Remembering Spring '11 Recruitment

[beebee21]

I have known since elementary school that I wanted to be a sorority girl. Unlike many of my friends, this was never something I had to contemplate deeply, I just knew. My mom was a Theta, but unfortunately at my school there isn't a Theta chapter, so I had no legacy advantage. Just as well, I thought, I was ready to make my own legacy.

I'm a California girl but I decided to attend college on the east coast. While I knew I wanted to be in a sorority, I had only heard of a few of them, most of which did not have a chapter at my school. At my school, sorority recruitment takes place in the spring, allowing everyone to settle in for a semester before embarking on sisterhood and all of the time that goes in to it. I was extremely impatient all first semester and always kept my eyes out for girls with letters. When I would see one, I would immediately straighten up and smile in hopes they'd remember my face.

We returned early from Christmas break to begin recruitment. When I arrived, there was so much snow on the ground that I wanted to turn around and go back to California. I caught a cab back to the dorms with a girl from my high school who was also about to start recruitment. We gabbed about the different sororities we knew of, and while we wanted to keep an open mind, we found it hard not to let what we had heard last semester affect us.

As seems to be customary on this site, I will use code names for the 9 chapters. I originally had these as cars, but some cars were a little more luxurious than others and I didn't want that to mean anything. I have changed them to fruit!

Blueberry
Kiwi
Tangerine
Watermelon
Raspberry
Apple
Blackberry
Lime
Banana
There are no houses on the campus, so our recruitment was held at a hotel. We traveled up and down the escalators to get to the various ballrooms where each chapter was holding their parties. The first day was a rotation of going to all nine chapters for 15 minutes each. To say I was nervous would be an understatement. I had absolutely no idea what to expect, but all I could do was hope that when everyone said to trust the system, they would be right. I was ready to find my sisters.

[greekhopefull]

Looking forward to hearing the rest!

[beebee21]

I think I'll go ahead and write about Day 1 while I have some free time. Somehow, I managed to get a cold in the middle of the summer, so I've got lots of time today!

I had arrived back at my dorm the night before around 10 PM. I was too nervous to even consider going to sleep, even though I knew I had to be up at 6 AM to meet my group by 8 (public transportation was involved, so I needed to give myself plenty of time to get there.) I unpacked my outfits first and laid each day's one on my roommate's bed (she wasn't doing recruitment, so the extra space worked to my advantage.) When I woke up in the morning, the sun was just starting to rise and I looked out the window to see everything covered in even more snow. I was pretty nervous about the weather. It hadn't snowed first semester, so this was the first time I was experiencing snow like this. A girl I had met at orientation back in July was in my group for recruitment, so we decided to brave the cold together, get some starbucks, and head to the hotel to meet our group. Outside, gaggles of girls in coats and boots were rushing nervously and giddily down the street, avoiding patches of ice.

When we finally arrived at the hotel, each group was assigned a section and a specific seat. This would be where we spent our down time between parties. It felt like hours before we finally lined up for our first party. My heart was pounding. The sisters in every chapter were wearing jeans and t-shirts with the name of the sorority on the front and their crest on the back. Each shirt was the sorority's color.

The first party I attended was Kiwi. The girl from my high school with whom I had shared a cab the night before had been talking about how much she liked this chapter. She admitted they were sort of dirty rushing her, but it seemed to be working. When they started their door chant, I jumped back. They were the loudest of the day, and whatever party I attended, I could always hear their cheer. I was greeted by a really beautiful, petite girl. I never heard what she said her name was, but we seemed to click right away. I looked around at the decor and really loved their mascot, for it was my favorite animal. We joked about that and talked about our breaks and majors. No one bumped in this party since it was so short. The 15 minutes flew by and I left with a good feeling and a lot of confidence. This wasn't going to be so hard! I had thought I would be stumped for conversation, but that hadn't been a problem at all.

