A Texas A&M Sorority Recruitment Story
 

A little bit about me: I'm a college freshman who has finished up her first semester at Texas A&M University and is obsessed with Aggieland (I was about to decide against listing my school, but knew GCers would be able to figure it out anyways). I went through recruitment earlier this year and decided against posting my story live. Since I'm home for Winter break and am completely stress-free because I already took my final exams for the fall, I decided to take some time to sit down and post my own story! I won't be revealing my sorority affiliation (if any) at the end, so please don't comment or PM me asking!

I'm also the first to go through recruitment in my family!

The twelve sororities on campus, in alphabetical order, are as follows:

Alpha Chi Omega
Alpha Delta Pi
Chi Omega
Delta Delta Delta
Delta Gamma
Delta Zeta
Gamma Phi Beta
Kappa Alpha Theta
Kappa Delta
Kappa Kappa Gamma
Pi Beta Phi
Zeta Tau Alpha

They will be named after any Southern sorority girl's wardrobe essentials, in no particular order:

Northface
Ralph Lauren
David Yurman
Lilly Pulitzer
Southern Tide
Louis Vuitton
Burberry
Vera Bradley
Lacoste
Nike
Vineyard Vines
Brooks Brothers

Let's begin!

The day before recruitment, about 900 other girls and I met in an auditorium in one of the main buildings on campus to learn more about the recruitment process. We were told that we were the largest group to ever come through Panhellenic recruitment in the history of Texas A&M. After standing in a seemingly endless line to pick up our t-shirts for the first day of rush tomorrow, receive a Rho Gamma group number and chatting with other girls who were just an anxious to begin the process as I was, I finally got to sit down in my seat in the auditorium. My group met with our three Rho Gammas, who were very friendly and eager to answer all our questions about recruitment. I recall not being able to sleep that night because I was so excited to begin the process of finding my home away from home. Since I was a freshman in high school, I had known that I wanted to be in a sorority; the strong bonds of sisterhood and idea of having literally hundreds of sisters to turn to in times of both happiness and struggle appealed to me more than anything. And the day I was accepted to my university, I began wondering which of the twelve chapters I would be a part of. I had many friends that had gone Greek at my school so I knew the general reputations of every house and which ones appealed to me the most; however, I was positive that I was going to keep an open mind and form my own opinions based on the discussions I would have with the actives. The process of rushing was so exciting to me, because I knew would be a member for life and I would only get to go through the recruitment process once. I went to bed happy and ready to give my best effort to every single house the following day.

Day 1: Go Greek

Party List:
1) Lilly Pulitzer
2) Ralph Lauren
3) Vera Bradley
4) Southern Tide
5) Lacoste
6) Vineyard Vines
7) Nike
8) Northface
9) Burberry
10) David Yurman
11) Louis Vuitton
12) Brooks Brothers

Party 1: Lilly Pulitzer
This was the first house my Rho Gamma group and I went to. I thought I had heard it all about recruitment and was ready for anything, but my jaw dropped in awe when the Panhellenic delegates outside the house began counting down and the actives inside the house began banging on the doors, clapping, and chanting. I was so excited and nervous at the same time but put on a smile and got paired with a sophomore girl. She was clearly nervous but so sweet at the same time, and another one of her sisters dropped in and talked to me. The conversation went so well and I enjoyed everything though I definitely had to hold up the conversation at times because my girl was on the shy side. I also remember having to yell in order to hear myself even speak, as this was one of the loudest houses I went to all day. However, I absolutely loved this house and I really hope I'm back tomorrow!

Party 2: Ralph Lauren
I was more prepared this time when the doors of the house opened and the girls inside began clapping. Since we were lined up in alphabetical order by last name, I was starting to be grateful that I had a last name towards the beginning of the alphabet so I was lined up closer to the house so I could get a better view of the girls chanting. I thought it was the cutest thing in the world! I remembered loving this house's outfits. I was paired with a blonde girl and from the first second I talked to her, I got the impression that she was trying WAY too hard to impress me. She told me she was a senior, which I probably could have figured out myself because she really knew her way around the recruitment process. This led her to literally ask me five questions in a row without giving me a chance to answer any of them. I talked to one other girl in the house briefly then went back to talking to the chatty blonde. This house didn't feel like home for me at all. I felt like she was trying to sell me a used car.

