Rush + OOS
by: UARK Senior
For any OOS PNMs reading this (because I know I was when I was a HS senior) here’s what I didn’t know when I was in your position.
Top house doesn’t mean best house. Top just means hard to get into. Top just means LESS SPOTS available to get in because their members & alumni are pulling for SO MANY girls. Each house gets a number of girls they HAVE TO CUT during recruitment. The bigger the cuts the harder it is to get in. Top houses might have to cut 75% of the girls before they even meet them. They don’t have as many spots to fill, so it ends up being girls they ALREADY KNOW or girls with tight connections or legacies. This makes the exclusive/hard to get into rep continue YEAR AFTER YEAR. Girls in these houses already know each other really well from high school (MAJORITY=big city HS/Private HS girls).
For example, If you move from OOS to a high school where you don’t know anyone your senior year & everyone else has been friends since elementary school, it’s naturally going to be harder to fit in. It can be done, but it’s harder. This is how recruitment is. If you don’t have SEVERAL girls fighting for you in a house, it is really hard to get asked back. If a top house can only invite back 500 (round 1) & a mid/lower house can invite back 1000+ (round 1), your chances are greater of being 1 of 500 if you know SEVERAL girls. Remember there’s 2200+ PNMS and UARK is the biggest state school in Arkansas = a lot of Arkansas girls (many are legacies &/or well connected ARKANSAS girls). If you’re from OOS they’re not going to waste one of their spots (200 bids per house) on someone no one knows. It’s just easier to be 1 of 1000+ because there are more available spots. A random OOS outstanding PNM has slim chances of getting a spot.
Top doesn’t mean “best sisterhood” or friendliest, happiest, wealthiest, prettiest, &/or smartest (there’s a mixture of ALL TYPES in each house). It just means hardest to get into. In fact like the high school example, you’ll probably fit in better/feel more comfortable with other people who haven’t known each other forever & who have also recently moved to Arkansas. The top houses don’t have very many OOS girls. The mid/lower houses have more OOS. IT’S MATH, because if you’re in state you prob went to high school with a lot of girls in the top houses so they help you get in = CONNECTED.
What I learned the hard way is you need connections (which you’ll hear over and over again on GR) & if you don’t have them then you probably don’t really want to be in that sorority where so many of the girls already know each other. Trust me it is HARD to break into groups of girls that already have a history from high school, camp or whatever. There are some girls w/no connections, and yes some no connection girls make friends, but that hasn’t been my experience. Also keep in mind it costs $400+ per month to be in a UARK sorority and it’s time consuming, CHOOSE the best financial & time investment FOR YOU.
If I could give any advice it would be to prepare yourself mentally for brutal cuts that have less to do with your resume/appearance and more to do with not being connected. Something else I’d advise is if you’re transferring maybe do COB it’s less stressful and less expensive, all but the 5 oldest sororities take a few extra girls after bid day. With all this said if being in a top house is a priority to you 1. stay in your state or 2. join a sorority with a strong presence in your home state (for alumni purposes).
#1by: also
The top three houses (chi o, pi phi, kappa) are at least 95% connections based. To reiterate, even if OOS/non-connected PNM's get in one of these three, they will have a difficult time breaking into those friend groups that have been established for many years. The term OOS does not include those well connected girls from Dallas and Memphis.
If you are cut from the top three, try not to take it personally. They aren't better than any other house. There are so many amazing girls in every house.
There are still 9 more houses (one of them only doing COB after formal recruitment.
If you still want a century old established house at Arkansas, Zeta has a lot more OOS state members. They are not as exclusive as the top three. They are fun and outgoing. Everyone loves a Zeta! Another century old chapter is Tri Delt. They aren't considered a top house here, but they have more Arkansas girls than Zeta does. Tri delt also has a higher gpa per semester than Zeta. They have a gorgeous house.
