who can tell me about Bama?

[newddmommie]

I apologize for still calling it rush. They changed it to recruitment and potential new members/new members when I was a senior. I have to remember that it's not rush/rushee/pledge anymore.

 

[johnsontrio]

First point of order is they no longer call it Rush, it is recruitment. Second, Delta Gamma is the sorority that is colonizing. They have a huge following in the south with plenty of alumni support and deep pockets in the area. The competition will be just as fierce. Instead of going thru formal recruitment girls will express interest by attending a party that will be hosted by alumni, national reps and actives from local chapters (Ole Miss, UGA, USM, etc.) Freshmen should maximize their options and go thru formal recruitment and not put hopes on a colony. PNMs will be interviewed by Nationals and alumni and then they will issue pref letters. Girls will then go thru prefs and will be either extended a bid or sent a rejection letter. Upperclassman will fill many of the slots, because if they filled the new colony with all freshman then they will all graduate the same year. Upperclassmen with known grades and campus leadership will be actively recruited to boost the image.

I stand corrected. Thank you for the information. I became a Sigma Kappa in 1980 if that tells you anything. I tried to become an active alum in Detroit but we had a very inactive alum chapter and I am just now getting involved with the group in Ann Arbor, so I am sure I have much to learn. I guess my thought was that if a large number of girls would be going to the newly formed chapter that might leave a little more leeway for other girls, meaning that there might be a slight advantage to going through Recruitment in Fall of 2011 rather than other years. In your experience, is being a member of the Honors College any advantage? DD has a strong GPA, is a Varsity swimmer but has also played rec volleyball, basketball and softball. She doesn't have legacies or Southern connections other than academic ones, i.e. University Professors that are family friends. Thanks so much!

 

[newddmommie]

I stand corrected. Thank you for the information. I became a Sigma Kappa in 1980 if that tells you anything. I tried to become an active alum in Detroit but we had a very inactive alum chapter and I am just now getting involved with the group in Ann Arbor, so I am sure I have much to learn. I guess my thought was that if a large number of girls would be going to the newly formed chapter that might leave a little more leeway for other girls, meaning that there might be a slight advantage to going through Recruitment in Fall of 2011 rather than other years. In your experience, is being a member of the Honors College any advantage? DD has a strong GPA, is a Varsity swimmer but has also played rec volleyball, basketball and softball. She doesn't have legacies or Southern connections other than academic ones, i.e. University Professors that are family friends. Thanks so much!

I can only speak from my experience, so take that for what it's worth, but I don't think being a member of the honors college will be of an advantage. Don't get me wrong we want intellegent members, but we also want active members and if the actives feel a PNM would be too busy with other obligations they may feel apt to pick someone else.

 

[prncess674]

Agree honors college is nice but definitely won't be a deciding factor.

By next spring you need to start scouring your local panhel looking for recs. Start asking anyone you know if they were greek. YOU NEED RECS AND LETTERS OF SUPPORT. Call on the people in your Facebook friends lists, church friends, work friends, etc. There may be people you didn't realize are greek.

As her mother, all you can do is prepare her as best you can. That means that she has the right clothes with matching accessories for each event and practice her conversation skills. While riding in the car ask her questions that a member may ask her and then give her tips on how she can give a better answer. she will have a very short amount of time to make an impression. When writing her social resume it should be extensive and show proven leadership.

Dont just say "Member - Blue & Gold Society"
They aren't going to know what the B&G society is. A better idea would be to say
"4 year member of Blue & Gold Society, the High School arm of [XYZ fancy pants volunteer group] of Detroit, Michigan. Competed against 40 other girls to gain this position. Senior year, local chapter president that raised $500 for [charity name]"

Also an attractive photo to enclose with each letter of rec. The photo should be timeless and classic. Neatly styled hair, classy jewelery (pearls, diamond studs, etc) and neutral clothes. The rec writer will enclose the photo with the rec/letter of support. Leave out the band photo with the flute or photo with the family dog.