Next was Tangerine. These girls had a reputation that I knew very well, but it sort of intrigued me. I had met one sister at a party and she seemed to love me, so I felt good about this party. There was one other girl I knew in the chapter, but she was a different story. My kind of boyfriend's ex. I already knew she knew it was me, but I tried to keep a smile on my face and resisted searching the room for her. The girls weren't as loud as the last party, and didn't seem as enthusiastic. They were, however, the most beautiful group of girls I had ever seen. I had never felt so plain in my life. I tried not to let my insecurities get to me, but the girl who greeted me was sickeningly gorgeous. And when two more sisters bumped her, they were equally as stunning. The first two girls I talked to seemed mildly interested in what I had to say, but kept glancing around the room, looking for the ex I figured. The last girl I talked to was the nicest and made me feel like I might just fit in here after all. When the 15 minutes were up, we walked out and the last girl (one of the only other brunettes in the room) told me she was looking forward to seeing me again. My confidence continued to grow, but I wasn't sure I was comfortable in the group. Knowing there was at least one sister who already hated me made me extremely uneasy, and I knew her sisters would have her back. I tried to be positive, though.

The next stop on our list was Lime. I was already starting to feel a bit fatigued from being on my feet and traveling up and down the hotel. Their room was the smallest so far, but the walls of windows made it bright. They didn't really decorate at all which was kind of disappointing. I barely remember the girl who greeted me. She was sort of awkward and while we managed to find things to talk about until she was bumped, I was definitely not feeling any sort of connection. The next two girls that came along were really sweet, but again, I just wasn't feeling it. I could tell I didn't have a lot in common with this group. They had a reputation for being kind of standoffish, and it turned out to be spot on. None of them made me feel particularly comfortable, and I left a little bit dejected. I really wanted to like everyone.

The next party required us to travel all the way to the bottom floor for the Watermelon party. Two of my best friends at different schools were in Watermelon, but I already had a feeling going in that they weren't for me. They were definitely not known for being social, and many people didn't even know they were on the campus because of their lack of letter wearing. They also didn't have big philanthropy events, so their presence on campus was very small. This is one of those houses that is really excellent in some parts of the country, but at my school, was not. They were nice, though, and seemed very genuine. This was the first party to have tables, so we all sat, talking to sisters. I told them about my friends who were in Watermelon and they seemed mildly interested. All of the girls I talked to seemed very nervous. The majority seemed to be in the art school, and they talked a lot about it. While I found that interesting, I'm not any kind of artist, so I found it hard to make connections. They were all sweet girls, though, and seemed eager to have me back, which I thought was nice.

LUNCH TIME! We ventured into the mall that was connected to the hotel to get lunch at the food court. While we knew we weren't supposed to talk about the different sororities, we really couldn't help it. What else was there to talk about? We exchanged gossip and talked about the houses we were really liking so far. At that point, I wasn't in love with any of them, but I ranked them like this at the time. Though to be honest, the only one I could remotely see myself in at that point was Tangerine, and that was REMOTE.

Tangerine
Kiwi
Watermelon
Lime

After lunch came the long stretch. Five parties to go. But because there were about 600 girls going through recruitment, there was a lot of waiting around between parties. Up to an hour at some points!

Our first stop after lunch was Banana. I didn't really know anything about this group, so I was nervous and excited. They didn't really do a door chant, but they sang quietly and briefly. I could tell of the bat that they were mellow and very classy girls, many wearing pearls. They didn't come off as snobby at all and seemed genuinely interested in what we talked about. I talked to quite a few girls and each one was a complete doll! Most of them were very pretty in a classic way, and I quickly learned it was a chapter full of dancers like myself. We talked a lot about dance and the team at our school and the classes we took in high school. I really enjoyed myself and was starting to think I could see these girls as my sisters. I left feeling great about them and very comfortable.

Next Stop: Blackberry. This was a brand new chapter on campus! They had just colonized in the fall, and for such a new chapter, their sisterhood seemed strong. They gushed about how excited they were to have a Beta class, and while I wanted something with more history and tradition, I found myself intrigued by the idea of helping shape them. The girl I talked to, however, was a total dud. She was boring and a little bit geeky and talked a lot about her boyfriend, which I found odd since I knew that topic was off limits. Her twin (since they only had one class they did twins instead of big/littles) bumped in and I could see why they were twins. They were equally as boring. I did really like the way the room was decorated, and it looked like there were a lot of really cool girls in the chapter, I just wasn't talking to them. I left feeling somewhat certain they were at the bottom of my list. I was always polite, though, never wanting anyone to think I was rude or uninterested. I kept things like this to myself.

