Lord of the Recruitment
 

Hello everyone! Former lurker and current new member here! I have read through GreekChat before for recruitment tips and I am excited to finally be able to share my own recruitment story. I am currently a new member of a to-be-revealed sorority at a large university on the east coast. Since I recently watched Lord of the Rings for the first time (fifteen years late, I know) I will be codenaming each sorority after a LOTR character. Like The Lord of the Rings, this tale will be a trilogy. I have the entire saga typed up and will post the next installment as soon as I am able.

The Fellowship of the Recruitment (Fall 2014)

I came into my freshman year wanting to be Greek. However, I didn’t really know what sorority life entailed beyond having a lot of friends and going to formal (which looked to me like prom 2.0). Neither of my parents were Greek, so I didn’t know much about the recruitment process. Luckily, my campus is not a recs-or-die atmosphere, because I didn’t even know what a rec was, let alone how to get one. However, I did know my grandmother was a member of a sorority that had a chapter on my campus, so I went into recruitment thinking I would join her chapter.

When recruitment rolled around, I picked up my Panhellenic t-shirt and met my Gamma Chi group. At my school, it is common for sophomores to go through recruitment, so my group was about two-thirds freshmen and one-third sophomores. I don’t remember in which order we visited the houses after the first one, so I’ll list them in alphabetical order (by character).

The girls at Aragorn were very friendly and easy to talk to. They wore bright neon tanks and had a sporty theme, and their chant was ridiculously catchy. I was slightly intimidated by them because they were all beautiful and I had heard they were one of the more popular sororities. While I felt welcomed, I didn’t think I would fit in with a “popular” sorority.

Some girls from Bilbo told us about their sorority at kickoff and talked to PNMs between parties. Bilbo is a religious interest sorority that does not participate in formal recruitment, instead holding a separate recruitment the week after Panhellenic recruitment ends.

At Elrond, I talked to one girl the entire time, which I enjoyed since we got past the basic name, hometown, and major questions. The active to whom I spoke was going to study abroad that semester, which was interesting to me since I wanted to study abroad during my time in college too. Elrond had a pretty house and their letters were worked into the outside of the house, which I thought looked really cool. I had a good feeling about this chapter and thought I could see myself here.

The first chapter I visited was Frodo. When we were standing outside waiting to go in, I was nervous and wasn’t sure what to expect. All of a sudden, loud shouting came from the house and the blinds flew up to reveal members pounding on the windows. I was honestly intimidated. Is this what being in a sorority will be like? I wondered. A lot of girls from my hometown joined this sorority, and I knew a girl from my high school who was a few years older than me had joined Frodo. They had the highest GPA almost every year and were known for having a lot of members with a prestigious academic scholarship. Their first round theme was baseball, telling us that Frodo girls were in a league of their own.

My first thought was that Galadriel’s house looked like two put together. This house was wide where most of the other houses were deep. They had a catchy song and a farm theme, which was actually pretty cute. However, the conversation didn’t flow as well and there were two PNMs to one active, so I didn’t feel like I got to talk as much as I wanted. I didn’t think I would fit in at Galadriel, but I also hadn’t had much of a chance to learn more about them.

Gandalf had a cute song (which went along with their “Fly with Gandalf” theme) but it was VERY loud in a small space, and a little intimidating, since there were girls in front of us singing as well as a second group to our left, creating almost a surround-sound effect. There were some awkward pauses and the girls were not as easy to talk to as at some of the other houses. Every active I saw was beautiful and looked perfect, and I decided I would not fit in here.

Gimli had an extraordinarily catchy door song (that I still remember to this day). They are known for being humble and laidback and are considered the “girl-next-door” chapter. They had a circus theme to tell us that they were “The Greatest Sorority on Earth.” They didn’t make much of an impression on me, but I wouldn’t mind returning.

Legolas was the biggest chapter on campus and also the chapter of one of my friends from high school. They were very nice and put-together and I enjoyed talking to these girls. I remember I sat on a pillow on the floor while the actives kneeled in front of me and I felt bad that they didn’t get pillows! Legolas is known for having a lot of members on the cheer and dance teams. I had a good time and would have liked to return.

