, you've got another thread going which is pretty much a carbon copy of this one, with the addition of asking for recs.

That was because it made me post this introduction to activate my account, then I remembered all the people I see volunteer recs on here. So I copied it out of introductions to a more related area and didn't think it would hurt to ask if it was appropriate to ask for recs.

AZTheta · #6 09-26-2017, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shokiara

That was because it made me post this introduction to activate my account, then I remembered all the people I see volunteer recs on here. So I copied it out of introductions to a more related area and didn't think it would hurt to ask if it was appropriate to ask for recs.

I don't recall seeing people volunteer recs (to write them, I mean); guess I am not paying attention. Okay. Usually people just post "hi" for their intro post. When someone posts the same info in two separate threads it can create confusion. If you've read enough on GC - oh nevermind.

Good luck to you. I hope you get your GPA up and "find a home" as the saying goes. You've got your work cut out for you!

navane · #7 09-26-2017, 12:27 PM

Shokiara,

As the other posters have explained to you, sororities value scholarship. There are so many untrue stereotypes about sororities on TV, movies and newspapers. They think that we jump around and party; yet, I don't think people realize how important scholarship is for us. When you say that your GPA "...isn't the best", would you be willing tell us what it is? How borderline of a GPA is it? I imagine that this is important at Mizzou where competition is high.

Also, you have a story very similar to a young man who also posted this morning. Forgive me for repeating myself, but I am going to quote back to you what I just told him --

Quote:

I'm sorry to hear that you had some struggles during your freshman year. Is it possible to have any of your previous grades officially withdrawn? If you go to the academic advising center on your campus, you might be able to speak with an academic adviser about whether or not you might qualify for a grade forgiveness/course repeat. That is, say you took a chemistry class and failed it. Then you took the same class again the next semester and earned a "C". You might be able to have the first "F" removed from the record on account of having the second grade be passing. Or, if you had a legitimate health crisis, and have documentation to back it up, you might be able to appeal to have some grades or a whole semester removed/withdrawn. This would improve your GPA significantly.

Even if your campus even offers these types of remedies, they wouldn't be done in time for you to improve your GPA for rush going on right now. BUT, it's still a good idea to check on this nonetheless.

Note: I was an Academic Adviser for a major state university for 8 years. I have counseled thousands of students.

I think the advice also applies to you. Best wishes for a successful semester.

Shokiara · #8 09-26-2017, 11:54 PM

I transferred with a 2.5 GPA but because of transferring my GPA "restarts". The problem is anything I apply for right now goes by my transfer GPA until this semester is over. I know this can be a good semester because my last semester GPA before transferring was 3.6

navane · #9 09-27-2017, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shokiara

I transferred with a 2.5 GPA but because of transferring my GPA "restarts". The problem is anything I apply for right now goes by my transfer GPA until this semester is over. I know this can be a good semester because my last semester GPA before transferring was 3.6

Oh dear. Yes, I do believe it was your GPA and junior class standing that may have caused you to be released so quickly. I cannot say that for 100% certain, since I was not present during the membership selection meetings; but, a 2.5 GPA is most certainly a factor that was not in your favor.

Did you by any chance get an opportunity to read the Mizzou Greek Life website? The Panhellenic Frequently Asked Questions page comes right out and states what might be considered acceptable GPAs. This is unusual as I've not seen any other campus lay it out in such a straight-forward fashion. Here it is --

Mizzou PHA website: https://greeklife.missouri.edu/pha/recruitment-faq/

Quote:

Does my high school GPA matter in the recruitment process?

There is no grade requirement to go through Formal Recruitment set by PHA, but each chapter has its own GPA standards for membership and retention. Because PHA and each chapter values scholarship, maintaining good grades is important to all sorority women. The average college GPA for all sorority women at Mizzou in the spring semester of 2016 was 3.361, which is higher than all women, all men, and all campus GPA averages.

Green Light = Your options are not likely to be limited base on your GPA (3.5 +)
Yellow Light = Your options are more likely to be limited by your GPA (3.0-3.499)
Red light = Your options are very likely to be limited based on your GPA (0-2.999)

Based on a 4.0 GPA Scale

Also, recommendations are needed to be successful at Mizzou. Recommendations are letters from sorority alumnae members who write in to the chapter to vouch for your: character, academics, community service, talents, athletics, etc. Some sororities allow current college members to write recs, but the vast majority are written by alumnae women who know you (relatives, teachers, neighbors, etc).

Rec letters are also good because the writer would have an opportunity to explain that you're a junior in credits, but a sophomore in course sequence - or that you had a medical problem that affected your grades last year but you are otherwise an outstanding student, etc.

Other than that, things that could get a young woman cut right away include, very poor conversation skills, didn't show up dressed properly, poor reputation (drinking, poor character), questionable social media posts and so on.

Hopefully your GPA will improve for next time and you will be able to obtain rec letters for each of the sororities. However, I fear that your upper-class standing on the next go-around will still be an obstacle for you. Until then, work hard on your grades and involve yourself in some of the wonderful activities on your campus.

DubaiSis · #10 09-27-2017, 12:34 PM

Put bluntly a 2.5 isn't good enough in this era of sorority life. And speaking as someone who got terrible grades her first 2 years of college, my stellar GPA once I got into my major was never able to make up the gap. Had grades been the issue then (before electricity and certainly before grade padding) I wouldn't have had a chance at sorority membership.

Feel free to try again and definitely let the members know that your GPA over the last year is vastly better than your overall, but I don't see any chapters at Mizzou being willing to share a precious space on their roster. There is no "worst chapter" at Mizzou. Even the newest chapter is now at parity. And if they decided to colonize a new chapter (which is always possible in the next few years) colony members are almost always outstanding student leaders, academically and socially.

aephi alum · #11 09-27-2017, 11:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shokiara

I transferred with a 2.5 GPA but because of transferring my GPA "restarts". The problem is anything I apply for right now goes by my transfer GPA until this semester is over. I know this can be a good semester because my last semester GPA before transferring was 3.6

I'm also going to be blunt. A 2.5 GPA won't cut it. I can't think of an NPC sorority that doesn't require new members to have a 2.5 - and that's on the national level. Some chapters have higher minimum GPAs. And even if your GPA does "restart" after this semester, every chapter will know your prior GPA, and that plus your junior standing will weigh heavily against you. I'm afraid your ship has sailed.

GreekOne · #12 09-28-2017, 07:53 AM

The chapter that I advise holds a very hard line on a minimum 3.0 GPA. I had an awful situation where I had to tell one of my own chapter sisters, a personal friend from my college days, that her legacy daughter would not get a bid because she did not meet the chapter's grade standard. Best of luck to you.