Rushing out of state

[Bama734]

Hi I'm an out of state student attending the University of Alabama next year. I'm interested in rushing a fraternity and naturally alot of the popular old row fraternities sparked my interest. However, I've heard that it is very difficult for out of state students to get bids at these fraternities and that many of them already have 95% of their pledge class decided before school even starts in the fall. Is this true? Is there anything I can do to increase my chances of getting a bid at one of these fraternities? Should I just focus on the new row ones? This question is for Alabama specifically but I assume that many other schools have a similar situation. Any info you can give me would be appreciated.

[AnchorAlumna]

True.
But you never know. The key is to start meeting people NOW, as many as you can, who are fraternity members. Many of the fraternities have summer rush parties where they choose their members.
You might want to contact the fraternities directly (through their websites) to let them know you're interested.
IFC Preview Day is March 24- http://sa.tix.com/Event.asp?Event=437065 - a great time to meet fraternity members and find out about the system.
There are Greek Affairs meet-and-greets in several cities this spring. Go to one if it's near you: http://alabama.theginsystem.com/?opt...test&Itemid=12 (I could only find this in the panhellenic site, but it does list fraternities as well) - check back often, more receptions may be added.
There are 26 IFC fraternities at UA and brotherhood and lifelong friendships can be found at all of them, not just a few.

[HQWest]

Originally Posted by AnchorAlumna

True.
But you never know. The key is to start meeting people NOW, as many as you can, who are fraternity members. Many of the fraternities have summer rush parties where they choose their members.
You might want to contact the fraternities directly (through their websites) to let them know you're interested.
IFC Preview Day is March 24- http://sa.tix.com/Event.asp?Event=437065 - a great time to meet fraternity members and find out about the system.
There are Greek Affairs meet-and-greets in several cities this spring. Go to one if it's near you: http://alabama.theginsystem.com/?opt...test&Itemid=12 (I could only find this in the panhellenic site, but it does list fraternities as well) - check back often, more receptions may be added.
There are 26 IFC fraternities at UA and brotherhood and lifelong friendships can be found at all of them, not just a few.

This is all really good advice to which i would just add that if you know anyone from your high school that has gone to BAMA - look them up and ask them about Greek life. Even a friend of a friend could at least help you with some introductions or info like everyone from Grosse Point pledges xyz...

[Bama734]

Thank you for the replies so far. Also, do you think it would benefit me to wait for spring rush or fall rush my sophomore year to give me more time to get to know more people in various houses?

[wareagle93]

Originally Posted by Bama734

Thank you for the replies so far. Also, do you think it would benefit me to wait for spring rush or fall rush my sophomore year to give me more time to get to know more people in various houses?

It depends, although that is definitely an option. If you feel like you're not ready, then you can definitely do that. I think AnchorAlumna gave a great response, and if you have your heart set on being in a Fraternity this coming fall, you should definitely contact the organizations that you are interested in-I'm sure that some of them have contact information on their chapter websites. Good luck!