LSU Rush

[LSUgrrl126]

I know LSU already had their rush this fall, but I'm trying to find out about spring rush or COB. This fall (2004) I went through rush at LSU. I got cut after 3rd round (skit) and didn't get invited to pref. I still want to join a sorority (and I have it narrowed down to 4 out of 10 that I'd accept a bid from) but don't want to put myself through the trauma of fall rush again (I was extremely upset for a good while after I was cut.) I had multiple recs for each sorority and I'm nearly 99% positive I was cut from all of them because I wasn't close with anyone currently in any of the chapters (I'm from BR and went to high school with a ton of girls that are in sororities here, I just wasn't in the same crowd as they were.) I know I wasn't cut because of grades or lack of extracurriculars or what have you, I think I have a pretty outstanding resume and a high GPA (gosh that sounded so conceited but I honestly don't mean it that way, I hate people who brag about themselves...I think I'm trying to say that I'm not dumb and participated in a lot of stuff.)

Okay, so now that I got through the background stuff, here's the gist of my post. I'm still interested in becoming a member and know next to nothing about spring rush and COB. I called LSU's Office of Greek Affairs and they told me to call them back in January and wouldn't tell me anything else. Could someone from a LSU GLO help fill me in here? How do I let these particular sororities know that I'm interested in them? Basically, is there a way I can join without going through the pain of fall rush?

Thanks so much if you can help me out!

Also, I'm not a legacy for any sorority currently on LSU's campus. My aunt was a member of a chapter that is still on campus, but I'm not considered a legacy by her group. A lady that wrote me a rec for a different sorority thought that my grandmother and aunt were both members of this sorority and wrote something about that in her rec, so hopefully I didn't get cut because of that!

In addition, I'm not naming the specific groups I'm interested in, but if you want/need to know, PM me.

This post is terribly disjointed. Sorry about that.

[aephi alum]

I'm not from LSU, but I'll try to answer some of your questions.

My first word of advice is to start now. Get to know women in the 4 sororities you're most interested in. Get to know women in the other sororities too - you might be surprised.

Find out which sororities did not meet quota this past fall and which sororities are not at total. The Office of Greek Affairs should have this information. A sorority that met quota and is at or over total cannot hold COB rush.

If a sorority is close to total/quota, and therefore can only extend a few bids, members of that sorority will probably approach only women they already know, to let them know about their COB rush. They won't do a big ad campaign just to fill three spots. This is one reason you have to get to know the sisters - they won't invite you to rush if they don't know who you are. If a sorority is well under total/quota, you'll have an easier time finding out about their rush.

And if things don't work out this spring, keep in touch with the sisters you've gotten to know. You may be stuck going through fall recruitment, but this time people will know who you are!

Good luck.

[sigalbatonrouge]

Hey LSUgrrl126! I am currently a sophomore and was in your shoes last year. I too was devastated that I had been let go by my favorite sorority after skit night. It is hard to tell exactly what the sororities are looking for because I too had recs, good grades, and was really involved in high school.

Secondly, Greek Affairs didn't know too much until spring semester. There was an organizational fair pretty soon after school started where they had a greek table. Last year, only a couple of sororities were participating in spring rush. Also, at this fair, I realized there were so many other organizations out there (including other sororities). There are smaller sororities that are still social...just not as big as the ones on the Row. You may want to look into a couple of those as well because there are perks being in smaller sororities just as there are in the larger sororities. Just keep an open mind, because even if you join something that you never would have imagined yourself in...it could turn out to be a really great decision. Also, if you are convinced that you want to join one on the Row, try to have a couple of girls in that sorority who know you are interested. Those contacts will come in handy once rush starts, and they can spread the news that you really would love to be a part of their organization.

Hmm...I don't know if that helped but if you have any other questions or whatnot, I'll continue checking up on your post.
Good luck!

