PrettyinPeony's Fall '08 Rush
 

Hey!
So as recruitment season is coming around again, I've had time to reflect upon my own recruitment experience and the lessons I've learned from it. Hope y'all enjoy it! :)
I attend a large University where Greek life is not the norm but is still thriving. My school is very active socially so the people who join the Greek system do so not because they want a social life in college but because they are interested in what the Greek system has to offer.

When I entered school in Fall '07, I had no intention of rushing. However, my roommate convinced me and my other roommate to go with her to the info meeting. I decided to go through rush with both of them, however I dropped out before Pref night. I felt overwhelmed by the whole recruitment process and my boyfriend at that time was not supportive of me rushing. I soon regretted my decision after getting to know more about what greek life was all about and meeting some more sorority girls so I decided to go back through rush in '08!

My school has 10 sororities and because I grew up on a farm, I'm going to use vegetables!

Tomatoes
Carrots
Artichokes
Spinach
Potatoes
Eggplants
Lettuce
Mushrooms
Squash
Cucumbers

Now, I'm really sorry to not get to finish this post but this took longer than anticipated and I have to run!:eek:

Can't wait to hear your story!

Ok back! :)
So from being on campus for a year, plus going through the first round of recruitment I knew a few things about each house:

Tomatoes- Tomatoes were generally accepted to be 'the best' house on campus. I had gone to one of their Open Houses in spring. At the house I had met this really great girl, we'll call her Anna. She was on the Exec board of the sorority as well as Student Government. She seemed really down to earth and not at all like the rep that the house had for being snooty. I was definitely excited to see what Tomatoes had to offer.

Carrots- I didn't know much about Carrots. I had liked their house when I had visited last year but I didn't have any strong feelings really one way or another about them.

Artichokes- I didn't know much about the Artichokes either. I knew that they had the highest GPA of any sorority pretty consistently which was pretty important to me because I'm looking to go to Med school and I felt like I could connect better with girls who understood how important school was to me. My old roommate had pref'd this house last year but had listed it second because she had heard rumors about a 'party' reputation. I wasn't going to hold much truth to these rumors, it seemed unlikely that the house with the highest GPA would be a 'party' house.

Spinach- Spinach was the smallest house on campus. I had a friend who had pledged there but dropped out because she felt that girls there had been nasty to her. I really didn't want to get this house.

Potatoes- I didn't know much about Potatoes. They were a fairly new chapter, and I didn't know anyone in the house.

Eggplants- I had really liked the Eggplants when I rushed last year. They seemed like really classy, well put together women and I loved their philanthropy. I was really excited to go to Eggplants.

Lettuce- Lettuce had been one of my favorite houses the year before. They were also considered one of 'the best' houses on campus. However, they had had a scandal with one of their members involving drugs the year before. I wasn't going to let one bad apple ruin the bunch, however. I was definitely excited to learn more about Lettuce.

Mushrooms- My previous roommate had pledged them last year, though she had not been very active in the sorority. We had had a big fight in the Winter and I moved out. I had found her an extremely vain person who cared more about this sorority's prestigious status than connecting with girls in it. I pretty much ruled out this house because even if I did like it, we disliked each other enough that I'm sure she would never allow me to join her sorority.

Squash- I knew a couple girls in squash through my new roommate and a couple from around campus. I liked the ones I knew from around campus, but the one's a knew through my roommate really rubbed me the wrong way. They had been very rude when they came over to our house during the summer. I had apprehensions about this sorority.

Cucumbers- I knew a lot of girls in Cucumbers and I liked them all. They had had a reputation as a 'lower tier' house but were working hard to turn that around. They were generally respected as an up and coming house.

Though I realize now I should have given more of a chance to other houses I really had my heart set on Lettuce, Eggplant and Tomatoes.

1st Day Rounds
 

Tomatoes- I was really excited to go to Tomatoes. When I got there the first girl I talked to was stunningly beautiful and talkative, we talked about school and studying abroad. The next girl I talked to I knew through one of my housemates. They had gone to high school together and had disliked each other rather strongly. She recognized me as her housemate and didn't seem very interested in talking to me. I tried to surreptitiously look for Anna but it was a big house and she was a small person so I didn't see her. A couple other girls that I knew said hi to me. I left the house feeling disappointed. They were the most selective house on campus, so I knew with a sinking feeling that I was probably going to be cut.

Carrots- Carrots seemed like a nice house. They came late in the day so I was pretty tired though. The house had high ceilings which amplified the noise. It was really hard to hear what the girls were saying to me so the conversation was not as smooth as it could've been.

Artichokes- The Artichokes had a choreographed routine for when they opened the door. It was very synchronized and all the girls were impressed and a little scared I think. I met some pretty, pleasant girls here. One of them talked about how being in a sorority helped her become less shy. I've always been a little shy myself so I felt like we connected pretty well. I liked the Artichokes but I wasn't in love with them.

Spinach- I was double rushed here. The rusher kept asking odd questions like which Harry Potter character would you most like to be? I didn't feel right her but I talked and was friendly because the girls seemed nice enough.

