bid question?
by: curiousI came across an article from The Lantern about last year's formal recruitment. I couldn't help but notice that it says that over 1,100 girls participated in recruitment and then said that about 600 or so ended up pledging. Does this mean that about 500 girls really didn't get bids? I understand girls drop out and don't finish recruitment to the end.. but 500 girls seems like a lot to be just drop outs. This confuses me because at the involvement fair I brought this up to some of the sister's I talked to at different booths and they said it's pretty rare that girls don't get bid. Could someone explain this to me? Much appreciated!
#1by: truly
it is rare to not get a bid, theres even a rumor that circulates through greek life that if you always maximize your list (you never cut a sorority to give yourself an open time slot) every time that youre guaranteed one. Not sure this is true, but out of those 500 a lot do drop, others only write down one option after pref even though other chapters theyve met with may extend them bids.
Comment#2by: curious
Back to truly: thank you! That helps a little, so basically your saying if you don't suicide by only putting down one option, or even putting down just 2 after pref, that you're chances of getting a bid to any of your last 3 is good? As long as you have 3 options after pref?
#3by: True & False
True that 1100 signed up for recruitment but less than 1000 actually attended the first round of formal. Attend all houses on your schedule and be polite to everyone. What you think might not be a good fit during the first round might turn out to be your only option. All chapters at OSU are good.
#4by: correct
A lot of girls don't understand that simply because we aren't in the SEC, it doesn't mean that recruitment isn't competitive. It is a mutual selection process, with the houses pretty much holding most of the cards. Girls drop because they are disappointed that they didn't get asked back to certain sororities during rounds, not understanding that there are many sororities that they could be really happy in, make deep friendships, and make a positive impact, so they drop out. Or they sign up, but if the weather is crappy, they end up missing first rounds, so they drop. So keep your options open, and keep moving forward. Good luck!
#7by: thanks!
Thank you! It sounds like a good idea to get them. Would anyone be able to tell me how they work?: who to get them from, what to ask of those people (content of the rec?), where/when to give the recs once you get them? Sorry I just want to be prepared and knowledgable once recruitment comes!
#8by: heyy
I was under the impression that most chapters at OSU don't know what to even do with a rec letter...and while OSU is a monster of a school...from personal experience (OSU and an SEC) recruitment at an SEC school is VERY intense and extremely competitive, I would say much more so than OSU. Southern girls prepare/present themselves like you would not even believe (seemed like every girl was super involved, had excellent grades, not to mention 6 feet tall and gorgeous), plus everyone and their cousin seemed to be a legacy. School I was at had 1600 girls go through recruitment, OTOH there were 16 chapters that took anywhere from 80-100 girls per pledge class. Could be wrong, but my takeaway was that recruitment is much more laid back in the midwest.
by: Recs
My chapter does use them. It helps us match the PNM from Alaska with the active from Alaska so we can get to know them better. It also helps us set our sights on particular girls to fill an opening. Example, our best piano player is a senior and we need another concert pianist. Ok, these are odd examples but you get the idea.
80-100 per pledge class is an understatement. One SEC school had a quota of 117 this year and allowed new chapters to take quota additions to 160.
Girls that rush at SEC, Southwest Conference, USC, and UCLA need recs (and sometimes up to 3 per house) because every house has more legacies going through rush than they have openings, and every girl is a star. It's not unusual from Chapter ABC to have over 100 legacies going through. Girls have been prepping for rush since they came out of the womb. If they get in the "wrong" sorority, they think their life is over, and so do their mothers.
When you have 1800 going through and RFM allows you only to invite back 500 after their first round ("Ice Water Teas"), you need to have them in order. While it is not true that certain houses have their pledge class picked out, they do know who they want to invite back before recruitment starts and have you ranked before you arrive on campus.
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#9by: heyy
No it really was in the 80-100 range, I looked it up afterwards out of curiosity. This was just the one school though...I have no idea about every university in the SEC. Hahaha I about died...prepping since they came out of the womb...so true, but still made me laugh :)
Does what you are saying hold true for transfers, or girls that are not freshmen?
by: Recs
Some schools have two quotas: a Freshman quota and an optional upperclassman quota. UC quota could be transfers or anyone other than Freshman.
Quota at Bama this year was around 95 for Freshman and 10 for UC with 2050 PNMs. Texas was 54 and 16 with 1200 PNMs. Neither campus holds informal because they don't have to.
I wrote two recs for freshman at Bama and both got bids. They were both from Ohio, so were at an immediate disadvantage. One got a bid from a chapter where she was a legacy (my sorority), which is an Old Row house. Hard to explain Old Row but it's a big deal down there. I was one of her three recs. The other had no Greek relatives and got a bid from a newer chapter, which is not as difficult to get into as Old Row. However, a bid from any chapter there is tough.
My cousin is an active at UT in one of the "Big 6" chapters. Again, a big deal on that campus. She was not a legacy to any chapter but had 3 recs per chapter. From what she told me, she didn't get cut from any chapter her entire recruitment, which is nearly impossible. Knowing what chapter she preffed and pledged, I have no reason to doubt her.
Bama holds a preview weekend in the spring. I don't think you could get a bid if you didn't attend. It's crazy from the outside looking in, but a way of life in the south.
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#10by: !
Could you be more specific on that info for OSU, not those schools? If we want to get recs, it has to be an alum, but does that mean it has to be an alum of a specific sorority to give to that same chapter at OSU or can 1 person write your rec that you give to all the chapters here while recruiting? ex) need a DG alum to give DG a rec, need a Theta alum to give Theta a rec...?
by: Recs
You can only write a rec for your chapter. In other words, you would need to get 15 people to write you recs if you count Gamma Phi Beta.
For those transfer students that have been posting over and over, consider Gamma Phi because when a chapter (re)colonizes, they want members from all classes including seniors.
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by: Dear !
you are being awfully picky for someone who is clueless. Someof us want to hear abt how other schools operate. Chill out and stop being a b1otch.
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by: Recs
You need to find an alumni to write one. Some sororities let actives write them. Ask your friends if their moms or sisters were in a sorority. Ask your teachers from high school, your church and anyone you know. The rec does not need to be from an alum of Ohio State. It is work that you need to do. We can't tell you who to ask.
Keep in mind, if they don't know you, there might be a box that they check acknowledging they don't know you. This rec won't carry as much weight as someone who has known you for your whole life. And whatever you do, make sure the person writing your rec likes you, because they can "not recommend" you, which basically will hurt you.
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