DBB's Retro Recruitment Thread

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Okay, I am going to do mine, just because irishpipes got me all nostalgic. Sigh.

I rushed at Illinois in 1999. I will use code names, and reveal at the end. It has been 8 years, and, being a midwestern school, chapters have changed a lot. This is a campus where one good rush can put a struggling chapter back on the map, and I saw it happen while I was there. I also knew nothing about reputations, and later found out that some of the houses I didn't like were top chapters. Who knew? So take my opinions with a grain of salt.

So, the mix has changed a little bit from IP's rush. The chapters are as follows:

Alpha Chi Omega
Alpha Delta Pi
Alpha Epsilon Phi
Alpha Gamma Delta
Alpha Omicron Pi
Alpha Phi
Chi Omega
Delta Delta Delta
Delta Gamma
Delta Zeta
Gamma Phi Beta
Kappa Alpha Theta
Kappa Delta
Kappa Kappa Gamma
Phi Mu
Phi Sigma Sigma
Pi Beta Phi
Sigma Delta Tau
Sigma Kappa
-------------------

Okay, beforehand, I knew the following:

Big brother (IRL) was a senior when I was a freshman. Most of his female friends were Ice Pearls, including one I had hung out with a lot while visiting him. My mom had been a Heart's Desire, at this same campus, and she had taken me to their house a few times when visiting my brother. I knew a few other people in each of those chapters, because they both drew heavily from my, um, "social crowd" (and that will give them away for most of you).

Let's see...a close male friend in a fraternity had told me that the Aquatic Blisses were the best chapter on campus because they were sweet, down-to-earth, cute girls.

That's about it. I was rushing with three other girls on my floor, none of whom knew much about any of the houses either. None of them were in my rush group.

I don't remember much about Orientation, other than really wanting to get it over with and get to the chapters. Our schedule was:

Orientation (Wednesday)
Open houses: 13 chapters (Friday)
Open houses: 9 chapters (Saturday)
First Invitational: 7 chapters (Sunday)
First Invitational: 3 chapters (Tuesday)
Second Invitational: 5 chapters (Friday)
Preference: 3 chapters (Saturday)
Bid day (Sunday)

There were 22 chapters in the open house round because we had breaks from the NPC groups where we we sit in a classroom and the associate members of the CPH would come talk to us (and we visited the one with a house).

In later years, the Tuesday night was eliminated, and we did First Invitational all in one day.

Also, I have no rush book, so I am going totally off of memory, but I do have a lot of details in my brain.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

So, first round...we started in Champaign, for everyone trying to guess, but we did NOT do Champaign one day, Urbana the other. Also, I don't remember where in there we went to the Union and heard from the associate members. I wore my CPH-issued rush t-shirt, some light-colored flared jeans, my hair in a pony tail, and no make-up, as it was 90 degrees out, we walk, and the houses don't turn on their air.

Provocateurs. They sang with so much energy that it was startling at first, but really cute. I was struck by the fact that a lot of them were medium-sized brunettes. Their house was really homey-looking, and right on the quad. The girl who rushed me was from my first high school, which was totally amazing, because not that many people from there end up at U of I (or college, for that matter). They were also in t-shirts and shorts, which I liked, because I felt comfortable. We talked about going out and stuff, she knew older brother, and I showed her my fake ID.

Water Bunnies. There were just so many of them! They were wearing capris, I think, and nice shirts. To be honest, it made me uncomfortable to sit in a chair in my jeans, while my rusher, in nicer clothing, sat on the floor. They were so peppy and cute, though, and I liked them.

Scarlet G's. I remember these girls rotated a lot, and every time, they would be like "Amy, I'd like you to meet Suzie. Suzie, Amy and I were just talking about the food in the dorms." so then Suzie would try to pick up the conversation, and I would end up having the same conversation I just had with the last rusher.

Ivory Jewels. I loved everything about this house. The girls were so nice and sweet, the house was gorgeous inside and out, and their skit was really funny.

Heart's Desires. I don't remember much here, except that there were a ton of Asian girls. I ran into a friend from high school, who I did not even know was at U of I (I later found out she had transferred in that year). I was surprised to see her, and she was not terribly friendly to me, so I was really put off by that. I was also afraid, deep down, of never knowing if a house wanted me, or had to take me as a legacy, so I walked out of here pretty confused.