Knowing where I was going next made me very nervous. Raspberry was the house everyone was talking about between parties. They were a very large and very visible chapter on the campus, and everyone seemed to adore them and the idea of being one of their sisters. They had won sorority of the year in 2010 and I often saw the sisters wearing their sorority of the year shirts. I had heard a lot about them during the fall semester, and always hoped to meet a sister at a party, but I never did. I went in knowing no one, and that made me very nervous, because I really wanted to impress them. Well it turned out, that wasn't so hard! The girl who was matched up with me was the nicest and most interesting girl I had met all day. We gabbed and gabbed and never were short on conversation topics. It just flowed completely naturally. What I really loved about the way they organized themselves, was that the girl that greeted the PNM stayed with her for the entire party while other, older sisters rotated in and out. I was able to keep that solid connection with the girl who greeted me, which helped me get along really well with all of her sisters. They were all so bubbly and giggly and I wanted so badly to be a part of it. I found out that pretty much every girl I talked to had the same major as me or was at least in the same program as me. I felt really close to them knowing that. Their decorations were adorable, and so were they! They were all so pretty and put together. I started to understand what rush was really supposed to be like, and I felt completely energized after such a great party! When my greeter walked me out, she gave me the sweetest smile and told me how great it had been to meet me. I felt good about getting asked back, but didn't want to get too cocky. I knew I wasn't the only one hoping to come back.

Next was Blueberry. I was impressed by them because they had the highest GPA requirement, and as someone who takes school very seriously, I appreciated that. I liked the idea of being surrounded by other girls who also were studious but knew how to have a good time. And that was definitely Blueberry. The girls were very bubbly and friendly. The first girl I talked to was super cute and interesting. She started asking me about where I lived on campus and when I told her the dorm she asked what floor. When I told her the floor her eyes widened with excitement. WHAT ROOM?! When I told her she looked like she was about to faint. It had been her old room, and we both had had the bed on the right. This was too crazy and we gushed about how it had to be fate that we would end up talking to each other! Every girl that came over to bump heard the story about our dorm room, and everyone seemed to love it! There was lots of giggling and I felt really comfortable, like these girls had been my friends forever! I absolutely loved them, and as I walked out, smiling ear to ear, the first girl winked at me and smiled.

We had finally reached the last house of the day,Apple. I had once heard that they were kind of an up and comer. They were pretty middle tier, but the word on greek row was that they were on their way to the top. This intrigued me. When I arrived, though, I didn't see it. The girls were nice and friendly, but they didn't strike me as anything special. They seemed friendly with each other, but didn't seem as much like sisters as some of the other chapters had. The president came over and introduced herself, which was really nice. We talked about school and what we were studying and the semester they had all spent abroad. I tried not to let my eyes glaze over when I realized there was nothing in common. We joked about what a long day it had been, and I felt very comfortable with them, but I didn't feel that same jolt I had felt earlier that day.

When it came time to rank on the computer we had to choose our top 7 (they were unranked) and our bottom 2 that would be ranked.

In my head, I already knew how I was feeling, but since it didn't matter to the computer who I liked the best, I'll try to let you guys figure that one out!

For my bottom two, I ranked
1.Watermelon
2. Lime

I was fairly certain I didn't want to go back to either of those. I knew there just wouldn't be anything to talk about for 30 minutes the next day. I went home, called my family to tell them about my day, and tried to relax, eagerly awaiting the next morning. Day 2 would be philanthropy day, and the maximum number of chapters we could go back to was 7.

[aab225]

sounds like you're liking BMW, Audi and Aston Martin. Great cars. And great sororities I'm sure

[aab225]

can't wait to hear the rest!!!!

[victoriana]

Love it! I can't wait to read more.

[nolesgirl]

Sounds interesting, can't wait to read day 2!!

