I love Ann Taintor!

I have a general idea of who is who, and I am ignoring all geographical clues. I will probably have a hard time picking out my chapter because I think we reorganized in 1984 since I think there were some drug issues.:o Good call on the reorganization, HQ.

I'm intrigued!
 

Please keep going - I'm hooked. I graduated from a large Midwest Univ. in 1979 and things seem soooo similar to my experience. You write so well, I feel like I'm living my own rush experience all over again.

Definitely hooked, as well. I'm really proud to call you a sister, too!!! :)

Thanks for the compliments, ladies! I'm glad you're enjoying my thread. I love that I now have cheerleaders in FSUZeta and AlwaysSAI. I only wish I had them back then.

Jess is too funny. She's been sending PMs with guesses about which sorority is which. She's doing a good job but I've got an ace up my sleeve that'll keep her confused until the bitter end. :p

Oh, and thanks Kathy. You're a sweetheart. AOT :)


I just got home so I've got to quickly change into my sweats and take care of a few household things. I'll be back to post my invites in about 30 minutes.

this thread is wonderful, i love the visuals and the way you've decided to name them (polo, very elite) - it's so creative. i've given up reading most of the retro threads but this one is like honey's, hooked til the end :D

YES!!! I bought some post its yesterday with "File it under Who Cares" on them. Love them, love the whole line.

Leslie knows that I'm reading..but rarely post


GO LESLIE!

A naive girl makes a bad decision
 

Invitations Day!

Heading down to the Student Union to see if I got any invitations, I was struck again by how amazing it would be to be a part of any of the sororities on campus. I was nervous but excited and hoped that some of them might have wanted to invite me back. I was trying to be realistic though. My shyness was definitely a problem that might leave me bid-less.

I got my invitations card and I was absolutely shocked. I was invited back to 16 of them! I couldn’t believe it. I hadn’t completely fallen on my face like I thought I had.

At the time, I didn’t bother to think about which ones cut me. I was just so excited to have invitations. (The ones that did cut me were Football and Skiing.)

Now here’s where things are a little strange. Back then we didn’t really have Rush Counselors like there are today. We were assigned a group and 2 Rush Counselors for the first two days but from then on we were on our own. We had to go to all 18 chapters for the first round but apparently, from looking at my schedule, we didn’t necessarily have to go to the maximum number for Set of 10 or Set of 4. Or maybe we did and I just got away with not doing it.

I clearly had no idea what I was doing. As you’ll see…….


I went through my list of invitations (we would circle either Y or N next to the name of the sorority, then go up to various tables for each party time and sign up). First I chose my favorites which were: Soccer, Ice Skating, Diving, Water Skiing, and Tennis.

I could pick 5 more to go back to. Looking over the list I decided to say “no” to Hockey, Racecar Driving, Bowling, Aerobics, and Surfing right away.

I thought about going back to Croquet but those girls, although super nice, were so intimidating. Polo was intimidating too and completely out of my league. I knew I didn’t have a shot of getting in there. Common sense would have told me to give up on Polo and go back to Croquet. But, common sense? I wasn’t working with a large supply of that. I ended up doing the opposite; accepting the invitation to Polo and saying “no” to Croquet. Very dumb!

I had 4 invitations left. I should have accepted all of them. But, since I didn’t know what I was doing I just decided to say “no” to Cycling and Fishing. I have no idea why. I had actually liked both of them. Sunbathing clearly wasn’t where I belonged; “N” for them too. Then I decided that even though I wasn’t really comfortable at Golf I would go back there as well.

I ended up accepting only seven invitations for Set of 10. :eek: It really would have been nice to have Rush Counselors like you have today!

My schedule for the following day was:

Party #1 - nothing
Party #2 - nothing
Party #3 - Diving
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...ush-diving.jpg

Party #4 - Golf
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3.../rush-golf.jpg

Party #5 - Water Skiing
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...terskiing2.jpg

Party #6 - Tennis
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...ush-tennis.jpg

Party #7 - Ice Skating
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...ceskating3.jpg

Party #8 - Polo
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3.../rush-polo.jpg

Party #9 - Soccer
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...sh-soccer2.jpg

Party #10 - nothing


I've gotta get this story moving so I'll try to post the party details later tonight.

Thanks for tuning in! :)

Yeah, it really was an exhausting experience. I can't reveal who's left because there's a serious twist coming up and I don't want to spoil the surprise. (if anyone's left reading by that time) eek

Oh, we'll be reading. I feel confident.

