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  #1  
Old 06-23-2007, 10:55 PM
Cutie_Hootie Cutie_Hootie is offline
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A Retro Recruitment Thread with Many Bumps Along the Way

First, let me apologize to those of you who are sick of these threads, but I just couldn't resist!! I've been reading these since they started and finally gathered the courage to tell my story. My current day thoughts will be in blue.

I went through rush/recruitment in 1992 at a very small liberal arts college in Indiana. We have four sororities, and for this thread I will call them:
Gryffindor
Hufflepuff
Ravenclaw
Slytherin

I was the first person in my family to attend a four year college, and definitely the first person to go through rush. My first real eye-opener was at a meeting sponsored by my hometown's Alumnae Panhellenic. I was certain that this was something I wanted to do. My mother, on the other hand, was worried about hazing. Of course she had nothing to worry about, but she still asked me a couple of years ago if it had ever happened! Finally I convinced her that things would be just fine and she should be confident that I would make wise decisions. I arrived on campus ready to conquer the world, sorority rush included. But wait a second...we had deferred rush. There were no limits on visiting houses, as long as you didn't spend the night there. We freshmen were in the Fraternities the first night on campus (cannot believe that--they have to wait three-five weeks now!), and we quickly met Greek women, as well as learning the opinions of all the fraternity boys. Here are my first impressions:

Gryffindor--Very friendly women who were visible at each fraternity I visited. If anything, I saw them aligning with the Phi Delts. A number of girls on my floor liked this house. They had quite a few athletes in their house, mostly volleyball players. Also known for their high g.p.a.s. They were also one of the oldest chapters on campus.

Hufflepuff--These girls were fun! Very visible on campus, especially at the parties. Mostly seen at the Beta house and rarely anywhere else. Had a lot of athletes, mostly field hockey players. The youngest chapter on campus--they had only been on campus for five years.

Ravenclaw--The socially elite house on campus. Very pretty and very preppy girls. Visible all over campus--they wore their letters constantly. They hung out at Lambda Chi and Fiji, which were my two favorite fraternities at the time. A very close friend of mine had an older sister who had been a Ravenclaw here, and I idolized her, so of course I really had a strong pull towards Ravenclaw. This was the oldest house on campus and they made sure you knew it.

Slytherin--The Slytherins hung out at every fraternity. They were social, but didn't align with any one chapter. They were very well respected on campus--they had a lot of cheerleaders and dance team members. Seemed like the All-American girls. One of the girls on my hall had an older sister who was an upperclass Slytherin on campus, so we got to know her and her friends pretty quickly.

The campus saying at the time went like this: Ravenclaw was old money, Slytherin was new money, Gryffindor were the studious girls, and Hufflepuff were the party girls. This was soooooo inaccurate, not to mention rude.

I knew very little about the whole system of rush, but I did know that I had at least two recommendations-- for Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. I assume (but am not certain) that I also had recs for Gryffindor and Slytherin because of the paperwork filled out at the Alumnae Panhellenic meeting. Things were going well through that first semester. I attended all pre-rush events (house tours, progressive dinner, philanthropy day) and had a Rho Chi who was a Gryffindor. I really liked her and that definitely had an influence on my opinions. So when I went home for Christmas break, my mom and I went shopping for Rush. I made sure to investigate what the suggested clothes were, and I think I fit the bill quite nicely--for first party, I planned to wear a grey pinstriped jumper with a turtleneck and tights (oh my goodness-what was I thinking?!), for second party I planned to wear a skirt and sweater, and for pref I was wearing the ever-popular black dress. Then one afternoon, I got a thin envelope from the college--my grades. I ran to my room, ripped it open, and immediately started sobbing. I had missed the minimum g.p.a. by two hundreths of a point. No Rush, and I was certain that my life was ruined.

Last edited by Cutie_Hootie; 06-24-2007 at 01:01 AM. Reason: noticed a typo...I hate that!
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  #2  
Old 06-24-2007, 12:51 AM
BabyPiNK_FL BabyPiNK_FL is offline
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Aww! What a bummer? How did you plan all you clothes and everything and (almost) completely forget about grades?!

We can't wait to hear what you decided to do next!
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  #3  
Old 06-24-2007, 12:56 AM
alphagamphi alphagamphi is offline
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Smile

Im rooting from Griffendorf
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  #4  
Old 06-24-2007, 01:26 AM
raincoat raincoat is offline
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Aww that's heartbreaking! (But at least we know the story doesn't end here ) I love the names, and I am going to have to root for Slytherin!
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  #5  
Old 06-24-2007, 08:39 AM
Cutie_Hootie Cutie_Hootie is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BabyPiNK_FL View Post
Aww! What a bummer? How did you plan all you clothes and everything and (almost) completely forget about grades?!