[aj12291]

Sounds great! can't wait to read more!
...and I think I know the school

[aab225]

gimme gimme more!

[beebee21]

Do you all remember that feeling of walking to get your schedule for the first time on the second day of rush? I felt more like I was floating than walking - I was totally mindless. Not to mention, the top I was wearing had a really tight line under the bust, so there were a few reasons I couldn't breathe. I had been so nervous. I felt like I charmed the houses I cared the most about, but who could be so sure? All of my friends that I knew who had gone through rush in the fall or in previous years ended up getting cut from the houses they originally loved, so I was pretty sure my fait would be the same. I kept an open mind, though, because they all were so madly in love with where they ended up I knew I would be too.

I mentioned in my first post that we had assigned seats in our ballroom. Well, in the morning, our name tags were placed on the chairs with our tiny schedules slipped inside. I looked at my RC in hopes her face would give something away, but she averted her eyes. Uh oh.

I opened up the list and scanned to see how many had asked me back. 7 out of a possible 7. What a relief! As I searched my list, I saw that to my relief, Lime was no longer on there. However, Watermelon still was. I had to scan a few times more to figure out who I was missing from my list of 7. Ah hah! Of course. Tangerine. At first, I felt a tinge of disappointment. I didn't believe that my boy's ex could have something to do with it, so I just thought over and over of what I did to turn them off. I was still thrilled, though, because I still had Raspberry and Blueberry which had been my favorite two of the first day.

I walked into the bathroom to touch up my make-up and saw gaggles of crying girls. I instantly felt silly for caring that ONE house I wasn't even sold on anyway had cut me. One girl I knew was crying about getting cut from three of the houses she liked, and I felt even worse for having cared as much about the one house. I was about to have a great day and learn more about some amazing girls!

So here's what I had left for day 2 (PHILANTHROPY DAY!) in order of my favs from the day before:
Raspberry
Blueberry
Banana
Kiwi
Apple
Blackberry
Watermelon

First up was Blackberry. The girls had on jeans and t-shirts again this time with information about their symbols and their philanthropy on them. The girl who greeted me was a girl I had heard of before but never actually met. She was extremely bubbly and cute and was someone I immediately wanted to be friends with. She was really outgoing and had the kind of "love me or hate me" attitude I admired and envied. She seemed kind of like a badass but in the best way possible, a total older sister like figure. She told me how she lived in a house with 7 other girls in the geek system, and they represented 3 or 4 different sororities. I thought that was pretty amazing. We talked about the philanthropy and did a craft that she seemed to be really proud of. I felt completely differently about these girls than I had the day before, and was so glad I didn't cut them. I left happy about such a great start to the day.

The next party was Kiwi. I was greeted by a really outgoing girl who reminded me a lot of the girl from the first party. She too had that kind of badass I don't care what you think of me mentality and I admired it. We started talking about philanthropy, but the topic quickly switched to dance and working out, things we were both very interested in. She told me about Zumba classes in the area and some of her friends came over and joined our conversation. When she was bumped, she told me how much she hoped to see me again and I felt really good. When the party was over, I left very smiley, knowing I just made a good impression and really enjoyed these girls. I saw myself as a sister in their chapter.

Next, it was back to Banana. They had once again dressed really tastefully and classy and I loved the ambience of their room. It sort of felt like I was in a high society country club without the snootiness. I spent the vast majority of the time talking to one girl. At first, I really liked her. She told me all about how she was a transfer and how being a Banana really helped her adjust and love the school. We turned the topic to dance and she talked about her training and how she had originally gone to school to major in dance. When I told her about my dance experience in high school and how I had considered trying out for the dance team at our school, she scoffed and essentially told me I wouldn't make the team. It was way too competitive. It seemed like she didn't even believe I was a dancer, which I found insulting and extremely odd. When I left, I was pretty sure I wouldn't ever be comfortable in their chapter.

