GreekChat.com Forums  

Go Back   GreekChat.com Forums > Recruitment > Recruitment Stories

Recruitment Stories This is the forum where you should place posts about your Recruitment experiences. General questions about Recruitment should be posted in the main Recruitment forum.


Register Now for FREE!
Join GreekChat.com, The Fraternity & Sorority Greek Chat Network. To sign up for your FREE account INSTANTLY fill out the form below!

Username: Password: Confirm Password: E-Mail: Confirm E-Mail:
 
Image Verification
Please enter the six letters or digits that appear in the image opposite.

  I agree to forum rules 

» GC Stats
Members: 325,122
Threads: 115,503
Posts: 2,196,035
Welcome to our newest member, haledarkz870
» Online Users: 2,249
0 members and 2,249 guests
No Members online
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 09-10-2009, 02:52 PM
thetygerlily thetygerlily is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: PNW
Posts: 1,049
A Small School Recruitment Story (Retro)

I've gotten back into the recruitment threads this week (such a guilty pleasure!) and thought I'd post a bit of a recap from my experience. It is a VERY different experience than many of the recruitment stories I read on here, primarily because recruitment was a much more casual process when I went through. Although I have posted (but not for a while), I don't think the ending matters as much as the process itself so I won't bother creating a new name for myself

There are just three NPC sororities at this school. In alphabetical order, they are:
Delta Gamma
Kappa Alpha Theta
Kappa Kappa Gamma

I'm going to pick board games, because my husband and I enjoy them and I don't think I've seen them used before! They are:
Carcassonne
Settlers of Catan
Ticket to Ride

First, the setup: Recruitment is deferred, in January. The Greek system is pretty small (as is the school)- the average chapter size is only 30, with anywhere from 25-40 women going through recruitment each year (which winds up with a 6-11 quota). At this particular school in the midwest, there are three rounds of recruitment and although you can cut a group at any time (no forced returns here), you can go to all three groups for all three rounds if that's how the stars align. The sororities do not have houses, just rooms in a wing of a dorm- so all the parties happen in "neutral" locations around campus. I went through recruitment in January of 2002, graduated 05.

Night 1: The typical meet & greet
Ticket to Ride: I did not know any members before recruitment. They were loud and excited. It was a great way to start recruitment and I was loving every minute of it. I had great conversations and left with an excellent impression. I thought that this could be the one.

Carcassonne: I knew a couple of members from classes, but not well. At the party they were nice, but the conversations were forced and I felt like the Carcassonnes I was with were more focused on each other than on me. I left feeling like I didn't get to know them and they didn't get to know me.

Settlers of Catan: I knew two Settlers- one I had stayed with as a prospective student, and the other (the President) I met in my dorm when she was hanging posters for a non-Greek event. I liked what I knew of the group going into it, but was apprehensive because they only had 6 members. I was surprised to see a full room of Settlers going into it, only to find out that the person assigned to me was from another chapter. It was nice that they were there helping out and she was great, but it was hard to see myself there when I spent most of the round talking to people from a different chapter. They were all excited because I happened to be dressed similarly to them, so I looked like I fit in. Those I spoke with, especially from the other chapter, were really nice. I left very confused.

When I returned to rank the groups, I decided to drop the Carcassonnes. I talked to my Rho Chi and she was supportive although I knew it wasn't exactly encouraged to drop someone after round one. I just didn't feel I fit in there and didn't want to waste my time or theirs. I was excited about Ticket, and had mixed feelings on Settlers. [WARNING: This is bad, bad, bad. Do not drop a group like I did without any good reason. It was incredibly stupid of me, potentially disappointed someone in that chapter, and could have hurt my chances of joining a sorority.]My rankings:
1. Ticket to Ride
2. Settlers of Catan

Night 2: Philanthropy
I received invitations to both groups I had ranked, and I was happy with that. I started to doubt my decision to cut Carcassonne so early, as I saw many others that were excited to go to their party. But I was still okay with what I had done.

Ticket to Ride: Their philanthropy task involved making tissue paper flowers, and although I didn't understand how that fit in it was fun. The Ticket rushing me seemed busy talking to others so I didn't want to interrupt and be rude. I was concerned that I would be judged on my artistic abilities, and since mine are pretty minimal(!) I focused on my flowers while talking to some of the other PNMs. When just chatting outside of the flower zone, I thought I really hit it off with a couple of the Tickets. The seniors were especially cool. They had a lot of energy and were a group that I hoped to be more like. I thought, "this could be my future".

