Rushing as a Sophomore?!

[calicutie13]

Hey everyone,
I'll be an incoming college freshman this fall but am not rushing this semester for a few reasons. I am however planning to go through recruitment as a sophomore! What can I do my freshman year to make me stand out as a great prospect for recruitment next year! I already know high GPA and letters of rec are great and I'm sure I can get those but what are other ways to help!?
Thank you

[victoriana]

First of all, you should be aware that, depending on your campus, rushing as a sophomore can dramatically lower your chances of receiving a bid. I would recommend checking out this fall's rush, just to see if you can swing it this year. I rushed as a sophomore and now I really wish that I had rushed as a freshman so I could have a full 4 years in chapter. It's all up to you, really.

If you are going to go ahead and wait until sophomore year, I would say definitely place a big focus on your academics. Keep your GPA above a 3.0, if you can. Get involved in clubs around campus and get your face out there. Community service organizations and student government are two really good examples of the sort of campus involvement that a sorority will want to see in a sophomore PNM. Above all else, watch your behavior. If you decide to party, make good decisions and keep it classy. Keep your photos and posts on Facebook appropriate. Don't let people take pictures of you doing things that you wouldn't want your parents or your boss to see. Also, just be nice to people in general. The last thing you want is to get a bad reputation for your attitude. I'm sure this won't be a problem, since you seem like a sweetheart. Best of luck with your rush

[AZTheta]

Originally Posted by calicutie13

Hey everyone,
I'll be an incoming college freshman this fall but am not rushing this semester for a few reasons. I am however planning to go through recruitment as a sophomore! What can I do my freshman year to make me stand out as a great prospect for recruitment next year! I already know high GPA and letters of rec are great and I'm sure I can get those but what are other ways to help!?
Thank you

QFP

Did you not like this, below?:

Originally Posted by calicutie13

Is rushing as a sophomore that much more difficult than as a freshman? I'm planning on having a pretty high GPA (carried a 4.0 through high school easily) and while i knoe the courses will be harder, I am a good student. I don't really do crazy things very much and get along with pretty much everyone, decreasing my chances of having a major incident that could tarnish my reputation. What could help me stand out as a sophomore?? I can get recs for nearly every chapter and the others I could get from members of the chapter at different schools. Do rec letters from another school even help?

Thanks so much to everyone, you're all so helpful in helping me make these important decisions

Originally Posted by AzTheta

Hear the note of concern in my typing, please: re, the bolded - have you done so already for Fall 2011 recruitment? Have you already prepared as if you were going through Fall 2011 recruitment? Or are you just now thinking of recruitment, which is less than a month away?

Sophomores do get bids at the UofA, it isn't impossible, but it is more difficult. This has been answered already by others and there are lots of threads that address this. If you are asking for an exact "odds" or percentage, I don't have that data. The same things that help you stand out as a freshman (high GPA, solid activities, personality, leadership) will help you as a sophomore, but at the college level. Once you're in college, all the high school accomplishments fade and what's considered is your current performance.

Originally Posted by calicutie13

I have prepared as if I were going through fall recruitment, but am thinking forward to the future if I am not able to rush this year. My recs have said that they would support me in whichever rush I decide to participate in. Also, if I have a rec from an alumnae of a chapter at a different school, would that help as a rec or are they less influential as recs from the school that you are attending?

You received some good replies in the other thread; review those, and please, use the search function.

[calicutie13]

Sorry! I wasn't disregarding the information, just curious about if anyone else had opinions! I think what you said is very valuable and have now considered leadership and other activities to amplify my resume. Thanks

[DubaiSis]

Also be on the lookout for COB (continuous open bidding) or informal recruitment opportunities. Because your chances are so diminished there as a sophomore, if you get an opportunity to join ANY chapter as a freshman, I'd take it. I don't know how much of that happens at your school, but if it's out there, definitely consider it. No, this is not going to be the top houses on campus, but those houses are going to be the ones that are least likely to take anything but the most stellar sophomores anyway.

Note to other PNMs: the "to rush or not to rush as a sophomore" question varies greatly by school. There are many schools where it is no problem at all. Know your school before freaking out about this if you didn't go through as a freshman, for whatever reason.

[AZTheta]

Originally Posted by DubaiSis

Also be on the lookout for COB (continuous open bidding) or informal recruitment opportunities. Because your chances are so diminished there as a sophomore, if you get an opportunity to join ANY chapter as a freshman, I'd take it. I don't know how much of that happens at your school, but if it's out there, definitely consider it. No, this is not going to be the top houses on campus, but those houses are going to be the ones that are least likely to take anything but the most stellar sophomores anyway.

