to "old" to rush

PinkGirl22 · #1 08-19-2005, 12:04 AM

Can you be to old to rush? I am 20 and will be a sophomore in college, I took some time of between HS and college. Anyway, would sororities even consider someone who is a bit older? I know I am not exactly over the hill, but I know I am older then most girls who rush. I was browsing some of these forms and noticed that a lot of the girls rushed when they were 16 or 17.
I was just woundering if you would even consider anyone who is over 18.

AGDee · #2 08-19-2005, 02:22 AM

The only way someone would be 16 or 17 when they went through recruitment was if they graduated from high school early, because most women don't start college until they are 18 (or at least within a couple months of 18). While the majority of women go through recruitment as college freshmen, whether sophomores are accepted varies from college to college. At very competitive schools, fewer sophomores are accepted but at less competitive or non-traditional schools, sophomores are quite common. So, the vague answer to your question is "It depends".

Dee

#3 08-19-2005, 02:54 AM

You're going to get a bunch of "it depends" answers in this discussion.

I myself was pushing 20 when I rushed and pledged. A woman in my pledge class was already 24, but only a sophomore because she too took a break from school.

Basically you know where you're at in life. Putting aside how competitive rush is at your school, ask yourself if you could see yourself "meshing" well with these straight-outta-HS freshmen. I know you won't be much older than those girls, but you'll most likely have more life experiences than they will. Your relationship with the sisters in the house is in important, but the bond a NM has with her NM class is unlike any other.

If you want to read about other experiences from "non-18 year old PNMs" there are a lot of them in the Recruitment Stories forum.

PhoenixAzul · #4 08-19-2005, 08:39 AM

We had a Jr. pledge last year, she turned 21 2 weeks into her pledgeship...she's a wonderful sister and my roommate!

FSUZeta · #5 08-19-2005, 12:20 PM

nope

OleMissGlitter · #6 08-19-2005, 12:41 PM

You're not too old...but I heard recently of a 59 year old went through rush at U of Louisville in KY this year.

ZTABullwinkle · #7 08-19-2005, 01:10 PM

I went through recruitment at 27. My campus isn't a "traditional" one, we are mostly commuters.

Be yourself, have fun! That is my advice to you! Good luck!

smiley21 · #8 08-19-2005, 01:37 PM

I was 22 when i went through and one of my sisters was 24.

ejbiff · #9 08-19-2005, 05:16 PM

I went through recruitment at the age of 22. I had spent 4 years at a community college, trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. When I finally arrived at Eastern Michigan, I waited a year before I decided I wanted to join a sorority. When I was going through, I made sure to be honest with the chapters regarding my age. When asked what year I was, I would explain that I was in my whatever-year and that I still had at least 3 years of classes left, so that I would be around for a few more years and that I wasn't going to join and then quit a year later. I made it very clear that I wanted to be active and that I wasn't just joining for the heck of it. From what I could tell, the chapters didn't have any big issues with my age. I just say good luck to anyone of any age that is going through recruitment! Be yourself and have fun!

Tom Earp · #10 08-19-2005, 05:25 PM

Actully, I was Old when I started the Local.

It takes Women of many ages depending on the Chapter of Course, to become Members.

Many times there is a need for some one who has a better Head on the Shoulder.

When and If you Rush, I think You would find that age is irrelevant in Your Mind Set. What might be sad is what others think, and it depends on a lot of things. School, # of Members and well just add some other verbs.

Along with everyone else, good luck. Kids aint the total answer to be sure!!!!

adpiucf · #11 08-19-2005, 06:00 PM

Members in the sorority collegiate chapters range from freshmen to senior, 18-25 and up or down depending. So there will be plenty of women your age in the sororities.

Your class standing, however, may be an issue and effect the competitiveness of your standing as a PNM-- but this depends on where you go to college. Some chapters prefer freshmen over upperclassmen, depending upon the university, the sorority chapter and their needs that fall. And your class standing may not be an issue at all, depending again on the sororities.

I recommend you go through formal recruitment. Check out this forum for tips about the process, but call your college's office of Greek Life for accurate information and stats.

dgdramadawg · #12 08-19-2005, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by PinkGirl22
Can you be to old to rush? I am 20 and will be a sophomore in college, I took some time of between HS and college. Anyway, would sororities even consider someone who is a bit older? I know I am not exactly over the hill, but I know I am older then most girls who rush. I was browsing some of these forms and noticed that a lot of the girls rushed when they were 16 or 17.
I was just woundering if you would even consider anyone who is over 18.

I pledged as a sophomore at 19 and we had a junior girl pledge as a transfer student at 21. Sororities are looking for the best girls to fit the chapter... and if you've got the grades, involvement, personality, etc. that the chapter is looking for, then your age won't matter.

blueangel · #13 08-19-2005, 06:13 PM

I was 20 and a junior in an SEC school when I went through rush.

My feeling is that if you don't make age an issue, it isn't an issue. Nobody asked me how old I was... nobody seemed to care.

Miss Glitter.. I would love to hear about the 59-year-old... good for her! I love hearing stories like that! Do you know if/where she got a bid???