University of Texas, Austin
 

Does anyone know about recruitment there? From looking at the website, they have this thing called "Guaranteed Placement," what exactly is that? Would Rush at UT be considered a stereotypical "Southern" Rush?

From what I have heard UT can be really competitive, depending on what your goal is during rush.

If you keep an open mind, and look at all the groups, finding a home should be no problem.

But they do have some groups that it takes an act of god to get into, so if you have your heart set on xyz, you might have your work cut out for you.

Tradition is big in Texas, and sororities at UT can be steeped in it.

I don't know about guaranteed placement, that came about long after my pals had departed from UT. I would really like to hear some opinions on that topic.

from UT's website:

What is Guaranteed Placement?

Ranking your maximum amount of chapters at each convocation is strongly encouraged and required for you to be eligible for guaranteed placement. If this is followed through the preference event, those potential new members who have ranked the maximum amount of chapters throughout recruitment and who rank all of their options on their preference cards will receive a bid from one of the chapters listed on their preference card. That DOES NOT automatically mean that they will receive their first choice, but it does mean that they will be placed with one of their choices.

I am guessing that they have some sort of mechanism that throws you out if your choices don't mesh with where you actually went - I mean, if you want ABC and they cut you after first round, just because you put ABC on your card I don't think you will get a bid. I don't like to ass-ume but this sounds like one of those things where you have to go back to the max each round even if you have tried to drop a chapter, or "all bets are off."

I think (and correct me please if I am wrong) that guaranteed placement means that you cannot be cross-cut.

As long as you always accept the max amount of invites on any given day that you are allowed to take, you are assured that you will get a bid from a sorority who you list on your bid card.

Actually, it sounds as though, you aren't allowed to cut a chapter unless you are invited back to more houses than there are parties. (you MUST attend the maximum number of parties per day) --- I think it's a good thing. It's healthy for the system (full-placement means full pledge classes = chapter total= no closings, no financial woes etc.) and good for all of the girls who want to be a part of it. All houses are great for one reason or another! There IS a place for everyone!

What happens if say, there are four rounds of rush and after the first round you get invited to all of them which means you have to cut four houses.

Then, after the second round you only get invited to half the houses, will you have to go back to the houses that you cut in the first round to make it a full round for the third round?

Does that make sense?

Regardless, I think this is a FANTASTIC idea.

However, from both the sorority and rushess perspective, I wouldn't want to be somewhere I don't want to be nor pledge a girl who cut me but I know attitudes, ideas, etc. change so I still think the potential for it working out is a great thing.

You would only be required to attend the maximum number of parties for which you have recieved invitations. My scool (Texas A&M University) requires women to do this in order to be eligible for snap bidding (in the event she is cross-cut, a woman may only be eligible to be snap-bid if she's attended the maximum number of parties for which she recieved invitations) No "suicide" second chances here!

I opened up a thread on Guaranteed Placement in the rush forum, so we don't hijack this away from UT Austin. :)

Well then, for UT-Austin:

*It's going to be HOT!!!!
*Rec's are a MUST for any chapter you are even remotely considering being "very interested" in.......... and a really good idea to have for every house anyway. The obtaining rec's process is also a good way to meet women from each organization, ask questions about their sorority, and acquaint yourself with the process.
*Don't listen to what ANYONE says about ANY one chapter. Rumors will abound. Trust your instincts, look for friends not reputations.

It can work badly though too, if you are invited back somewhere where you don't want to be and you HAVE to go in order to stay in formal recruitment. It happened to me and I declined my bid. (suffice it to say, my rush was disastrous, which is why I did not go Greek in university).

CP2000, I was thinking of you when I typed out my post...I hope that this is not like what you went through and that we are missing a detail.

I've heard that you have to be invited to the first round in each house, which means that most PNMs would never see the inside of the Big Six houses.

S, I hope so too, for both the rushees and for the sororities' sake.

:eek: Holy Cow! How can that be? Please tell me that they only cut for grades (as discussed in the UNL thread) and don't just cut willy-nilly before even meeting the PNMs.

On another note, does UTA have the women rank houses at the end of each round, so that if a woman is invited back to more parties than she may attend, she automatically regrets the houses that were lower on her list?

Ok, this is picky, but important to remember:

The big public schools in Texas all have "extension schools" as well as their main campus. ie: UT - Austin is the main campus, UTA is UT Arlington, UTSA is UT San Antonio, UTD is UT Dallas.... it can be confusing!