I have a guess as to what the plot twist may be.

We're not only reading for the story, but for the graphics!

And, you are a GREAT storyteller!

Set of 10
 

Thanks for the compliment, OldAOPi. And "violetpretty", you're freaking me out. You have the same exact signature as Jess. Are you Jess in disguise or one of her chapter sisters? (nevermind, I figured it out)


Set of 10

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...ush-diving.jpg
My first party of the day was Diving and once again they were so sweet. I was paired with a girl named Sarah. I saw Jane and she said ‘hi’ to me. Sarah was really nice but I preferred Jane. Still, I felt really comfortable there. We went on a tour of the house which was really exciting for me. I had never thought about living in a sorority house before. It was a pretty house; very cozy. Going back to this chapter after completing the first round, I finally noticed that this was one of the smaller chapters on campus. I didn’t have a problem with that at all. All I wanted was to find a sorority that felt like home to me. So far, I felt comfortable there. Just comfortable.


http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3.../rush-golf.jpg
My next party was at Golf. This time I was paired with a girl named Juliet and I knew fairly quickly that I didn’t belong there. She was a nice enough girl but the very golf-ness of the chapter just wasn’t a match. Pearls? Plaid? Was anyone in this chapter named Muffy? I thought back to a comment my father had made when I told him I wanted to join a sorority. He had said, “they probably won’t like you because you’re not old money.” Good ole Dad! I adore my father but he’s an expert with the zingers. The sad thing is that he was probably right, at least about some of the chapters.


http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...terskiing2.jpg
My third party was at Water Skiing. I met this girl named Andrea and I just fell in love with this sorority. Andrea was so warm and so funny. She had a dry sense of humor that I just loved. And she was Italian, like me, too! We went on a tour of the house and I learned that they had a separate sleeping room on the third floor that was always kept dark and cool. The second floor had rooms with daybeds, desks, and dressers. I had never heard of this kind of arrangement but Andrea said that it worked out really well. She introduced me to a pretty blonde named Sally. She was great; very warm and funny. Everything about this sorority seemed wonderful and I was reluctant to leave when the party was over.


http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...ush-tennis.jpg
Tennis was up next. I was paired with a very pretty girl named Missy. Here, again, we went on a house tour. This chapter house was gorgeous! The girls weren’t as warm and fuzzy as the girls at Water Skiing, but I still really liked them. I admired them actually.


http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...ceskating3.jpg
My next party was at Ice Skating. I was matched with this really adorable girl named Patty who was so bubbly. She took me on a house tour, which I loved, and introduced me to another girl. Once again, I thought that these were just the smiley-est girls around.


http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3.../rush-polo.jpg
Party number 8 (my 6th) was at Polo. I looked up at this beautiful house and knew I was doomed. I was paired with a girl named Claire who I thought took an instant dislike to me. We went on a tour of the house and while we were upstairs we stopped and she talked briefly with another sister and her rushee. There was a pause and then Claire very obviously looked me up and down. Afterwards we talked for a while in the living room. It was awkward. She was being nice but I could tell she didn’t like me.


http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...sh-soccer2.jpg
My last party of the night was Soccer and I was so excited to go back there. I met a girl named Stacy and felt very comfortable with her. We had an easy, fun conversation. She gave me a quick tour of the house then we sat and talked. I saw Robin who I had been paired with during the first round. She smiled and waved and then about a minute later she came over and gave me a hug. I remember this really well because it was so nice to feel liked and it felt so genuine. I really sensed the warmth from these girls and I absolutely loved them! I could very easily see this as my home.

I hadn’t signed up for the 10th party so I just watched as the girls went into the chapter houses. I walked slowly around the sororities back to where the shuttle pick-up was and thought about things for a while. I had been so scared of this whole process but so far things had been working out pretty well for me.

I picked up the shuttle just before the last party was letting out so it wasn’t too packed yet. At the first stop this girl got on. She looked familiar but I knew I hadn’t been paired with her at any of the parties. Still, I knew she was a member of one of the sororities. She looked at me before she took a seat, smiled, and said “Hi, Lady!” I smiled back and felt happy; a bit puzzled, but happy. :)

Maybe she was just feeling extra nice that day. Or maybe she genuinely remembered you. I guess we'll never really know.:rolleyes:

Okay, so my guess is, you join SOCCER!