Settlers of Catan: The Settlers' philanthropy involved coloring puzzles for kids. I was paired with someone fairly quiet and it was a quiet activity. People were chatting, but it was a much more subdued atmosphere than the Tickets. I liked the President and of course the members helping out from another chapter, but really didn't feel I clicked with many others in the group. I left, again, confused.

During the time to rank the groups, I wasn't sure what to think. The Rho Chis were pushing Settlers very strongly, touting that they were a smaller group and therefore it would be possible to have a great impact on the direction of the group, and to have many leadership opportunities. They pushed a bit too strongly (on the edge of desperation, really) and that made me a bit less interested in the Settlers. In the end, I decided to keep the same rankings as the first night and see what their pref nights were about:
1. Ticket to Ride
2. Settlers of Catan

Night 3: Pref Night
The Rho Chis came around with the invitations for Pref, and I was crushed when I was not invited back to Ticket to Ride. I figured it must've been that I didn't have enough conversation with the Ticket rushing me, but that didn't make it hurt any less. I was invited back to Settlers.

Settlers of Catan: I sucked it up and went to the Settlers pref party. It was a very poised and classy atmosphere, with great finger food and everyone all dressed up. I was paired with someone I hadn't really met before. She had just returned from a semester in Europe, and she and I hit it off really well. We had great conversation and she started to change my mind about this group. The ceremony was moving and I felt that I was wanted. There were only a few other PNMs there, though, and I knew that the Settlers had the smallest return rate for Pref. I didn't want to join just as a much-needed number, so that was a turnoff. I also was unable to compare this Pref to another group's. Although I enjoyed Settlers' pref, I still wasn't sure if it was the right place for me.


Then, decision time! We all had to sign our bid cards. The basement area quickly filled up with women coming in, signing cards, and leaving. Some stayed for a while, and others had no hesitation in their decisions. I did not know what to do. I really liked the Tickets, but could not put them on my bid card because I didn't attend their Pref. My only options were to:
A. Put the Settlers on my bid card and have a high likelihood of getting in. If I changed my mind, I wouldn't be able to join another group for a year due to campus policies.
B. Not sign the bid card and go through informal recruitment (all groups do them).
C. Not sign the bid card and not join a group.

I liked the idea of B because I could get to know the groups better, and I really wanted the Tickets. But if I did that, I wouldn't be able to participate in Bid Night or other formal activities, and felt that I would be missing out. I did feel wanted by the Settlers, and knew my chances were excellent (again thanks in part to the Rho Chis' desperate encouragement for people to consider the Settlers). After about 2 hours and many conversations with both the Rho Chis and other PNMs, I decided to write the Settlers on my bid card. The Rho Chis cheered, but I said "wait! I haven't decided to sign it yet and turn it in."

So another half an hour or so went by. I finally decided that I wanted to be a part of the full process, I liked the idea of making an impact, I wanted to have leadership roles, and one of the PNMs that I really liked had also put the Settlers as her first choice- so at least there would be one person in my class that I already knew and liked. Ultimately, it was the person who preffed me who really made up my mind because I felt so comfortable with her and would love to have her as my sister.

I signed my bid card with Settlers of Catan and turned it in. When the bids came around, I received a bid from Settlers!

Settlers wound up with a total of 17 members by the end of the year, and when I graduated they were stable at about 30 members- the same as the other groups. You never would've known they were struggling a few years prior. I was able to fill a host of positions, including serving on Panhellenic, Ritual Chair, Standards, and President. I would not have changed my decision for anything and am SO glad I made the choice I did. It was where I belonged.

Looking back, I didn't really fit in with Ticket to Ride. They were more boisterous and extroverted than I was. They were what I thought I wanted to be, not what I was. Regarding Carcassonne, I cut them too early before I really gave them a chance. I should have at least stuck it out to the second round to meet other women and learn more about them. But again, I'm sure I could have made my place there but I don't think I belonged. As a side note, my Rho Chi was a Carcassonne.

Overall, I found the right place for me, even with a few bumps along the road. I do not regret my decision and learned so much from the experience of recruitment, my college experience as a Settler, and now my alumnae life as a Settler. I'm involved with my local alumnae association as well as a national group focused on preserving the Settler's history.