Ravishes. They did an SNL skit that was so cute! I thought everyone looked so great, and I loved the fact that they all wore different stuff. They had the most energy, and this was my favorite house so far.

Vivid Dreams. Totally gorgeous house, inside and out. The girl who rushed me asked what my parents did for a living. Maybe it was just conversation, but I didn't think it was a polite question at all.

Glistens. This was a favorite of a lot of rushees. They did a big U of I skit, and were all dressed in orange and blue, but I felt like I got the dowdy rusher of the bunch. It seemed like everyone was having a great time all around me, and she and I weren't.

Jack Rabbits. I loved loved loved this house. They didn't do a skit, but took us on a house tour, and each area of the house had a different theme. These girls had mastered the art of walking backwards. I did notice that they were almost all blondes, though. I was near-certain that one of my Rho Chis was in this group.

Violet Glows. This house was really far from campus, and I think our Rho Chis even told us to ignore that. They did a saved by the bell skit, but at the end, so the girl rushing me was dressed weird, and I had no idea why.

Red Hots. I honestly don't remember a thing about this house, except that it was close to the quad.

So that's what I've got for you...more Open Houses in another post. Oh, and if you want to guess, go ahead, I will let you know if you are any good at it

[irishpipes]

I guess the U of I theme really worked since the Glistens were still doing it 12 years after I rushed!!! (Assuming Glistens = Waterford!)

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by irishpipes

I guess the U of I theme really worked since the Glistens were still doing it 12 years after I rushed!!! (Assuming Glistens = Waterford!)

You are correct.

[FSUZeta]

more please!

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Okay, the rest of open house:

Aquatic Blisses. Super-nice rushers, and a gorgeous house. I remember just being overwhelmed because there were so many girls. They had really cute shirts, and looked nice without being overdone.

Sensual Curves. These girls were really dressed up, I thought, considering that the PNM's were in t-shirts. They were in sundresses, and they were very formal. The house was pretty, but had the museum vibe, as in, I was afraid to touch anything. I actually recognized the rush chair (she had dated one of my brother's friends), but didn't want to say anything about it.

Petite Passions. This chapter was noticeably smaller than the others, and they had 2 actives for every 3 rushees. I thought I had to be sure I said enough that they would remember me. Their skit was pretty sloppy and unrehearsed, but I thought maybe it would be nice to be in a smaller chapter.

Ripplers. I don't remember much about this chapter, but the girls were really nice, and I got to talk to one person for a long time, which I liked.

Ice Pearls. This was probably the house I knew the most people in, but I didn't know the girl who rushed me. I remember that they were giving out awesome snacks, and they talked a lot about which fraternities they hung out with.

Marvels. This was another chapter with 2 actives for 3 rushees. They gave us a house tour, and I liked the fact that they didn't do a skit. The girls were showing me their photo album, and talking about the philanthropy, and they had a picture of my brother and his friends, whose team had won last year's tournament. They told me that they were close with his house, and the first social of the year was with them, so I thought that was cool, and they also had an exchange with the other house I had a lot of friends in.

Wicked Lights. Another house where I noticed that there were a lot of blondes. They were again really dressed up, and I didn't like it when I sat in a chair and my rusher sat on the floor in front of me. They were rotating too quickly to really talk, I think.

Love Silks. I don't remember much about this house, except that the skit was really really funny.

So that was the end of round 1. We used SORUSH at the time, so I decided I wasn't going to rank them in my mind until I saw what invites I got back. We had to meet our RC's at 7am to do the paperwork, then began the next round around noon.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

I got invited back to:

Provocateurs
Scarlet Gs
Ivory Jewels
Hearts Desires
Jack Rabbits
Violet Glows
Red Hots
Petite Passions
Ripplers
Ice Pearls
Marvels
Love Silks

I decided not to return to Hearts Desires and Violet Glows. I was feeling pretty good about 12 invites, until I got back to the dorms, and my three friends had gotten invited back to 19, 19, and 18 chapters. That, actually, really sucked, even though a lot of my favorite chapters were still in the running.

