Auburn University Recruitment - Fall 2010

[ellebud]

You know what I wish for, in the land of dreams probably unfufilled? I would be really interested AFTER recruitment for the girls in this story to post a short story about how they actually saw recruitment.

....when I wish upon a ...........recruitment thread!

[honeychile]

^^ I. Love. It. FANTASTIC idea, especially if the houses overlap as to favorites!

[auburnmom09]

33 girl just curious are you familiar with Auburn i.e. are you an alum of Auburn or do you have family in sororities there? I just wondered because you offered advice to aumom2010 to not even consider COB should the need arise.

I believe Auburn has at least one maybe two sororities that have just rechartered in the last couple of years. Because of that they may initially not be considered as "top tier" as the old established "top sororities" but because they are new they are "allowed" to take more girls and allowed to add to their numbers through the COB process I believe.

You would be amazed at the caliber of top girls who get cut out of rush all together mainly because of the statistical mumbo jumbo involved with the system. Those amazing girls who get picked up through COB help those new chapters raise the bar and establish themselves within a few short years as "a threat to be reckoned with" among the other sororities because they share a common goal and have a vision for truly making a difference during their 4 years at Auburn. Many of the "top sororities" are just maintaining status quo because their perceptions as being the best leaves them nothing else to strive for.

AuMom2010 encourage your daughter to hang in there, my daughter was so stressed out by the entire process that by the time Pref day came she called me between parties and said she was going to drop out. She didn't want to go to the 3rd pref party because she didn't think they would be a good choice but decided to go because they were expecting her and she didn't want to be rude. She planned to go to the party and then go withdraw from Rush. She came out of the 3rd party knowing she had found her home!
So much so she went suicide for them. ( I NEVER EVER recommend this for anyone) but it worked for her and she had NEVER been happier.
Good Luck to all, this is a very stressful time for all of us no matter what side of the chapter room door your daughter is on!

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by auburnmom09

33 girl just curious are you familiar with Auburn i.e. are you an alum of Auburn or do you have family in sororities there? I just wondered because you offered advice to aumom2010 to not even consider COB should the need arise.

I believe Auburn has at least one maybe two sororities that have just rechartered in the last couple of years. Because of that they may initially not be considered as "top tier" as the old established "top sororities" but because they are new they are "allowed" to take more girls and allowed to add to their numbers through the COB process I believe.

You would be amazed at the caliber of top girls who get cut out of rush all together mainly because of the statistical mumbo jumbo involved with the system. Those amazing girls who get picked up through COB help those new chapters raise the bar and establish themselves within a few short years as "a threat to be reckoned with" among the other sororities because they share a common goal and have a vision for truly making a difference during their 4 years at Auburn. Many of the "top sororities" are just maintaining status quo because their perceptions as being the best leaves them nothing else to strive for.

No, 33girl recommended not counting on COB as the solution for being unhappy with the chapters that invited the PNM back. If the PNM is looking down on a chapter for its smaller size or non-top-tier status, then she probably wouldn't want to join the same chapter via COB.

Now is not the time to think about COB.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Quota will also probably put most of the sororities over or at total, so for this reason, it's a bad idea to even think about COB. It's like going to the store with no money because you think you might find some in your pocket. Also, if the reason she doesn't like the 3rd is because of small size (don't confirm or deny, just saying if that is the reason) they will most likely be one of the groups COBing.

Another word about the "party" sorority. If it exists, it will keep recruiting the same kind of people. Hardcore partiers are pretty good at sussing out who's on their wavelength and who just isn't into that and can't be swayed that way. Ditto the hardcore hazing group. But as many people have stated, these chapters are so large that I highly doubt such a thing exists.

Originally Posted by auburnmom09

33 girl just curious are you familiar with Auburn i.e. are you an alum of Auburn or do you have family in sororities there? I just wondered because you offered advice to aumom2010 to not even consider COB should the need arise.

I believe Auburn has at least one maybe two sororities that have just rechartered in the last couple of years. Because of that they may initially not be considered as "top tier" as the old established "top sororities" but because they are new they are "allowed" to take more girls and allowed to add to their numbers through the COB process I believe.

You would be amazed at the caliber of top girls who get cut out of rush all together mainly because of the statistical mumbo jumbo involved with the system. Those amazing girls who get picked up through COB help those new chapters raise the bar and establish themselves within a few short years as "a threat to be reckoned with" among the other sororities because they share a common goal and have a vision for truly making a difference during their 4 years at Auburn. Many of the "top sororities" are just maintaining status quo because their perceptions as being the best leaves them nothing else to strive for.