Potatoes- I was double rushed here too. Their house was gorgeous, we sat outside in their patio under wisteria. I had some unmemorable conversations here, but all the girls seemed sweet and I enjoyed my time there.

Eggplants- I had really high expectations for Eggplants but they weren't fully realized. I had good, but not great conversations with the girls here. I still really though that I could fit here despite it.

Lettuce- Lettuce had a very impressive display when they opened their doors. They had all the girls arranged on the staircase to meet PNMS and it seemed like 90% of them were blonde and tan. I talked to a beautiful brunette girl, however. She was very animated, I could hardly get a word in edgewise. I talked to another couple girls about studying abroad and clicked with one of them. Despite feeling like I would be one of 3 brunettes in the entire house, I liked the house a lot.

Mushrooms- I was dreading going to this house and running into my old roommate. Thankfully, I didn't see her. I really liked the girls in this house. I was surprised my old roommate was in this house. Afterwards I was hoping to be asked back despite my ex-roommate.

Squash- The conversation felt very awkward and strained at this house though I'm not exactly sure why. They seemed a little aloof. The only notes I took were 'nice girls, but probably not the house for me?'

Cucumbers- I had some good conversations at the cucumbers, though I didn't see anyone that I knew.


At the end of the first round I ranked my houses:

Tomatoes
Eggplants
Lettuce
Mushrooms
Artichokes
Carrots
Cucumbers
Squash
Potatoes
Spinach

I have an idea which school this is but I'm probably way off! love the story though :)

Loving this story! And loving the names. =)

I woke up early that morning and went to the lecture hall where our Ro Chi's handed out our schedules.We could return to a maximum of seven houses that day, though the average was generally five or six. My card read:

Break/Break/Spinach/Artichokes/Break/Carrots/Potatoes/Cucumbers/Break

I was in shock. Almost all of my favorite houses had cut me. Out of all the sororities only half wanted me back. I understood that as a sophomore it was considerably more difficult to get a bid, but I had only spent 5 minutes with some of these girls. How could they have already decided that I wouldn't make a good sister?
Everyone else headed off to their next party or into the lecture hall to chat with their friends. I wandered away from the groups of happy, excited girls feeling down. I called my mom in a secluded corner and started crying to her on the phone. Though I did like a few of the houses I had on the list it hurt that so many of them had dropped me after just one day. I thought, if it's this hard to get asked back after the first day I should just drop out now and save myself the effort. I had plenty of other things going on in my life, maybe a sorority just wasn't for me?
I finished talking to my mom and still sniffling started to walk home. I'd given up. However, before I made it ten feet I ran into my Ro Chi. Seeing that I was upset she stopped and talked to me. I showed her my list of houses and explained that I wanted to drop out. She immediately sat me down and tried to convince me to stay. She told me there were a couple houses on that list that she really thought would be the best places for me in the Greek system. I told her that I did like a few, but I felt so discouraged that they would just cut me too. We sat and talked for over a half hour. She was Pre-Med just like me so she had a lot of experiences to share. She told me that some of the houses that had cut me, though I had initially liked them, had very few science majors and were probably not a good fit for me. She made me promise that I would at least go through this day before I decided to drop out. Feeling better after our talk, I agreed and headed home to redo my makeup and freshen up.

Spinach- At Spinach I was double rushed again. The active who showed me around the house was fairly quiet, so I chatted quite a bit to make up for it. Their house was small and not very well lit but cute.

Potatoes- The Potatoes had an exceptionally beautiful house. They had apartment style living with dining rooms, living rooms and everything! I worried however with their own apartments that these girls might not get to know each other that well. The girl I talked to was sweet, but the conversation was pretty standard. I mostly complemented her a lot on their house.

Cucumbers- I liked the first girl I talked to at Squash. She showed me around all the different rooms. This house was smaller and cramped but all the rooms had really cute themes like Paris, or Flowers, etc. She then handed me off to another girl and we settled down to talk. Unfortunately I had very little in common with her and neither of us were stellar conversationalists so there was a lot of awkward pauses. Though I liked some girls in his house, I couldn't see myself being in this house.

Artichokes- I had liked this house yesterday but they hadn't made a lasting impression on me, but I was eager to get to know them better. They had a huge, beautiful house with a garden out back and were all wearing the most adorable color combination! I spent most of my time with a girl I'll call Susan. She was really bubbly and warm and I liked her a lot. She looked very familiar but I couldn't place from where. We talked and found out our hometowns were right next to each other! That's when I realized she was the older sister of a good friend from home! I had always heard about the older sister who went to this university but I had never actually met her. We had a really great talk. I left feeling glad that I had no dropped out, maybe things were for the best?

Carrots- At carrots I was paired up with a funny, likable girl. She was the only girl in her house wearing high waisted shorts and I was the only girl in my rush group wearing a high waisted skirt so it was a bit funny when she called my name. The Carrots had the biggest house on campus, which was nice but also felt a bit too much like a dormitory for my taste. I was glad that I had stuck it out, I liked Carrots too!

