A Sugary Sweet Sorority Recruitment Story!
Hello all! I can't believe I'm finally in a position where I can contribute to GreekChat. Where should I even begin? Let’s start with a genuine thank you. This website - and all of its beautiful contributors - saved my LIFE when it came to figuring out the vast world that is Greek life over the past year and a half. I definitely feel as though you all don’t receive as much credit as you deserve for advising and preparing anonymous girls like me. Y’all rock!
I feel like it’s safe to assume that most incoming college freshmen are at least somewhat excited to make the transition from home to on-your-own. Take that feeling, multiply it by 1000, and then cover it in some Texas burnt orange sprinkles; that’s how enthusiastic I was about beginning my collegiate life in ATX. I had fallen in love with my dorm, my class schedule, the UT campus, and the city of Austin. Intensify those feelings with an incredibly spirited summer orientation session in June, top it off with sorority recruitment registration in July, and you’ve got one revved up 18-year-old by the time August rolls around. To put it simply, the anticipation that I had built around move-in was almost maddening. Life as a Texas Longhorn absolutely could not come soon enough!
Before I had even begun applying to schools, Greek life had drawn me in with its promises of friendship, community, and general supportiveness; all good things to look for as a scared, friendless freshman living in a brand new city. As someone with no Greek relatives, I took to the internet to find out what exactly I needed to know. Let’s just say it turned out to be a lot more than I could have ever expected! This website, in particular, taught me more than any other, answering my initial basic questions and later the more complex ones as my understanding of sorority life grew. I especially adored reading the recruitment stories, investing myself into each one, taking their experiences and advice to heart, and wondering how my own story would unfold one day (maybe I’d even have some advice of my own to give!) I quickly learned that recruitment at my school, in particular, wasn’t going to be a walk in the park, and that DEFINITELY intimidated me. Every house had a history, a reputation, a gorgeous home, and a perfectly manicured social media account to match. After months and months of continuous research, I was confident that I knew exactly what I was getting myself into (a little naive, I know.) Most importantly though, I had learned that tiers didn’t matter, and that lifelong sisters could be found almost anywhere if I was willing to put in the effort. I had come to terms with the idea that I probably wasn’t going to end up in one of the most popular or established houses on campus. I understood that I was probably going to be cut by houses that I had thought were my perfect match. Most importantly, I accepted the fact that I might not end up in any house at all, and I was okay with that. After struggling with self-esteem issues for most of my life (as many of us unfortunately do), I had surprised my friends, my family, and myself by being so gung-ho about putting myself under a microscope for groups of beautiful, talented, accomplished women to scrutinize. What if no one was going to want me? What if I wasn’t going to be what anyone was looking for? Despite all of this, I knew that rush was something I absolutely wanted to participate in, even if the fear was present right alongside with the excitement. As the summer months marched on, I had a recommendation for every house, an outfit for every round, and a mantra that I was going to repeat to myself whenever things got difficult, as I knew they inevitably would: “it only takes one.”
When deciding on my code, I knew I wanted to keep it sweet. The 13 houses at UT will be represented (in no particular order) as:
Strawberry Shortcake
Cinnamon Sugar Donut
Mango Peach Lemonade
Key Lime Pie
Lemon Pound Cake
Mint Chocolate Chip
Vanilla Cream Puff
Blueberry Cobbler
Watermelon Popsicle
Snickerdoodle Sundae
Raspberry Rose Macaron
Caramel Fudge Brownie
Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake
I hope y’all enjoy my story. Hook ‘em!
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