Commentby: @ark senior
Answering the post above ^
Typically newer houses will do COB right after bid day. I know AXO, DG, and AOII offered COBs within a week or two of bid day. APhi is will not do formal recruitment this fall. They will do their own informal recruitment after bid day and offer COBs.
Most houses will do an informal spring recruitment second semester. This is usually only the mid and newer houses. Chi Omega, KKG, and Pi Phi will not participate. If you want to be in one of those houses, you will have to go through formal recruitment in the fall.
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by: @also
I am happy to be in a newer house. I am from out of state and made friends much faster.
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by: @also
by: @also
The top 3 already know who they want. Save yourself some hurt if you aren't connected and find a house that is actually interested in getting to know you.
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by: Lol
Be for real tridelt is considered a top sorority or in the most desirable you aren’t a century old chapter without being a top or highly liked house. Not even a tridelt but it’s funny you say they aren’t a top house when I think most people would consider them lower top
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by: @lol
Tri delt is not a top house.
They are an upper mid house and it's ok! Great house and desired for in state pnms who are dropped by the top three. They are liked on campus and their house is beautiful.
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by: Truth
by: @truth
#3by: Lily
I can't stress enough that connections are how most girls going through recruitment get in top houses. It does not matter that you have a 4.0 and leadership/volunteer activities and stuff, connections are what matters.
If you don't already know you're going Pi Phi, Chi O, or Kappa, you aren't. You would have been to the invite only spring parties on campus.
by: @
by: Krystal
All but the 5 oldest sororities usually do spring rush, not sure how it will be this year with Alpha Phi being new to campus.
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by: To @
Spring parties are just that. There are invitation only parties/sleepovers held in the spring semester. You stay in the house with some current members.
You won’t get in those houses without an invite to these.
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#4by: me
by: @me
I know your house based on your comment, but I think it’s a great idea, especially for all the PNM’s who can’t get letters for each house.
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by: @me
by: yes
by: yes
by: @me
#5by: OOS
If you are OOS you should really read this and believe it!
As an OOS I had very few connections. Like in the house I’m in I had one family friend and one girl who I was friends with from my high school dance team. My house is what’s considered on here as a top house.
The two girls I know are pretty involved and are two years older than me so I guess they had enough pull to get me in.
Let me tell you it was HARD being in a PC where everyone already had their little groups of friends. I felt like a new student walking into a high school where everyone knew each other for years.
Honestly my group of friends and roommates are from other sororities. What people on here call low or mid. And what I’ve seen is they have real sisterhood because they’re mostly all OOS too. One of my best friends/roommate is in a very low house and she’s the greatest person and had made such great friends in her sorority. My other friends (I’m not saying names of sororities on purpose) are in several other houses and I honestly do everything with them.
I like my house. I don’t want to drop. I have friendly friends in my sorority — not girls I’d call to go out with or cry to. Girls I’ll sit by in a chapter meeting kinda thing.
Point is if I could do it over I would not have pledged to a top house not really knowing anyone if I’d known them what I know now.
If you don’t already have a friend group in a top house it might be difficult and you might not get the experience you’re looking for. Maybe you can, but this is my experience!
by: 100000
by: frfr
by: @2022
#9by: OOS
I was from OOS and rushed a couple of years ago. Made it into a top house and ended up sad & depressed. The girls already all knew each other and made zero attempt to try to get to know me. I tried to make friends in the house and it was very difficult. Ended up leaving.
by: @oos
by: Hey Ark
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by: UARK Senior
Will only Alpha Phi be allowed to do COB this year? I do commend UofA on doing their best to fill up all 12 houses. Just know not everyone is happy on bid day, it’s a huge production and everyone has to stay in character. There are many disappointed NMs, all having no other option but to smile through it.
I do want to say that you should be SO PROUD of yourself for stepping out on your own and going out of state. UofA is a great school and honestly 1/2 of everyone’s pledge class is no where to be found by senior year. Enjoy your year and keep your head up! OOS PNMs you got this!
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