Pref round??????

yes this is it. This is also why some will tell you not to single intentional pref (suicide) because if you write both houses you still have the chance to be a quota addition and be matched to your #1.

What determines where you are on the bid list? I've heard its based on how much the house thinks you want them. Do most girls get their 1?

The bid list is ranked by how much the house wants each pnm. Statistically, pnm's are more likely to get their #1, but plenty get their 2nd.

Every chapter is going to order their bid list differently. Some chapters have a huge “to do” about ordering the bid list after Pref parties, and will be pushing for certain PNM’s to be on the top list based on Pref convos.

Other chapters will have legacy policies that where dictate certain groups of PNM’s sit on the list (national legacies, chapter legacies, in house cousins who aren’t technically legacies but are family, etc).

Other chapters will just take the # of votes from all week & order the bid list from highest vote to lowest.

Bottom line - it’s all out of your control!!

Remember, if you get invited to Pref, you are going on the bid list somewhere: they know you could become a member & they want you to be a member if the bid matching works out that way.


It can never hurt to tell your #1 they’re your top choice, but please please don’t tell your second pick that they aren’t your first choice. It’s just rude.

Around 85% of PNM’s get their first choice but that still means you have about a 1 in 6 chance of getting your 2nd choice.

I will suicide for gphi

Bump because similar Qs will be asked 87 times tomorrow like they are every year.

So many girls seem to think that they can drop out or suicide bid and then use COB as their fall back. Do not do this. Most houses WILL NOT extend a COB to you in the spring if you were dropped by them in formal recruitment. And, most houses don't even participate in COB and if they do, the quietly give out bids to girls that are good friends of Actives and not girls who dropped out. I hope Rho Chis are explaining this to PNMs.

My house does not COB and would never give a bid to a girl we dropped in the past. We have had sophomores go through formal recruitment for the second time after they dropped during freshman and if we dropped them when they went through the first time, they don't even make it past 1st round.

Please do not do this. You don’t know how bid matching is going to go and wouldn’t it be horribly awkward to show up to Bid Day at a house where you told the sisters they were not your first choice. It’s just rude, bad manners & really inconsiderate to act in this manner.


On the flip side, it’s totally OK to tell your #1 that they are your #1!

Sure don’t tell them if you don’t care if you get either one of your prefs. I wanted non legacy sorority. I was a legacy bid (great grandmother plus tons more). Rho Chi told me correctly to tell legacy bid that while I loved the legacy, I definitely felt more comfortable at non legacy. This way they (legacy sorority) ranked me lower on their list and I actually was able to get my first choice, which wouldn’t have happened otherwise. Both were very in demand sororities so the legacy one appreciated that I told them that so they could have all the girls that truly wanted them. I guess I could have kept my mouth shut and been pretty unhappy bid day.

legacy preference is gone by the wayside so that strategy is no longer relevant.

Yes, you should tell your number 1 house that you want them.

As for your number 2 house, it’s ok to tell them you’re confused or not certain. That way they will know you’re not 100% certain and can put you lower on their bid list.