AuMom2010 encourage your daughter to hang in there, my daughter was so stressed out by the entire process that by the time Pref day came she called me between parties and said she was going to drop out. She didn't want to go to the 3rd pref party because she didn't think they would be a good choice but decided to go because they were expecting her and she didn't want to be rude. She planned to go to the party and then go withdraw from Rush. She came out of the 3rd party knowing she had found her home!
So much so she went suicide for them. ( I NEVER EVER recommend this for anyone) but it worked for her and she had NEVER been happier.
Good Luck to all, this is a very stressful time for all of us no matter what side of the chapter room door your daughter is on!

You have misinterpreted her post. She is encouraging her to continue with recruitment and not expect her "favorites" to have spots open during COB. As for the part of your post that i bolded, I think everyone on GC would agree with this. 33girl is not trashing COB, "lower tier" chapters, etc. She's a cheerleader for PNMs to take a second look and find the good that is obviously there in each chapter.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by auburnmom09

33 girl just curious are you familiar with Auburn i.e. are you an alum of Auburn or do you have family in sororities there? I just wondered because you offered advice to aumom2010 to not even consider COB should the need arise.

That is NOT what I said. I said 1) not to count on it being a possibility and 2) if she didn't like Cookie Dough/the 3rd chapter because they are small, they might be one of the groups she'll end up directed to visit if she signs up for COB.

There are schools where total is set crazy artificially high and pretty much every sorority has to COB every rush even if they make quota. At a school like that you can conceivably get cut and then get COBed by the sorority who cut you. I don't think that is the case here. There are statistically enough girls rushing to put all the chapters over total.

Oh, and not being "top tier" has NOTHING to do with how many girls a group can take. If they don't take quota, or if they take quota and still aren't at total, THEN they can take women through COB. But if a group takes quota and is at total, it doesn't make a damn bit of difference what "tier" they are. It's about number of members not popularity on campus.

When people start asking "when is COB?" when they still have groups left to visit, that's when it's time for a reality check and to tell them the groups doing the most COBing are often (not always, but often) the ones they cut to begin with. I don't mean one or two spots to fill, I mean groups appreciably smaller than the norm.

I'm not criticizing your daughter's sorority so please get your knickers out of their turbo-twist. I'm just trying to caution a mom and daughter not to think that something "better" might be there when it might not even exist.

ETA: I edited my post to make it more glaringly clear what I meant.

[aumom2010]

For the record,

I said that she would probably try COB if she gets NO invites back tomorrow morning before the pref round, which we are trying to realistically consider as a possibility seeing as she has only 3 invites total today. At that point, it would not be an issue of turning something down in order to try COB.

If she has invites tomorrow, she will go, and after those parties make up her mind about pledging. I would encourage her to list the two she sort of likes as choices, but in the end it has to be her decision.

The 3rd one, she is convinced is a bad match for her, and it is not my place nor anyone else's to second guess that.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by aumom2010

For the record,

I said that she would probably try COB if she gets NO invites back tomorrow morning before the pref round, which we are trying to realistically consider as a possibility seeing as she has only 3 invites total today. At that point, it would not be an issue of turning something down in order to try COB.

If she has invites tomorrow, she will go, and after those parties make up her mind about pledging. I would encourage her to list the two she sort of likes as choices, but in the end it has to be her decision.

The 3rd one, she is convinced is a bad match for her, and it is not my place nor anyone else's to second guess that.

I wouldn't take anything anyone says as second guessing, just as gentle reality checking. We've all been around long enough to see that PNMs frequently don't fully understand the consequences of these decisions, but we also know that forcing something that doesn't feel right just doesn't work. Your daughter has to really want it to work, make a real effort to fit in and realize that it won't be an immediate feeling of "we're SISTERS!!!!" The results can be amazing. If she doesn't think she can do that with the 3rd group, that's her prerogative.

[auburnmom09]

And I was just trying to "encourage" a Mom and her daughter to hang in there and see what she thinks about them after their Prefs. My daughter's sorority has nothing to do with this and would certainly not be considered one of the ones you might critize.

I only mentioned to AUMOM that by this time in the recruiting process it was so stressful for many of the girls, my daughter included, that they may feel like just dropping out of the whole process, but hopefully they will hang in there!