We can't wait to hear what you decided to do next!

Yes, looking back I could kick myself...I was not prepared going into college for what it's really like academically. I never had to study in HS and had excellent grades. So I started off using the same study skills, which were no study skills. It was a big wake up when I opened that envelope--by far the worst I had ever done in my life.
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  #6  
Old 06-25-2007, 10:39 PM
Cutie_Hootie Cutie_Hootie is offline
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Rush #2--Sophomore Year

Well, I hadn't made the grades freshman year, but many (though not all) of my friends did. Most of my friends ended up pledging Ravenclaw, although I actually had at least one very close friend in each of the other chapters. I spent the Winter and Spring Terms (Hogwarts is on a 4-4-1 schedule) being envious of my friends as they became new initates, and meeting more and more people in each of the houses. I distinctly remember one of my best friends being very upset when she received a bid from Hufflepuff instead of Slytherin, she did accept the bid however (I couldn't understand why she was upset because I thought she fit much better into Hufflepuff!). There was also some drama of another girl who had received a bid to Hufflepuff. She went ahead and went to the bid night celebrations, but quickly depledged. There was some type of controversy (and unacceptable actions) with Ravenclaw over the whole situation, and they ended up spending Spring Term on social probation.

I was once again ineligible to go through the Open Bid process during Fall Term due to grades, and I worked a little harder during Fall Term in hopes of being able to go through Formal Rush in January. I was all ready to get my grades and when they came over Christmas Break I was a little more hopeful. It seemed that I had met the minimum gpa for Slytherin only. I made the decision that I would go through Formal Rush and see how things panned out. It was so important to me to join a chapter NOW that I was willing to only give myself one choice (it never dawned on me at the time that I might be cut from that one choice--what would I do then?!).

I came back to campus early and was ready to go to the Rush parties. I had my outfit on, had checked in, talked to some friends, and was anxiously waiting in the Lecture Hall (and things were running behind, so that was making everyone nervous) when all of a sudden I heard my name being called. It was the Greek Advisor. She asked me to come into an office where some of the Panhel exec were gathered. I knew something had gone terribly wrong at this point...

I was correct. Something had gone terribly wrong. My grades were high enough to go through Rush as a freshman, but not an upperclassman. It was rare at that point for people to go through Formal Rush as upperclassman, and the gpa requirements were not well-publicized. It was utterly humiliating to be told this, and to have to walk back out into this room of excited women knowing that I wouldn't be joining them. So I quickly (and in tears) walked back out of the Lecture Hall and back to my dorm, where I couldn't get in the door. At this point I was sobbing. No one was on campus except those going through Rush, so I had no options. Finally a maintenance person came by and took pity on me. I ran up to my room, changed clothes, and drove home. I was sure I was through with the whole process and would never affiliate.
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Last edited by Cutie_Hootie; 06-25-2007 at 10:51 PM.
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  #7  
Old 06-25-2007, 10:45 PM
Hopeful_Bubbles Hopeful_Bubbles is offline
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Wow, I didn't see that one coming!
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  #8  
Old 06-26-2007, 04:45 AM
Leslie Anne Leslie Anne is offline
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Oh no! That's horrible. I feel your pain, Cutie_Hootie.
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  #9  
Old 06-26-2007, 08:39 AM
LOVEinZTA LOVEinZTA is offline
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Ack! Heartbreaking! I had a friend in my pledge class that this happened to, she went through as a junior because she would be spending an extra year and did get a bid though. And we do have a happy ending here, right?!
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  #10  
Old 06-26-2007, 09:21 AM
AlwaysSAI AlwaysSAI is offline
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WoW, Cutie_Hootie what a suprise and heartbreak!!

Keep trecking, I know the happiness is in there somehwere!
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  #11  
Old 06-27-2007, 12:32 AM
Cutie_Hootie Cutie_Hootie is offline
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Rush #3--One more chance?

After I couldn't rush my sophomore year (not to mention the whole showing up for rush debacle), I had a little bitterness towards the Hogwarts greek system. That quickly evaporated as I got to know more and more people and made friends in chapters where I previously hadn't known many women. Hogwarts did not have a rule keeping unaffiliated women from attending chapter events, so I became a frequent guest at sorority events. I especially had a great time with the Ravenclaws at a hockey game, the Hufflepuffs at their Caddyshack party, and the Gryffindors at a dinner date. I even went on spring break with a bunch of friends from Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff. All in all, it was a great term.