Go Leslie!!!!!

(I wonder if the upcoming twist has anything to do with the fact that you did not "maximize your options"-as we so often hear it said on here.)

I bet there's something else with the girl who looked familiar...
And I LOVE this story! More please!

Maybe for round 3, she goes to a chapter that she didn't visit for round 2? Or maybe this mystery woman on the bus entices her to join her chapter? Oh the possibilities!

Later that night
 

I got a call from my friend “Suzanne.”
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...ry-suzanne.jpgShe asked me how Rush was going for me and said, “Isn’t it FUN?” Oh, yeah, loads of fun. :rolleyes:

We compared notes a bit. Suzanne could talk to anyone about anything. Her favorites so far were Football, Croquet, Tennis, Golf, Ice Skating, and Sunbathing. All very strong chapters. For the most part, I kept my opinions to myself. I figured she knew more about the sororities than I did and I didn’t want her judging my favorites. In hindsight, I could have told her the truth and she would have been supportive and helpful.


I’ll be back with my invitations in a short while. I love my little cheering section on this thread! :)

Any updates on Laura Ashley Laurel or Iris from back home? Iris was going through recruitment at UCLA right? And about the housing shortage at UMD, it looks like some things NEVER change.

ooh.... i am all about the waterskiing.

and i think that that the sorority member who just got on the shuttle, had just crept into the chief rivals house and destroyed all their props for skit day!

ROTFL

Well, I didn't see "Laura Ashley Laurel" during Rush, but I would definitely see her later.

As for Iris, she was an Aerobics legacy and while it's never a sure thing I was confident that she would pledge that sorority. For some reason though, she decided to wait until her sophomore year to go through Rush. I was disappointed because I wanted the two of us to experience it "together." I'll let you now what happened with her at the end of my story.

Oh, and with housing, one by one the 8 of us got permanent spots but it didn't happen until after Rush. I'll tell you a bit about that too.

I'll be back real soon with more.

Invitations Day!
 

I wasn’t as nervous this day as I had been on the first invitations pick-up. I didn’t know that the harsher cuts would come after Set of 10. I think getting 16 invitations the first time, when I was doubtful that I would get any, had kind of gone to my head.

I picked up my invitations and felt pretty good about them. I had been invited back to 6 sororities for Set of 4 :

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...ush-tennis.jpgTennis – yay!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...sh-soccer2.jpgSoccer – double yay!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...terskiing2.jpgWater Skiing – double yay!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...ush-diving.jpgDiving – yay!



I was also invited back to two chapters that I had declined after round 1:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...ardriving2.pngRacecar Driving
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...h-bowling2.jpgBowling



I had been cut by:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3.../rush-polo.jpgPolo – not surprising
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3.../rush-golf.jpgGolf – not surprising
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...ceskating3.jpgIce Skating – I was a little sad about this. The smiley girls didn’t like me. :(


I had no problem choosing four to attend for the next round.

Set of 4 will be posted later on today.

its great that you were invited back to 6, and had to narrow it down to 4. can't wait for an update!

Can I take a moment to thank you for the speed of the thread as well as the quality?

Yea!

Thanks! It really seemed to be going very easily for me. Perhaps, too easily. ;)


AlphaGamUGAAlum, I'm certainly trying to keep it moving along. I just realized that I'm on the 5th day of this story though. I'm gonna speed it up even more. (BTW, I just noticed your signature and I love it. It's "Rush!" Don't get all PC with me.) :)

Leslie

I am enjoying this so much....

you really just don't know....

I can't wait for the ending ... *really*

Set of 4
 

You're so funny, Gwyn. ;)



Set of 4

My notes for this round aren’t very good. I remember it fairly well though. I’ll do my best.

Oh, on a side-note... Back then we didn’t have set parties like “Philanthropy Day” with crafts. Although house tours and skits were generally on the same day, the chapters pretty much did what they wanted.