After my second day I ranked the houses

Artichokes
Carrots
Cucumbers
Potatoes
Spinach

More please!

Aww this is really good! Please post more soon!

I'm so glad you decided to stick it out (whether or not this is "live" or not).

I'm now rooting for artichokes.

Ok! The next day we were allowed to visit a maximum of four houses. I got my schedule back and it read:

Break/Spinach/Break/Carrots/Break/Artichokes

I was really happy to get asked back to my two favorite houses! I was really glad my Ro Chi had convinced me to stay and was excited to learn more about Carrots and Artichokes.

Spinach- At Spinach I was finally not double rushed. The girl I talked to was sweet but not very loquacious. They had a Hawaiian theme which was cute. I asked a lot about their philanthropy and involvement in other house's philanthropies. The girl said because it was such a small house they didn't participate in many which disappointed me. The girls in Spinach seemed sweet, but I couldn't really see myself being happy here.

Carrots- The Carrots had a Mardi Gras theme which was really well done. I talked to a girl who seemed like she was half asleep. It was hard to keep the conversation rolling. Girls from the sorority stood up and gave speeches about what Carrots meant to them. This would have been nice, except some of them were so far away it was hard to hear them. After leaving Carrots, I still liked them but felt like I hadn't made a connection with the girls as well as I had the day before.

Artichokes- Artichokes had a French theme which was really adorable. Some girls even learned little french phrases to say to welcome you into the house. I had just lived in France last summer so I was particularly enchanted by their theme. I sat in the back yard and chatted with a funny down to earth girl. I felt really comfortable there. I remembered my Ro Chi telling us on the first day that if we didn't think that we would be comfortable walking into the house with no makeup and sweats that the house probably wasn't for us. As I talked to the girls I saw what she meant, although I had really liked some of the houses that I had been cut from I really couldn't see myself there on a bad day. In Artichokes I felt like I could really be comfortable no matter what.

I ranked my houses for Pref Night:
Artichokes
Carrots
Spinach

I'm enjoying your story! Love that you are posting it pretty quickly, it makes it easier to keep up.

And - btw, good SAT word - loquacious

PrettyinPeony- I think I'm addicted to your story. You're a great storyteller, please continue!

Pref Night!
 

I was really nervous for Pref Night, what if I didn't get asked back to any of the houses? What if I was left standing in my adorable red dress with no where to go? My Ro Chi started handing out the pref cards and mine read:

Break/Spinach/Artichokes

I was so excited that I was asked back to Artichokes! I was a little sad that Carrots hadn't asked me back, but I hadn't felt a connection with the girls I had talked to the night before.

Spinach- I talked to a girl i had never talked to before. She was nice and tried really hard to convince me that Spinach was the place for me, but I wasn't really feeling it. Then they had a ceremony where we all stood in a circle and some girls told stories about their sisterhood. I was wearing my most uncomfortable high heels so standing for fifteen minutes wasn't exactly high on my to do list. Then we all put a rhinestone in a jar. By the end of that party me feet ached and i felt fairly certain that I didn't want that house.

Artichokes- I was really nervous for the Artichokes. I saw a girl I knew from one of my classes last year who I liked outside. We chatted for a couple minutes while we were waiting, I was happy to see her there. She was a cool girl who I could definitely picture being my sister. I was preffed by the same girl I had liked talking to the day before. We had 'fake champagne' (aka Martinelli's) and chocolate covered strawberries. Each PNM got a box with a pendant with Artichoke's letters inside to be picked up at bid day tomorrow. She asked me how I was liking rush, and I told her how much I loved the house and how nervous I was. She told me that I shouldn't worry about anything which was a relief. We had some good conversations about random subjects and then a bell rang and we were all called inside for a ceremony. We all got to sit down (thank god!) this time. The sisters went around and said something nice about each one of us, and then we put a flower in a vase. It was a really nice ceremony and made me feel really special that they had taken the time to make a little speech about us. I left the house feeling excited to fill out my bid card.

My Bid card Read:
Artichokes
Spinach

Bid Day
 

I woke up really early on Bid Day, I was so nervous! I must have been one of the first girls to the spot where they were handing out bids. My Ro Chi was there and she told me how happy she was that I had stuck out the process. I agreed with her, I really wanted a bid to Artichokes. After what seemed like days everyone was assembled and they began handing out bid cards. We waited until everyone in my group had their cards and then ripped them open. My Card Read:

ARTICHOKES! (Alpha Delta Pi!)

I was so happy! I ran over to where all my new sisters were gathered and we watched as our Ro Chis revealed themselves. My Ro Chi was a Squash which I had guessed all along.
We ran over to our new house where the actives greeted us with cheering and yelling and finally real food. We spent the day together learning cheers, going swimming, and getting to know each other. I was really happy I stuck it out as there was no doubt in my mind that this was the perfect house for me! :)
Now almost a year has passed and I'm just so happy that my Ro Chi refused to let me get discouraged and drop out! I love my sisters and am so excited to meet the next back of Artichokes who will be coming soon! :)