A Recruitment Reality Check

AlterEgo · #1 01-30-2008, 10:35 PM

In no way is this a bitter post- I feel like what happened during my recruitment was just meant to be. But I do feel since I was once a lurker, that a realistic story of recruitment needs to be told, one that doesn't end in a bid.

My southern school has 8 chapters. The first day you go to all 8, then max 5, max 3, and max 2. I was a legacy, and though that doesn't mean too much, I wasn't invited back past the second day. Therefore, future recruitment goers- do not rely on being a legacy, it doesn't mean you get a bid. As far as grades, even if you have the required 2.5 or 2.75 or whatever it may be, it does matter how high/low it is.

Though you may feel like you had a great conversation and chemistry at a certain house, that does not justify that you'll be invited back the next day.

During my preference day, I had two houses. One I absolutely had grown to adore. I walked in and the gal that picked me up was the same I had talked to the day before. She told me how she was so excited to have had seen my name on the list for today, how she thought I was the epitome of an ABC and how she could not wait to be sisters, we were so alike. I felt very good leaving, and ended up feeling very lead on.

Come bid day morning, I did not receive a bid.

I just want to tell this brief story, because I wish I had read something like it before my recruitment. Knowing that it was not all excitement and joy and not ending in a happy place would have been ideal.

I do hope that those that are going to go through recruitment still have a blast, and it's truly a once in a lifetime experience.

SWTXBelle · #2 01-30-2008, 10:40 PM

I am so sorry things did not work out better for you. We always hate to hear of an unhappy ending, but you do make several good points. Thanks for sharing.

#3 01-30-2008, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlterEgo

My southern school has 8 chapters. The first day you go to all 8, then max 5, max 3, and max 2. I was a legacy, and though that doesn't mean too much, I wasn't invited back past the second day. Therefore, future recruitment goers- do not rely on being a legacy, it doesn't mean you get a bid. As far as grades, even if you have the required 2.5 or 2.75 or whatever it may be, it does matter how high/low it is.

During my preference day, I had two houses. One I absolutely had grown to adore. I walked in and the gal that picked me up was the same I had talked to the day before. She told me how she was so excited to have had seen my name on the list for today, how she thought I was the epitome of an ABC and how she could not wait to be sisters, we were so alike. I felt very good leaving, and ended up feeling very lead on.

How was it that you got to Preference after not being invited back pas the second day?

SWTXBelle · #4 01-30-2008, 10:45 PM

I think she meant she wasn't invited to her legacy house past the second day.

Xylochick216 · #5 01-30-2008, 10:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OTW

How was it that you got to Preference after not being invited back pas the second day?

I was about to ask the same thing.

Also, just because you have the minimum CAMPUS GPA doesn't mean you have the minimum for each sorority.

You can analyze your experience to death and try to figure out what went wrong. You may never know.

GC200823 · #6 01-30-2008, 10:46 PM

Maybe she was saying for the house she was a legacy for, she wasn't invited back the second day yet continued to go through recruitment and went to pref for 2 houses?

#7 01-30-2008, 10:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SWTXBelle

I think she meant she wasn't invited to her legacy house past the second day.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GC200823

Maybe she was saying for the house she was a legacy for, she wasn't invited back the second day yet continued to go through recruitment and went to pref for 2 houses?

Thanks for the clarification!

I have a tendency to read entire posts, but for some reason I tend to overlook a sentence or two!

GC200823 · #8 01-30-2008, 10:49 PM

No problem, I do the same too, I'll read something and I'll need to re-read it to get the details down.

UGAalum94 · #9 01-30-2008, 10:53 PM

To add to the advice and warning, PNMs should keep in mind that the girls from the group are rushing you, wanting to make you want the group. Short of actually promising a bid, which would be a recruitment violation, their job is to make you see yourself in the group and want the group.

If they are good rushers, you're going to believe that they want you. They aren't going to seem disinterested having you are a member, even if they intend to cut you.

Additionally, no one member can really make it for you, really. But if you make it to prefs, the group probably really does want you.

KSUViolet06 · #10 01-30-2008, 11:05 PM

Honestly, thanks for sharing. Your story shows alot of the most important things we TRY to tell PNMs:

*Being a legacy doesn't guarantee you a bid to your legacy chapter.

*Having the minimum GPA to participate in recruitment isn't always going to get you very far, since that GPA is often lower than the individual sorority GPA requirements.

*At the end of the day, there just aren't any guarantees with recruitment in general. You could have good conversations with girls everyday, you could look very put together every day, and you could follow every piece of advice you get. Sometimes (for whatever reasons), girls just don't get invited to join a chapter. Is it painful for PNMs? I'm sure it is, but every sorority has their reasons and is entitled to make those decisions.

Just interested · #11 01-30-2008, 11:19 PM

Did your school not offer guaranteed placement after the preference round? You said you went to 2 preference parties. Did you only put one group on your bid card? Maybe I misread your post.

sailboatgirl · #12 01-30-2008, 11:22 PM

Thank you for sharing your story. I am sorry that it didn't work out for you, and I appreciate the courage it took for you to share it.

KSUViolet06 · #13 01-30-2008, 11:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Just interested

Did your school not offer guaranteed placement after the preference round? You said you went to 2 preference parties. Did you only put one group on your bid card? Maybe I misread your post.

Though rare, there are instances where girls pref 2 groups and still don't get bids. Think about it, it's what could happen in the rare event that a girl is not high enough on either her first or second choices' list, is not matched as a quota addition, and either doesn't get any snap bid offers or doesn't accept one. As you can see, it takes a very specific set of circumstances.

texas*princess · #14 01-31-2008, 12:19 AM

While I think the OP did make some good points like the ones KSU mentioned, I don't feel like any of them are "new" or compelling reasons to start a post like that. I don't know... something about the way it was written rubbed me the wrong way. We've seen several pnms end up bidless or dropping out or even rushing unsuccessfully more than once so it's not like every recruitment story on here is sunshine & roses.

Yes, being a legacy is great, but at some schools (mostly "Southern" schools that I've read about) that doesn't hold a lot of weight because they have 300 chapter/sorority legacies going through rush for each house on campus.

Depending on how "Southern" this school is, having the minimum GPA won't get you very far because most all of those groups may have stellar chapter GPAs to keep up.

And while we hate to see people not finding their Greek homes, I don't think that people are intentionally "lead on" to get their hopes blown to smitterings come Bid Morning. Maybe it's just me thinking the people in the houses are nicer than that, but being invited to Pref night means the sisters would really like to call you their sister... but sometimes crazy things happen and the pnm doesn't match with one or more of the houses that she ranked due to cross-cutting/bid list placement/etc.

LadyLonghorn · #15 01-31-2008, 12:32 AM

I'm sorry things didn't turn out the way you had hoped. If you're at the school I think you're at, your rush can be described as very competitive and has been discussed in a number of threads here. There are also tons of general recruitment threads on GC that relate to all the issues you mentioned, and I guess I am a little mystified about how you could have missed them if you've been lurking here for any length of time.