So, I would not be returning to:

Alpha Chi Omega
Alpha Gamma Delta
Chi Omega
Delta Delta Delta
Delta Gamma
Delta Zeta
Kappa Alpha Theta
Kappa Kappa Gamma
Sigma Delta Tau

[sailboatgirl]

I'm still SO loving this retro recruitment threads...it's fun for me to see a story with lots of chapters, since my campus only had three at the time I went through recruitment (they have since added a fourth chapter).

I think I'd have felt the same way as you about the invites...thinking that 12 was great but still feeling kind of like "what?" when my friends got so many more! So, was your mother upset that you had released your legacy house?

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by sailboatgirl

I'm still SO loving this retro recruitment threads...it's fun for me to see a story with lots of chapters, since my campus only had three at the time I went through recruitment (they have since added a fourth chapter).

I think I'd have felt the same way as you about the invites...thinking that 12 was great but still feeling kind of like "what?" when my friends got so many more! So, was your mother upset that you had released your legacy house?

Yes, she was. She wasn't set on me joining it, but she was upset that I released it so early.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Hmmm...no responses, but a lot of page views, so I guess someone is reading.

First Invitational. I don't remember who I visited on which night (with one or two exceptions), so I will lump them all in together.

Provacateurs. I remember feeling like I fit well in this house, but at the same time, I didn't think it was a very strong chapter. I told the girl it was my birthday, and she was like "18 or 19?" and I told her 17, and she told me she wasn't even sure they could take someone so young. I was pretty sure she was incorrect though, so I ignored it.

Scarlet Gs. I remember they were all wearing black and white, and their skit was pretty boring. They kept us in a very small area of the house again, but the girls were really nice. Still didn't like their rotation system.

Ivory Jewels. I really liked this house again, but I remember saying something that sounded stupid, and then the girl was like "what?" and I was like "never mind" but I was sure they wouldn't invite me back after that.

Jack Rabbits. I had to walk all the way from Champaign to Urbana to get to this house, and I was a little late. I apologized and the RC brought me in, but the girl was like "oh, I didn't think I was going to have to talk to anyone this round". Their skit was really funny, and I got to see that they were a lot more diverse than I had first thought.

Red Hots. I spoke to someone who was an officer here (VP or something) and she seemed to know all about me. This was the first time that had happened, and I was a little surprised. Their skit was was too in-jokey, I thought.

Petite Passions. They were still rushing 2 on 3 here. We got a full house tour, and they almost all had singles, which seemed really great. They also told us about how they were allowed to have boys spend the night (also good!), and they just seemed very laid back.

Ice Pearls. I had another rusher that I didn't know, but she knew who I was. This seemed way less weird to me here than it had at Red Hots. They did a skit about putting aside the superficial and going where you really felt home, and I knew a lot of the other rushees here.

Marvels. This time I had a one-on-one conversation with a girl who was a junior, and she was an officer. She was really really nice, and one of the girls from open houses saw me and winked, so I really liked this chapter.

Ripplers. I again don't remember much about this house.

Love Silks. I really liked both girls I met here, and one of them knew I was so-and-so's little sister, which made me feel important. I got the impression this was a bit of a sportier house, which isn't really me, but they had high grades and such too.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Again, I didn't want to rank anyone in my head, but the next day I went to the union and saw:

Provocateurs
Scarlet Gs
Ivory Jewels
Red Hots
Petite Passions
Ripplers
Ice Pearls
Marvels
Love Silks

I was so excited! I chose to go back to:

Provocateurs
Ivory Jewels
Marvels
Love Silks
Ice Pearls

Sure enough, my dorm friends had been invited back to 9, 9, and 10, so we were all really excited and obtained some liquid refreshments to celebrate.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

So the next day, my RC calls, and tells me there has been a computer error, and I have to meet her at the Union to talk about it.

[AOE2AlphaPhi]

I've been reading! And I'm on pins and needles about this computer error!

[mystikchick]

oh good grief, really? this is the third thread with errors happening! you are all evil evil people for leaving us hanging but please keep writing

[AnatraAmore]

Ut ohhh... that's never good... and this early in the thread? Oh dear.