And the key to the groups:










Carcassonne: Delta Gamma
Settlers of Catan: Kappa Kappa Gamma
Ticket to Ride: Kappa Alpha Theta






I am a very proud member of Kappa Kappa Gamma! And the Kappa who was paired with me on Pref Night was KappaKittyCat

Last edited by thetygerlily; 08-23-2010 at 01:34 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 09-10-2009, 03:12 PM
AZ-AlphaXi AZ-AlphaXi is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: here and there
Posts: 2,637
Send a message via Yahoo to AZ-AlphaXi
hijack ....

I love Settlers of Catan!! when my son was younger we played all the time ... Seafarers is the best as well...

end hijack

congratulations on KKG and choosing to make an impact!
__________________
AXD helping women realize their potential since 1893

Last edited by AZ-AlphaXi; 09-10-2009 at 03:16 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 09-10-2009, 05:49 PM
txchrissy txchrissy is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: texas
Posts: 58
What a sweet story! Congrats.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 09-10-2009, 06:53 PM
gee_ess gee_ess is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 1,552
Gosh, this makes TWO kappa recruitment stories I have read in the past few minutes! Whatever is happening on GC!?? I love it! Go Kappa!
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 09-10-2009, 07:03 PM
chitown chitown is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 39
Quote:
Originally Posted by gee_ess View Post
Gosh, this makes TWO kappa recruitment stories I have read in the past few minutes! Whatever is happening on GC!?? I love it! Go Kappa!

I was just going to make this comment! Go Kappa!
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 09-10-2009, 07:18 PM
chickenoodle chickenoodle is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Florida
Posts: 708
This is one of my favorite recruitment stories. I loved how short it was but I especially loved how genuine and honest it was. It was a very sweet story, thanks for sharing!
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 09-10-2009, 07:19 PM
Kappamd Kappamd is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 2,219
Yes, another Kappa! A belated congrats to you!
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 09-10-2009, 08:06 PM
thetygerlily thetygerlily is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: PNW
Posts: 1,049
Oh, thank you! But it was only short because there are just three sororities involved instead of 20 :-)

Quote:
Originally Posted by chickenoodle View Post
This is one of my favorite recruitment stories. I loved how short it was but I especially loved how genuine and honest it was. It was a very sweet story, thanks for sharing!

Last edited by thetygerlily; 09-11-2009 at 02:41 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 09-13-2009, 07:10 PM
chickenoodle chickenoodle is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Florida
Posts: 708
Quote:
Originally Posted by thetygerlily View Post
Oh, thank you! But it was only short because there are just three sororities involved instead of 20 :-)

Perhaps, but you didn't waste a lot of space (and time) fooling around with other stuff that didn't directly pertain to the outcome.

Still a great story regardless of the number of sororities.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 09-13-2009, 08:00 PM
aephi alum aephi alum is offline
Moderator
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Crescent City
Posts: 10,014
Congrats!

And I have to say that I love your code names - I'm very into Eurogames, and Settlers is one of my favorites.
__________________
AEΦ ... Multa Corda, Una Causa ... Celebrating Over 100 Years of Sisterhood
Have no place I can be since I found Serenity, but you can't take the sky from me...
Only those who risk going too far, find out how far they can go.
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 09-13-2009, 08:42 PM
Buttonz Buttonz is offline
GreekChat Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: The city that never sleeps
Posts: 3,915
Send a message via AIM to Buttonz Send a message via MSN to Buttonz Send a message via Yahoo to Buttonz
I love both Carcassonne & Settlers of Catan! Glad you decided to sign your bid card!
__________________
Sigma Delta Tau

Patriae Multae Spes Una
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Brake for a retro recruitment story! 66Camaro Recruitment Stories 93 08-06-2010 11:40 AM
A Juicy Small-School Recruitment Story! Fall 2007 daisy7289 Recruitment Stories 32 05-12-2009 12:41 PM
Another Retro Recruitment Story kriskay Recruitment Stories 14 07-13-2007 08:48 AM
If you're going to post a Retro Recruitment Story kddani Recruitment Stories 1 07-06-2007 08:22 PM
IrishPipes' Retro Recruitment Story irishpipes Recruitment Stories 122 06-12-2007 08:02 AM



All times are GMT -4. The time now is 04:50 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.