Another thing is she needs to clean up and lockdown her facebook profile. Have someone who is not currently her FB friend view her profile in search and see what pops up. The main photo that anyone can see should be timeless and classy. No throwing up hand signs, no gaping mouths, lewd bathing suit shots or tacky makeup. Her privacy settings should be very high, even so much as hiding her friends list from non friends. Also your "likes" are viewable by anyone so she may want to clean up that list as well. It should only list things that you would be proud to discuss during a recruitment party. Remove religious views, relationship status, looking for from your public profile.

What your facebook photos should NOT look like:
http://collegecandy.com/2009/11/16/the-weekly-ten-most-common-and-regrettable-party-pictures/

Also what happens when you google her name. Are there any questionable hits? If yes, work on getting them removed.

 

[johnsontrio]

Agree honors college is nice but definitely won't be a deciding factor.

By next spring you need to start scouring your local panhel looking for recs. Start asking anyone you know if they were greek. YOU NEED RECS AND LETTERS OF SUPPORT. Call on the people in your Facebook friends lists, church friends, work friends, etc. There may be people you didn't realize are greek.

As her mother, all you can do is prepare her as best you can. That means that she has the right clothes with matching accessories for each event and practice her conversation skills. While riding in the car ask her questions that a member may ask her and then give her tips on how she can give a better answer. she will have a very short amount of time to make an impression. When writing her social resume it should be extensive and show proven leadership.

Dont just say "Member - Blue & Gold Society"
They aren't going to know what the B&G society is. A better idea would be to say
"4 year member of Blue & Gold Society, the High School arm of [XYZ fancy pants volunteer group] of Detroit, Michigan. Competed against 40 other girls to gain this position. Senior year, local chapter president that raised $500 for [charity name]"

Also an attractive photo to enclose with each letter of rec. The photo should be timeless and classic. Neatly styled hair, classy jewelery (pearls, diamond studs, etc) and neutral clothes. The rec writer will enclose the photo with the rec/letter of support. Leave out the band photo with the flute or photo with the family dog.

Another thing is she needs to clean up and lockdown her facebook profile. Have someone who is not currently her FB friend view her profile in search and see what pops up. The main photo that anyone can see should be timeless and classy. No throwing up hand signs, no gaping mouths, lewd bathing suit shots or tacky makeup. Her privacy settings should be very high, even so much as hiding her friends list from non friends. Also your "likes" are viewable by anyone so she may want to clean up that list as well. It should only list things that you would be proud to discuss during a recruitment party.

Also what happens when you google her name. Are there any questionable hits? If yes, work on getting them removed.

Thank you for the tips and recommendations. You have brought up some very valid points. I have a pretty vast social network so I am sure I can come up most of the recs she would need, for some, she might need to go to area alumnae organizations. I also think her high school will probably have a list of Greeks as the Mercy Alums are very tight. Her FB account should not be a problem as she is in the leadership team for our Parish youth group so the litmus test is "Can our Priest look at your FB?" I will, however, take a close look at it.

She interviews very well and has great social skills, one advantage of having an only child that is comfortable around adults.

My main concern is that due to geographic differences, she might not be what they are looking for at Bama (or other SEC schools) or she may not feel like she fits in. She has done 200+ service hours, feeds and distributes clothes to the homeless, volunteers at a Sr. independent living facility running their social events and doing office work, she has worked 2 jobs as a lifeguard, Youth group leadership, NHS and various clubs at school. She is very athletic and spends her spare time scuba diving. She has 2 advanced certifications in diving. However, we do not have anything similar to cotillion here or the social groups that are common in the South. The only thing close to that here are groups for various ethnic groups, such as Italian American Club and Jack and Jills which is a cotillion-like social group for African-Americans. We do not belong to these. Her dad and I are both well educated but DH works for a living in the medical field. We are not CEOs or connected to family money. We are very financially comfortable but have been purposeful in not allowing her to feel privileged.

So to sum it up, she is more of an athlete than a debutant. She dresses more traditionally than most girls in Michigan but not cardigans and pearls. Her style is more Ann Taylor Loft than Ralph Lauren. Her hair is dark brown and she definitely looks Italian. She is not a size 6. If there are no Chapters that would be interested in a girl like her, I would rather know now so she can make an informed decision about going to a SEC school. She can still go, but would need to decide she'll find a peer group without a sorority, which I know she can. If she is dead set on a sorority than maybe she had better stay in-state and go to MSU where she will be an attractive PNM. She could consider the lower tiered, non-Flagship State schools in the South, but she might end up losing something in the translation.

