A "Spicy" Recruitment

[phoenix16]

Now that I have graduated and it has been several years since I went through recruitment, I think it is time to share my recruitment story! We have a large Panhellenic community at my school, so I decided to use spices and seasonings to name each chapter. I couldn't come up with a method that had enough names!

Some background: I went through as a sophomore and decided immediately after recruitment my freshman year that I would be participating. I knew quite a few people who had already gone through and loved their chapters, and I wanted to be a part of it. This led to a lot of time spent preparing and researching for the process, but I was still not prepared when the first day rolled around!

The Spices:
Paprika
Cayenne Pepper
Coriander
Curry
Thyme
Oregano
Cumin
Cinnamon
Garlic
Sage
Marjoram
Chili
Basil
Cardamom
Mustard
Dill
Fennel
Ginger
Rosemary
Cloves
Nutmeg
Poppy Seeds

Open House-Day 1:

It was frigid outside at 4 am when I got up to start my day, but I was so excited that I didn't mind. By the time the first round started, the nerves set in.

Paprika was the first chapter on the list. I was a nervous wreck waiting outside! The Rho Gammas started counting down, 5...4...3...2...1...Let's just say I was not warned about door stacks. After I could breathe again, we walked inside to a cacophony of clapping and singing. I quickly relaxed, as this was my best friend/roommate's chapter and I already knew several of the women. The round went by quickly and I was surprised when the women began to clap and sing again. I loved the conversations I had and I was excited to (hopefully!) be invited back.

Cayenne Pepper was the next chapter. Having one round under my belt, I was much more at ease for this round. The women were loud and I could tell that they were having fun. I talked to several women, and we spent the entire round laughing and sharing different stories. I enjoyed my time here and I wanted to come back and get to know them more.

Coriander, much like the other rounds, was loud and exciting. This time, however, I was less comfortable. Overall, I liked the chapter. I had good conversations and felt like the women were making their best effort to engage me, but I didn't think I would fit very well here. I couldn't put my finger on exactly why, but I left with a sense that I would not be returning.

Curry is a chapter that many PNMs love. The conversations were good as the women I talked to were polished and obviously knew how to carry a conversation well. All the same, we did not have much in common and the conversations did not stray far past majors, where I'm from, and how I liked my school. I would not mind returning, but I didn't think I would.

Thyme is another chapter coveted by PNMs. Up to this point, the rounds had been going well. The conversations weren't awkward and the women were nice. This time, however, I just wanted to leave. The conversations hit dead ends several times and I asked a lot of questions about the chapter to fill time. Their answers were less than inspiring and I got the feeling that they were not very interested in me after we established that I didn't like to travel much. Obviously these women were not the group for me and I left not wanting to return.

Oregano is yet another PNM favorite. As much I wanted to give this chapter a chance, the women were talking badly about other sisters on the side during the opening presentation. I did NOT want to be a part of this. The conversations went better than I expected after that, but I got the feeling that they did not want to talk to me and were just being polite. I did not want to return to this chapter and had a gut feeling they did not want me to either.

Cumin was the first chapter after our lunch break. It had already been a long day, but we had miles to go before the end. The chapter was loud and seemed to really be enjoying themselves. Unfortunately, the conversations were less than stellar. I had decent conversations with a couple of the women, but one conversation was difficult. I could not for the life of me get any energy out of her. It seemed like she did not want to be there and it made me very uncomfortable. I was so glad to leave this chapter and honestly did not want to be invited back. On top of all of this, my water bottle leaked everywhere during this round, and I was frantically drying the things in my bag while we raced to the next chapter.

Cinnamon was a chapter that I had fallen in love with by researching it, and I was hoping beyond all hope to have a great experience here. I did! I LOVED this chapter. The women that I talked to were absolute sweethearts. One woman and I laughed so hard that when the groups bumped, she was still laughing as she walked away. I did not want to leave when the time came and I was silently praying all the way to the next chapter that they liked me enough to invite me back.

Garlic was up next and I was still smiling from the last round. The conversations were awkward at times and almost strayed into off-limits topics, but they may not have been trained as well on recruitment as a newer chapter so I gave them the benefit of the doubt. They were sweet women and overall I had a good time. I was okay with coming back here, but I was hoping that I would have more experiences like the previous round at other chapters and I would not end up returning.

Sage was a chapter that I was familiar with through friends and I had been looking forward to visiting all day. I was not disappointed! The conversations were easy and comfortable, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. I asked a lot about their philanthropy and we spent a long time talking about why we were in/wanting to join sororities. I left wanting to return.

Marjoram was the last chapter of the day. It was getting late, but the door stack was so loud that I was wide awake! I talked to one woman about figure skating for quite a while, and had friendly conversations with the others I talked to. I was glad to end on a high note, and wanted to be invited back to learn more about the chapter.

Exhausted after such a long day, I went home and immediately crashed. I had to rest up to do this all again the next day.