At Merry I was double rushed, just like I had been at Galadriel. Here, I didn’t have to compete as much for time with the other PNM, but there were a few awkward pauses. I saw one of my teammates from high school as I was leaving, and it was reassuring to see a familiar face. They had an under-the-sea open house theme.

The girls at Pippin were super sweet. They had a cute song and a sunflower theme (“It’s Always Sunny with Pippin”), and I even spotted a girl who was in one of my classes! The actives with whom I was paired were friendly and easy to talk to. This house was farther away from the other houses, which a lot of other PNMs didn’t really like. I thought they were okay but didn’t feel strongly either way.

I was excited to go to Sam because they are my legacy sorority! I had high hopes for them and they did not disappoint. They were so easy to talk to, and I even recognized an OL (orientation leader)! I definitely liked this chapter and would be excited to return.

At the end of the second day of round one, I was exhausted. I was taking seventeen credit hours and was still adjusting to college. As much as I liked some chapters and all the girls I had met, I was getting really stressed out even only going through round one. I liked the girls I had met and thought they would all be good friends and great sisters, but I didn’t think I was cut out for a sorority and I didn’t want to potentially take a spot from a girl who would be more energetic and more committed than I could be. I told my Gamma Chis that I would not be continuing with formal recruitment.

Here's the second installment, I plan to have the conclusion up after I finish classes this afternoon!

The Colony Recruitment (Fall 2015)

As my freshman year went on, I saw my friends enjoying their sorority experience and got to talk to them about what it was really like. By spring, I decided I wanted to give sorority life another shot. I remembered how overwhelming formal recruitment was, though, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to do that again. Luckily, a new sorority, Boromir, was colonizing on my campus in the fall, so I would have the opportunity to go Greek without going through formal recruitment again. I started looking into the sorority and got more and more excited the more I learned. Being a charter member sounded like an amazing experience!

After spring break a few colonization representatives visited campus. I loved talking to them and going to an informational session sold me even more on Boromir and the colonization process. We were given buttons and other small trinkets for publicity purposes and I was so proud to display my support of the new sorority. I was so sure it would be my home!

Over the summer I got more and more excited for the colonization process. I filled out a colonization recruitment application almost as soon as they were available, signed up for my interview, and started preparing for the process. It was suggested that we obtain recs from members of Greek life on our campus, so I got four, from friends in Bilbo, Elrond, Legolas, and a special interest sorority. I also exchanged emails with a member of the local alumnae chapter to learn what the Boromir active and alumna experience was like.

By the time fall finally arrived, I could hardly wait for colonization to begin. I met new colonization representatives, including the ones who would be staying to help the colony get on its feet. They were happy to see how excited I was about the colony and were more than willing to answer my questions.

I was so excited when the colonization process finally started! The first event was an informational session similar to the one I had attended in the spring but with a little more information. The next event focused on the sorts of events the colony would put together and planning an ideal month for the colony. A couple days after that, I had my interview. I shared how excited I was to participate in this experience and how being a charter member was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I didn’t want to pass up. I was awed to discover my interviewer was a former president of the entire sorority and happy when she told me she was impressed by the research I’d done on both Boromir and the colonization process. I made sure to mention how much I wanted to be a part of a strong sisterhood and participate in something that would last beyond my college years.

I left the interview thinking it went well. I thought I had really connected with my interviewer and the colonization representatives knew me well enough to call me by name when they saw me. I had to wait a couple of days for the email regarding the next event, but I got it the night before the first invitational event was to take place.

I opened it and as soon as I saw the word “Unfortunately…” my heart sank. I was in shock. I didn’t understand where I had gone wrong. I felt kind of numb about it until a few days later, when the girls who were invited to pref night were surprised with their bids. I saw girls I knew start to post pictures with their new letters, and that was when I finally cried. What did they have that I didn’t? Were they more charismatic? Were they prettier? Did they have better recommendations? Obviously, I will never know why I wasn’t selected. Looking back, I know it was for the best. I do better with a lot of structure, and I’m not sure I would have been able to handle establishing that structure myself. Besides, this rejection led me farther down the path to my true home. At the time, however, I didn’t know that. As a sophomore, I thought I had missed out on my chance to be in a sorority. I was convinced I would never have letters to call my own.

We know your story ends with a bid, so looking forward to the next post!

