3.8 vs 3.9 wasn't the problem. And physical beauty is a factor, but it won't override a bad GPA.

maybe not, but this thread kind of gives the impression that if you don't have a very impressive GPA you won't be getting into any sororities, let alone top tier. I'm just saying I know girls who are living proof that's not exactly true, lol.

No, what we are saying is that if you don't meet the particular sorority's nationally set minimum and/or the chapter's voted on, in their bylaws minimum, you won't get in. (unless mom is the national president, etc). Just because PH allows you to register at a 2.5 or even lower does not mean that a single one of the chapters on that campus can pledge someone with that low a GPA.

I would eat my hat if someone could find a single instance of a chapter of my sorority overriding the national minimum grade requirement for ANY reason. And president of the national fraternity would absolutely not be one. I can't imagine her humiliating herself in the way required to say, yes, my super special snowflake isn't good enough for us, but take her anyway.

As a point of clarification, just because a sorority is not perceived as "top tier", that doesn't mean that they must be scraping the bottom of the GPA barrel.

I understand that but a few posts back someone basically said you won't get a bid with a 3.1 GPA, which is untrue.

I never said they were. However, since the "top tier" houses have so many girls that want in, you would think their criteria would be more rigid and they would pick the girls with higher GPAs.

My best friend is in a "bottom tier" sorority and graduated with a 4.0.

Definitely have mixed feelings on this issue, and it all stems from anecdotes, rather than any sort of facts. I'm asking forgiveness in advance for rambling:

My university is a very Poli Sci/International Affairs-heavy school. We're really, really good at that, that's what people come to my school to do, so when people say they're majoring in that (or something similar, like Political Communications), it's not rare, but it's definitely not viewed as just some soft major.

The university has also changed its admission requirements over the past few years to admit students without SAT scores and include more engineering students to finance our new engineering building. As a result, our admissions rates have gone up. So when PNMs come through recruitment saying they're engineers, I'm impressed because I would never be able to do that sort of math, but that is by far not the most impressive PNM. My sophomore year my little was an engineering major and after the first semester, she was placed on academic bad standing and eventually dropped. Very sweet girl, but just because she was admitted to the university did not mean she was adequately prepared for the rigor of university academics, no matter how impressive some might view her major, just because she is a woman in STEM.

Finally, I'm studying English and theater, which many will likely see as a totally easy course of study, and also point out how difficult it will be to find employment once I graduate. However, I have plenty of STEM sisters who look at the number of papers I write or books I read every week and they say they could never do it, just like how I could never do economics or study anatomy. I chose to pursue a major where I would both enjoy the subject matter and be good at it, because while I certainly could have chosen to be an International Affairs major and take econ classes, there's no way I'd ever make any sort of honor roll or dean's list.

So, whenever a PNM says she should get a pass for her bad GPA because she has a hard major, I always wish she'd think about whether she'll actually be able to participate in her chapter and manage her school work, or if she'll turn out like my old little, because it really is heartbreaking when a girl has to drop because she can't handle the commitment.

@ari115

The OP is talking in general terms...there are always exceptions to the rule. Also, the perception of what is top tier is different for each campus. Besides, since you are not a part of membership selection you don't know what all of their criteria to receive a bid to that sorority. Each sorority on each campus has a different round when they make GPA cuts.

Also, your GPA most likely will be different when you go through recruitment than when you graduate. 2 completely different animals. You are a prime example of this, you are having an inferiority complex about your current GPA and worried about when you go through recruitment that you will not even be considered for your school's top tier chapter because of it. Well do something about it...again, which I believe you may be doing, by doing better in your classes to increase your GPA. [Of course, you could also be doing a would've, could've, should've for an unsuccessful recruitment in the past, or got released from that top tier chapter.]

Reality check: all they see is a number (for GPAs), not the story behind the number. But also remember that is just one aspect that the chapter is looking at when recruiting new members.

Perhaps you should wait until you're actually in a sorority before making assumptions about our membership selection criteria.

Here's the deal, according to me:

NPC sororities were founded on scholarship principles. It was brutal to be a woman back in the 19th century, entering higher education, which was a man's world. Our predecessors were not treated well at all. You can read about it in history books; the struggles were real.

We take great pride in that fact. Further, we continue to value scholarship. Hence, there is competition for GPA each semester in the active chapters, and use of GPA as a membership selection criterion. That doesn't mean just great grades. It's the whole package: a lifelong interest in learning, a keen mind, intellectual curiosity, and willingness to impart and receive knowledge, just for starters. Attempting to reduce this to one major being more difficult and hence earning a "pass" or "wiggle room" isn't going to cut it. One of my sorority sisters is a renowned diplomat with a distinguished career in foreign service. No way I could do what she has done. Do I think her major was any less demanding than that of mine (which was heavily loaded on science classes)? Hell, no! It prepared her for success. Frankly, if we traded places, I'd probably have made a mess of things internationally and she likely would have failed at what I've done. And I was pretty successful (and happy).

I tease AZ-Alpha Xi because she is a "real scientist" (based on her major and her profession) and I am merely a "faux scientist" (that came from a long-ago GC thread, lost in the mists of time). She laughs at me and knows it is good-natured teasing. My point: I think what she does is very difficult, and she thinks the same of me. We each ended up in a field of study that suits our learning styles, talents, and abilities. Sororities brought out the best in us, academically.

tl/dr: you are barking up the wrong tree. And l like what my panhellenic sisters have written, and would love to see this thread stickied.

I don't care about being in a top tier sorority. I was simply stating that girls can still get into those chapters without having an outstanding GPA, even though they are supposedly "harder" to get into. I also know every campus is different as far as top/mid/bottom tier sororities.

@Sororitysock I am in a sorority actually.

Good grades, community service, a good personality, beauty, rec letters, etc, all contribute to a girl getting a bid. I understand. But this topic is on GPA so that's what I was talking about.

you are? Not according to your previous posts you aren't.

Which is it?

GC is totally confusing me, all this double-speak.

Then why have you been asking us for help getting into a sorority?

This is what you said on 9-26.

Did you accept a bid since then?