Quote:
Originally Posted by 33girl
9-10 weeks? Heck, sometimes it’s FOUR weeks!
It would be one thing to hack pledging in half if rush was longer, and you had more time to get to know the rushees. I know mechanics at big schools don’t allow that though.
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Wow, four weeks? The schools I'm familiar with rush in mid-August and initiate in late Oct./early Nov. Even if rush were longer, I would't be a fan of same-semester initiation. I think girls need to really learn about their sorority, what membership means, get to know actives and pledge sisters and realize they're having to earn it; I don't think that can be done in even 10 weeks. Even more so now since so many chapters are so big.
I've also been told by a few actives that some girls who 'quit' are those that don't come from a Greek background and are from an area where sororities aren't a big deal, so quitting doesn't seem to 'matter' because it wouldn't embarrass their families or be a big deal in their community. That said, I have friends whose daughter 'quit' and they were both Greek so this is not always the case.
I also think there's a different mindset among some college kids that's influenced by technology - i.e., they can get things so fast - text and hear back immediately, get something overnight from a business, etc. I think this is why some girls don't understand how feeling part of a chapter takes TIME, hence they don't even want to take a bid (if they don't like the house) and give it a try.
Lastly, I think some of this could be influenced by how big chapters are. When you have 300-400 girls, you could feel overwhelmed and disconnected, especially if you're having problems really giving it a try or realizing that bonding takes effort and time. I wrote in another post how oddly enough, you'd think large houses would give girls a chance to find their "own group" (especially for those who weren't thrilled with their bid, for example) but sometimes I think it works in the reverse - they never fully bond because of feeling overwhelmed by so many members (and perhaps feeling invisible), so they don't see a reason to stay.