Quote:
That's why the phrase "I don't feel like I fit" rubs me the wrong way. Especially when a PNM is at a school where the chapters are averaging over 150 women. How does one "not fit" with a group of 150 people? I think the same could be said for a chapter that large saying a particular PNM "doesn't fit." |
Quote:
I don't have a solution for it. I just want to cry when I hear people spouting that off and watch the eager PNMs believing that there's a magic and perfect sorting hat (I wish). |
I can buy the "she doesn't fit" thing if your chapter has like less than 50 people. Then I think chapters have a distinct personality at that point because of size.
But really, once you get past like 70, 80, 100, I just don't buy it. I know, it's a radical thing to say that once a chapter gets past a certain size, pretty much any PNM could end up being happy there. But I think it's true. Which is why i'm a proponent of PNMs at these large chapter schools giving it a chance to work out (and same on the chapter's end with PNMs they think they don't want.) Chances are good that in a larger chapter, it will end up working out just fine. It's really less magical than people think. |
But I think "I don't fit" is code for I am better then this Chapter and should have gotten my first choice or not been dropped from my fav.
Recruitment is such a weird thing. What else do you do in life that 20 minutes of one day decides your fate going into a second day? With the exception of sports not much. So much of recruitment is shrouded in mystery and there is a lot of misinformation out there about it. I know that the Chapter I work with really doesn't understand how it works start to finish with the exception of the women who work in the back room. I don't know if once a Chapter gets to a certain size any PNM could be happy there? If I am a conservative girl and join a Chapter that is very social it might not be a good fit for me. Yes, there may be girls I like and have fun with but my experience wouldn't match my expectations of doing more community service and sisterhood events then fraternity social activities. As an adult I might not join an organization where I don't feel like I have any thing in common with the women who are in it. I don't think there is any thing wrong with that. I think that recruitment goes wrong when these girls don't follow through to the end of the process. They get released from their favorites and bail. I see nothing wrong with getting to the end of the process and deciding it isn't right for you. I think we take exception when these girls get to the end of the process don't sign a bid card and then get on here and bitch about "being cut from every chapter" The OP asks in the original question Should we change the way PNM's think about recruitment. Yes and No. I think you have to walk a fine line of the information you put out there. I think you have to set expectations like grades. If a Chapter wont take under a 3.0 then that needs to be clearly stated. If they only take blondes (JK) same thing. I'm not sure how much of the process they need to know other then ALL recruitments are competitive. There are only a limited amount of spots available for PNM's. I think the conversation has to be if you want to be Greek follow the process to the end and then make a decision. |
Quote:
So in practicality everything stays the same but hope that PNMs check out GC with all the advice we have to offer and hope they utilize some common sense! ;) |
Quote:
1. You're a new freshman, homesick as it gets and you don't put yourself out there to bond with the girls. Of course you don't fit! You're crying in your dorm room all the time. 2. You're a new freshman and you legitimately don't fit in at your school. This happens, and it may be joining the sorority that makes you realize that you do have a place--or that reinforces your discomfort. 3. You're a little bit older and joined for social reasons, but you realize that you don't want to be part of the insanity of pledging and you don't fit with the group's expectations for a new member. 4. There are people you'd bond with, if you ever actually met them. It can be hard in big chapters to find someone you click with. Or maybe someone rubbed you the wrong way early on and you think they're all like that. All problems that can be fixed, but ideas why a girl might not fit. |
Oh, I know why some people might feel that way. I just don't think you'll NEVER fit because of those issues.
My point was that recruitment is less of a "magical we just clicked" thing than people make it out to be. |
Quote:
We have a tendency to tell PNMs BOTH that they could be happy in almost any house, AND to follow their heart. I think the go-where-you-feel-comfortable thing is an attempt to counter tent talk and PNMs selecting chapters based on reputation. |
Quote:
|
Quote:
But I feel that tenacity and active participation can overcome a lot of non-fit issues. 33's right, though. It totally depends on what led you to join in the first place. |
^^ I agree, which is why we spend a lot of time on GC trying to get 18 yr olds to stick it out when they're all "Bid day was 2 weeks ago and I want to drop out because no one likes me." We have the benefit of knowing that those best friendships and the people you can't live without didn't just form overnight.
|
Every once in a while we do see a rush thread that says something along the lines of "these girls looked way too put together for me." True, that's not common, but some girls honestly don't want 200 beauty queens for best friends. There are issues of fit and it would be awesome if the girls going through rush could appreciate the similarities and differences of the chapters without making those differences better or worse. But that's not going to happen, so...
|
Quote:
Also agree with DubaiSis. That goes back to the "could you see yourself with no makeup sitting in the kitchen in your pajamas looking like you haven't slept in a week because you have six midterms in two weeks?" argument. |
Quote:
|
I think that so much depends on the individual. The Reluctant One was/is very secure. She truly didn't care about the tiers. She ranked several top houses below a top three house
BUT there are those young women (one of whom I wrote about in my story so many years ago) for whom it is top tier or out. I think that it would be very interesting to see statistics on who drops out of recruitment and when....at the end...after a top 3 non invitation...or do the pnms "stick it out"? I wish that it could/should be stressed that you will have a social life. You will make friends...whatever house you join or don't join. A friend of one of my kids makes a fabulous presentation. She's gorgeous. She dresses amazingly well. She is from a well placed family. And for an hour she can hold it together: she is the biggest dork in the world. She is a smart dork. She pledged a "low tier" house. Her rho chi was baffled. The girl knew herself. A few years ago a girl named...Rebelcheer something wrote...something like "isn't this about what I want?" I wanted to write "And how does it feel to want?" |
All times are GMT -4. The time now is 06:24 PM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.