pc’20

Not sure the ride has come to a complete stop yet.

Have a great senior year.

Welcome to Arkansas! Rush is very tough everywhere in the South, not just the SEC. Unfortunately, it is like the Hunger Games, and unless you know someone in the house pulling for you, or you are famous (or you're from a famous family), it is really tough. It isn't impossible though. Grades are the top factor in recruitment - the higher the better, and ACT/SAT scores matter too. Next would be reputation, then school activities, and it really helps to be pretty (sorry, but true). Houses want girls that will pull in more girls the next year, so OOS girls are disadvantaged unless they are from Texas. You can help yourself by trying to make contacts in the houses (from friends of friends), go visit on a football game weekend and stay in a house if possible. The final thing is not to be tied to the "top tier" houses. UARK has really grown and all of the houses are good, some are just smaller than others. Since you are from OOS, your ego won't be as dented by getting cut by a "top house" because most of them are mostly Arkansas girls. Great OOS girls are making all the rest sororities really good because they are being overlooked.

Can’t tell you your “odds” but would caution you to pick another school if you REALLY want to pledge a sorority. Arkansas rush is one of the most brutal in the country. Girls will actually withdraw and transfer next week because they didn’t get bids. You need connections - and a lot of them. A rec written by a random alumna who isn’t involved in her sorority currently isn’t going to help.

Alabama has better placement rates and more parity in their Greek system. If you want a better chance of a bid and want to be in the SEC that would be the campus I recommend.

Not sure why everyone is trying to scare you away. UArk is an AMAZING school, even if you’re not Greek. Sounds like you have a good resume already, keep working on it and your grades this year and don’t stress!

Are connections the main thing that gets girls totally cut from every house? Like I said, I have a really high GPA, plus involvement and leadership, and I am relatively good at having conversations with people. I don’t care about rank I just want to have options.

Rush will be even smaller nect year. You will be fine.

I rushed at the University of Arkansas. I had a 3.8 in highschool, had jobs, was involved, did community service, and did everything I was supposed to do walking into those houses and still got dropped by every house except one. The reality is, you HAVE to know people, and not just know of, but actually friends with girls in the sorority. Recruitment is a shark tank at Arkansas and it really broke my heart since I have always dreamt of being in a sorority since I was little, so just have absolutely no expectations going in.

Despite what you read on here. 93% of pnms received bids-1349 girls. You should be just fine!

You also absolutely HAVE to have recommendations. An alumna or 2 from every house, it’s best if they are an alum from Arkansas but mine weren’t and I received a bid anyway. The best way to find people is to post on Facebook and hopefully you have friends or friends of friends who are alumna

Hey hon, I’m not really sure why everyone on here is trying to scare you away. I came from out of state as well, had no connections, only a handful of rec letters, and a resume that probably wasn’t as impressive as yours. I didn’t get the maximum number of houses back every time, and was cut from the “top” houses right away, but both of those things were fine with me! I knew I didn’t fit in at those houses that wouldn’t consider me, and every round I had a good number of houses that I really liked! I ended up in a strong house that I’m very happy to be a part of. From the perspective of the recruiters, I know that my chapter doesn’t care very much about those kinds of things. Some girls will pull harder for girls they know, but at the end of the day that doesn’t mean that girl will get a bid over anyone else. The only thing that matters to us is legacy, and even then we still have plenty of bids to offer once the first ones go out to legacies. If you really want to be a part of Arkansas Greek Life, come do it! It seems like you’re being pretty realistic about how the process will probably go for you, just remember to keep an open mind and your head up high.