[LSUgrrl126]

thanks so much for y'alls input! i'm sorry i haven't been able to get back on here sooner to thank y'all, but just knowing that someone cares enough to respond to my message makes me feel really good.

i'm still tossing the idea around about doing fall rush (pardon my un-PC terms, i grew up hearing "rush" and "rushee"). i just don't want to be hurt so badly again, because i never dreamed that i wouldn't get a bid. i hear rushing as a sophomore is even more difficult, so this makes me worry even more.

LSU's Office of Greek Affairs has NOT been terribly nice or helpful. whenever i call them, they're very short with me and i hardly get any info from them. i'm beginning to feel as though i'm going to have to physically go to their office and sit on whoever's desk until they'll talk to me and just maybe give me some basic info about COB or spring rush works here.

i missed the greek table on club sign up day. everyone told me "there's 300 something organizations at LSU, you'll find one for you" and most of the clubs are ethnic organizations (not hating here, just saying), clubs for incredibly athletic people (ha, not me) or clubs for watching anime or building rocketships (exaggerating about the rockets, i just couldn't find anything that really appealed to me). i walked around for about 10 minutes and went back to the dorm in tears because i felt like i would never belong. (this is becoming quite a wordy post, but i felt like i was always that girl who was always the one left out in high school and thought that college would be totally different from that)

i really didn't mean for this to turn into a "woe is me" thing, but i still feel so angry and upset about it because i know i belong somewhere on the row and because i didn't end up where i was meant to be, which ended up being incredibly hurt and sad.

in short, i still feel as though i belong in a sorority if some group would just give me a chance (ok, so i did get a chance, but there were 989 girls to choose from!).

once again, thanks for the input, and hopefully some more LSU sorority members will see this and maybe offer me some more advice.

[KSUViolet06]

Originally posted by LSUgrrl126



i missed the greek table on club sign up day. everyone told me "there's 300 something organizations at LSU, you'll find one for you" and most of the clubs are ethnic organizations (not hating here, just saying), clubs for incredibly athletic people (ha, not me) or clubs for watching anime or building rocketships (exaggerating about the rockets, i just couldn't find anything that really appealed to me). i walked around for about 10 minutes and went back to the dorm in tears because i felt like i would never belong. (this is becoming quite a wordy post, but i felt like i was always that girl who was always the one left out in high school and thought that college would be totally different from that).

I'm not an LSU girl but, this sounds as if it were quite traumatic for you. I suggest you take a second look at some clubs or a service/professional Greek organization. LSU is huge and I'm sure Greek Life is just a subset of all the cool things you can get involved in. With 300 organizations, there's bound to be a club for you. You're making it sound as if Greek Life is the ONLY activity you would ever get involved in.

I agree you should check out spring opportunities, but there may not be any. If there are, there are VERY few spots. And as for "I KNOW I belong on the row" You never know. That's the beauty of life, you may not end up there- but in an awesome club or service Greek org. that you never saw youself in. Don't limit yourself and miss out on something potentially great.

Take a deep breath, step back, and ENJOY COLLEGE. Hang with friends, and find your place. Concentrate on school- don't forget why you're there. And don't forget, there are other Greek orgs @ LSU besides the NPC sororities ( like Alpha Phi Omega, Sigma Alpha) that are just as cool. Check them out, you may suprise yourself.

[BlondeGurl]