http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...ush-diving.jpgDiving - I was excited to go here because I had really liked the girls and the general personality of the chapter a lot. This time didn’t go as well for me though. I was matched up with a girl that I just didn’t click with. She was nice but we didn’t have an easy conversation. I think they had a slide show. (I didn’t write the girl’s name down and took very sparse notes.) I remember I left feeling a little down.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...ush-tennis.jpgTennis – I was excited about this chapter too. When I first went in I was paired with a girl named Dianne who I liked a lot. (I honestly don’t remember if they did a skit or a slide show or what.) I saw Amy from the first round. She smiled and said that she was glad to see me back again. I really liked this house a lot even though I hadn't made any strong connections. There was just something about it that got to me.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...sh-soccer2.jpgSoccer – I was thrilled to be going back to this chapter! I was paired with a girl named Mindy who I really liked. She was very sweet. They did a skit that was really funny (at least that’s what my notes say). After the skit, Karen (the girl who was being dorky with me and Robin during the first round) joined us and I just felt like these were my long-lost best friends! They were so much fun to be with. Karen and Mindy were both making me laugh. Karen gave me a gentle hug before I left. I so completely loved these girls! I felt such a strong connection to them.

As I stood with the other girls outside the next house waiting for the party to begin I spotted a girl I had seen on the shuttle a few times. We talked for a bit. She lived in one of high-rises too. I liked her immediately. I’ll call her “Innocent Irene.”
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...tory-irene.jpg


http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...terskiing2.jpgWater Skiing – They did a Hawaiian theme for this party. (the others might have had themes too, but I didn’t make a note of it) The girl I was paired with had a very unusual name, for this I’ll just call her “Pickles”. She was tiny and adorable. They did a really cute skit that went along with their Hawaiian theme. Afterwards, Andrea (from Set of 10) came up to me and made a big scene in a joking way and then she said, “Oh! You’re so cute!” and pretended to pinch my cheeks. (I know this sounds strange but it really wasn’t. I could tell it was just her personality, which was very big and animated. It made me laugh.) I saw one of the girls who I met during the first round, Patty, and she was so bubbly and sweet. She said it was nice to have me back. I left feeling wonderful. These girls were so real and so much fun to be around. They made me feel at home even though I was so shy. That was important to me. Andrea had a mothering quality that made me feel like I would be “safe” there.


After the party, “Innocent Irene” and I took the shuttle together and talked a bit about the parties we had attended. We exchanged phone numbers. I was happy to have made my first friend at college. :)

It's been a busy weekend, and I haven't had much time to comment, but I'm giving your thread FIVE STARS!!!

Content - 5
Story telling - 5
Keeping everyone guessing - 5
Graphics - 100

I'm on tenterhooks!!

Thanks, honeychile! :)



A Good Night Turns Bad


It had been such a great night. I was feeling really happy. I reluctantly headed back up to the lounge in my dorm.

I was getting to know the girls in the lounge and to appreciate their strange quirks. They were truly the most bizarre group of girls I’ve ever come across. One girl, Annie, was constantly practicing her Chinese. (To this day, I remember how to say, “Hi. How are you?” in Chinese.) Another girl was obsessed with Leif Garrett to the point of following him around the country – with her parents! She also barked in her sleep. Another one (we all knew who but couldn’t prove it) was stealing strange things from everyone’s dressers. There was a quiet girl I barely remember and 2 very loud girls who I ended up going to a Prince concert with in Baltimore. They were always performing for us in the lounge. They liked to sing along into their hairbrushes to “Darling Nikki” complete with falling to the floor and screaming “come back Nikki, come back!” And then there was Teri. I was closest to her even though sometimes I didn’t think too highly of her. (She was engaged and wanted to break it off but was waiting until after Christmas because she knew her fiancé was getting her some nice jewelry.) :rolleyes:

For the most part during Rush I would come back to the lounge after the parties and the girls would ask me how it went. I would tell them that it was going fine, but I didn’t go into the details. This night though, I stayed up talking with Teri for a while. I told her about the night I had. I didn’t know what would happen the next day with invitations to Preference but I really had my heart set on two sororities. She asked me which one I liked best and I told her Soccer, with Water Skiing a very close second. She looked at me kind of strangely and said, “I didn’t know you were Jewish.” I said, “I’m not. Why?” and she said, “Soccer’s a Jewish sorority. You can’t join a Jewish sorority if you’re not Jewish!”

“WHAT?!!” :eek:

I felt like such an idiot. The conversation quickly ended.

I had trouble sleeping that night thinking about what Teri had said. I thought about Soccer. Okay, I guess the girls I had met were Jewish. I hadn’t really thought about it. I couldn’t believe that I wouldn’t be allowed to join because of my religion. The idea just seemed so archaic. Finally, I decided that Teri couldn’t possibly know what she was talking about. I decided to stop worrying about it and let the chips fall where they may.