 

[prncess674]

Not trying to hijack your thread, but she doesn't have to be cardigans and pearls, but to go thru rush you do need to dress the part for the week. Athletic is great and can be a big selling point for participating in intramurals. This would be a great conversation topic. A more casual style can come out after bid day. Dark hair and olive skin is fine as long as she has nicely styled hair and apppropriate makeup. If she has italian heritage make sure you have her lip, eyebrows and arms waxed, the dark thick hair in these places can be unattractive. I am not trying to pry but you say she isn't a size 6, but if she is above a 10/12 her chances are pretty slim she would get a bid unless she had a very big southern connection and support from within the house. I am also not trying to be rude, but yes while most sororities tout philanthropy it is also a very social organization, only talking about volunteering makes her sound like a bit of a snooze. Listing volunteer work is great but she needs to be well rounded: looks, smarts, volunteerism, leadership and social activities. Does she belong to the glee club, dance team or any other performance organization.

I am sure your daughter is lovely, caring and pretty girl, but it is all about selling yourself on paper and then quickly in person. she isn't applying for a job as the number one volunteer. The houses have to review 1500 resumes and probably double that amount of recs. You need to be well rounded. The interview isn't about who has the most volunteer hours, but rather does this PNM have a well balanced life that would fit into a social organization and contribute on many levels.

 

[punkin]

Not trying to hijack your thread, but she doesn't have to be cardigans and pearls, but to go thru rush you do need to dress the part for the week. Athletic is great and can be a big selling point for participating in intramurals. This would be a great conversation topic. A more casual style can come out after bid day. Dark hair and olive skin is fine as long as she has nicely styled hair and apppropriate makeup. If she has italian heritage make sure you have her lip, eyebrows and arms waxed, the dark thick hair in these places can be unattractive. I am not trying to pry but you say she isn't a size 6, but if she is above a 10/12 her chances are pretty slim she would get a bid unless she had a very big southern connection and support from within the house. I am also not trying to be rude, but yes while most sororities tout philanthropy it is also a very social organization, only talking about volunteering makes her sound like a bit of a snooze. Listing volunteer work is great but she needs to be well rounded: looks, smarts, volunteerism, leadership and social activities. Does she belong to the glee club, dance team or any other performance organization.

I am sure your daughter is lovely, caring and pretty girl, but it is all about selling yourself on paper and then quickly in person. she isn't applying for a job as the number one volunteer. The houses have to review 1500 resumes and probably double that amount of recs. You need to be well rounded. The interview isn't about who has the most volunteer hours, but rather does this PNM have a well balanced life that would fit into a social organization and contribute on many levels.

This is a joke right? People don't actually WANT to be part of these "associations" do they? I went to a school with almost no Greek presence and boy am I glad these things were never on my radar nor on my DD's.

 

[prncess674]

This is a joke right? People don't actually WANT to be part of these "associations" do they? I went to a school with almost no Greek presence and boy am I glad these things were never on my radar nor on my DD's.

Realize that 18-21 yr old girls are making the decision of who gets in and who doesn't. There are plenty of things in life that aren't fair. The OP wanted to know what it is like, I am just letting her know what she is in for. Would you want her daughter to show up and be crushed because she wasn't prepared? SEC girls prep for years and long to be a part of these organizations. There are plenty of other orgs on campus that may better suit others needs, but this is how it is and it probably won't be changing anytime soon.

 

[punkin]

Realize that 18-21 yr old girls are making the decision of who gets in and who doesn't. There are plenty of things in life that aren't fair. The OP wanted to know what it is like, I am just letting her know what she is in for. Would you want her daughter to show up and be crushed because she wasn't prepared? SEC girls prep for years and long to be a part of these organizations. There are plenty of other orgs on campus that may better suit others needs, but this is how it is and it probably won't be changing anytime soon.

Oh, I didn't mean to bash you at all. It's just that the whole thing is so foreign to me. I am frankly shocked.

 

[mhsjax]

This is a joke right? People don't actually WANT to be part of these "associations" do they? I went to a school with almost no Greek presence and boy am I glad these things were never on my radar nor on my DD's.