Party 3: Vera Bradley
The decorations were beautiful and the house was very nicely set up but the girl that picked me up was very awkward. The first question I got when my rusher sat me down was, "So, what's up?" and it definitely turned me off because it was so open ended as opposed to the very specific questions I had gotten used to through the first two rounds. Her eyes kept darting around the room during the entire party and when another sister finally came to introduce herself, their hug and conversation seemed very forced and rehearsed. Bad vibes from this house!

Party 4: Southern Tide
I knew this house wasn't for me. The girl I spoke with was very nice and showed a lot of interest in me, but something told me that I wouldn't feel quite at home here.

Party 5: Lacoste
I really liked this house. I didn't have any friends in this sorority so I didn't know much about it, but the conversations I had flowed very well. I got bumped three or four times and loved every girl I talked to. They were all so enthusiastic and seemed very sweet. They seemed to love their sorority and they all seemed really involved and friendly. I knew I'd rank them high on my list of favorites at the end of the day.

Party 6: Vineyard Vines
By this time all the names and faces had started blurring together and I was exhausted, but I made sure to keep a smile on my face and enjoy recruitment by reminding myself that I only could experience this once. When I walked into this house, I was somewhat intimidated by the actives. They were ridiculously beautiful and had perfect teeth and smiles. They seemed very composed and collected and oozed confidence. The conversations I had with these girls were a little strained. I got bumped once and I felt like I couldn't have a deep conversation with any of them. Many other girls in my Rho Gamma group also commented on how put-together everything seemed in this house.

Party 7: Nike
A little backstory: Texas A&M has a freshman orientation camp over the summer for incoming freshman called "Fish Camp". At the beginning of our four days of camp, we were divided into different cabins for our stay. The first night of camp, the girls in my cabin and I were sitting on our beds and laughing at how there were just enough beds for all of us. Our cabin counsellor came in, and pointed at a bed that a girl in my cabin had chosen and told her to move her things, because that was "her" bed. She didn't bother introduce herself or talk to us for the rest of the four days/three nights we were there; the only reason I knew her name was from the monogram on her duffel bags. While I heard countless stories from my friends about how sweet and cool their cabin counsellors were, I wondered why ours hadn't even made the effort to talk to us and get to know us. I found out later she was a Nike. I knew this shouldn't deter me from the house in any way and still entered the house with an open mind. The girl I talked to was so nice and very enthusiastic about her philanthropy. I didn't get bumped at all and I found it somewhat difficult to carry on a conversation with the same girl for fifteen minutes since I had gotten used to getting bumped at least once in other houses. I found that nothing special really stood out about this house and didn't come out with the best feeling.

Party 8: Northface
I was so excited about going to this house because of all the amazing things I'd heard about it. Several of my friends from high school had pledged Northface and gushed about it upon their trips home. My rusher, however, seemed somewhat unengaged and uninterested in what I had to say. We sat down on the couch while all the other girls were standing up, so I felt awkward as the girl that dropped in our conversation for thirty seconds squatted to talk to us. I wanted to fall in love with this house but was so disappointed with the rusher I had. I just didn't feel like I clicked with her very well, but I wanted to like this house so bad!

Party 9: Burberry
Through tent talk, I had heard that Burberry girls were rich, stuck-up, snobby and self-centered, and I was a little nervous going into this house. However, I found myself loving this house and it was one of the two of the day where I walked out of the house smiling. I was so excited to meet all the girls and one in particular was so friendly and sweet. Conversations flowed so naturally in this house and the actives were so genuine. I thought I wouldn't enjoy this house but I ended up loving it. I found myself really wanting to go back the next day!

