Am I the only Stressed Mom?

newPNMsMom · #1 09-02-2016, 11:01 AM

My daughter's recruitment starts this weekend and I'm nervous and excited for her. Greek life on her campus is pretty laid back and the sororities live in university dormitories. She will visit all 10 chapters for first round Friday and Saturday and then can visit up to 7 on Sunday. She had a few recs (we were told repeatedly they were unnecessary on this campus) including the legacy info/rec I sent on my GLO. She's going in with a mostly open mind with the exception of one organization that an older girl from HS pledged and she plans to take a hesitant look at that one. Then they wait all week and recruitment resumes the following Friday and Saturday with bid day on Sunday.
She has met several times with her RG and feels comfortable with the process. This is the largest group of PNM's they've ever had. Her RG group is 38 girls and 2 RG's. Yikes! My advice is to go in with an open mind and let the system work as intended. She was given a recruitment booklet with information on each of the chapters and their philanthropies. I have encouraged her to take copious notes and form her own opinions. The book is collected and retained by the RG's at the conclusion of each day, but I see it as a fun memento to look back on in a few years.
Thanks for giving me a place to vent my stress and I'll try to update as I hear how things are going.

thetalady · #2 09-02-2016, 01:40 PM

Good luck to you both!! We advocate a generous supply of wine for moms during rush ;-) Just keep your heart prepared for the cuts which will upset your daughter. It can't help but hurt. That is OK. Just practice telling her to pick herself up and MOVE ON WITH A SMILE to the houses that invite her back!

We would love to hear how it goes.... since you have already identified her school, don't reveal anything really specific.

AnchorAlumna · #3 09-02-2016, 06:04 PM

If not wine, then PRAYER!
Really, BOTH!

newPNMsMom · #4 09-05-2016, 08:09 PM

The first weekend of recruitment is behind my daughter. First round was Friday and Saturday. I spoke with her briefly Friday night and she said it was easier than she expected. Saturday was a longer day and she still seems upbeat and positive. She is seeing that each group has different qualities and strengths, so there can be a greek home for anyone. There were some delays getting their selections into the computer following the first round but it was a minor frustration.
Sunday was philanthropy round. She was disappointed not to get invited back to one chapter that she liked first round, but was excited to have a full schedule of 7. There were touching videos, more in-depth conversation and crafts. She said conversations seem to be flowing well and in one situation where it got a bit awkward, another sister stepped in and things picked up again. They were able to do their data entry after this round without delays.
She has to wait until Friday or Saturday for the next round (Sisterhood?) at which I think she can go to a max of 5. All in all, I think she's enjoying the experience which makes life much happier for me as her mom. I will continue to rely on my stress relief plan of prayer, wine, and a good workout. Thanks for the support!

Sciencewoman · #5 09-05-2016, 10:17 PM

Glad to hear she's having fun!

My son is going through fraternity recruitment this month, which is much more laid back compared to my daughter's recruitment. It is more drawn out, but it's still less stressful.

evilqueen · #6 09-07-2016, 12:41 PM

I am also a stressed out mom. My daughter doesn't start recruitment until the end of September and it is during the first week of school. She is a transfer from a liberal arts college to a medium-sized University and will be rushing as a sophomore. Apparently rush is competitive at her school and a lot of girls register but many drop out during the process and about 95% get placed. She has a very open mind going in and is focused on sisterhood and involvement. Her room mate is also a transfer and rushing as a sophomore but she transferred in the middle of the year so knows people on campus already and most of her friends are Greek. Its going to be a wild ride.

newPNMsMom · #7 09-26-2016, 08:41 PM

Sorry for the delay in sharing my update. DD was disappointed by deep cuts following the philanthropy round including one from my GLO which she felt could have been a good fit for her. That one probably hit me harder than it hit her, especially since one of the sisters she spoke with the night before wasn't even aware she was a legacy. Going into the sisterhood round, I encouraged her to take a good look at those she still had as there were several that she liked a lot. She came out of sisterhood round with a whole new outlook! She attended pref night for two houses (the max) and got a bid to her first choice house- Alpha Gamma Delta

She's thrilled with her choice and has met some amazing girls. She and I had a long chat about the recruitment process after her first meeting with the new chapter. Her comment to me was something to the effect of "I went into recruitment looking for the perfect "frou-frou" sorority. That was fine until I realized that I'm not a "frou-Frou" girl. My chapter has a diverse group of girls and this is where I belong." Amen!

IndianaSigKap · #8 09-26-2016, 08:49 PM

Congratulations to your daughter!! Sounds like she has a good head on her shoulders, AGD got a good one!

Sciencewoman · #9 09-26-2016, 09:43 PM

So happy your daughter found her home! Thanks for coming back to share the good news!

TLLK · #10 09-27-2016, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by newPNMsMom

Sorry for the delay in sharing my update. DD was disappointed by deep cuts following the philanthropy round including one from my GLO which she felt could have been a good fit for her. That one probably hit me harder than it hit her, especially since one of the sisters she spoke with the night before wasn't even aware she was a legacy. Going into the sisterhood round, I encouraged her to take a good look at those she still had as there were several that she liked a lot. She came out of sisterhood round with a whole new outlook! She attended pref night for two houses (the max) and got a bid to her first choice house- Alpha Gamma Delta

She's thrilled with her choice and has met some amazing girls. She and I had a long chat about the recruitment process after her first meeting with the new chapter. Her comment to me was something to the effect of "I went into recruitment looking for the perfect "frou-frou" sorority. That was fine until I realized that I'm not a "frou-Frou" girl. My chapter has a diverse group of girls and this is where I belong." Amen!

You have a smart and mature daughter. I hope she has a wonderful time getting to know her new sisters.

AGDee · #11 09-28-2016, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by newPNMsMom

Sorry for the delay in sharing my update. DD was disappointed by deep cuts following the philanthropy round including one from my GLO which she felt could have been a good fit for her. That one probably hit me harder than it hit her, especially since one of the sisters she spoke with the night before wasn't even aware she was a legacy. Going into the sisterhood round, I encouraged her to take a good look at those she still had as there were several that she liked a lot. She came out of sisterhood round with a whole new outlook! She attended pref night for two houses (the max) and got a bid to her first choice house- Alpha Gamma Delta

She's thrilled with her choice and has met some amazing girls. She and I had a long chat about the recruitment process after her first meeting with the new chapter. Her comment to me was something to the effect of "I went into recruitment looking for the perfect "frou-frou" sorority. That was fine until I realized that I'm not a "frou-Frou" girl. My chapter has a diverse group of girls and this is where I belong." Amen!

Woohoo! A big Alpha Gamma Delta welcome!