importance of grades in rush

Very important. Unless you’re from a major Alabama HS, which it doesn’t sound like you are, you’re going to be restricted to 3 or 4 houses. The grade report will tell you which ones. Maybe a few more if you’re stunningly beautiful.

Will you get a bid, yes probably. Will it be your first choice, almost definitely not.

If you don’t have at least a 3.6, say goodbye to alpha chi and alpha gam.

If you don’t have at least a 3.5, say goodbye to chi o and Tri delt.

if you don’t have a 3.3, say goodbye to over half the houses

If you don’t have a 3.0, say goodbye to all except for 3 houses, unless your just gorgeous, then maybe you can get 4 houses

Grades are SUPREMELY important. They are the No.1 thing considered by every house.
That said...There are other criteria. Do you have strong connections to a house? Do you have a close friend IN the house currently, or is you mom a national officer, big donor, or an important local alum? Do you have other talents, national awards or achievements? and lastely, are you drop-dead gorgeous? (although even that doesn't get you as far as it used to)
Since there's not much you can do now, work on your conversational skills, work on sorority friendships as long as you can (May 1 is the cutoff), polish your appearance. Be friendly and engaging.
Every house wants to have some diversity, so you never know.

Look at Panhellenic’s Greek Chic. They note the average number of invites per round based on GPA.

You can see that low grades usually results in deep cuts.

I struggled A LOT in high school too, had to study super hard for tests just to get a C or low B. College is a different ball game though; I now find that as long as I study and keep on top of things, I can pull A's and high B's because the college system just works better for me.

If I were you, I would focus a lot on grades this year and try to have a great GPA, make some friends/connections in the houses, keep your reputation clean, and then rush as a sophomore.

No one cares how tough and mean your HS chemistry teacher was when you rush. They look at numbers and GPA and it can impact your rush.

Good news It doesn’t matter in the big picture when you achieve here in a tough major and look for employment and a high starting salary. No one asks about your HS GPA.

I went to one of these “rigorous”’ OOR schools and although I had high ACT scores, grades were weak by comparison.

This hurt me in recruitment. Being OOR, no one here understood the details of the small private school I went to.

Let me vent - I would ask HS teachers who think that they are doing a “service” to their students by grading very tough and hard to consider this - In the larger world, and in general, no one understand that you and your little school in notably “tough”‘in grading.

I have read the following advice as well. Don’t take notably tough teachers when an easy A is available with a another teacher. No one outside the insular world of your campus will ever appreciate teacher “Y” was just a b-st-rd. This is soooo TRUE.


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Let me add.

I am not suggesting anyone should just “hand out” As.

Just saying - if as a teacher you hand out few As in comparison to your piers (based on tough tests and rigorous rules) you are not helping anyone.

whoever is saying this person needs to get their priorities straight: quit being a downer. you’re straight up lying to yourself if you say rushing and sororities aren’t a big part of why alabama has such a pull on people when it comes to southern schools. let the girl dream. everyone knows sororities are more into pulling in girls that will be 4 year members in the sorority as opposed to non freshman. the freshman are what is sought after for most pledge classes. Peoole will rush when they want to rush- it’s no one on here’s job to tell anyone they can’t rush when they want to or to “get their priorities straight” if a girl has been set on rushing as a FRESHMAN for a long time, she’s gonna do that!

I had a 2.8 and got 4 houses back

When I was a senior in high school, all I could think about was Alabama and which sorority I was going to rush. I had a 2.8 and was honestly terrified that this was going to hold me back during recruitment or get me dropped completely. I am average in looks, I certainly do not have blonde hair or fit the 'Alabama standard' of beauty, and I'm from far out of state. After the first round, I had 6 out of 12 houses back, after philanthropy, I had a five and then four for sisterhood. I ended up pref-ing one of my top houses, and the other was one that kept asking me back, but I was not in love. My favorite house dropped me before pref, and I was so devasted that I almost dropped recruitment as a whole. Do what you think is going to make you happy. I'm not saying this is going to happen to everyone because I am sure my experience is very rare, but I would honestly just go in with an open mind. If you do not love the house, you end up in, drop, and re-rush the following year after focusing on your grades. If I could go back, I 100% would do this.