[KSUViolet06]

I'm not from a big SEC school, but I have posted about this very thing before.

There are exceptions, but I feel like the majority of girls who come to GC for advice are not really prepared in the netowrking sense for the type of school they're heading to.

Many times, they aren't children of Greeks, or they don't come from an area where many people go Greek in college. They don't go to HS where everyone graduates and goes Greek. They don't go to camp. People in their church aren't Greek.

So their parents fish out info on GC. Great. There is a lot of info here about the tangibles (grades, recs, activities) but not as much about conversation, networking, etc. So parents pass on info about tangibles or PNMs read up on it. They have all of the tangible stuff down pat (grades, recs, et.) So they figure they're golden, right? Not so much.

By nature of not knowing anyone who is greek, being a first gen. college student, being from out of state, or a small town, they are already at a disavantage at some of the bigger Greek schools no matter what tangible things they may have.

For example, let's say that ABC at Big Southern University has 100 members (not using big numbers because I'm tired.) Each of them personally knows 2 PNMs from church/camp/high school/etc. that they think would make great ABCs.

100 x 2 = 200 women that they vouch for and really want back for next round.

For the next round, they can only invite back say, 300. Out of that 300, there are 200 girls with personal connections whom members already know of and want.

Assuming that all 200 of those are issued an invite, that leaves just 100 spots for "newer" PNMs whom no one has heard of prior to recruitment.

My point is that personal connections are very important.

This is not to say that if you send Suzie to an all Greek staffed summer camp in the summer before senior year, she's a shoo-in.

But those PNMs who have attended camp, lived in the same neighborhood, gone to HS, and played softball since 6th grade with sorority members (and have developed relationships with them) do have an advantage.

This is just rambling, but feel free to flame, correct me, whatever.