[gwenstacy]

Hi everyone! I have been on these forums for so long and I can’t believe I’m finally able to share my recruitment story. I wholeheartedly think this site helped me be confident in my process and helped me to find my forever home, so I’m so excited to possibly help out other PNMs too. <3

To change it up a bit, I’ll be disguising the chapter names as Pixar movies:
Toy Story
Monsters Inc
Finding Nemo
The Incredibles
Cars
WALL-E
Brave
Inside Out
The Good Dinosaur
Coco

I’m keeping my school a secret for now, but for a little background info, I rushed as a sophomore. I was unbelievably nervous about the process because it was so important to me, but I tried hard to go into it with an open mind, especially as a sophomore and knowing my options could be limited because of this.

Pre-recruitment, I had my eyes on Monsters Inc, WALL-E, and Inside Out, but I would have been happy to receive a bid to any chapter. Sorority life at my school is anything but unwelcoming, and each chapter is diverse and offers something for everyone, which made me really optimistic I would find my home.

Our first day was welcome rounds where I visited all 10 of our chapters.

First up was Monsters Inc. I was nervous going in, but I felt great as soon as I got to talking. I saw a girl I knew from high school, which was reassuring. I talked to two girls here, and while the first was a bit nervous, we bonded a lot over how we both danced when we were younger. I was happy I had this house first, as it was one of my favorites going in, but as the day went on, it seemed to slip into the back of my mind.

Next was Coco. I had heard a lot of things about this chapter, but I still went in with an open mind. With the first girl I talked to, we bonded over sharing the same internship last year, which was so cool, but I felt like the conversation was a bit forced. The last girl I talked to here I had a great conversation with and we were having a blast talking about all of our favorite YouTubers. I still wasn’t sure if I could see myself fitting in here, but I was grateful for the good conversations nonetheless.

After this, I made my way over to The Incredibles. To me, this chapter seemed very diverse, but gave off a sporty/tomboy-ish vibe, if that makes sense. I could tell the first girl I talked to I didn’t have much in common with, but the next girl I found myself being able to be totally confident with and I even felt comfortable enough with the last girl to share embarrassing stories, which we laughed so hard talking about. I felt really comfortable here.

Next was Brave. I didn’t know what to expect from this chapter at first. I had a recommendation for this house, but I tried not to let that determine my decision. I only talked to one girl here, and it was a good conversation, but it didn’t blow me away and I felt like I wouldn’t feel comfortable spending the next three years here. They seemed really focused and serious concerning school and involvement, which is important to me, but I’d feel so much pressure not to make mistakes! Haha.

Then came The Good Dinosaur. I couldn’t help but have preconceived notions about this chapter, as hard as I tried, but they seemed like the stereotypical sorority house to me. However, as you’ll notice how my story goes, I was proved so wrong. I had a really good conversation with the girls here and we even talked about the clubs we’re in that we’d recommend for each other, and she introduced me to other girls who had the same interests as well. I came out surprised that I loved the conversations here so much.

Next was Cars. Same as the last house, I tried not to let past thoughts of this chapter bother me. But wow, they blew me out of the water today! I felt such a strong connection with the girls I talked to and they seemed so interested in knowing who I was. One girl even complimented me on my confidence, which was really special to me because I’ve had to work hard on my confidence my whole life. I felt a really strong connection here.

Just over halfway done, I made my way over to Finding Nemo. I knew some girls here whose values didn’t quite match up with mine, but I liked what the house as a whole stood for. I had three good conversations, but they seemed more like they were going through the motions of recruitment instead of genuinely being invested in who I was and how I would fit into the house. I still liked the house as a whole, but I began to question if it was right for me.

Next was Inside Out. Prior to recruitment, I looooved Inside Out and could 100% see myself there. It helped that I had met a girl from Inside Out in one of my classes and we totally clicked. The first girl I talked to here had a ton in common with me and I liked how we could be serious, but not too much so. I was totally getting good vibes and good energy from the next girl, too. This house came out on top for me today.

On the home stretch, next came WALL-E. I was so excited for this chapter, and I think a little of that excitement went to my head. I felt like I was trying really hard for them to like me. The girls I talked to were genuine and you could tell they all really loved being around each other, but I couldn’t read them too well. I couldn’t tell if this was my home, but I would be grateful if they were to invite me back.

Last up was Toy Story. I was so exhausted by this point, but I knew this house was liked by a lot of PNMs, so I wanted to make a good impression. The room I was in was decorated beautifully and definitely gave me a good impression. The first girl I talked to, I swear we were twins. The next girl I talked to was really open and kind, but I could tell we were both pretty tired from the long day. I came out of this house feeling so-so, but I really wanted them to give me another chance because of how exhausted I was!

At the end of the first day, I didn’t have too many strong feelings yet. I didn’t know the houses well enough to say if I got “the feeling” just yet, but I had hope that I would soon enough. I was starting to really love the process and talking to people, and I felt like I put my best foot forward.

I didn’t feel comfortable ranking all the houses in order, but it was pretty easy for me to rank the ones I did like and which ones I would feel comfortable in or the ones I wanted to give me another shot. Now that I’m done with the process, here’s a rough estimate of what an actual ranking would have looked like:

1. Inside Out
1. Cars
1. The Incredibles
1. The Good Dinosaur
1. Toy Story
1. Monsters Inc
1. WALL-E
8. Finding Nemo
9. Coco
10. Brave

I’m sure it’s too early for predictions, but if anyone has any, feel free to comment below!