My Storybook Rush

[ConfettiCupcake]

Here is my Rush story. I wrote most of it during rush, but saved it until now for privacy. I am naming the sororities after characters from books that I loved when I was little.



Fern

Pippi
Junie

Amelia

Corduroy

Annie

Winnie

Ramona

Ferdinand

Sal

Ducklings

Madeline

Horton

Stuart

Alice

Claudia

Matilda



I was pretty prepared for Rush. My mom was in a sorority at a different school and she had done a good job of helping me get ready without putting any pressure on me to pledge her sorority or any sorority at all. I had cute dresses and fun jewelry. The only fashion item that I drew the line at was Jack Rogers sandals because they seemed unbelievably expensive and uncomfortable, too. I was pretty sure that as soon as Rush was over, I’d never wear them again.

My GPA is high and I had a good bit of high school activities and awards plus I’m very involved in some unique activities outside of school. I had recs (at least one) for every sorority and am a legacy for two sororities on campus. So, overall I felt pretty ready even though a lot of friends kept telling me I wasn’t the “sorority type” because I’m pretty outdoorsy and “natural”.

[BraveMaroon]

Pippalotta Delicatessa Windowshade Mackerel Mint Ephraim's Daughter Longstocking!!!!

I'll take Useless Trivia That Keeps Me Awake at 4AM for $600, Alex.

[FSUZeta]

I love all the books you chose for your story. Can't wait to read all about it!

[ConfettiCupcake]

Round #1 – Open House
Round One is split over two days. My first surprise was that there were PNMs on my hall who spent the night with their mothers in their hotel room so their moms could help them get ready in the morning!

My first house was Fern. As I stood outside nervously talking to some girls I was shocked to hear all of this yelling and banging coming from inside the Fern house! I was so surprised! We got off to a great start and I loved the girls that I talked to. Everyone was so excited and bubbly and the time flew by! I couldn’t believe how much energy there was and was excited to see if every house was like this.

My next house was Pippi and it was not at all the same experience. It just seemed sort of flat. I am a legacy at Pippi and didn’t know what to expect, but after the electricity at Fern, this just felt dull. The girl who rushed seemed really nervous and that made me nervous and uncomfortable for both of us. I will definitely give them another look but this wasn’t a great first impression.

The next house was way back up there on the energy meter! The Junies were loud and the girl who rushed me was really talkative and easy to chat with. I talked about all sorts of odd things at this house and they definitely didn’t seem to stick to a script. I did notice that I was stuck in a corner the whole time though so I don’t think they were too excited about me.

Amelia was next and is another house where I am a legacy. The girls were very pretty and sweet. The conversation was super comfortable and almost calm and relaxing. I liked this house a lot!

(Are you getting tired yet? I was….)

Corduroy was next and I was getting sort of tired of all of the smiling and chatting. The girl who rushed me seemed to feel the same way and we laughed about how tiring it is to be so nice! This was a very easy party afterall and I’d love to be invited back here. The girls seemed very laid back and not too wound up in being “perfect”.

Winnie was my next house. I felt like I didn’t fit in here at all. These girls are very, very pretty. They were nice and sweet, but I just didn’t feel like this would be my sort of place at all. It’s not you, it’s me…

My next party was at Ramona (somewhere in this process we took a lunch break I guess). Fatigue was seriously setting in and that early morning start seemed like a long time ago. These girls were nice and there was a lot of fun energy, but I can’t really remember much else.

Ferdinand was my next party and again, I don’t really remember many of the details. The girl who took me around was super bubbly and really seemed to enjoy her sorority and sisters. At one point she helped out another sister who was clearly having a hard time getting a conversation going with her PNM. It wasn’t an official bump, it was more like an assist. I thought that was really sweet and perceptive of her. I liked the Ferdinands even though I was really ready for this day to be over.

The last party of the day was Sal. This was another very polished group of girls. They weren’t all incredibly beautiful, but they all seemed very confident and really good at Rush, if that makes sense. I don’t remember a lot of details from this party and my notes were getting worse and worse as the day went on!

I called my mom that night and she kept telling me to think for myself and not to listen to other girls. That is pretty easy for me and I felt like everything was going well and much,much more fun that I thought it would have been. I was still a little awed by some of the PNMs preparations, but overall was having a blast.

[ConfettiCupcake]

Originally Posted by BraveMaroon

Pippalotta Delicatessa Windowshade Mackerel Mint Ephraim's Daughter Longstocking!!!!

I'll take Useless Trivia That Keeps Me Awake at 4AM for $600, Alex.

Wow! That is impressive!

[ADPi95]

Loving this story so far!

[lyres&pearls]

I love that your mother told you to think for yourself. That is always good advice!

[GammaPhiAud]

Loving this so far! I'm rooting for Amelia!! Good luck

[DDDMomma]

More stories, more stories!

[ConfettiCupcake]

First Round Continued

Day 2 of First Round started at Annie. The girl who took me around shared a lot of my same interests and we had a lot to talk about. She kept calling me by the wrong name though and I wasn’t sure if I should correct her. I had on a nametag, of course, and maybe she just had the last girl’s name stuck in her head. I didn’t say anything about it and I don’t know if I handled that correctly or not. I really liked the Annies though! I love their philanthropy!

Next was Ducklings. These girls were very pretty and excited and their house was so cute, but I didn’t get a great big warm feeling here at all. I was starting to figure out how different I could feel at different houses and this was not a favorite for me.

That changed with the next house – Madeline. I really, really liked the girl who rushed me. She was so easy to talk to and we laughed about their silly songs. She had a bandaid on her big toe and we had a crazy conversation about the collective blister quotient at Rush. I hope they liked me as much as I liked them.

