WHAT'S A SINGLE PREFERENCE VOTE?
Single. Preference. Vote. Also, known as a suicide vote or SIP.
Will you be placed at the end of the bid day list? Short answer no.
Will you be automatically cut? Short answer no.
Will you have a disadvantage if you use this type of voting style? Short answer yes
I am going o break it all down for you.
Let’s get into everything you need to know about a single preference vote.
How a suicide vote works during sorority recruitment
At Pref, it is the first time you have voting options. You have two options.
Option #1. Vote on both of the sororities.
For this option, the order MATTERS. The sorority you place in the #1 spot is the sorority you want to join.
When you vote on both sororities, you are guaranteed a bid to one of the sororities.
If you receive your schedule for Pref and you only have one sorority on it, you are guaranteed a bid to that sorority if you vote.
Option #2. Vote ONLY on one of the sororities.
For this option, you visit two sororities. You intentionally only vote on one sorority.
You get to pick which option is the best decision for you.
Let’s talk about your options.
How voting works after Pref
After the sorority meets all the women they invite to a Pref ceremony, they vote on each woman and create a list. The list has every woman who attended the Pref ceremony on it from best to worst score.
Example. You attend a Pref ceremony for Alpha Alpha Alpha. Tri Alpha invited 80 women to Pref ceremonies.
#1. Name of the woman with the BEST score at Tri Alpha
#2. Name of the woman with the second-best score
.
.
.
#80. Name of the woman with the worst score at Tri Alpha
Then, Tri Alpha sends this list to Panhellenic.
Panhellenic determines quota. The quota is determined by the number of women who voted and signed the MRABA divided by the number of sororities on campus. For this example, let’s say the quota is 60.
Panhellenic goes through the top 60 scores on Tri Alpha. They are looking to see if the woman has put Tri Alpha in her #1 spot on her voting card.
Situation #1. You are in the #1 spot on Tri Alpha. You receive a bid! Yay!
Situation #2. You are in spot #61.
When Panhellenic goes through Tri Alpha’s list, the women in spots #1 to #5 have Delta Nu as their #1. Delta Nu has them in the top 60. These women all receive bids from Delta Nu.
Now, Tri Alpha has 5 spots AVAILABLE. Panhellenic looks at the women in spots #61 to #66. If you voted on BOTH sororities, you move up to the Bid Day list. You receive a bid from Tri Alpha.
Situation #3. You are in spots #67 to #80 and voted on both sororities. You RECEIVE a bid to your #2 choice.
When Panhellenic goes through Tri Alpha’s list, the women in spots #1 to #5 have Delta Nu as their #1. Delta Nu has them in the top 60. These women all receive bids from Delta Nu.
Now, Tri Alpha has 5 spots available. Panhellenic looks at the women in spots #61 to #65. They all want to join Tri Alpha. Since you are too far down on the list and guaranteed a bid, you receive a bid to your #2 choice, Delta Nu.
Situation #4. You are in spot #61 AND used a SUICIDE vote — only voted on Tri Alpha.
With a suicide vote, you HAVE to be in the top 60. If you are at #61 you are AUTOMATICALLY dropped from Tri Alpha. Panhellenic is required to penalize women who suicide vote by not allowing them to move up on the list. They are stuck in the position. Even if some of the women do not want to join Tri Alpha, Panhellenic skips over the women who used a suicide vote. Now, you are dropped from Tri Alpha and do not receive a bid.
A suicide vote is a dramatic voting style. It is very risky. It should ONLY be used if you absolutely cannot see yourself in the other sorority. You would rather NOT be in a sorority than the other sorority.
When considering a suicide vote, here are some questions to ask yourself.
How bad do you want to be in a sorority?
How upset would you be if you received a phone call that you were dropped from sorority recruitment?
Would you rather see your second choice on your bid day card OR get the phone call?
Do you think you are above quota?
If you could slightly see yourself in your second choice sorority, you want to vote on both of them. Again, a suicide vote is an extreme style of voting. IT SHOULD ONLY BE USED IF YOU ARE OKAY WITH NOT RECEIVING A BID.
If you are dropped from your #1 choice and you used a suicide vote, you can still join a sorority! Find out about all your options HERE.
When should you consider a Single Preference Vote?
If you say, “I like Tri Alpha. I just would rather be a Delta Nu”, you should vote on both sororities.
If you say, “I absolutely do not like Delta Nu. I would immediately drop. I would not go to bid day”, then you should consider a suicide vote. It should be a strong feeling, and you are okay with not being in a sorority.
As I said, this type of voting is risky!
This decision is hard to make. I recommend talking to your mom, sister, recruitment counselor, friend, or someone you are close with before you choose to go through with a single preference vote.
Why do the Panhellenic Members recommend maximizing your options after Pref?
The Panhellenic members want to see every potential new member join a sorority.
They want the best for you and every other potential new member.
Sometimes you think a sorority is not right for you, but maybe you have not met the right people yet. There is a reason the sorority is asking you back to Pref… they see you as a future member.
By maximizing your options, you are guaranteed a bid.
Scare Tactics.
When you are considering a single preference vote, the recruitment counselor may say something along the lines of, “If you do a single preference vote, you will automatically be dropped from sorority recruitment.”
If that was the case, wouldn’t you just be cut right then and there?
This is a FALSE statement. The sororities do not automatically drop you if you do a single preference vote.
My Experience.
I did a single preference vote.
Here is the backstory.
The morning of Pref I was excited. I had one sorority I LOVED. When I received my schedule for the day, I was devastated. The sorority I loved cut me. Automatically, I went into defense mode. I started to question everything. Do I belong in a sorority? Why did they drop me? Am I not pretty enough? What is wrong with me? I did not want to go to Pref. I wanted to drop right then and there, but my mom talked me off of the cliff. She told me to give the sororities one more chance. I took her advice and gave my final two sororities one more chance.
I went to the first sorority, and my experience was alright. I knew I was not the right fit. The member were so different than me.
Then, I went to my second sorority. I got paired with a girl, Anna, I had never talked to during sorority recruitment. It was the first time during sorority recruitment that I felt comfortable. She just got me. She understood my experience. She understood who I was and what I wanted in a sorority. All the dots seemed to connect. I really felt like I was home. I did not have to impress anyone. I was authentically me.
When it came time to vote, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I had nothing against the first sorority I visited. I did not click with the members. It did not feel like home. I knew if I joined I had a high possibility of dropping. I could not bring myself to vote on them.
I do want to make one thing clear. It worked out for me, but it does N O T work out for every potential new member.
Good luck with sorority recruitment! I am rooting for you!
Sloan
You have a math test in two weeks that is worth 90% of your grade for the class. You want to get an A. You are looking for guidance on how to get your A.
First, you ask a friend, not in your math class, “How do I get an A+ on my test?” She says, “You need to study.” This answer leaves you frustrated.
Then, you ask your teacher, “How do I get an A+ on my test?” She gives you a step-by-step plan.
Who was more helpful?
Your teacher, right?
To get an A, you need to know the right information and have a step-by-step plan.
To get a bid to a sorority you love, you have to communicate you are the right fit for the sorority before and during sorority recruitment. A step-by-step plan tells you how and when to communicate.
BUT… why do so many women going through sorority recruitment ONLY use the advice they find on Youtube and TikTok? Does it help them stand out and get a bid?
Click the video below to see how The Ultimate Guide to Sorority Recruitment can help you create and implement your plan.