Questions on rushing and sorority life

[UCLAbound]

I'm pretty sure I will be attending UCLA in fall, high GPA transferring into a non impacted major, and I had some questions about sorority life. I'm a bit older -22 in June and I'm not exactly sure that greek life is for me. I was interested in joining for the leadership programs, alumni connect group and community service. While the social aspect would be a plus I do know I wouldn't be as committed to the frat parties as the younger girls would be but other aspects of sorority social life interests me such as the sisterhood. Aside from my age I have good chances such as high GPA, slender body and not to brag but I'm fairly attractive.

I guess I was just asking if my age would be a huge factor at UCLA and if sorority life is what I described. I know I wouldn't be as close to the 18/19 year old girls but I figured I would bond with the seniors and juniors. I would appreciate answers from people from UCLA or other schools. Also not sure if this helps but I do look 18 instead of 21/22.

Thank you.

As for why I'm transferring so late into a school I took a year off and did 2.5 years at CC.

[33girl]

If you're not really interested in the social aspect, then yes, your age probably will hurt you. It would be a little different if you had been in the military or something and now wanted to experience all of college life.

[DubaiSis]

There are plenty of other organizations on campus that can provide you what you're looking for that don't require the squealing with glee when you see each other part.

Unfortunately your timing is a little off. There was a colony last fall, and one coming in fall of 2016. A more mature member might be a welcome addition to a new chapter to smooth out the unbridled enthusiasm and help focus the chapter. But you're just gonna miss it!

[UCLAbound]

To clarify I am interested in the sisterhood I just don't think I would spend too much time in the frat houses.

[LAblondeGPhi]

Being 22 will make you a little older than a typical transfer student, but wouldn't necessarily raise any major red flags for me. The average transfer student age will be about 19-21, so you're not totally outside of that range.

UCLA sees a lot of transfer students coming through recruitment, so the whole system is pretty accustomed to bringing in a batch of 20 and 21-year-olds. Everyone knows that they have slightly different needs from the Greek system than freshman do. (Consider this: 2013 freshman quota was 47, and upperclassman quota was 20)

The numbers going through recruitment have been growing fast over recent years. Whereas some larger schools have developed really nice systems for going through and pre-screening all those applications, UCLA just isn't that organized. A huge portion of PNMs sign up for recruitment in the week before it starts. This means that above all, how you connect with, and present yourself to the women in each chapter will be the most important factor for your success. Unfortunately, there's not always enough time to check every application for unusual circumstances in the first round or two, so unless you mention your age in conversation, it may not be noticed until later rounds. That should buy you some time to win everyone over with your personality and enthusiasm.

As for socials...
You should approach the process knowing that social events are a big piece of every sorority's programming, but that doesn't always mean fraternity parties. In fact, the vast majority of sorority-sponsored events will have nothing to do with fraternity houses. Even exchanges (an event with a fraternity) are held at third-party venues. Fraternity parties are typically sponsored by the fraternities and separate from sorority programming.

Date parties (where you bring a date of your choosing), formals, sisterhood events, non-alcoholic socials, dinners and philanthropies are all excellent ways to spend time with sisters and be engaged with the chapter. Many of the older sisters and women with serious boyfriends will also tend to be more interested in the socials that focus on spending time with sisters. There's a good middle-ground you can find, trust me.

[ChioLu]

I agree with LAblondeGphi. (I'm an Advisor at UCLA)
Because UCLA is such a big transfer school, Panhellenic has embraced the influx of those intelligent, accomplished upperclass women and it is the norm to have 1/3 to 1/2 of the New Member Class as upperclassmen in EVERY sorority's new class.
What you have time to do now (9 months) is to expand your resume in community service.
And when you tour campus, it's more than likely that at least 1 of your tour guides will be an active sorority member. Express your interest in going through Recruitment and ask some questions. You could even stop by the Panhellenic Office and meet Troy & Mande (Directors of Greek Life).

[ree-Xi]

Originally Posted by UCLAbound

I was interested in joining for the leadership programs, alumni connect group and community service. While the social aspect would be a plus I do know I wouldn't be as committed to the frat parties as the younger girls would be but other aspects of sorority social life interests me such as the sisterhood. Aside from my age I have good chances such as high GPA, slender body and not to brag but I'm fairly attractive.

If you are interested in NPC sororities, realize that they are Social organizations. Sure, they all have philanthropy commitments, provide many opportunities for leadership, and if you remain active as an alumna, would remain a place for friendship, networking, etc. But the primary reason for existence is friendship and sisterhood. What that looks like varies from chapter to chapter and Inter/National organization to organization, from state to state and town to town.

I am not saying that you have to "party" and spend all your time at Fraternity houses to enjoy your membership, but if you have almost no interest in the social aspect, you might look at other organizations on or off-campus.