Non-traditional pledges for sororities

I'm going back to school full time next fall (I'll be 23) and am looking into joining a sorority. My dilemma is that I'm wondering if my age would be detrimental, and the fact that I will be getting married the January after I go back. I feel I have a lot to contribute and want to join not only for the social aspect but also for the netwoking possibilities. Does anyone feel that my age and marital status will be a set back in joining?

[PenguinTrax]

As far as I know, most of the NPC sororities require their incoming members to be single. I know that my fraternity, ZTA, will allow a member to get married and stay in the collegiate chapter for as long as she is still a full-time college student. Other groups may require you to obtain alumnae status. I would see what groups are on your campus and what their individual policies are.

I've seen single, incoming freshman pledge a sorority at the age of 27 and were fantastic members. If your grades are high and your leadership skills evident, you should be as much of a contender as the 17 & 18 year olds you'll be rushing with in the Spring or Fall.



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Fraternally,
Barbara

If you have to go around telling everyone you're in charge you're not
much of a leader.

[SilverTurtle]

Barb,
Do you have any idea why NPC requires collegiate members to be single? I can't imagine what one has to do with the other.

[PenguinTrax]

Well, first off, this rule goes back a LOOOONG way.

Anyways - the way it has been explained to me is that a member's priority in college should be her education and her fraternity. The obligation (and time commitment) to a marriage could potentially take away from both an academic schedule and fraternity commitments.

Look at it this way - 95+% of all members pledge as freshman. How many of these incoming freshman are married? I'd say less than 1/10 of 1%. It just makes sense that you'd want your new members to be committed to their educations and their new fraternity.

Every woman that I've known that got married while in school AND tried to stay active in her GLO, gave up her sorority commitment within the first 6 months. A couple of them actually gave up school right away to have kids - one was my pledge sister that was 4.0 honors pre-med student. She now has 3 kids, may get divorced and hasn't worked in years. It's a shame.

There is a national sorority for married women, I think it's calle Mu Rho Sigma (MRS - I kid you not).

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Fraternally,
Barbara

If you have to go around telling everyone you're in charge you're not
much of a leader.

[SilverTurtle]

I can definately see the time commitment being a big concern. It's always a shame when students get married while they're still in school.. about 99.9% of the time I think it results in their leaving, or at least not doing anything after graduation.

But there are those women who go back to school, or continue for their Masters or PhD who really want to be involved. I guess alumni status would be acceptable though.

Thanks for the info!

HELLO PEOPLE WHAT KIND OF GREEK ORGANIZATION ARE YOU IN THAT DOES NOT ALLOW MARRIED UNDERGRADUATE MEMBERS? I AM A MEMBER OF A TRADITIONAL AFRICAN AMERICAN SORORITY AND WE DO NOT DISCRIMINATE. AND THAT IS A FORM OF DISCRIMINATION. THERE ARE UNDERGRAD'S THAT AREN'T MARRIED THAT DROP OUT AFTER THEY PLEDGE! IF MARRIAGE AND KIDS ARE GOING TO STOP YOU FROM DOING COMMUNITY SERVICE THEN WHY EVEN HAVE A GRAD OR ALUMNI CHAPTER THEY WOULD NOT BE CAPABLE OF DOING ANYTHING! AND I KNOW MY GRADUATE CHAPTER DOES A LOT OF WORK IN THE COMMUNITITY AND ALL AROUND THE WORLD! AND THEY ALL HAVE FAMILIES, CARRERS, AND SOME ARE EVEN SEEKING HIGHER DEGREES! SO MAYBE YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT ONE OF THE TRADITIONAL AFRICAN AMERICAN SORORITIES OR FRATERNITIES ON YOUR CAMPUS THEY ARE LOOKING FOR QUALITY PEOPLE NOT TO DISCRIMINATE ON THOSE WHO THEY DON'T KNOW JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE MARRIED!

[PenguinTrax]

HappyToBBlue-

If you will reference my original post, my fraternity, Zeta Tau Alpha, will allow members to remain in the chapter as undergraduates after they have been married. The rules vary between fraternities. In addition, there is no set rules in my own fraternity to prevent married women from pledging. I have never known any that have pledged us as married women.

Barbara

All is well with the world. I am a married woman who pledged as a married woman, and no one had or has a problem with my marital status. My sorority has been a wonderful, rewarding part of my life, and I only hope that you will find a sorority that is as caring and unpregedice as mine, Phi Delta Omega.

Good Luck to you and your future husband.

My sorority, Alpha Sigma Kappa, does allow members to be married, and we have a number of "older" women (non-traditional college age). As our time and financial commitments are considerably lower than most other sororities, we've found that our married sisters don't have any more trouble staying committed than our single sisters.

Originally posted by SilverTurtle:
Barb,
Do you have any idea why NPC requires collegiate members to be single? I can't imagine what one has to do with the other.

Age and marriage are a factor when rushing; however, enthusiasm for your favorite sorority will overcome that. While rushing, emphasize how your maturity and experience can only improve any sorority you join. Focus on your most positive attributes. More important than grades, leadership experience, or marital status is your dedication and availability to your sorority. Don't go around telling every sorority that they are your favorite sorority, the soroities talk to each other and know which rushees are insincere. I suggest having a completely positive attitude. Say "All the soroities on campus seem fantastic, I feel great dedicating myself to worthy organizations like the ones I've seen in rush. On the last day though make sure you express to the besat sorority that they are you favorite house, and say that they are the only house that you will join (to the sorority and the panhellenic). That is the only way you can be gaurenteed the house you want.

[amandapss]

Phi Sigma Sigma doesn't have any rules about that. But I would check into it if I were you. If a certain group doesn't accept you for that reason, and it is not any kind of policy, then you probably don't want ot be a part of that group anyway. Good Luck.

[This message has been edited by amandapss (edited January 30, 2000).]

[prospectiverushee]

I've read all the messages and feel alot better about pledging. I went thur fromal rush at my school last fall but was cut after the second round. I really would like to be a part of a greek letter organization,but feel that somehow my age was a factor.