Okay...so take a deep breath !
Do you have any greeks in your classes? Even if they are new members, most of them will be initiated by now. I'm sure you must have a few. Strike up a conversation with them...It's not as hard as it sounds. A lot of sorority girls are 24/7/365 recruiters. If you simply ask "Oh hi, are you XYZ, how is that?" there will be an easy opportunity after they reply to simply say "that sounds fun! do you take girls in the srping? do you know who does? how does that work?" (not all in one breath of course). Then you make a new friend and learn a little more about Greek Life on your campus.
I know getting up the nerve to start the conversation might be hard (for some), but you would be surprised how often it happens if you are Greek. If I am wearing my letters I usualy get asked a question by someone (not always polite about it), but it is pretty standard, so don't feel awkward about doing it.
I don't know why the Greek Life office is being so rude, but there are other ways about getting the info you want.
Try contacting that recruitment director or president of each sorority and ask about how to join. Anyone having COB will let you know about it for sure.
Also, it could help you to get invovled in other orgs on campus. A LOT of Greeks are very involved on campus so not only does it look good when you are COBing but it also gives you the opportunity to meet Greeks and find out more information about what is going on. Then you will know people in the sorority you are trying to join. This gives you a better opportunity of getting invited back. Look into things like SGA or Student Ambassadors.
Just a few suggestions.
Let us know how it goes!

[FSUZeta]

everyone has given such good advice. brenda(tri-sigma) beat me to it!! i was also going to say that most sororities require their members to belong to at least one other organization, so being involved on campus is important. as brenda said, by joining a club you will have the opportunity to meet and make friends with both greeks and non-greeks, and you never know where your club connection might lead you. connections and networking certainly cannot hurt.

while directly contacting the presidents or recruitment chairs might be okay on some campuses, i don't know how it would go over on yours. while some people might be flattered by the interest shown, other people might feel it is pushy. a safer way to go would be to strike up a conversation with classmates you know are in a sorority, on the lines that brenda suggested. good luck to you and keep us posted! lisa

[EEKappa]

Originally posted by FSUZeta

while directly contacting the presidents or recruitment chairs might be okay on some campuses, i don't know how it would go over on yours. while some people might be flattered by the interest shown, other people might feel it is pushy.

I checked with my LSU alumna friends on this, and they wouldn't recommend contacting sorority officers -- definitely too pushy.

[BlondeGurl]

Sorry about the contacting thing...on my campus we actually put contact information on our websites so that people can (and do) contact us if they need any information. It is different everywhere you go. Good luck with your COB Hunt!

[LSUgrrl126]

Great news! LSU has finally updated their website and we will be having informal recruitment this spring. I'm pretty sure that I want to give it another shot and I've made a lot of Greek friends, so I'm pretty optimistic about next semester. We won't find out which chapters will be taking girls until Jan. 25 (coincidentally, the day before my birthday) and the recruitment period starts a week later, Feb. 1. According to the LSU Greek website, it is highly reccommended that you get recs for the informal recruitment, but since there's only 1 week between finding out which groups are recruiting and the actual recruitment period, should I just go ahead and get people to do them over Christmas break? I need to consult my self-appointed-sorority-queen aunt on this...

Also, roqueemae-----does the Office of Greek Affairs keep files on people (ex. high school transcript, which I'll have to go attempt to get someone from my high school to get for me)? I know individual sororities don't (according to my aunt, she said her chapter here burned everything after rush.)

[JLyons]

Just thought I would post the dates for Sigma Alpha's Spring 2005 Rush. Check our website http://www.lsusigmaalpha.org in the coming weeks for more details.

January 31, 2005 - February 4, 2005

[LSUgrrl126]

Thanks!

[sugar and spice]

Originally posted by LSUgrrl126
thanks so much for y'alls input! i'm sorry i haven't been able to get back on here sooner to thank y'all, but just knowing that someone cares enough to respond to my message makes me feel really good.

i'm still tossing the idea around about doing fall rush (pardon my un-PC terms, i grew up hearing "rush" and "rushee"). i just don't want to be hurt so badly again, because i never dreamed that i wouldn't get a bid. i hear rushing as a sophomore is even more difficult, so this makes me worry even more.