Party 10: David Yurman
The girl that rushed me turned out to be the biological sister of a distant acquaintance. I had an instant connection with her once I found out that we were from the same hometown and it was easy to have a conversation with her. I had to strain myself to hear and had to yell every time I opened my mouth, which made for an unpleasant conversation on my part because I literally couldn't hear myself talk in this house. I was bumped one other girl who was one of the sweetest girls I had talked to in my life. I had a very fun time at this house.

Party 11: Louis Vuitton
I was so antsy before this house. My friends and I all had heard wonderful things about the house and I loved the girl I was paired with. She commented on my enthusiasm, which meant so much to me because it was the second to last party of the day and everyone was so worn out and exhausted. She seemed so genuine and the conversation flowed so nicely. This was by far my favorite house so far!

Party 12: Brooks Brothers
I was beyond exhausted at this point but managed to keep a smile on my face by reminding myself that this was the last house of the day! I loved the decorations in the house and had a nice conversation with a very sweet girl. I had a lot of fun here!

Recruitment ran two hours late behind schedule today. I didn't rank my houses until around 9 pm and the line to the building where we were to rank literally looped down two flights of stairs, out the building, down the sidewalk, and curved behind a different building. I heard a few girls dropped because they didn't want to wait in line, and I was so grateful I was towards the beginning of the line since I knew some girls didn't get back to their dorms until 1 am!

I made a list of the houses in my recruitment journal, from favorite to least favorite:

0. Louis Vuitton
0. Northface
0. Lilly Pulitzer
0. Lacoste
0. Burberry
0. Brooks Brothers
0. David Yurman
0. Vineyard Vines
0. Ralph Lauren

My bottom three to "cut" were:

1. Vera Bradley
2. Nike
3. Southern Tide

I went to bed shortly after still pleased about the first day of recruitment and hoping for the best!

Day 2: Philanthropy Day

The maximum number of parties we could attend was nine. I was happy to have seven on my list, as some of my friends received only three or four since recruitment was so competitive this year.

Party List:
Brooks Brothers
Lilly Pulitzer
Vera Bradley
Burberry
Lacoste
David Yurman
Southern Tide

I was very happy with my schedule! I was so excited for Brooks Brothers, Burberry, and Lilly Pulitzer, which were some of my absolute favorite houses yesterday. I was very disappointed to see Northface and Louis Vuitton gone from my list, but stayed positive and was very eager to begin the day.

Party 1: Brooks Brothers
Through tent talk, I had heard that Brooks Brothers was one of the strongest houses on campus so I was thrilled to be back. I had so much fun talking to the active I was paired with and I definitely hoped to see them tomorrow too. I loved how involved the girls were in their philanthropy and how easy it was to see that the girls loved their house. Conversation flowed so well here. I absolutely adored them and had so much fun!

Party 2: Lilly Pulitzer
Another house I was thrilled to see on my list! I told the active I was paired with that I had fallen in love with the chapter, and I really felt as if I had. Everyone was SO sweet and I could definitely see myself at fitting in very well with the girls. Every girl was so easy to talk to and so down to earth. I really hoped I got invited back tomorrow too!

Party 3: Vera Bradley
I didn't want this house on my list but figured it was best to give these girls another chance. Today wasn't any better than the last though, as I didn't have a good time at all. The girls seemed rehearsed and awkward.

Party 4: Burberry
I remember struggling to see why this chapter has the reputation of being conceited. I was so in love with these girls as they are clearly so involved and enjoy their philanthropy so much. For now, I'm trusting my heart and not what I've heard about these girls. I enjoyed this house very much and again exited this house with a happy smile on my face!

Party 5: Lacoste
I liked this house and a lot of girls I talked to did as well. My rusher was kind of quiet and it seemed like I had to keep the conversation going at times. Still, I kept thinking about how much fun I had on the first day and still hoped I'd be back again.

Party 6: David Yurman
I enjoyed the house yesterday but I liked it even more today. The girls were very sweet and genuine and so enthusiastic about their house. I absolutely adored the girl I talked to! Conversation was wonderful here and I'm hoping to have this house back tomorrow too!

