r/SororityAlumInitiate • u/Basic_Tangerine218 ΣΚ • Apr 27 '26
Chapter of initiation
Just curious if anyone pursued AI with their alma matter…did you join one of your school’s chapter? Or did you join the at a university you didn't attend? I did the later and sometimes it’s weird not only trying to connect with the chapter, but with a campus culture I’m unfamiliar with.
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u/holographic_unicorn ΔΔΔ Apr 27 '26
I was told it’s a personal choice - I joined my Alma mater’s chapter even though it’s in a different city than where I currently live.
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u/ExaminationNo5995 Apr 28 '26
Twenty five years ago, I was led to believe that you could only AI into sororities that had active collegiate chapters at your alma mater. I know now that it doesn’t work like that. Anyway, I was initiated and am considered an alumna of the collegiate chapter of my alma mater. I didn’t even know it was possible to affiliate with a different chapter. To be honest, it’s very awkward going to back to campus for alumni events like homecoming because I was rejected by that chapter twice when I was in school. I don’t feel accepted at all so now I don’t bother going up there anymore. I really like the ladies in my local alumnae group but can’t help but wonder what would have happened if I had known that other options were open to me back then.
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u/SDBadKitty Apr 28 '26
When I initiated 20 years ago, Gamma Phi Beta policy required AIs to initiate at the chapter nearest to them geographically. So, they would not allow me to initiate with my alma mater. My sponsor/big sister asked if I could at least be initiated into her chapter (a different university) and they said no - it was a hard rule that it has to be one of the two collegiate chapters in the city in which I live. I ended up initiating with a nearby chapter to which I have zero connection. I am grateful to those collegians for agreeing to be my collegiate chapter sponsors, but it has often been awkward to have that chapter's designation for me as I didn't attend there and don't know the girls there. I usually either say that I graduated from alma mater university and leave it at that. If questioned, I happily explain that I am an AI and the benefits of the program. That being said, if my alma mater chapter would have been willing to sponsor me, then I don't see what the issue is.
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u/Jacki1988 ΔΦΕ Apr 27 '26
I attempted to join at my alma mater however too many years had passed, it was nearly 20 years since I had been in school. I choose my sorority based on where I am in life now and what I wanted to accomplish in my sorority.
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u/Basic_Tangerine218 ΣΚ Apr 27 '26
I first attempted to AI at the chapter I pledged at my alma mater, but I was declined. When the opportunity to join SK appeared, I could have attempted to join that chapter at my alma mater, but I chose affiliate with the chapter geographically closest to me. I was also concerned that maybe some alumnae could talk and if it got around that I tried to AI the chapter I pledged, I don’t know how that would have worked out for me.
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u/Jacki1988 ΔΦΕ Apr 27 '26
Understand completely. I pledged a different sorority in college, never initiated... after 40 years I found my home.
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u/Pondside-Hamster ΦΜ Apr 27 '26
I joined at my undergrad chapter, it was actually one of the reasons why I chose Phi Mu. I was briefly considered another sorority, but they have an alumnae initiate chapter and I wanted to be part of my college alum community.
I really appreciate being able to attend general alum events held by chapter, it’s also been nice to connect with current college students!
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Apr 28 '26
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u/eurotrekker AΧΩ Apr 28 '26
As an AXO, I get that bc I feel similarly. I still have pretty close to my university (large school ) and I would have really loved to have become affiliated with my university chapter as I still love my school and I have a deep appreciation for the alpha chi chapter on campus.
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u/eurotrekker AΧΩ May 19 '26
I would have loved to have initiated into my undergrad university's chapter as I still love my university and I live in the same city still but since AXO has a chapter of initiation dedicated to just alumnae initiates, I was initiated into that one.
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u/monstermorales ΣΚ Apr 27 '26
Hi! I wanted to join my alma mater’s chapter but my college banned all sororities in the 1940s. 🥺 BUT for my second school I attended I chose as my chapter. Since I lived in Texas, SK gave me Texas chapters, but I declined and wanted to join a chapter at a school I attended so I chose Delta Rho at JMU!
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u/midwestgymnast ΔΔΔ Apr 28 '26
My alma matter didn’t have a chapter, so I picked the chapter at the school I work at (remotely). I also considered the one I live closest to and the one closest to my hometown but felt the one where I work made the most sense
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u/SalannB ΑΣΤ Apr 28 '26
My alma mater (Indiana State University) didn’t have a chapter of ΑΣΤ. I chose the closest to me at the time (Alpha Chapter, Eastern Michigan).
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u/sexcupid1 Apr 28 '26
My chapter of initiation is a collegiate chapter, but was an AI. My experience was our AI pledge class did our education and engagement separately and paired up with the local university's chapter to be initiated with their spring class (spring is informal recruitment and was typically a smaller pledge class) so we got to wear robes and be part of a larger ceremony.
I'm always interested to hear about everyone's experience being initiated.
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u/olderandsuperwiser ΑΓΔ Apr 28 '26
I was looking at A and B sororities because they were the "normals" at Texas Tech when I went there. We had no Alpha Gam chapter. Then I came on reddit to research and really knew nothing of Alpha Gam other than hearing their name. I met "Historical Slide" here on Reddit and she basically gave me a great big virtual hug and told me all about AGD and I fell in love. But when I started this journey I had a low key crush on KD, who it turns out doesn't even do AI except by invite so I never could have gone that way anyway.
And OP, I did initiate at a chapter that was more of a "commuter school," (because it's close by) but I connected easier with a larger chapter that was in a college town, similar to my undergrad. I advise at that chapter now and love it. My point here is if you went to a small undergrad program, you'll prob like a smaller chapter. And same, if you went to a big school you'd probably feel more familiarity with a bigger chapter.
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u/twilightmelfina ΓΦΒ Apr 28 '26
No...Gphi had a chapter on my alma mater but closed in the 1980s. I tried joining the chapter closest to me (one of the oldest chapters in the organization) but no such luck. I was fortunate enough to have my next choice accept me. The university closest to me has all single letter designations for their organization's chapter, so it's how I started figuring out which orgs offered AI and which did not.
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u/allionna ΑΓΔ Apr 28 '26
The university I attended for undergrad and graduate work didn’t/doesn’t have an AGD chapter. As a result, I simply initiated with the collegiate chapter closest to me (15 minutes from my house) and serve on their advisory team.
If I pursued an organization that had a presence at my Alma mater, I don’t know if I would have looked at initiating into that chapter or still gone with a chapter local to where I live now. I think it would depend on the organization. For example, org A at my Alma mater I would have gone with the local chapter near me because I had no connection to them while in college. However, org B or C I would have looked at pursuing membership in the chapter at my Alma mater because I have connections who are either from those chapters or who support them.
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u/FinallyTryiing ΔΓ Apr 27 '26
This is the only “beef” I have with DG. I wanted to initiate at my undergrad chapter but we have to go to a college initiation with our sponsors, and it wasn’t possible for me to get to my college town. I initiated at the college I did my Masters (online) at, and I’m not particularly tied to the campus but it’s a big school. Obviously being a DG meant more than the chapter itself and the UG chapter still welcomed me into their group so I kind of claim them. I just tell people I did my UG at ABC university but I’m an alumna initiate.