LOL wow you had some STRANGE dormmates! the descriptions are cracking me up.

And as for Soccer - I hope things turn out ok in the end (but I guess this means Soccer isn't the *one...* Now I'm even more curious!) More, please!

Please, could we have some more?

Invitations Day!
 

I arrived at the Student Union and found that I had two invitations to Preference:


Water-Skiinghttp://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...terskiing2.jpg


and


Soccerhttp://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...sh-soccer2.jpg

I was thrilled to be going back to my 2 top choices, but I couldn’t help but wonder why Diving and Tennis had cut me. (Isn’t that always the way it is?)

Of course, this is where having a regular Rush Counselor would have been helpful. I thought about going up and asking someone about the situation with Soccer, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I really didn't know anyone and I just felt too stupid. I could have called Suzanne too, but it didn’t occur to me.

Instead, I decided that I would go to both sororities for Preference and just figure it out from there.



*Now, given the information you now have about Soccer, you might think you know the end to my story. But, like I’ve said, there’s a twist coming up…..and, trust me, it’s a doozy!

oh my gosh!!(said in my best valley girl imitation)

tenterhooks, pins and needles, you name it, we're on 'em!

Eeek...hurry up!
:)

What she said! C'mon, we're dyin' over here! ;)

So what could the upcoming plot twist be? We know where Leslie Anne ultimately ends up, but from the way this story is going that sorority isn't Water-Skiing.

Here are my ideas:

1. Diving and/or Tennis inadvertently cut Leslie Anne, and one or both of them give her last-minute invitations to pref.

2. The mysterious "girl on the shuttle" comes back into play; maybe with a snap bid?

Eagerly awaiting the next installment!

Maybe the "Jewish sorority" is just a chapter with a lot of Jewish girls? :D

While there are some chapters at Maryland that aren't nationally Jewish but have a decent number of Jewish girls in them, KD is and [I highly doubt] was not one of them.

Awaiting the twist!

OMG, Leslie!!! I didn't get on the computer once all weekend and I'm sooo sorry I missed all the updates as they came in.

Either way, it sounds like things are going good, although getting a little confusing. You're almost there!!! Bid day is only hours away!!!!

Of course, unless that little twist comes in in between...:rolleyes:

Great story!!!!! I am loving every second of it!!! :D

Preference Night
 

I wish, for the sake of my story, that I had wonderful descriptions of Preference like honeychile’s and nut’s. Alas, my memories are hazy and Preference at Maryland at the time was pretty standard. The night was still filled with magic and beauty though.



http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...sh-soccer2.jpgSoccer – Robin met me as I came through the door and I just wanted to hug her. The sisters were, as I recall, all in black dresses and wearing their lovely pins. The Preference ceremony was beautiful but I had trouble focusing on it. I felt so comfortable with Robin and with all the girls I had met at this chapter but, obviously, many other thoughts were occupying my mind.

My next Preference party was very close by so I had a few extra minutes to think about things. I really adored the girls in Soccer. I didn’t care about people’s religion, but then I started to think about the way things were in high school. My high school was about 85% Jewish. All my friends from home were Jewish. In general I never gave much thought to anyone’s religion, but there had been times growing up when I definitely felt like an odd-ball. Did I want to join a sorority with girls that I loved yet continue to feel a bit out of place? Ugh! I didn’t even want to think about it. I put it all out of my mind as the next Preference party was about to begin.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...terskiing2.jpgWater Skiing – When I walked into the house, Andrea came and took my arm. I was really happy to be with Andrea. She had been so accepting of me throughout Rush and I felt happy and secure at Water Skiing. The atmosphere was very quiet and solemn. Here too, the sisters were all in black dresses and wearing their beautiful pins. There was a large bouquet of flowers in the shape of the symbol of their sorority. The ceremony was very touching. Some girls spoke about how much Water Skiing meant to them. I cried. They sang songs. I cried. There was something magical about this sorority. Before I left, Andrea gave me a letter she had written to me and then gave me a gentle hug.

After Preference, I got on the shuttle and read my letter from Andrea. I cried again. At that point all my worries from before were gone. I completely loved Water Skiing and wanted to call it my home. Regardless of the concerns I had had earlier about Soccer, I was certain I would feel the same way. Something had just happened during Preference that turned everything around.

Before I went home I had to stop and sign my card. I put Water Skiing first and Soccer second.


I'll post more later today.

Let's go WATERSKIING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D