PNMs Being a "Good Fit"

[carnation]

Originally Posted by cuteASAbug

As a mother, if a Pi Phi chapter dropped one of your daughters, would you rather they told you that it was because she wasn't a good fit for their chapter or it was because she had the personality of a pile of bricks, talked about inappopriate topics, and chewed with her mouth open?

Who would care? If she's cut, she's cut. If it was for a terrible reason (she had rank BO) or a lame one (we had all these local girls we wanted), I suppose they'd cover it up anyway, any chapter would.

[UGAalum94]

I don't think this requires MS info. to answer, and I'm kind of surprised that's the direction some people went in.

I think the "not a good fit" is a most often a euphemism for "although she is nice, cute girl with potential, we've already got a couple of hundred girls who the current members want more."

Sometimes though, I do think the members are going by previous reputation, and I don't necessarily mean bad reputation.

If the PNM happened to known in high school as a serious youth group and church member, and at recruitment, the other members of that chapter from her hometown are party girls, they might say to themselves, she'd be uncomfortable here. Same thing maybe with grades or sports or "popularity": if the girls she knows already don't see her as being like them, they might not stop and consider all the members of the group who are like the PNM.

And if she doesn't know people already, it can be a question of the impression that she makes on her rushers.

But Carnation, I agree with you that a strong chapter positively develops all its members, so taking a PNM who is more bud than bloom should be pretty easy.

[FuzzieAlum]

When going through rush, weren't there chapters that you felt like you didn't fit in with? "These girls are all nice ... and boring. I just can't see myself here." Fit just isn't on the sorority's end. I'm sure there was at least one chapter that felt that way about me, too.

Of course I am admittedly talking about my own experience, where our ceiling was 50, so you met a pretty good percentage of sisters during formal rush.

[carnation]

Originally Posted by AlphaGamUGAAlum

But Carnation, I agree with you that a strong chapter positively develops all its members, so taking a PNM who is more bud than bloom should be pretty easy.

I like this idea about looking for members who may be more bud than bloom. Y'all think of all the women you know who bloomed later!

[adrie435]

I agree with Carnation on this one.. It may just be my school, but I am convinced that any 'normal' girl (excluding extreme cases) can fit in in practically any chapter. In my experience I have seen way too many girls cross-preferencing the supposed opposite end of the spectrum chapters and making the difficult decision between them to think anything different. Had they listed their card a different way they would have been perfectly happy in the other chapter as well...

I think it all comes down to active members and PNM's keeping an open mind and putting everything they have into whatever chapter they become a member of.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

I agree with what you are saying, Carnation. At Illinois, I firmly believe you could have randomly assigned PNM's to chapters, and there would be just as many happy new members. Chapters are in the 150-200 range, and every one had girls of all types. Usually "not a good fit" meant the PNM met an active who she didn't click with, unfortunately. If she had met someone else, through the luck of the draw, it would have gone better. Like someone said, it is like a job interview, where you are making snap judgments instead of making well-thought-out decisions.

[ISUKappa]

I think "she's not a good fit" can run both ways. Obviously, there are some people who are just not going to mesh with a chapter, and no amount of growth will change that.

But IME, it was a catchall excuse that was used when a PNM was quieter/more studious and the chapter was more social/outgoing (or vice versa). That use of the expression, to me, is total BS.