[adieulove]

Day Two—Philanthropy

Today’s dress was Snappy Casual, which I have decided is the strangest term ever. I dressed in a pink-Jackie O style dress that my mom bought me for Christmas and the pearls in my grandma bought me for my high school graduation. I walked over to the classroom that held my recruitment group, my stomach in knots. Today, we would return to up to four houses. I reminded myself that I was true to myself the night before and that is all I could do. I felt like I would vomit when they passed out the party invites. They sat on our desk, as we waited to flip them over until everyone had received their card. When I flipped over my card, I was excited and shocked. I was invited back to FOUR houses, the max for the day!

Sven
Sebastian
Flounder
Pascal

I was shocked that I was invited back to Sebastian, as I ranked them dead last and felt very little connection with them. However, I was thrilled to go back to Flounder and Pascal . I was unprepared for the range of emotions that took place following. As we all walked out of the building to our respective rounds, girls were crying, shrieking, and furrowing their brows in anger. I quickly shoved my bid card in my bag, to avoid conversation. I didn’t want to get involved in the politics of recruitment.

Sven As I mentioned in my previous post, Sven'sinvolvement with their philanthropy is incredible, which I loved. I must also mention that even after a whole day of recruitment, the singing and clapping was still overwhelming. We had a cute little craft to do while we watched videos of their philanthropy and a member talked about her personal connection with the organization. While I loved their philanthropy, I felt my conversation lull with the three different girls I talked to. I didn’t feel a strong connection with the girls I talked to. At the end of the round, I felt slightly relieved, because I didn’t know how else to continue the conversation.

Sebastian After yesterday’s train wreck, I tried to keep an open mind, but it was hard. In a way, I had to acknowledge the comments made on day one, but that didn’t define the whole chapter. The girl I talked to had a cool Harry Potter tattoo, so we got to talk about Harry Potter, which is always a plus in my book. I talked to her best friend and roommate afterward, who was also very nice. We watched a video on their philanthropy. This is a very small detail, but Sebastian didn’t have a craft for us, when every other organization that day did. While it’s a small detail, I think having the craft is a thoughtful activity that adds to philanthropy day. I left with a positive experience, but I didn’t feel that Sebastian was the right place for me.

Flounder. Obviously I was most excited about coming back to Flounder. The girl who picked me up the door was a 5’11” bubbly member of E-Board. She was like a real life version of Rapunzel. Now, I am 5’3” and was wearing short heels. She on the other hand was wearing very tall heels. As we walked to the table, we joked about our awkward arm link. I loved her involvement and dedication to Flounder and felt that the conversation was incredibly natural. We didn’t want to stop talking for the video. Flounder’s philanthropy was one that really hit close to home for me, causing me to tear up during the video. I tried to keep it contained, so I wouldn’t be THAT potential new member. I was so sad when I was bumped, but the next two girls I talked to were also so fun to talk to! However, this is when I said the stupidest thing I said during recruitment. I was talking to another a theatre major, when she asked what I would want to do if I didn’t want to be an actress. I started to say that I would want to be a homicide detective. I meant to say because I liked crime shows (Criminal Minds, Castle, Dateline). Instead, due to exhaustion and nerves, I said, “Because I really love homicide.” I quickly realized what I said and backtracked, but the girl laughed and said she understood what I was trying to say. I was still really embarrassed. I didn’t want to leave Flounder at all. When I was getting led out the door, the original girl I talked to hugged me as I left. I felt so at home at Flounder, but tried to stay unattached. I would end up where I need to be.

Finally, I attended Pascal. I got paired up with one of the hilarious girls who gave the speech the day before. We had a fun craft to do, and we had the same quirky sense of humor. Afterwards, I got to talk to her best friend, the one she did the speech with! During my time, their VP of recruitment came over to say hi. I had met her during an open house the previous semester. She said she was super excited to see my name on the list for today. I left with a really good feeling with Pascal, the girls from the day before giving me hugs as I left.

Once again, I had my break last, so I was one of the first girls back in the room. I ranked.
1. Flounder
1. Pascal
2. Sebastian
3. Sven

I managed to convince my RA to go with me to In-N-Out afterwards, eating everything in sight. Immediately upon returning, I crashed hard. PREF WAS TOMORROW.