Junior Transfer Rushing
 

Hey all. I'm going to be transferring from a small private college with zero sororities to a university with 6 sororities. What I'm concerned about is GPA. My GPA once I left that smaller college was 2.7 (horrible, I know--I blame calculus). But the Panhellenic site says you need a 3.0. I was wondering if this matters because I was at a different school and the old GPA isn't even applied to my grades until I graduate? It just concerns me. And the fact that I'm a Junior (although I will be staying an extra year). Is there reason to be freaked out?

Your GPA will count just like the chapters look at the GPA from high school for freshmen. Your GPA and (potentially depends on which campus) your junior status will not be seen as positives. On some campuses there is an upperclassman quota. However, there is nothing you can do to change either of those now. I would suggest really working on preparing for recruitment. Read the stickied threads at the top of the recruitment/sorority recruitment sections and take the information to heart even if it is focused towards freshmen. There are transfer recruitment stories as well. Good luck!

Never mind about the GPA. It was connected to something else in my mind and it freaked me out. There is no minimum GPA. But the question still stands for the Junior thing.

I also transferred as a junior and joined Greek life, so here's what my experience was like. My school requires 12 credits from them before you can go through recruitment, so if yours does too, you might have that chance to bring your GPA up a little bit. Even though there may not be a minimum requirement mentioned, most organizations do have a minimum GPA to join and remain active. As far as your concerns about being an upperclassman, it's really going to depend on each chapter you visit. They each have their own agendas about what type of girls they are looking for and how they will impact the chapter. The amount of upperclassmen they already have as well as their allowed quotas will help them decide how many upperclassmen and how many freshmen they will be able to extend bids to. My advice is this: don't worry about your junior status. It's not something you can change. Be yourself, get to know as many girls as you can from each chapter and go from there. Keep an open mind and don't set your heart on one chapter before you even begin. I missed out on my top choice because of my junior status, and I actually ended up in the chapter I least expected to end up in. But looking back, I'm glad it all went the way it did, and I can't imagine myself anywhere else but here. I hope it all works out for you. Have fun with recruitment and GOOD LUCK!

There is no such thing as no minimum GPA. Just because your school doesn't have a minimum GPA to go through recruitment doesn't mean you're eligible to receive a bid from any of the sororities. All sororities have a required minimum GPA on the national level as well as the local chapter level. The chapter level is usually significantly higher than the national level. Unfortunately your GPA is quite low and one calculus class in four semesters is not going to be the only factor that made it that way.

Additionally, being a junior/transfer is a significant recruitment handicap at many schools. Even at schools with upper classman quotas or that regularly give bids to juniors, your GPA will still make you an unattractive grade risk to the sororities. I would suggest you hit the books and establish a decent GPA at your school before attempting recruitment. Based on your past academic record, the demands of a sorority may place an additional strain on your academic goals. Give yourself a chance to adjust to your new school and work at the real goal of college: an education.

The only problem with establishing a new GPA at my school is that recruitment starts 2 days after the first day of school, so you don't have much time. But I guess if I could explain the circumstances surrounding my low GPA and the reasons that lead me to transfer in the first place (talk to a rusher/sister of a house or Rho Gamma) it might be a good idea, no? I feel like the first question that'll be asked when they find out I'm a transfer is why I transferred.

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Huh? So there is a minimum GPA and there isn't a minimum GPA?

If you had done your research regarding recruitment, you'd know that most schools have a strict silence regarding pnm's chatting to active sisters until after recruitment had finished, the only time you'll be able to speak to these women is during parties/rounds. Rho Gamma's dis-affiliate from their specific chapters during recruitment and officially have no say regarding new member selection..

If your Panhellenic have a minimum 3.0 to participate in Recruitment, then your only option is to hit the books, study hard, maintain a very good reputation, and try next year...

There is no minimum GPA. I read incorrectly. I realize that I can only talk to the actives during the parties, that's what I was referring to. I know that there are sometimes interviews and stuff like that. So I was hoping maybe to get a chance to explain. If not, then hopefully my personality will win them over. Haha

Honestly, no one is going to care about the reasons for your GPA if it falls below the chapter's standards. It's pretty black and white; you either make the grade cutoff or you don't. It would be really awkward if you lead with a discussion of your GPA issues and your Rho Gamma has no contact with the chapters and wouldn't have any pull in membership selection anyway.

If you have a truly compelling reason for a low GPA and transfer (and by truly compelling, I'm talking about something like your entire family being wiped out by the bubonic plague or you having brain surgery your freshman year), then your only hope would be to have several alumnae who know you well to write recommendations that describe that challenge and how you have overcome it.

Choosing the wrong major, sucking at calculus, breaking up with your boyfriend and not liking your first college or not getting along with your roommate are not compelling reasons.

^^ Spot On!

Dang. Hostility much? Haha. But yes, I was in the hospital for a week my freshman year. And that definitely had an impact on my grades. It was difficult to bounce back from that and I got discouraged and just wanted to leave. I'm sure as current or former collegiates you guys can understand that. I decided to stick it out for another year and took all the most difficult classes in one semester (worst idea in history). That's what lead me to realize that the major I chose (pre-med) wasn't the right one for me. So by changing my major I had to change schools since mine didn't have what I wanted (pre-nursing). I'm sure everyone who has been to college can sympathise with the stress of changing majors. I'm not trying to make excuses. My GPA sucks, I know. I'm just telling it how it is.

Should there be a place anywhere that you can find out what those minimum GPAs are? Also, I looked at the "Greek Grade Report" and it says the average GPA for new members. Is that the lowest they will go or something totally different?

An average is, what it says.. an average. So some women are above that, some are below. Add them all together, divide by the number of women and that's the average.

I don't see any hostility here. We're simply telling you like it is. Your GPA probably won't meet the minimums of some or even all of the chapters at your school. If you don't meet the minimums you'll be dropped even if you're the second coming of the sweet baby Jesus. There is nothing you can do about it.

Many chapters chose to keep GPA requirements private so you won't find them anywhere. The average GPA for new members has nothing to do with the GPA requirements.