Horton was next on my list and again, I was impressed with just how pretty a group of girls can be. However, the girl who took me around was not easy to talk to. For the first time, I really had to do all the work. She didn’t seem snobby, just really quiet and sort of awkward with the chit-chat. This is a really popular house so I’m not sure what to think.…

Stuart was next. These girls were all dressed in the same color which made a very cohesive impression. They were very energetic and seemed to really have a tight sisterhood as that is most of what my conversations were about with the girls I met here. I liked this house a lot!

My next house was Alice and I really liked it. The girls who I talked to seemed like they were all good friends and the conversations were easy. They seem to be very active with their philanthropy so I’d love to come back and hear more about it.

Claudia – I loved this party and these girls. Yesterday at this point, I was tired and ready to be done, but today I had a lot more energy and Claudia was a lot of fun. The girl who rushed me was from my home town so we talked about some music festivals and stuff. She was really cute and I’d love to come back here.

Matilda – Nothing special at all happened at Matilda. Again, I’m glad I took a few notes because by this point, I was sort of done for the day. Nice enough, but nothing special or negative.

I was really trying to take my mom’s advice so I didn’t talk to anyone before I made my lists of top group and bottom rank. I knew from the “tent talk” that I was probably putting some “top” sororities on my bottom list, but I really went with what seemed right to me. Btw – there is a LOT of tent talk. Everyone has an opinion!!!

I called my mom later after dinner and I think she was a little surprised about my rankings, but again, she just kept saying to listen to my own voice and told me to be confident in my choices.

The order of the top 12 doesn’t matter, but here are the ones I put in my bottom five:
Junie
Horton
Pippi
Winnie
Matilda

[ConfettiCupcake]

Round 2 – House Tours
We could be invited back to 12 houses for this round and I was super happy to see 12 on my list! They are:

Fern
Pippi
Junie
Amelia
Corduroy
Annie
Ramona
Sal
Madeline
Horton
Ducklings
Ferdinand


So I was not going back to: Winnie, Matilda, Stuart, Alice and Claudia

My biggest disappointment was Alice. A relative was an Alice and she had talked them up so much that I was really excited about them before I came to Rush. I really liked them! Overall though, I knew I didn’t have anything to complain about and was soooooo happy to be in my panhellenic t-shirt and cute shorts!

The first party was Annie. This was one of my favorites from First Round and today didn’t disappoint! I really have a big connection with their philanthropy and was so excited to be back. Unfortunately, the girl who rushed me didn’t seem quite as enthusiastic as I did and I worried that I might have been too eager seeming. Awkward.

The next house was Pippi. Again, I am a legacy here and was very open minded and ready for this house to feel right to me, but it didn’t at all. The house was dark and formal looking and the girls didn’t seem very happy about much of it. Today doesn’t seem to be going very well. I don’t see myself coming back here but we’ll see.

Next was Corduroy. This was much, much better! The girls who showed me around were funny and obviously enjoying themselves which makes the whole thing more fun for everyone. We had fun looking at pictures and they used every picture to sneak in a bit of information about socials, games and even school! I like these girls!

Amelia – I loved their house and the girl who took me around was sweet. This was a fun party overall and I’d love to come back for more even though I don’t really remember many details.

Ramona was nice, but again – nothing really stood out. Everyone loves their house but I didn’t get that excited about the looks of it. I kept telling myself that I’m not here to buy a house – that isn’t what this is all about. These girls do seem to all enjoy each other though.

The Ducklings have a beautiful house and the girl who rushed me was very chatty and we had a good conversation, but when I looked around they just don’t seem like the kind of girls that I feel really comfortable with. Lots of really flashy jewelry and name brand everything. I know that shouldn’t matter so much but I felt like I was overdosing on it.

After the stuck in the corner thing from First Round, I was sort of surprised to be invited back to Junie. These girls seem sort of loud and crazy. There is energy and then there is Hyper. I don’t know about this house. Aside from the craziness, I didn’t get much of an impression and certainly not much about sisterhood. I don't think I even know what their philanthropy is. They do have a nice house though.

The Horton house is just as beautiful as the girls are. They really seem to love their house and have a close sisterly bond. Everyone loves this house and these girls!

I am loving the Madeline house and girls. They seem very sincere about their sisterhood. The girl who took me around shared a lot about her other activities on campus and I was impressed that it wasn’t all Madeline all the time. I really hope they invite me back.

My favorite house of the day was Sal. It just seemed like everything that a Southern sorority house should be. The girl who showed me around was so funny and wanted to talk about a zillion things. That was the easiest conversation that I’ve had all day.

Fern – the girl who rushed me here and showed me the house was a senior and she seemed seriously bored by the whole thing. She told me that rush gets old after the first year on the other side but it has to be done. Whatever. I doubt they will invite me back and though I know she is just one girl, she wasn’t much of a rusher. Such a difference from the first round here!

When I talked to my mom tonight she prepared me for big disappointments for tomorrow. She says these cuts are big and that it feels worse because you get thinking so far ahead and can really see yourself somewhere. There was lots more to the conversation but it was mostly about getting rest, drinking lots of water, using sunscreen and eating healthy…. Thanks Mom!

We split our lists today and put six on the bottom ranking.

My top six were (in NO order)
Madeline
Sal
Fern
Amelia
Ramona
Annie


My bottom ranking was:
Corduroy
Horton
Junie
Ducklings
Pippi
Fern

[AZTheta]

Fern is in both lists. other than that, impressed at how you kept everything straight.

[ConfettiCupcake]

Oops - Fern was in the bottom list. The top list was supposed to contain Ferdinand. Darn cutting and pasting...

[Benzgirl]

Originally Posted by lyres&pearls

I love that your mother told you to think for yourself. That is always good advice!

We need more mothers to hear this.

[DG Illinois]

Great story...ready for the next day!