GreekChat.com Forums - BETSYKATE'S SOUTHERN RECRUITMENT!

The next morning, I wasn't too nervous to get my list back because I had liked all 5 houses. I guess my love for all the houses had shown through because I had gotten asked back to all 5! I had a difficult decision to make.

I decided to cut Daisy because I had had the least consistent time there. Though I had met a couple of amazing girls, I had met some girls that I did think would make good sisters for me. Then I was between cutting Carnation or Marigold. I am not proud of this, but the other PNM's words about Marigold being full of "weirdos" were still echoing in my ear. Even though deep down I KNEW that Marigold was a good house for me, I cut them from my list. That meant I would be returning to Azalea, Daffodil, and Carnation for Prefs.

Carnation - This was my first house at Prefs. Though I had had some very good times here, my conversation with the girl I was paired to Pref with was awkward and strained. I found myself starting to panic! What if Marigold had really been the right house for me and I had cut them based on some stupid hearsay about who's "popular" and who's not? I put on a smile and forced myself not to think about it, but I felt awful. I felt like it would just be too karmically perfect for me to end up not getting a bid from any of the three because I was meant to be a Marigold! While my time at Carnation wasn't awful, I knew that I should have cut them and not Marigold. Nevertheless, I still liked many of the Carnation girls and knew that I would be alright if I ended up pledging there.

Daffodil - I loved Daffodil! They were a good house on campus and had many cute, sweet girls who seemed to really enjoy being Daffodils. However, I ran into the same problem here that I had run into before--I felt like I was faking it to be as peppy and perky (even ditzy) as these girls. I'm very sarcastic and can be rather cynical and I didn't know if any of the girls in Daffodil would appreciate that. Their Pref ceremony was nice, but I don't have any really strong memories of it. I remember girls getting up to talk about what being a Daffodil meant to them, but none of it made a strong impression on me. But, I still liked Daffodil a lot. I knew that I could have a great time with the Daffodils and felt totally confident that I would be happy pledging there.

Azalea - Prefs here more than lived up to my expectations. The ceremony was serious but not too somber. Two girls got up to give a very moving talk about what being Azaleas meant to them--they even cried and made ME tear up a little! The girl I was paired with made me feel TOTALLY comfortable. She joked about eating all of the food which made me laugh and made me happy because I was STARVING and was glad she didn't mind if I totally went to town on little quiches while we talked. Many other sisters came up to me and told me how much they wanted to meet me because of the amazing things they had heard. Everyone was so real and I remember laughing so much here. What I remember most, though, is reading the letters they had written me. All of the chapters wrote letters for the girls who came to Prefs. At the other two houses, my letters said things like, "You're so sweet," "I've heard such great things about you," or "We think you're a really nice girl," and other sort of generic compliments. But the letters from Azalea made me realize just how well these girls had gotten to know me. One wrote, "I was so impressed by your poise, humor, and self-assurance...I think your personality and spunk would be a fanastic fit!" Another wrote, "You are so real, so fun, and I just want to hang out with all the time. I was so happy to see you were coming back for prefs!" One even wrote, "Of all the girls I met, you were the most memorable because of your amazing personality and genuine smile. Talking to you was just like talking to one of my sisters." When I had finished reading the letter, there was no question that I wanted to be an Azalea.

Some girls took a long time ranking their choices, but I knew immediately. I quickly wrote:

Azalea
Daffodil
Carnation

That night, I slept about as soundly as anyone can sleep before bid day! I knew that I had three amazing houses and I couldn't go wrong with a bid from any of them. Still, I dreamt all night of wearing Azalea's letters the next evening.

In the morning, my Rho Chi called to say that I needed to come pick up my bid. My heart was POUNDING as I ran out into the quad to meet her. She handed me my envelope and my hands were shaking, I was so excited! I wanted to wait to get to a secluded spot before I opened my letter, but I just couldn't wait. I ripped it open and it said...

AZALEA!

Better know as,

ALPHA CHI OMEGA!!!!!!!!!

I was so happy, I immediately started crying and called my mom! My mom told me that when she was in college, even though she wasn't Greek (she had rushed and dropped out--which she FORBADE me to do, she said it was a horrible mistake), her best friend had also been an Alpha Chi, but she had been waiting to share the news so she wouldn't influence my decision! I was so happy, and I haven't stopped being thrilled since!

Formal recruitment starts this week, and this year I'll be participating in the process from the other side. I hope that I can help other PNMs realize just how incredible my chapter is! Thank you everyone for reading my story!!