I am from the south and I agree with you, I want to throw up reading this stuff. I feel like I am watching a bad TV Movie, Think Animal House. I hope my DD, well I don't have to hope, I can almost guarantee that she won't feel the need for this nonsense.

Sorry to those who love this type of thing, you either love it or you hate it, I fall in that latter.

 

[jodifla]

Not all sororities are the same. They are each different...even the same name will have different girls on different campuses.

My sorority had all different types of "looks."

OP, what previous posters tell you about joining a sorority in the Deep South is true. Sororities have a long, rich tradition in places like Georgie, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and you can even have more legacies (girls whose moms or grandmothers were in the same house) going through rush than there are spots. So it can be highly competitive.

At a school like Florida, which has less of a Greek tradition, your daughter would have an easier time getting into a sorority. But from all accounts, it's getting into the school now that's so difficult.

 

[johnsontrio]

Not trying to hijack your thread, but she doesn't have to be cardigans and pearls, but to go thru rush you do need to dress the part for the week. Athletic is great and can be a big selling point for participating in intramurals. This would be a great conversation topic. A more casual style can come out after bid day. Dark hair and olive skin is fine as long as she has nicely styled hair and apppropriate makeup. If she has italian heritage make sure you have her lip, eyebrows and arms waxed, the dark thick hair in these places can be unattractive. I am not trying to pry but you say she isn't a size 6, but if she is above a 10/12 her chances are pretty slim she would get a bid unless she had a very big southern connection and support from within the house. I am also not trying to be rude, but yes while most sororities tout philanthropy it is also a very social organization, only talking about volunteering makes her sound like a bit of a snooze. Listing volunteer work is great but she needs to be well rounded: looks, smarts, volunteerism, leadership and social activities. Does she belong to the glee club, dance team or any other performance organization.

I am sure your daughter is lovely, caring and pretty girl, but it is all about selling yourself on paper and then quickly in person. she isn't applying for a job as the number one volunteer. The houses have to review 1500 resumes and probably double that amount of recs. You need to be well rounded. The interview isn't about who has the most volunteer hours, but rather does this PNM have a well balanced life that would fit into a social organization and contribute on many levels.

Once again, thanks for your candor. No, she is not part of any performance type organization. She has been in Chorus (class for her Art credit) at her school and was involved in community theater during grade school and middle school. Swimming at her level requires 4 hours of daily practice so it doesn't leave much time for other activities. She has gotten the volunteer hours in because they can be done in the time that is left in her schedule. I don't know anyone here in anything like a Glee club but we do have Pom girls and girls that have extensive dance experience, but that is considered their sport, not a social organization. DD is a size 10/12.

Anecdotally, to tell you how different things are here, last night at the Eminem/JayZ concert, we sat in front of 4 girls from NY that go to school at UM in Ann Arbor and belong to 3 different sororities, one of which was mine. I was quite shocked when they started telling us the names of their sororities after having watched them hook up with the young men they had just met sitting next to them and considering they had all smoked pot together. Crazy!

I will offer her a visit to Bama and we will see if she wants to rank it top 1 or 2. We can then see if it's somewhere that she can find another outlet or group for her networking and social opportunities. My guess is that she will feel very comfortable making her friends at the Campus Ministry, by working at the Student Recreation Center and once she declares one, the kids in her major.

 

[mhsjax]

Not all sororities are the same. They are each different...even the same name will have different girls on different campuses.

My sorority had all different types of "looks."

OP, what previous posters tell you about joining a sorority in the Deep South is true. Sororities have a long, rich tradition in places like Georgie, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and you can even have more legacies (girls whose moms or grandmothers were in the same house) going through rush than there are spots. So it can be highly competitive.

At a school like Florida, which has less of a Greek tradition, your daughter would have an easier time getting into a sorority. But from all accounts, it's getting into the school now that's so difficult.

Boy that is the truth, it takes an act of God just about these days. I am so glad to hear about Florida being less Greek. I know not everyone feels this way, but I just don't care for this type of thing. Well, at least the ones talked about here.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

My dd got into a sorority last week. She had not even planned on doing it but a friend encouraged her. She is a sophmore and a transfer student this yr.

