VeniceIsSinking's pre-recruitment through recruitment thread
 

Ok, like everyone else on this forum I am addicted to recruitment story threads. I am ready for the fall! I want more! haha :D

So as I'm going back in time reading old threads, I really didn't see any posts that span the time of when girls start preparing, to when they actually begin recruitment. I thought it would be good for those who are thinking about rushing to see what I am doing to prepare myself. I'm following some excellent advice from various posters on GC, so this thread could sort of be the place where all of that advice is condensed to one place.

Plus, I know you ravenous readers need something to feed your appetite. ;)

Here we go:

I will be going through recruitment with two big things hindering possible success. I'm aware of the odds, but I will give it a shot anyway.

I will be sure to let them know that I have a solid 3.5-4 years of undergrad left due to my degree program. OH! Very important side note: I have checked with my greek office and each sorority's respective HQ regarding one of my hinderences and there shouldn't be a problem. Also, MANY sophmores do get placed on a consistent basis during formal recruitment.

Getting Ready
I've been working hard all year long to maintain my supreme GPA. Mainly I want to keep it up for law school in the future, but hey it'll help me out with this too. I've also gotten incredibly involved on campus. I am also involved in my community.

I'm trying to get some recs gathered, but I've found this to be the hardest task of all. I've contacted NPC, HQ's, and a few others to get some leads. Most of the leads never pan out because I never hear anything back from them! I'm also trying to utilize my small network, but that isn't really working out. I will keep trying, but I am reaaaaaaaally glad that I have started this process early. Any advice regarding this matter would be highly appreciated!

The Houses
We have 4 NPC sororities on campus:
(coded by names of characters from Jem & The Holograms!)
Jem
Stormer
Kimber
Pizzazz

Assumptions
I will go in with a very open mind, but naturally I already have some established views on the houses.

Jem: Love the girls! LOVE the philanthropy! They aren't super involved on campus, which is kind of a concern to me. They also have the lowest grades on the row. I'm sort of worried that they are more into partying then sisterhood. I don't see very many Jem's hang out with each other and I sort of get the feeling that they aren't all very close. I might be wrong, but that's something I will get a better feel for during recruitment. My passion for their philanthropy, and the great friends I have made with some Jem's, make them a fave.

Stormer: Another group of girls that I get along with. I haven't met a Stomer that I didn't click with. They're all passionate about their philanthropy and establishing strong bonds of sisterhood. They also have the highest grades on the row and are incredibly active on campus. Even though they have such a huge presence, they are fairly low-profile. I don't see them getting huge heads or acting snotty about their accomplishments. These traits are incredibly appealing to me and they are definitely a group I would love to be a part of. Oh! Stormer's and Jem's were my biggest supporters during my previous election. They helped me SO much. Several Stomers told me I was bought up before a Stormer paper meeting and the girls talked about how much they wanted me to win. Very cool :cool:

Kimber: Originially I thought this group was for me. I like a few girls in it, but I've come to notice they are even more inactive then the Jem's. If I'm going to be in a sorority, I would like to actually do things. They barely promote their philanthropy events and seem sort of disorganized. I am also fairly leary about wanting to join Kimber because I absolutely dislike their philanthropy. I understand it, I can see why some would like it- but it is just not for me! However, I will keep an open mind because I know they've had some problems adjusting the newly elected officers to their respective positions. They're also the sportiest of the bunch and that makes them a bit more appealing. They tend to dominate sorority intramurals. I love playing sports and watching them, so this is a great thing to have in common.

Pizzazz: I have very mixed feelings about this house. I hope recruitment will help clear that up. I really like their philanthropy and I already have experience with it. However, there are many girls in that house I do not like. These girls have serious attitude issues and many act incredibly childish. There is one girl in particular that will drive me insane if I have to associate with her. She's gotta be one of the snottiest brats on campus. Yet, there are a few girls I truly like in Pizzazz. One of my closest friends is a Pizzazz! These girls also have a strong campus presence and have a lot of pride in their school. They're at every game cheering our team on and I love to see that.



Alright, that's all I have for ya so far. I'll be sure to update whenever I begin meeting with alums and securing recs. I know I'll have some great tales from that task! ha!

If you have questions.. well then ASK AWAY!

Yeah, I'm sure they might. I'm going to give every group a fair try, even with my presumptions. You never know when there may be a whole other group of girls within XYZ sorority you may get along with, that you have never even met before!

I don't see how marriage would be a factor if you don't mention it :)

And they shouldn't ask.

Its technically not their business.

Are you on a campus without houses? Housed chapters would probably care if you are married, because it means you will never live in.

Well I've heard that it would be an issue from many, but it might not be. I don't really know what to expect from my recruitment experience. There have never been threads on here from my school, nor do I know much from the girls that went through it.

Our sorority houses are not live in. They are mainly used for meetings, socials etc.

can i just say that i am IN LOVE with jem and your codenames are genius!! good luck with everything and if u have any questions dont hesitate to ask! remember to keep an open mind and have fun :)

I really like your code names, they take me back to elementary school days....

Question though: how do you not like a philanthropy? I don't think any of them are too politically charged or anything like that.

But good luck, I look forward to hearing your story in he fall!

Yeah, no kidding. And moreso than not liking, but to "absolutely dislike"? How do you dislike fighting breast cancer, child abuse, etc.??? Not knowing what sorority is in question, but being at least vaguely familiar with the various philanthropies of all 26 NPC groups... I can't think of any that are something that someone could "absolutely dislike"???

Puzzling.

I just want to say good luck but to also caution about candidness. There may not be many from your school who post on here but there are definitely lurkers. One that I know has a pretty good idea about who is who. It may not matter now since these are your preliminary thoughts but when recruitment gets going, you just never know. ;)

Some people are turned off by Alzheimer's Disease research because they don't like old people.

Guess those people plan on dying young... their parents and loved ones too...

Yes but even though some chapters go to nursing homes or life care centers, we're not running around touching old people all the time!

That said I could also see people being uncomfortable volunteering at the Ronald McDonald house for example. But that's not specifically the philanthropy itself. So I"m not sure what that could mean, and I guess she can't really clarify without giving away her code names...

What I really don't like about it is how the girls describe it. I'm sure I might have been exposed to an improper explanation by a certain group of girls. That explanation may differ when I encounter new girls, who may explain their involvement with their philanthropy differently. I maybe should have clarified that their involvement with it, is what turns me off. So please don't make me sound like I'm some sort of heartless freak who hates __________.

These are all just pre-rush notions, that I am positive will change once I meet more girls from each group. You can't make solidified judgements based on a small percentage. I'm looking forward to seeing them on a larger scale and truly getting a feel for what each GLO is like.

Maybe I'm a little biased, but what would be uncomfortable about volunteering at the Ronald McDonald house? My chapter just cooks dinner for the families living there and sometimes play with their children (most of the time, there aren't many younger kids around). I was only uncomfortable once because I was trying to use my limited Spanish to find out what one woman needed, but between two people who could speak a bit of Spanish and one girl who could speak Italian, we figured out how to help her, and it was a bonding experience. All of our girls love going there to help out. The people there are really nice and quite thankful.