GPA Question *tricky*

[AchtungBaby80]

Originally Posted by kddani

I'll just be blunt- your chances of sorority membership are pretty low. Low GPA, older, several transfers, possible financial issues, and the fact that you're not getting to the school until spring (when formal rush is held in the fall) and won't really know anyone- none of these bode well. Everytime you've started a thread with a new question it's just adding to this list- it seems like there's always another issue.

Unfortunately, I have to agree with kddani. Granted, I know zero about the University of South Alabama but it does seem like there are several things stacked against you. If that school does formal rush in the Fall and you plan to rush in the Spring, be aware that your choices may be limited from the beginning because not all chapters may be participating in Spring rush. Your age may or may not be an issue; I don't know. However, your GPA is very likely to affect your chances of receiving a bid (or even invitations to the next round) as well as the fact that you've transferred several times. Sororities might look at that and say, "Wow, she sure doesn't stay in one place very long...maybe we shouldn't bid her because she probably won't stick around!" I'm not implying that you don't plan on staying a while at USA or that you lack commitment, but to people who don't know you, it may look that way. And that's another thing--if you don't know anyone on campus, it's probably going to be hard simply because there's no one who can vouch for how cool/fun/smart/whatever you are. And especially when there are all those other things (GPA, age, transfers) that might give sororities reason to be skeptical, with no one who knows you, you might be cut heavily.

[UGAalum94]

Again, I apologize for overstepping beyond the question you asked, but it sounds like you've got a lot going on and are working hard to achieve your goals. While it might be fun to be in a sorority, you'd probably have to do some things differently if you really wanted to increase your changes, like go to school in the fall when the big rush takes place.

If you know that your boyfriend comes before the transferring and rushing (and I think it's perfectly fine that you feel that way, especially if you are staying in school someplace in the fall), then you may need to recognized that it's going to be really hard to join a group.

It sounds like it's been tough for you to get as far as you have, but some aspects of the recruitment process aren't going to reward you for that.

[Buttonz]

Originally Posted by kddani

To sidetrack for a second- there is a wealth of information out there about financial aid. It is up to everyone to educate themselves. Hell, most people do it themselves without any help from any sort of adviser. It just really came across (and still comes across) as shifting of blame. It would be easier to be understanding towards your situation if you just said "yeah, I screwed up" rather than blaming everything on the evil school and advisers.

I agree. This goes also with dropping classes and stuff. My first school (I transfered as well) gave no help whatsoever with finical aid (or really crappy help) and no help at all when dropping classes. You need to take the responsibility for you screwing up and stop blaming it on other people.

Originally Posted by alum

Just as a sidenote:

I work at a university as an graduate-level academic advisor and see the undergraduate transcipts on a daily basis. Although you are correct that D's and F's do not transfer, many schools still put all the grades on the transcripts from previous schools. So if you do have D's and F's from the University of East Cupcake, got straight A's from Local Community College and now are transferring to State University, it is very likely that a State University transcript will show all classes and grades ever taken anywhere including the non-transferrable ones.

Off topic but...so happy that my new school just lists it was T for transfer and not the grade that we got!

[texas*princess]

Originally Posted by kddani

We're just going on the information that YOU have given us. You've come here asking for advice on a multitude of questions. Based on the information you've given us and what you've said, impressions and opinions were formed.

To sidetrack for a second- there is a wealth of information out there about financial aid. It is up to everyone to educate themselves. Hell, most people do it themselves without any help from any sort of adviser. It just really came across (and still comes across) as shifting of blame. It would be easier to be understanding towards your situation if you just said "yeah, I screwed up" rather than blaming everything on the evil school and advisers.

Like kddani said, t here is a wealth of information out there about financial aid for college.

Typing "college financial aid" in Google will bring you to finaid.org which is free information on what you need to fill out, how to fill stuff out etc. There is even charts with the differences on the types of loans.

This website has been up for quite some time.

Of the two universitites that I attended, neither one had financial aid "advisors" that sit you down and hold your hand and tell you what forms you need to fill out by when. The people there were there to receive paperwork already completed or hand out the checks, processes that are getting automated through online systems nowadays.

For what it's worth, sororities probably do not want to hear how something was the academic advisor's fault or the financial aid advisors fault, because you will come across as a blame shifter. Being involved in a sorority or any type of organization, is being part of something that is bigger than you. That means standing with the group, and when times call for it - falling with the group. You can't shove the blame of something onto someone else just to save your own behind. For that reason, if you do rush, I would suggest not discussing that.

That's just my opinion though... others may think differently.

[AChiOhSnap]

Originally Posted by Miss{BooperDoo}

KDdani, you must not have read my other posts, that’s ok I didn't expect you too, but I have to clarify. I'm only 20 right now. I will be 21 when I transfer. Won't be 22 until April of 08.

HUH????

Wait you're 20 right now and you're going to go from 20 to 22 in the span of 12 mos? Did you mean April of 09 you're going to be 22? Sorry, I'm just a bit confused.

[lauralaylin]

I think it would make sense if her birthday was later this month.

[alum]

That makes sense to me. I am X years old right now. In a couple of weeks (before 30 April), I will be X+1. By 30 April, 2008, I will be X+2.