Now she got into the less desirable sorority. She said a girl cried and ran out of the room when she got the bid for it. Many girls refused to even go THAT sorority.

Obviously she was not prepared. She had to run out and get a couple of outfits.

This is a small college in MO so not a huge state school where she would not have a chance in hell.

She is trying it out and has until Oct. to make her decision.

Oh and they still call it RUSH here.

 

[prncess674]

She is trying it out and has until Oct. to make her decision.

If she is a NM (New Member) of a NPC then she probably has till October till she is initiated and becomes an initiated member. If she decides to drop out, she would be restricted from accepting a bid from another NPC for a period of 1 year.

Oh and they still call it RUSH here.

If she has received a bid to a National Panhellenic (NPC) sorority then it is officially named recruitment. If she joined a local or National Pan-Hellenic (NPHC) sorority then I have no idea what they call it.

 

[newddmommie]

if it's a local sorority, they can call it RUSH and pretty much do whatever they want. Be careful of those as they have no national rules to adhere to. Sororities are great and people do enjoy them, however they're not for everyone. Whatever floats your boat so to speak. But do keep in mind, it is young women making the PNM choices, looking back sometime you wish you would've given someone a chance, but at the time alot of it is to do with image.

 

[luvdaisey]

You say your daughter is thinking of a major in the medical field or human resources... Probably could get a decent major in HR at UA, but for the medical field are you thinking that UA is UAB? I work in the medical field in Bham, AL, and UA is not know for graduating persons interested in the medical field. UAB in Bham has medical school, PT, OT, nursing, really anything medical.

Now I am an Auburn grad (notice how all Auburn folks are responding here... makes you wonder where the UA folks are), and I'm thinking if your daughter is a swimmer, Auburn has a great new swimming facility. Also not quite as Greek as UA, but has great campus ministries and very active Catholic student ministry. Auburn offers some medical degrees..most notably a great pharmacy program.

Just my thoughts, and WAR Eagle to all you Auburn folks responding!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

If she is a NM (New Member) of a NPC then she probably has till October till she is initiated and becomes an initiated member. If she decides to drop out, she would be restricted from accepting a bid from another NPC for a period of 1 year.

If she has received a bid to a National Panhellenic (NPC) sorority then it is officially named recruitment. If she joined a local or National Pan-Hellenic (NPHC) sorority then I have no idea what they call it.

That is all Greek to me. (Sorry I could not resist.)
It is a old sorority that has a newish chapter at this college.

I will see her today and actually get to sit down and talk with her about it.

 

[laurie31]

I agree that UAB is THE place for medical studies, but it doesn't mean Alabama's program's wouldn't be acceptable. I think they have a good pre-med prgram, and their nursing school is good too. Of course, Auburn's school of nursing is excellent. (cough*WAREAGLE*cough).
In addition to nursing, Auburn has a great pharmacy program. Just sayin'.

I went to grad school at UAB, and while it's a great school, I don't think it's the total experience the OP's DD is looking for. I think they're doing a lot lately to make it feel more like a college and less like a commuter school, but it's still an urban campus.


OP, I think you are absolutely correct that your DD does not need the Greek system to make friends and she will have many many social outlets available to her in the Catholic student groups and within her major.

I can't wait to hear what she finally chooses!

 

[NotUrsula]

I'm an alum of another large SEC school, not in Alabama. FWIW, in my experience really serious athletes don't often join the Panhellenic sororities. Quite frankly, intensive devotion to a sport doesn't seem to fit the sororities' concept of "well-rounded". (Full disclosure, I was a GDI, but I worked for the Athletic Dept.)

The schools with the largest concentrations of undergrad Greeks (and UA is one of the top 10) still only enroll less than 25% of the undergrad student body in the Panhellenic and IFC organizations. There are plenty of other groups on a campus of this size, and some of them even have Greek names, like the co-ed service fraternities and the honor societies. (Oddly, though, the largest of the service fraternities, APO, doesn't seem to have a chapter at UA, though there are several at other Alabama schools, most notably -- Auburn. )

Your daughter would be fine at UA, I'm sure. Not going Greek is no handicap at all to having a very full social life.