LSU's Office of Greek Affairs has NOT been terribly nice or helpful. whenever i call them, they're very short with me and i hardly get any info from them. i'm beginning to feel as though i'm going to have to physically go to their office and sit on whoever's desk until they'll talk to me and just maybe give me some basic info about COB or spring rush works here.

i missed the greek table on club sign up day. everyone told me "there's 300 something organizations at LSU, you'll find one for you" and most of the clubs are ethnic organizations (not hating here, just saying), clubs for incredibly athletic people (ha, not me) or clubs for watching anime or building rocketships (exaggerating about the rockets, i just couldn't find anything that really appealed to me). i walked around for about 10 minutes and went back to the dorm in tears because i felt like i would never belong. (this is becoming quite a wordy post, but i felt like i was always that girl who was always the one left out in high school and thought that college would be totally different from that)

i really didn't mean for this to turn into a "woe is me" thing, but i still feel so angry and upset about it because i know i belong somewhere on the row and because i didn't end up where i was meant to be, which ended up being incredibly hurt and sad.

in short, i still feel as though i belong in a sorority if some group would just give me a chance (ok, so i did get a chance, but there were 989 girls to choose from!).

once again, thanks for the input, and hopefully some more LSU sorority members will see this and maybe offer me some more advice.

I don't have a whole lot of rush advice for you, because I think everybody's got that covered, but I can try to give you some life advice, because I've been where you're at. My freshman year in college I had some major issues with shyness and not being able to find a niche. Here I am three years later and while it's been a slow process, I've definitely found some things that make this huge campus smaller (I go to the University of Wisconsin, one of the biggest schools in the country). Try everything that looks like it might even be remotely interesting at least once -- one of my favorite activities that I've gotten involved with is the literary magazine that I only applied to because I wanted something that would occupy my time and that had to do with my major (English), but I soon figured out that the people in it are among the greatest I've ever met AND it's completely broadened my horizons in terms of potential career choices. Some of the other things I've loved the most are things I never thought I would do -- been a part of my sorority's Humorology (Greek mini-musical) cast even though I had no previous experience singing (outside of the shower) or dancing (anywhere but at parties), played intramural soccer . . .

That said, being Greek has been an integral part of my college career and I wouldn't change that. I definitely recommend going through informal rush (a very different animal from formal, at least at my school, and much less stressful) and checking out formal again in the fall if you have to -- but keep in mind that if you get cutm it isn't a reflection on you, especially with sophomore status. LSU has one of the biggest, more cut-throat rushes in the country. Some wonderful girls are bound to slip through the cracks in a system like that. Also, keep your mind open -- some of the sororities that might not have impressed you during formal rush might seem totally different during informal rush. Overall, just try not to take things too personally! A sorority's judgment of you should not affect how you see yourself. (I know -- easy to say, harder to do, right?)

Lastly, don't feel like you have to get your entire life and social system in order right now. I know that sometimes I felt pressure to have it all figured out by, oh, the end of freshman year, maybe early sophomore year. It didn't happen. I'm a completely different person now than I was then. I've added and changed friends, priorities and interests every year. Don't stress out too much about finding your place RIGHT NOW, because if you don't worry too much about it and just keep trying new things, eventually you'll find it.

[roqueemae]

Originally posted by LSUgrrl126
Also, roqueemae-----does the Office of Greek Affairs keep files on people (ex. high school transcript, which I'll have to go attempt to get someone from my high school to get for me)? I know individual sororities don't (according to my aunt, she said her chapter here burned everything after rush.)

Yes, the chapters burn things. I don't know how LSU Office deals with paperwork. We don't ask for transcripts-we just use the admissions copy. We do keep apps until we start getting the ones for next recruitment. It would probably be better safe than sorry. You are going home for break, high schools are still open so it wuld be easy to get one then and be prepared for rucruitment when it comes.

PS I am sending you a pm.

[BlondeGurl]

I don't think you will need your high school transcrit since you will now have an official college GPA. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong, but the only thing that High School transcripts are used for is to determine is you have high enough grades to get into the sorority...now it will depend on your college grades because you will have them. But definately talk to someone in Greek Affairs about that.