Will it be too difficult for me to participate in recruitment so far from home?
 

I am planning on participating in formal recruitment at the UW-Seattle this fall. I'm from Tennessee, and I'm looking forward to joining a sorority for many reasons, but especially for a home away from home. My one worry is recruitment. The more I read about recruitment, the more problems with my situation I see. Recruitment at UW is 2 weeks (I think...) before school starts, and at the end of the week, you move right into your chapter house. Here are a few of my concerns, and anything you could say to ease my anxiety would be appreciated. :)
1. Would it be smarter to wait and buy my sheets, storage, etc. when I get up to Washington since I don't know how much space I'll have, living arrangements, etc? I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not.
2. If I'm not rushed, I will have to live in temporary housing the first semester. I'm afraid this could altar my college experience. What do you think of this?
3. Unlike the majority of the girls rushing at UW (I would assume), I don't live anywhere near within driving distance of the campus obviously. Since I'll be living out of a suitcase, or whatever I can dig out of boxes in the trunk of my car, will I be at a disadvantage? I looked at the recruitment week dress code, so I will be able to plan out outfits, but I'm worried there will be some sort of dress code I'm unprepared for.
Any other experiences you or your sisters have had living in a sorority house far from home would be appreciated SO MUCH! Thank you!

Are you sure you have that right about moving into the sorority right after recruitment? It seems like it would be very difficult to have so many students' housing plans up in the air, depending on whether or not they joined a sorority...no matter whether they're local or from far away.

That is what I interpreted the text under "Bid Day" to mean here: http://www.uwpanhellenic.com/join/formalrecruitment.php

Yes, all new members move in immediately. Everyone lives in at UW. Most of the houses utilize sleeping porches, at least for freshmen. From what I understand, UW lets women who sign up for dorms out of their housing contracts if they pledge.

OP, there will be many women rushing who are from out of state or at least from out of the area. You won't be the only one on her own. After you celebrate on bid day with your new sisters and bring your belongings over in your car, they can help you carry it up into the house. I think you can safely assume you'll need twin bedding, towels, toiletries, clothes, etc. no matter whether you're in a house or dorm. Either way you won't have a lot of personal space, so I wouldn't plan on bringing a lot of extras. It's been my experience that most women bring waaaaay too much stuff with them to college. I know in my case I only wore a fraction of the clothes I brought, and they became a burden.

Give the FAQ on that site a thorough read. Some of your questions are answered there.

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That sounds awesome!

in 2008, my daughter got on a plane to Seattle with one suitcase and one carry-on for Recruitment. At that time you were required to sign-up for housing and then had to cancel if you joined a sorority. ($50 fee for cancelling). She was scheduled for temporary housing anyway, so this is an improvement in that you don't have to lose the $50. At that time, she did not have to provide her own sheets and towels for the recruitment housing.

From what you said about your trunk, are you taking your car with you or are you talking about a clothes trunk? If you have a car, you can easily drive to a mall to get the things you need. Be sure you are there in time to buy what you need. During the actual recruitment time you will probably be too tired to run out for anything, because it is exhausting.

If you don't have a car, there are some shops walking distance at the University Village, but for bedding you would have a choice between Crate and Barrel and Pottery Barn. No walking to Bed, Bath and Beyond, Target etc, but maybe you can make friends with someone who does have a car.

My daughter was able to survive recruitment week and the next week on what she brought with her. Once she was a new member, she went shopping with her new sisters for her pledging dress (even though she had a new white dress with her). We then drove up from California, on Friday for presentation with the rest of her things (and yes she brought too much). You could have your things ready to be shipped and call your parents with your new shipping address once you know where you will live (sorority or not). Since she didn't have sheets or towels that first week in the sorority house, she was able to borrow things from people who lived nearby. But you will need them before then, so you will have to decide if it is worth the extra suitcase space and fees or the price of an upscale shopping center. Comforters and pillows take up a lot of space in a suitcase, you might want to bring a towel, washcloth and sheets and get the other things in Seattle.

Good luck to you, I hope you decide to go through recruitment. It was certainly a wonderful thing for my daughter to find a home, when she was so far away and didn't know anyone. My daughter will be graduating this June after four fabulous years at UW.

DoubleRose

OK you did say car. Get there early and find someone who wants to go shopping. They can point you to the mall.

I read the FAQ, I just wanted to hear some opinions or stories similar to my situation.
Thank you DoubleRose! That's very reassuring for me. I'm actually flying, and then my parents are driving my car up on a "mini-vacation" road trip kind of thing, then they'll fly back. Once again, you have eased a lot of my anxiety! I'm not a nervous person (or I wouldn't be moving 2,000 miles from home), but this has had me thinking. I'm so excited, and AGAIN, thank you so much everyone!

Oh, and I have one more question. This one isn't as "important", but is it safe to assume I should buy one solid black dress and one solid white one to bring? I know it's a silly, unimportant question, but my cousin recommended it because she said that her sorority and some that her friends are in consider this "basic dress" for many ceremonies or activities they do as a group.

Well, you never go wrong with those in your closet anyway....

Certainly wouldn't be a bad idea to have those in your wardrobe.

It's never bad to have a little black dress. We used them for chapter, recruitment, pinnings... the list goes on. Many organizations do use white dresses for things. It wouldn't hurt to have both. Better to find a white dress now when they are easier to find then in the fall when they are few and far between.

Since women move into the chapter facility on Bid Day at Idaho, they don't sign housing contracts. However, women who do not accept or receive bids are found a place to live on campus as all freshmen are required to live on campus, which includes Greek housing. All of the women's facilities (except Delta Zeta as they are living in a dorm while their house is being built) have sleeping porches.

I think there are more sightings of Sasquatch or a Boise State graduate than there are white dresses for sale. tngirl01, you are wise to bring a white dress with you as finding appropriate white dresses in the Pacific Northwest is often difficult between Memorial and Labor Day. At least you'll be in Seattle where there is shopping if what you have doesn't fit the chapter requirements. It also may not be a bad idea to have comfortable white shoes as well.

Oh, and don't forget to pack or procure rain gear, even for recruitment. In 2010 it was raining and averaging 90% humidity, and in 2011 day one was 80 degrees and bid day was 60 and it was raining. In general you may feel colder since the humidity is constant due to weather patterns and being on Puget Sound. Also, you may be able to drive in winter weather, but trust me on this, just don't do it in Seattle. There will be freeze, thaw, repeat, and black ice on hills, and in some low lying areas, flooding.

Sorry, that's just needs to be repeated. Winter driving in the PNW sucks.

Also umbrella. I forgot to bring mine to recruitment and looked like a drowned rat the first day.

Buy both a black dress and a white dress. Both should be JUST black or white - no colored trim, no cutouts, covering the shoulders, no strapless or spaghetti strap, not too short or tight. If you are the superstitious sort, leave the tags on them until you need them.