JUNIOR Rush at University of Southern California Fall 2013

[scgirl92]

Hi all!
I am going to be a junior in the fall and plan to rush at USC. I didn't rush before because I am first-generation college student and had very little information about the greek system at USC and in general; I did get a pamphlet about rush in the mail, but I didn't feel like it was enough to gain true insight about greek life. Since I arrived on campus I have done lots of volunteerism, gotten leadership in orgs, got a job, and am doing well in my classes. I LOVE being at USC, but I've got to admit that I've had an underlying feeling that something is 'missing'. I am really looking to be a part of a sisterhood and getting involved in something more socially-oriented (everything I do right now is service-related...I love it, but I'd like some variety).

I initially thought I would go into rush with my best foot forward, be myself, and find a house that was perfect for me! However, after doing some research and talking to people (including the VP of rush recruitment) I found that the whole process is more difficult than I had anticipated. As of now, the houses I see myself in are what people would refer to as "top" or "upper-middle tier" houses. I hate the labels, but I guess they're there because those houses are harder to get into. There are two other ones I think I might like that are not as hard to get into, but one is a newer sorority that has a more offbeat, laid-back vibe. I think that's really cool! But I'm not sure if that's a right fit for me. However, I want to give ALL the houses a chance because I know there are amazing girls in all of them. Lastly, there is a new house, Alpha Gamma Delta, that is colonizing in the fall that I am interested in. The VP of recruitment is getting me in touch with their recruitment team so I am awaiting more info about them. I am open to anything, but I am not interested in co-ed greek chapters. I'm really just trying to make the most out of my college experience, so I want to do everything I can to find a house that is right for me. From my research I've found that I need to do the following things to help put me in the best position for rush:

1. Continue to get good grades and stay involved on campus
2. Talk to more girls in houses to hear their positon on taking junior pledges (from my understanding most houses will only take junior transfers or those with connections)
3. Get letters of recommendations

If you guys have additional advice about rushing at USC as a junior, please let me know. I understand there are other threads similar to mine, and I have read them, but I still wanted some advice that is specific to my situation.

Thank you in advance, and I hope everyone has a happy holiday!

[Sciencewoman]

Others could offer more specifics about USC, but if you're really interested in joining, focus on 1 and 3. #2 will take care of itself during recruitment...if you have supportive friends in any chapters, they may root for you, but there may be many chapters or members that aren't as interested in juniors. Regardless, I wouldn't go around asking sisters ahead of time what they think about your junior status, because they can't divulge membership selection criteria. Drop #2.

So, if you go through and are extended a bid, great! If you're dropped or decide not to go through formal recruitment, an extension is a good opportunity for upperclass women, because colonies like to have a range of ages, and they do look for some older women who can take on leadership roles. Colonizations are very selective, however, so you'll also want to put your best foot forward.

Be very clear on the formal recruitment rules. If you are offered a bid, you are beholden to that group for a year. You can't decline it and choose to pursue the colonization.

[scgirl92]

Thanks so much for your quick response. Can letters of recommendation come from active members? (I have a friend in AGD at a different university). I am trying to figure out how I can get recs because the majority of the people I know who are affiliated with the greek system are my friends who are obviously not alumni.

[AZTheta]

Every NPC sorority will have its own policy on who may write a recommendation. For Kappa Alpha Theta:

You may write a letter of reference if you are…

An alumna member of the Fraternity in good standing
An initiated college member of the Fraternity in good standing who is a member of another chapter
An inactive college member of another chapter
An affiliated college member submitting a letter of reference to her original chapter
An unaffiliated college member submitting a letter of reference to a chapter other than her original chapter or to the chapter on her present campus

[scgirl92]

Thanks for the info. I will definitely try to get recs from my friends in chapters at different schools, but I will also try to find alumni as well. Theta is definitely one of the more competitive houses at my school. The girls I've met in that house seem so nice and well-rounded though!

[Titchou]

The undergrad sorority women you know will know alumnae of their groups. As them if they can write you a rec. If they can't, ask if they can introduce you to alumane of their groups. Also, ask your parents, parents' friends, employers, Sunday School teachers, coaches, neighbors, anyone you know who went to college is a potential contact. Network like you've never networked before. If you find someone who can write one for a particular group, ask if she knows anyone in the other groups.

[scgirl92]

Okay, thank you for the tips!

[Blue Skies]

USC is a tough (okay, "highly competitive") recruitment. Read all the stickies at the top of the page and work your networks to get those recs! You will need at least one for every chapter.

Be emotionally ready for cuts. It's easy to do this in theory, but it can wear you down to have cuts coming every day, especially when you have a lot to bring to the table. The best advice that I can give you is to commit to yourself to see the process through to prefs, no matter what you think about the chapters. You can always drop out after prefs knowing that you gave it your best shot.

Another thing to guard against going through as a Junior is ambivilence. You know that you can make it on campus just fine without the sorority experience, so it is critical to convey to your rushers your enthusiasm and interest in sorority life. Be prepared to talk about the leadership strengths that you can bring to the chapter, and what you hope to gain through sorority membership.

Be prepared to keep an open heart to chapters that may not be at the top of your wish list. As a junior, those chapters may well be where a possible bid may come from. Keep in mind that in a large chapter, there will inevitably be many women with whom you are compatible, even if you have a hard time finding those women during recruitment. A chapter might be a really good match for you even if it doesn't seem so obvious at first.

The colonization may be a good opportunity for you, especially with your leadership skills.

[PhiAlpha05]

While I can't offer any insight into USC specifically, I agree with the above posters that with your junior status and leadership skills, the colonization may be just your ticket. Just after I graduated, ZTA began the process of recolonizing at my undergrad, and I knew several upperclassmen who joined and were very happy there. (They recruited something like 150 women in their first year--including many juniors and seniors--and have been very successful since) At least at Michigan, it is very difficult to get a bid to any of the mid- or top-tier houses as a junior, even if you're a junior transfer and expect to spend another 3 years there. At any rate, best of luck with whatever you decide!

[scgirl92]

Thanks for your feedback. Would you say that colonization is more competitive than formal recruitment?

[scgirl92]

Thanks so much for the responses! I really appreciate it.

[scgirl92]

Are dues for colonies typically more or less than established chapters?

[DubaiSis]

I wouldn't expect a significant difference, except that you won't have housing bills while you don't have a house.

[PhiAlpha05]

Originally Posted by scgirl92

Thanks for your feedback. Would you say that colonization is more competitive than formal recruitment?

I think that would depend on how the particular school and chapter is handling recruitment. At least with the ZTA recolonization, I guess they did interviews rather than putting all the girls through formal rush (which is a huge advantage to the PNMs, at least with UM's formal rush process, which has been discussed ad nauseam), so if you do better with one-shot interviews than with several rounds of parties, that might work better for you (but it may still be competitive if 1000 girls are trying for 100 spots or something). So I think I'd ask the Greek Life Office about that, just to get a feel for how AGD is going to run things!

[33girl]

Originally Posted by DubaiSis

I wouldn't expect a significant difference, except that you won't have housing bills while you don't have a house.

Mightn't they have housing fees/parlor fees of some sort if the chapter is looking at building a house in the future? Or for storage/suite expenses? I thought pretty much all groups had some sort of housing/parlor fee these days even if there isn't a snowball's chance in hell of them getting a regular old stand-alone house-corp'ed house.