I was thrilled that the next party was Raspberry because I was sure it would wash out the bad taste I had gotten in my last party. The girl who greeted me was striking and I was immediately intimidated. As soon as we sat down, though, and they stopped singing and dancing (I absolutely LOVED this song/dance) we sat down and talked. Turned out she was from my area and we immediately talked about our love for In N Out and how much we missed the beach and how crazy the weather was. Our conversation flowed so well there was never an awkward or quiet moment. Her little and little little came over and introduced themselves and I sat talking to their whole family. They told me about the things they did together and I felt like they were my family already. The girl from the first day came over to me and said how happy she was to see me, and I felt amazing. Someone stopped all of the conversations to explain the philanthropy. I had known about it before thanks to some research, but I didn't feel like it was as important as some of the other philanthropies, though it took me a second to realize the connection and significance it had within my family. I couldn't believe how fast the time flied and I left hoping so much that I'd get to see all of them the next day. As I walked out, my friend from orientation who was in my RC group looked at me and said, "wow, you look so happy!" "It went REALLY well," I replied.

Next was Watermelon. Even though I had cut them, I remained positive and put my best foot forward. I knew quite a bit about their philanthropy because of my Watermelon friends at other schools. It was also a generally high profile cause, and one I cared deeply about. I was very intrigued by their theme for the day because it coincided really perfectly with their philanthropy. We talked a lot about art and I told them how envious I was of their artistic abilities. I gushed about their door and found that I was talking to the girl who had designed it. We talked about classes and a little about their boyfriends (I was shocked at how often this was coming up!) and a lot about their philanthropy and how important a cause it was. The next girl I talked to was really sweet, but clearly shy, and our conversation did have a lull at a few points. As sweet as these girls were, and as much as I could tell they really loved one another, I didn't feel any kind of rush or excitement about them. I didn't see myself being their sister, but I definitely hoped to be able to stay in touch with some of them after rush.

Next was Apple. I hadn't been very impressed with them the day before, but after seeing how much my opinions changed that day, I was more than willing to give them another chance to change my mind. I was practically bombarded by girls in this one. They all seemed to have heard great things about me and wanted to talk. The president came back over again too and lingered for a while. The girls were great. Smart and funny and full of life and love. Their philanthropy was another cause I believed in greatly, and I really enjoyed their presentation. At the end of the party, I was on the fence about them. I managed to keep good conversations going the whole time, but I still wasn't sold. I didn't necessarily see myself as a part of their sisterhood yet. But that wasn't enough to keep me from wanting to keep trying.

Last of the day was Blueberry. I loved their outfits. They corresponded really well to their big fall philanthropy event and when we talked about the foundation they supported, I was really thrilled. One of my favorite teachers I ever had in high school benefited from this philanthropy, and when I told her story to the sisters, they looked like they were going to tear up. I could tell they had already heard so many sad stories being involved in this philanthropy, and to see how genuinely they seemed to care about it made me really adore the sisters. They all seemed so close and like real sisters. They were all just genuinely happy to be together going through recruitment and to be welcoming new members in a few days. All of the girls mentioned the thing about the sister who had lived in my dorm room the year before. Everyone seemed to get a huge kick out of that story and continued to tell me it was fate that I was there. This was such a great party to end the day on. I left feeling like I could absolutely see myself as a sister in this chapter and felt really proud.

It was pretty easy for me to make my cuts at the end of the day. We were supposed to pick 5 sororities to keep (unranked) and our bottom 2 (ranked). The next day we would return to a maximum of 5 parties.

Even though my top 5 were unranked, I'll rank them for you anyway.
Raspberry
Blueberry
Blackberry
Apple
Kiwi

1. Banana
2. Watermelon

I left that day feeling really good. I knew that even if I didn't end up in certain chapters, there were so many girls I would look to keep in touch with. It was clear that there really was unity among the greeks at my school, and I felt really lucky.

[ebdelt]

This is a good one. Looking forward to the next installment. I like your (sometimes brutal) honesty.

[beebee21]

hmm i guess some of it is a little brutal :/ i don't mean to be mean, but I'm also trying to make this real and honest. so thank you for the appreciation ebdelt

[victoriana]

I love it. Rooting for Raspberry

[greekhopefull]

I'm rooting for Blueberry!

[aj12291]

Love!!!