[AChiOhSnap]

Originally Posted by lauralaylin

I think it would make sense if her birthday was later this month.

Right but in another post in her other thread she made it sound like she was going to be 22 by the time the second semester started (i.e. January) so I'm just wondering if I'm confused or if she just mistyped...

[UGAalum94]

I'm going to throw out the idea that the difference of being 21 versus 22 isn't going to be a significant one in terms of what her recruitment experience will likely be like.

If she's seen as older than most PNMs and that matters at her campus, the issue already presents itself.

[BethanyW]

For me, USA counted my D in cal, and my A in cal. I think that when admissions say that anything below 2.0 doesn't transfer, it just means that if you want credit towards graduation for it, you have to take it again at USA.

They do still include all classes taken for your overall GPA. So overall, my D/A in cal evened out to a C.

[Miss{BooperDoo}]

Originally Posted by AChiOhSnap

HUH????

Wait you're 20 right now and you're going to go from 20 to 22 in the span of 12 mos? Did you mean April of 09 you're going to be 22? Sorry, I'm just a bit confused.

The two people below you have it figured out.

I asked a question about GPA requrments I did not ask for you opinion of me, or my grades, or my school. What, in my original question, made you possibly think I wanted that.

Theres more I could type here, but honestly, theres no reason to continue this. Thank you to those that offered helpful explanations. As to anyone who wants to reply to this from here on, it will be for your own amusment because this is the last time I'm going to be on this site. Its been proven to me (as I've read in other threads aside from my own, as well as in this one) that there are just some people who will never progress past the high school mentality.

Later.

[AChiOhSnap]

This isn't really directed at Miss BooperDoo since she's apparently not coming back, but I would like to let this thread serve as an example to PNMs looking for recruitment advice on GreekChat.

Plenty of PNMs post here asking for our advice on anything ranging from GPA requirements, to clothes, to whatever. When you offer up more information than necessary and we pick up on something that could potentially be extremely detrimental to your recruitment, we're going to tell you.

I'm sure that, in some cases, the advice and opinions have ended up not mattering and just came across as bitchy. In some other cases, PNMs have come to realize that the advice is correct and there's a problem that needs to be addressed.

When you put your personal information out there, people on GC can and will offer up their advice and opinions on your situation. Some of it, frankly, you might not like. I wouldn't necessarily say it's because people on GC have a "high school mentality" -- it's because GC isn't Smiley Happy Pony Rainbow Land. Whether or not that the fact we offer unsolicited advice and opinions is right or wrong is really irrelevant. If you don't want to hear what people have to say -- and they're not going to sugar coat it -- then don't post on GC.

I mean, for Chrissake, it's the internet. If you want rah-rah you go girl encouragement, talk to your mom.

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by AChiOhSnap

GC isn't Smiley Happy Pony Rainbow Land. Whether or not that the fact we offer unsolicited advice and opinions is right or wrong is really irrelevant. If you don't want to hear what people have to say -- and they're not going to sugar coat it -- then don't post on GC.

I mean, for Chrissake, it's the internet. If you want rah-rah you go girl encouragement, talk to your mom.

This is why I love you.

But really, we like to give PNMs realistic advice based on the info they povide. If we told EVERY girl who came here (NO MATTER WHAT HER SITUATION) stuff like "OMG you should SO go for it! You'll totally get a bid." when it wasn't neccessarily true, we'd be doing them a disservice. Girls would be like "Why didn't they tell me that (for example) being a junior would make it almost impossible for me to get a bid?" We're not mean, just honest.

[UGAalum94]

I probably wouldn't have said high school mentality either, but sometimes things become uncivil, and I'm not sure that GreekChat needs to be that way in the advice threads.

I'm not sure that we should allow ourselves to get dragged into negative back and forth with PNMs who don't want to take advice. (I'm sure I'm as guilty as anybody.)

I know that in a lot of the unpleasant recruitment threads, the original OP wants to argue with the advice she's getting, and that's going to be counterproductive for everyone, and a little infuriating when they act like they know more about greek life or college that you do. But sometimes, we just kind of go off on them when they're really not giving a lot of attitude but you can tell they're engaging in wishful thinking about their own circumstances.

We can't fix that, and I think, we run the risk of leaving a bad taste in their mouths about our GLOs if we're some of the GC users with that info. in our usernames. I'm not saying that it should be "Happy Pony Rainbow Land," was it, AChiOhSnap? But we should probably keep in mind that they're completely anonymous, but that some of us are unofficially representing our orgs.

Again, I know I'm not any better about this than anyone else, and I'm not suggesting that we lie to them. But we should make a point of not returning the attitude in kind, I think.

[texas*princess]

I agree w/ the posters above me.

But for what it's worth, when you come on here and post way too much info (it was the advisors fault that i couldn't pay for or pass my classes) people will pass judgement. That's life. Even if she went up to some random sorority girl in person and verbally said everything she typed here, opinions would be formed.

I agree that sometimes it feels like the OP only wants positive feedback ("Yea you will no doubt get a bid to the top house at UGA even though you're 22, you transfered every semester and couldn't pass your classes because you had to work during school hours!") and that really isn't how things are. Like Achiosnap said, that would be a huge disservice if realistically things don't look like they would end up that way.