Party 7: Southern Tide
The conversations here were mediocre and the actives seemed too eager and came off as fake. I knew this wasn't the house for me.

My mental list of favorite to least favorite:
0. Lilly Pulitzer
0. Brooks Brothers
0. Burberry
0. David Yurman
0. Lacoste
0. Vera Bradley

Since I only had seven houses on my list, I could only cut one because the maximum number of houses we could go back to for the third day of recruitment was six.

1. Southern Tide

Yay! I love this. I had the same approach going through rush this past semester as you did.... go in with an open mind and just LOVE the process.
Can't wait to read more!

Love it! Can't wait to read more

Day 3: Sisterhood/Skit Day

Party List:
David Yurman
Southern Tide
Lacoste

I wanted to cry to my Rho Gammas when I saw my schedule, but couldn't because I was already late and rushing to my first party. I was devastated that I only had three houses on my list. I had really liked Brooks Brothers and couldn’t figure out why Lilly Pulitzer had cut me. I enjoyed Burberry as well and I was so disappointed. I found myself trying to force a smile through most of my parties today. I strongly believe that what happens always happens for a reason, so I pushed through my parties for the day. It was so hard seeing my friends dash off to their favorite houses with full party schedules. At the same time, I knew many girls who were cut from recruitment already and more who decided to drop out because of the harsh cuts so I did my best to stay positive.

Party 1: David Yurman
I definitely still liked this house and the girls that had rushed me earlier in the week made it a point to greet me by name. Their skit was cute and my rusher was nice.

Party 2: Southern Tide
They had clearly worked hard on their skit, but I knew from the start that I didn't belong here.

Party 3: Lacoste
This house was really put together and I adored their skit. However, the girls I was talking to seemed like they weren't genuinely interested in what I had to say. Some of them seemed really distant and ignorant, which was a huge change from the first day of recruitment.

I felt so lost after these parties. I was so set on finding my home and wanted to stick it out until the end just to see if my opinion on any of the houses had changed. I had never been one to quit and I knew I was going to stick it out until the end, whether that was getting a bid to a house or until I got cut from every one. In a way, I came into these parties feeling more motivated and determined, because I knew I had to give it my all. However, I desperately needed words of support and encouragement.

After my third party, I decided to see my Rho Gammas at our designated meeting spot. One of them came over to me and greeted me with a smile and asked how I was doing. At that point, I burst into tears and began telling her everything that was going through my mind. She nodded in understanding as I told her I didn't want to drop and that I was having a difficult time accepting that houses I loved had cut me. She emphasized with me, telling me that she had gone through the same experience when she was going through recruitment as well, but reminded me that everything works out exactly the way it's supposed to. She told me that she ended up finding her home away from home on preference night and fell head over heels in love with her sorority. Her encouraging words touched my heart and she gave me a long hug as she told me to keep holding my head high.

Since I only had three houses left and the maximum I could go back to tomorrow was three, I didn't cut any houses tonight.

0. David Yurman
0. Lacoste
0. Southern Tide

Day 4: Preference Night

David Yurman
Southern Tide

Party 1: David Yurman
I felt refreshed and rejuvenated after my Rho Gamma's support last night. I was so glad to see this house on my list again and wanted to make the best of the opportunities I was given. I was paired with the active that I had fallen in love with on Day 2, and we hugged before we settled down into our seats. I was thrilled to see her and I realized how happy I was to be back at this house. I felt as if I could talk about anything with this girl, and our conversations flowed just as smoothly as they did on the second day I had walked into the house. Without revealing too much from this chapter's preference ceremony, I received another sweet gesture from the girl from my hometown who had rushed me on the first day and I found it extremely touching. When it was time for the preference ceremony, I cried my eyes out at the sweet things the sisters had to say about each other. They clearly had such a strong bond and loved each other for who they were. When the ceremony was over, my rusher gave me another hug and asked me if my decision tonight would be difficult. I told her that I knew exactly where I wanted to be. I loved the house and was so sure that I wanted to be a part of their incredible sisterhood.

