Just failed my new member exam- need some encouragement
 

My NM exam was yesterday. I failed it by the barest of margins. I had been feeling sick all weekend, and despite studying my hardest, I still failed :(.

I went to the hospital right afterwords and was diagnosed with pneumonia and swine flu. My fever during the exam was 103*, and since I got home from the ER all I've done is sleep.

I'm not the only girl who failed and that makes me feel a *bit* better, but I'm still really bummed out. I'm on bedrest for a week, and I have no clue if I'm going to have time to retake the exam before initiation.

I could really use some encouraging and cheering up. I'm pretty down right now.

You should call or email you new member educator (pledge mom?) to tell her what is going on and that you are very ill.

I've been in touch with my NM educator, chapter pres, my big, and a few of the actives. They're all trying to figure out how to deal with the situation. It's just a bummer

Do pledge exams really count these days?

Depends on the org, I suppose. They do with us -- passing with 100% accuracy is a requirement for initiation.

I was surprised to see the thread in the Sorority Recruitment forum and not Fraternity- I didn't know the women did that anymore. For Kappa at least it's considered hazing (or so I've been told) and therefore not allowed for us.

Wow.

New member exams are considered hazing?

Yep, that's what I was told when I joined. Could be totally wrong, I really don't know for sure. The only new member tests I knew of on my campus (3 sororities, 5 fraternities) were the fraternities- so I just figured that was yet another difference between men's & women's GLOs.

There are sororities that still do new member exams.

It may be of interest to you to find out whether what you were told is correct before you spout it as a truth. It is interesting what you find when you begin interacting with members outside your chapter or with your national headquarters. :)

I do interact with them, thank you. I was just saying I was surprised that other women's GLOs did them... that's all. That's a perk of a place like GC, you can actually learn from one another... in my book that's a good thing.

Then you would know whether what you were told is correct. You're welcome. :)

I wish we were allowed to do New Member exams... but you're correct, they are not allowed by Kappa nationals because they are considered hazing. I think they would be a useful tool for getting the NMs acquainted with Fraternity history outside of the required presentations. Oh well.

^^^ Not to be in your business, but I am assuming what you're saying is that the NMs have to attend presentations on history, policy, whatever else the sorority deems as important, but there is no tool for assessing whether they retained any of the info?

If that's the case, is there also any objective tool for disqualifying someone from the process entirely? (Attendance points, for example)

My sister is right. In Kappa, new member exams=hazing. YOU may be surprised by what you learn when you listen to others before dismissing them as misinformed.