transfer

i'm assuming you're talking about sorority rush. and to be honest yes, you will be at a disadvantage. more and more second years have been rushing because they get dropped as first years, so even though there is an upperclassman quota so second years are only rushing against other second years, you will be rushing against a bunch of second years who have roommates or best friends in sororities from first year. i just rushed as a transfer and it was not a good experience for me at all, and i know other transfers who would agree with me. your best bet is to either do informal in the fall or really make an effort to get to know girls in sororities before january.

Rushing as a transfer is hard. I second the above advice to do informal rush in the fall and/or go through formal rush with an open mind and see what all the houses have to offer. You are not going to be in the position of making many cuts, so you need to decide you are open to a lot of options. I did that and made the decision to join a house I might not have as a freshman. It was a positive experience but I had to make it that by not listening to gossip. Joining clubs in the fall might help you meet sorority sisters.

Absolutely. I rushed as a second year transfer and had a terrible experience. I felt that I wasn't given a fair chance because nobody knew who I was since I didn't have many friends in each house. Your best bet is to try informal recruitment, but that's not a guarantee either. It depends how many houses are doing informal and how many girls each house is taking. It varies year to year.

bump

Definitely try informal and if that doesn't work, get involved in other activities on campus to meet people before rushing in January

The myth that getting a bid as a transfer is impossible bothers me because it almost scared me away from the idea of rushing and I know a lot of transfers who didn't rush at all bc they were too scared. I think it's super important for transfers to know they can have a positive rush experience. I rushed as a transfer with 0 connections to girls in sororities and it worked out for me. I know of a solid amount of other transfers who also had successful rush experiences. I know girls who rerushed and got dropped by houses they had a ton of friends in. I don't think connections are as vital as people make them out to be. Each chapter is different though, sometimes connections will help but a lack of them won't make it impossible for you to join one. Also, whether or not you get a bid, you meet a ton of people during the process (through convos in houses/through your pI chi group) which makes it a worthwhile process. Keep an open mind and give it a shot and see how it goes!

Bump

I just rushed as a second year and feel like I got screwed by the house I really felt was the best fit. At prefs I had a great time & really liked the girls in each round but after seeing the second years in their new pc I saw that it was all girls that already knew people in the strat and was really upset and mad because I felt like I didnt get a fair shot because they just took girls they knew already.