Just before I came back for junior year, I had emergency surgery and missed a little bit of school. After I settled back into campus and finished recuperating, I really settled into my classes. I had a fairly easy semester--I had changed my focus so I had some new general degree requirements to meet, which meant I was taking some lower level classes and meeting a lot of freshmen(had I actually been affiliated at this time it would have been a fantastic recruitment opportunity!!). I spent a lot of time going to meals at the houses and being invited over to events like 90210 Night or something similiar. I was especially impressed with the girls at Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, which was also where I knew the most girls.

I had also made new friends on my hall who were going to be going through rush:
Kristin--Her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother were all Ravenclaws, with her mother and great-grandmother having been Ravenclaws at Hogwarts. Kristin was a sophomore who had opted not to go through rush as a freshman. She really liked Slytherin and Ravenclaw both, and knew a long hard decision was ahead of her.
Jill--Jill was a freshman, adorable, and very intelligent. She was very involved in campus already and every sorority was courting her!
Jess--Jess was also a freshman who was very involved in campus. She was mostly interested in Gryffindor, although she was keeping her options open.

I was bound and determined to go through Rush with an open mind, although it seems that I wasn't completely unbiased. Mostly, though, I was excited to finally be going through Rush--I had waited a looooong time for this!!

And so January finally rolled around, and Rush began with skits:

I was so excited as we were lineing up at the houses! Even though the doors were closed, you could hear the songs and chants. My first party was at Slytherin. The doors swung open and the girls were so loud! They had a baseball theme, with cracker jack and sodas. I was picked up at the door by a good friend. So many people came up and told me how thrilled they were that I was finally rushing. I looked around and saw how many friends I had that were Slytherins and really thought about how I could see myself there. They were so friendly, fun, and enthusiastic and it was impossible not to get caught up in that.

My second party was at Hufflepuff. They had a camp theme--I was met at the door by a girl who was in my grade but who I wasn't close friends with. We went downstairs first and chatted--nothing looked like normal--everything was covered with decorations and it looked like you were outside. Again, I had a lot of people coming up to me and welcoming me. We had "bug juice" and trail mix here for snacks, and after another sister came to chat with me, we went upstairs where we sat on sleeping bags surrounded by real pine trees. They did a very fun skit that focused on all the diverse types of girls who were Hufflepuffs. I remembered from my two previous years how all the girls raved about Hufflepuff's first party and know I knew why--it really was very memorable. I knew that I would be very happy in this house, and I felt as though most of the girls here really liked me. I wasn't so sure about some of the other houses.

Next I went to Gryffindor. They had a Wizard of Oz theme. I chatted with a few girls, and the party was nice, but I knew going in that it was my last choice--I had the fewest friends there and just couldn't see myself as a Gryffindor. I was friendly and polite, but I'm sure my lack of interest showed. I basically was counting down the minutes until the next party...

Finally, I walked in the door at Ravenclaw. I was picked up at the door by one of my best friends, Becky, and she was so excited to see me!! I was just as excited to see her, and we chatted as we waited in line for our snacks. Ravenclaw had a jungle theme--it was very cute. Becky made sure to introduce me to the few sisters I didn't know, and she even introduced me to some advisors/alumnae. Once we sat down at a table, we were swamped. In contrast to the other houses where I walked around a lot and went from person to person (or so it seemed), at Ravenclaw everyone seemed to be coming up to me. It was fun to spend that time with all my friends, and I was so happy to be there.

The most astounding part of all four parties to me was the coats. How our coats disappeared and reappeared I just couldn't figure out. But in every house, every coat ended up being presented to the correct PNM. It was amazing!

After the parties, I went back and made my choices. It was quite easy for me that night--

1. Hufflepuff
2. Ravenclaw
3. Slytherin
4. Gryffindor

I filled out my sheet very quickly and headed back to my dorm for a chat with the girls and then some sleep. I couldn't wait for the next day!!
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Last edited by Cutie_Hootie; 06-27-2007 at 12:59 AM.
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  #12  
Old 06-27-2007, 08:54 AM
AlwaysSAI AlwaysSAI is offline
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YaY!! Finally getting started!!!
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  #13  
Old 06-27-2007, 11:58 AM
twinkle555 twinkle555 is offline
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yay!! go hufflepuff!
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  #14  
Old 06-27-2007, 12:05 PM
Faith4Keep Faith4Keep is offline
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Ahhh I'm addicted to retro recruitment stories again!
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  #15  
Old 06-27-2007, 12:22 PM
OtterXO OtterXO is offline
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I think I know who one of the houses is!
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