Party 2: Southern Tide

I found myself appreciating the ceremony as it also displayed the strong sisterhood that the girls shared. However, I already knew exactly which house I wanted to be a part of and there was no changing my mind. I was paired with the girl that had been very sweet to me on the first day of recruitment who had made it a point to greet me by name the whole week. We had a warm and friendly conversation, but the feeling I got at David Yurman wasn't apparent in this house.

The next day was Bid Day. I will never forget standing in the building where we were to pref our houses; there were so many girls lined up, mouthing to their friends across the room with looks of excitement and confusion while the Rho Gammas attempted to quiet everyone. Girls hunched over their recruitment notebooks with the utmost concentration, making their final choices between two or three houses. Some pulled their Rho Gammas aside to talk to if they needed help or words of advice. I imagined that there were a few girls that felt the same way I did; they calmly folded their hands over their recruitment journals and smiled peacefully. I had gone into recruitment wanting to be a part of a sorority so badly, but I promised myself that I would not allow myself to join a house that I couldn’t see myself in. I was so happy I had found that in David Yurman after such a long week, and hoped for the best tomorrow.

0. David Yurman
0. Southern Tide

Day 5: Bid Day

Since my freshman year in high school, I've done everything I could do to mentally prepare myself for recruitment. The morning of Bid Day, I watched a video of Bid Day at Texas A&M during the previous school year and it made me long for my bid even more. I didn't receive a call from my Rho Gamma, which meant that I was getting an invitation to be a part of one of the amazing sisterhoods that my campus has to offer. Throughout high school, I didn't have many friends that were girls and I'd been envisioning a place where I could belong and feel at home for a long time. I understood that once I accepted a bid and went through initiation that I would become a sister for life and I longed for the bonds of friendship that my friends had spoken about for a very long time.

To reward myself for finishing the hectic week, my friends and I decided to go swimming and lay out at our Recreation center's outdoor pool. We ended up having a little too much fun and we, naturally, ended up noticing the time and sprinting to our own Bid Day. Luckily, we didn't miss too much and caught the end of the Rho Gamma reveal. My Rho Gammas turned out to be members of Southern Tide, David Yurman, and Burberry.

The wait to pass out bid cards and count down with our hands behind our backs was unreal. I couldn't believe that I had a part of the rest of my life in my hands and I couldn’t wait to be a part of such a great sisterhood.

When the countdown reached one, I ripped my envelope open to reveal that I had been given a bid by…














































































































DAVID YURMAN!

As an initiated member getting ready for this year's recruitment, I have realized that I am truly blessed to be a member of David Yurman. Each and every day, something reminds me how lucky I am to be a part of the most incredible sisterhood in the nation. My sisters are the most beautiful people I know on the inside and out and are beyond supportive, loving, caring and understanding. Joining David Yurman was easily the best decision I have ever made for myself and I couldn't ask for a better group of girls to surround myself with.

I'm still great friends with the sister I fell in love in on the second day of recruitment who also picked me up on preference night. I hang out with my sister from my hometown who rushed me on the first day almost every weekend. My lovely, patient Rho Gamma who took the time to comfort me on Skit Night and reassured me that everything would be okay turned out to be my sister. The second girl who rushed me on the first day of recruitment whom I thought was one of the sweetest girls I had ever met? I now call her my Big. I am so grateful to be a part of my sorority and I hope everyone has the same wonderful experience at recruitment that I did!

Great story. Congratulations to you and to your sorority.

Welcome to the SEC Texas A&M! I would love for Phi Mu to come back to your campus and it's great Greek system.

As the mom of a future 2012 PNM, I enjoyed reading your story. I knew it was a competitive recruitement last fall. I will have to make sure my D reads your story.

Congrats on finding your home, I love a happy ending!

Congrats!

Just curious.... What building did you do rankings in? :)