Here it is, the final installment!

The Return of the Recruitment (Spring 2016)

During first semester, I made several new friends in my classes. Surprisingly, a number of them were all in the same sorority, Pippin. When I mentioned in passing that I wished I’d stuck with formal recruitment, I was encouraged to check out informal recruitment.

When second semester started, I went to a recruitment information session. Each chapter’s president and recruitment chair shared a little bit about their sororities, and Panhellenic officers talked about recruitment in general. We could then walk around the room and speak with representatives from each chapter. Some of the chapters weren’t openly taking new members, but Bilbo held a structured recruitment every semester, Boromir had been taking COB girls throughout the semester and would be taking spring girls, Merry handed out a schedule of their spring recruitment events, and Elrond, Sam, and Pippin had sign-up sheets and said they would be having informal COB events for the few open spots they had.

Merry’s events started almost immediately, so I went to their events so I could figure out which sorority was the best fit for me. I was emailed about Bilbo’s events but decided against pursuing them, and I already knew Boromir wasn’t a good fit so I didn’t inquire further about them. I did reach out to one of my Pippin friends, who said she’d talk to their recruitment chair regarding any of their upcoming COB events. In the meantime, I continued going to Merry’s events. They were very nice girls, but I didn’t feel like I quite clicked with them. I knew I could be happy with them, but I felt like something was missing.

Then I got an email from Pippin’s recruitment chair inviting me to dinner. As soon as I sat down, all these girls I didn’t know started talking to me like they’d known me forever, and it wasn’t overwhelming at all, it felt welcoming. It felt like home. One planned event was canceled due to snow, so I went to lunch the following week to talk about the logistics of being in a sorority. It didn’t feel formal at all, it felt like I was just talking to a friend. As much as I had liked the Merry girls, I knew Pippin was my home. I felt like I belonged. I wasn’t just similar to the sisters of Pippin, they were the sort of woman I aspired to be. So the day after the lunch, when I was spending time with some of my friends and happened to check my email to see the heading “Welcome to Pippin…” I gasped (rather loudly) and started shaking slightly. I couldn’t believe I had finally found my home. Almost immediately, I responded in the affirmative. After I accepted my bid, I had to wait out the weekend before I signed the paperwork and was officially given my bid card (which I’ve since framed).

It's been a few weeks since I officially joined and I still can’t quite believe it’s all real. When I walk to the house for lunch and dinner, it still feels unreal to look at the letters over the door and know I can call them mine. I’m constantly awed by and honored to be a part of Pippin’s rich national and local history. Incidentally, Pippin and my legacy sorority, Sam, were founded on the same college campus, which gave me a neat link to my grandmother. My new sisters are all incredibly welcoming and I know I found the perfect sisterhood. Since I joined through COB, my pledge class is very small, but that has enabled us to get closer quicker.

Even though neither of my parents were Greek, they knew how much this meant to me and were excited for me. The best part, though, was getting to call my grandmother and tell her I was a brand new Pippin. She knew how I was feeling, said she was sure I would enjoy my sorority experience as much as she had, and even told me about her friends who were Pippins.

So who were the women I aspired to be? Well, recently I’ve found myself drawn towards things decorated with the owl, the key, and the fleur-de-lis, because I’m so happy that I amma…



Kappa Kappa Gamma!

Congratulations and thanks for sharing your story...so glad you found your home!

And thanks for doing it so quickly.

Enjoy your collegiate college experience and stay involved as an alumna...sounds like you have done your homework and understand that your membership is for a lifetime!

So thrilled to hear you finally found your home! Congratulations!

A small update: I was just initiated this morning and am so happy to officially be a sister. I can't believe I found such a perfect sisterhood that I will be a part of for the rest of my life. I definitely got a little teary-eyed this morning but they were very happy tears. Going Kappa was one of the best decisions of my life and I am so proud to wear the golden key!

Congratulations!!!!

Congratulations!

If there's a "stock" way one should ideally feel after pledging and initiation, then you've just perfectly described it. May your zest and passion for Kappa extend past college, and you continue your involvement and share that spirit with both alumnae and collegiate sisters.

Congratulations on your initiation!

"And in the years after, with tears or with laughter, we'll always remember, those dear Kappa days."

Yay Kappa!