And as far as "now not being the time to think about COB" it would be possible for a girl to have been dropped very early by a sorority that she might like better than the one she gets a bid from "IF" she gets a bid. And it is my understanding that "AT AUBURN" if a girl accepts a bid from a sorority she really doesn't like she can't go through COB if she drops out of that sorority later. But if tomorrow she gets a bid she doesn't like and doesn't accept it she is allowed to be picked up by COB "if" a sorority she likes happens to participate in COB but she is not required to go back to them if she isn't interested.

So PNM's should understand how COB works "AT AUBURN" before decision making time tomorrow. Hopefully they will get correct information from their Pi Chi's and not have to rely on the opinions expressed here. Good luck and War Eagle!

[KSUViolet06]

On a more optimistic note, 3 invites today does not always = 0 tomorrow!

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by auburnmom09

And I was just trying to "encourage" a Mom and her daughter to hang in there and see what she thinks about them after their Prefs. My daughter's sorority has nothing to do with this and would certainly not be considered one of the ones you might critize.

I only mentioned to AUMOM that by this time in the recruiting process it was so stressful for many of the girls, my daughter included, that they may feel like just dropping out of the whole process, but hopefully they will hang in there!

And as far as "now not being the time to think about COB" it would be possible for a girl to have been dropped very early by a sorority that she might like better than the one she gets a bid from "IF" she gets a bid. And it is my understanding that "AT AUBURN" if a girl accepts a bid from a sorority she really doesn't like she can't go through COB if she drops out of that sorority later. But if tomorrow she gets a bid she doesn't like and doesn't accept it she is allowed to be picked up by COB "if" a sorority she likes happens to participate in COB but she is not required to go back to them if she isn't interested.

So PNM's should understand how COB works "AT AUBURN" before decision making time tomorrow. Hopefully they will get correct information from their Pi Chi's and not have to rely on the opinions expressed here. Good luck and War Eagle!

This works the same way at every school and Auburn isn't magically different. She can participate in COB if she is released before Bid Day or she drops out or doesn't sign a Bid card. She can NOT participate if she signs a bid card and gets a bid she does not like. So, you are WRONG about being able to go through COB if she gets a bid she doesn't like. Once a PNM receives a bid, she is bound by that CONTRACT for an entire year. If she decides that she does not want to honor that contract, she cannot accept another bid for a full calendar year. This is why no PNM should put a chapter on her bid card that she really knows she would NOT accept a bid from no matter what. Signing the bid card is equivalent to "accepting" the bid, even if later you decide that you didn't really want to be an XYZ.

[Katmandu]

^ ^ ^ Agree.
Auburn does not operate under different rules. These are Panhellenic rules that govern all 26 sororities and all campuses. On each campus, recruitment can take place at different times, have different numbers of rounds, etc, but the rules regarding accepting bids, deactivating or dropping and re-pledging are universal. Auburn Panhellenic does not operate in a vacuum, that's why experienced sorority alums, especially those on this board, many of whom have national and regional leadership experience, or who have served as chapter advisors, can speak with some knowledge about these issues even if it's not their own campus.

Also, cosign with those people who say that on competitive campuses, COB may not be a great option. Not to say people don't receive snap bids or COB bids--obviously some people do, but the numbers are low comparitively speaking, and most chapters are at and above total after formal rush in the SEC and in other campuses where greek life is popular.

[FSUZeta]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

On a more optimistic note, 3 invites today does not always = 0 tomorrow!

exactly!!

[AUMOMMY]

Isn't there something called Snap Bids too. Also, I think my daughter has mentioned girls being picked up in the spring because of seniors that held over a semester or graduated early. Not all COB offers are because a sorority did not make quota/numbers during rush.

[Katmandu]

Snap bids happen during formal recruitment. It is an option available to chapters not filling quota by bidmatching during Formal Recruitment. If the sorority gets their bid list and they are not at quota/total, they can offer snap bids to women who were registered for formal recruitment and dropped out or did not receive a bid. Often these snap bids are offered so quickly that the newly bidded women arrive with the other new members to bid day activities and others don't know who received a bid via the pref card and who received a snap bid. A PNM is not eligible for snap bids if she has suicided or otherwise minimized her options during recruitment.

I suspect it may be rare at Auburn for snap bids to be offered, unless a chapter misjudged their return rate for parties, and under-invited for pref--which can sometimes happen, even in chapters that are always at quota/total. AGAIN, this is a small number....

When seniors graduate early, people drop out of school, deactivate, that is a COB bid or informal recruitment scenario.


Edited to add: BUT AT COMPETITIVE CAMPUSES, chapters are so far above total that losing a few seniors does not typically result in COB.