Note to other PNMs: the "to rush or not to rush as a sophomore" question varies greatly by school. There are many schools where it is no problem at all. Know your school before freaking out about this if you didn't go through as a freshman, for whatever reason.

Excuse me, I have to speak up. You don't know that and it is not a set in stone fact, so please don't state an absolute. There are countless PNMs reading these boards/threads and they have no standard to evaluate the veracity of posts or information.

I happen to know, at my campus, that one year two of the "top houses" (and I cringe as I quote you) did not make quota. They were off their game, whatever the reason - regardless, they did COB and took additional members. Actually, this happens more than most people know.

And, knowing the culture at my school, sophomores do get offered bids, for many reasons that have been written about in countless other threads.

[HQWest]

Originally Posted by AzTheta

Excuse me, I have to speak up. You don't know that and it is not a set in stone fact, so please don't state an absolute. There are countless PNMs reading these boards/threads and they have no standard to evaluate the veracity of posts or information.

I happen to know, at my campus, that one year two of the "top houses" (and I cringe as I quote you) did not make quota. They were off their game, whatever the reason - regardless, they did COB and took additional members. Actually, this happens more than most people know.

And, knowing the culture at my school, sophomores do get offered bids, for many reasons that have been written about in countless other threads.

I think what they are trying to say is - this is a Deep South vs. Wild West vs. Midwest with Bed Quota question - without a touch more info about your school it is hard to judge how much being a sophomore next year will hurt you.

In the SEC or Texas or say Indiana, sophomores are going to have a rough time of it in formal recruitment because it is a super competitive recruitment (all things being equal on two FABULOUS women, the freshman often wins) - but that doesn't mean sophomores don't get bids or that COB is impossible just less likely. Even at a super competitive school I have seen exceptions made but this is usually for a woman that is exceptional in some way (athletes, transfer students, legacies, etc. )

So for whatever reason you can't do recruitment this year - the advice to work on your grades and activities is good. I would also make an effort to stay friends with girls that you know from high school that pledge. They can't promise you a bid (there is still the rest of the chapter) but they would be the ones to invite you to a COB or to stand up for you and tell the chapter how fabulous you are when discussing girls coming through next summer.

[HQWest]

See Here -

http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...d.php?t=115741

QED.

[Barbie's_Rush]

Originally Posted by HQWest

See Here -

http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...d.php?t=115741

QED.

What the hell does this even mean? She's not rushing at Berkeley (which has a super non-competitive recruitment.) She's rushing at the University of Arizona, the school AzTheta is referring to and familiar with. The very same school the OP had received lots of advice about regarding this exact same issue on one of her other threads. And much of that advice was given by AZTheta too.

I thought you were going to refrain from posting?

[AZTheta]

calicutie13, good to know you're paying attention to all the suggestions about maximizing your options for a successful recruitment IF you go through as a sophomore at the University of Arizona.

What I will TRY to do is get some data for you on how many new members are freshmen/sophomores/juniors/seniors in each chapter's pledge class. I WILL TRY, after recruitment is finished, because I think that data should be public.

Bear in mind that the numbers are just that - numbers, and they will only reflect what happens in August 2011. We're still waiting to hear how many PNMs have signed up for this year's recruitment. The past couple of years it's hovered around 1200 PNMs. There are 11 chapters. New member classes have been 70+. Doing the math - that means somewhere in the neighborhood of 790 PNMs were offered/accepted bids at the end of Recruitment.

Total is 180 and most chapters are WAY above total.

Bottom line, it is a competitive recruitment yet many PNMs accept bids and a percentage of those are sophomores. Hope this helps.

[DubaiSis]

Originally Posted by AzTheta

Excuse me, I have to speak up. You don't know that and it is not a set in stone fact, so please don't state an absolute. There are countless PNMs reading these boards/threads and they have no standard to evaluate the veracity of posts or information.

I happen to know, at my campus, that one year two of the "top houses" (and I cringe as I quote you) did not make quota. They were off their game, whatever the reason - regardless, they did COB and took additional members. Actually, this happens more than most people know.

And, knowing the culture at my school, sophomores do get offered bids, for many reasons that have been written about in countless other threads.

Point taken. There are about a gazillion variables that can affect any PNMs outcome regardless of class standing or campus. But I stand by, be on the look out for COB opportunities and don't expect that one dream chapter to be beating down your door in October. That dream chapter held an informal recruitment, but I certainly wouldn't expect that to happen again AND for you to know someone who could invite you AND actually wants to invite you AND chooses you once you have attended parties. That's a lot of lightning striking at once. But you're right, it can happen, and does for several girls every year. Out of hundreds. Be hopeful but realistic is what I'm saying.

[AZTheta]

^^^gotcha. Thanks. Seems that this time of year the anxiety runs so high that we on this side of the recruitment fence can't be careful enough .