I am so exhausted (as are the rest of the PNMS and actives Im sure) but today was such a wonderful opportunity to meet people and get a glimpse of what recruitment will be like!

I am hearing it was a long, hot day; everyone indeed wore "Norts", tennis shoes and slightly oversized t-shirts. The girls were awestruck at the granduer of the houses they visited and were equally impressed by their visit to ADPi in the circle.

To me, this weeks ahead water party schedule seems like a good idea. The girls did no ranking today, got a good glimpse into the process and start again in a few weeks with all of the houses.

My DD was skeptical of the slightly deferred process for many reasons, but has come to see it as a positive. She feels like wherever she and the hometown girls, floor mates etc. end up, they will always be friends that they might not have been had they started rush a week bere school started. YMMV.

As crazy as the schedule sounds (and I would prefer it be done either before school or in January), you are so right, choabet, my DD really enjoyed having those weeks before recruitment to get settled, make some friends and see the sorority girls out and about and in the grove before a couple of games. She felt better prepared for recruitment since we are from OOS and she knew very little about them. She might feel differently this year being "on the other side" and having to stay up all hours that week!

I just wanted to say thanks to all of you for this thread! As my name suggests, I'm new to Ole Miss but also to the Greek world. My DD is an OOS PNM and I am clueless!

We just visited her this weekend for Fall Family Weekend and the first home game. (Tailgating at the Grove is a story for a whole 'nother thread!) Anyway, she seems to be adjusting fairly well to college life 6 hours from home and had a great time at water parties yesterday. She has a friend in one sorority from her high school and she has helped guide her through Ole Miss in general and rush, well up until the semester starting.

I've read through all these pages and whew.....it's all so much. Like hundreds of other girls, my DD had a 4.0 in high school, numerous scholarships/honors, great extra-curriculars, good rec letters. It's daunting from my perspective, to say the least, but she says she is going into everything with an open mind and so we are just hopeful she lands somewhere and it's a good fit for both!

Quick question: My DD said that some of the girls on her floor said their moms are going up during rush week and particularly for bid weekend "to support them." Is that common? I would love to go and see my dd and be there for her, but I'm wondering between homework, sleeping, and rush activities, would there really be time??? I just LOVE Ole Miss and Oxford in general and love the idea of any excuse for a weekend get away, but would visiting then be too much? What happens after 3 pm on Sunday bid day? Thanks in advance for any info...

Some moms, although well short of most, will go up and book a room for the entire week. I think the "support" in these cases is more for the moms than the DDs. The girls will get the support that they really need from their floor mates who are going through it with them. At this point, the recs are in, the resume is what it is, and all you can really do is pace the floor, drink heavily, and wait for nightly phone updates (all while projecting confidence without transferring your anxiety to her). Moms who are physically present and actually have the DDs stay with them at the hotel do a disservice for several reasons, including: 1) They inevitably want to rehash the day's events, invitations received (and not received), etc. beyond that point which is helpful (usually zero), and 2) The DD may feel like she's going through this alone, or just with mom, when in reality she can be drawing great strength from sharing the experience with the 1200 girls who will be her PanHellenic sisters for her college life.
Be prepared to address her concerns with facts that I'm sure you've already learned from GC, especially as it relates to the fact that she most likely will be released from one or more sororities in which she expressed an interest. This is the rule rather than the exception and it is in no way a reflection of her. If she goes in with an open mind, maximizes choices and realizes that whichever chapter she joins at Ole Miss is most likely one of the best chapters of that sorority in the country, she will do fine.
Bid day is a slightly different matter, and many parents will show up to watch the bid opening and "the run". Unless you have a well-founded fear that your DD is going to have a seriously adverse result, I would let her enjoy what will be a memory for a lifetime w/o her trying to accommodate your presence.
I would encourage you to go to the Texas A&M game on Oct 12. She will be thrilled to show you around the house, visit her sorority's tent at the grove, and meet her new sisters.
Just my two cents.

Ole Miss has taken helicopter parenting to a whole new level.

The problem is that your friends who are rushing are worried about their own schedules (or worse, they got the invites you wanted!) and your friends who aren't rushing don't understand how important it is, and so I understand wanting a mother for support. That said, I think I wanted my mom's support via phone, three hours away.

Thanks for your two cents! I do want her to cherish these memories with her new sisters without her having to worry about me! Great point!

And we're from Louisiana, so we didn't plan on the Texas A&M game, but made big plans for the LSU game the following week! I'm really hoping the Rebels have a great season and upset the Tigers! We're starting off on the right foot!


:D

Yep. For all the moms of PNMs who insist on going, I will be selling magnolia camo from a push cart on campus. Cha-CHING!

We're from LA too! (Baton Rouge). If you change your mind about the A&M game, send me a PM. We might have an extra room or two in Batesville that we can release. I will be cooking LA style at the Kappa tent!

ROFL (thank heavens I'm in my office and not in public!)

Actually have heard from some out of town alumnae coming to work Recruitment that they were unable to find hotel reservations past Monday of Recruitment. Since I haven't tried (I live in Oxford) I don't know if she as just being picky or if everything is booked up.

PRICELESS!!!!! You might want to include some carabiners and climbing rope for the moms who prefer to hide in the trees for a bird's eye view! :D

Since we are from OOS, and heard that getting a bid was much harder for non-mississippi girls, we booked a room to make sure we were going to be there "just in case" she doesn't receive a bid. We are only going to be there Friday & Saturday night and we will fly home Sunday after bid day activities. If she doesn't need any extra encouragement, dinner at the City Grocery alone will make the trip worth it!

I feel like after all the work I put into the rush packets, the resume, the pictures, the frantic phone calls to my friends for recs, that I should at least get to share in some of the fun! Watching my daughter run to her new home on bid day will totally be worth the trip.

MP - We booked our room three months ago and found one of the last rooms in town at a exaggerated price. Tried last week to book one additional room, Batesville was the closest we could get. Your friend was not being picky, there are literally no rooms available for this weekend!

I guess that gives you a clue about how many parents will be there for bid day!

Moms of OOS PNMs at Ole Miss... your girls will be fine, even being out of state. Please do read and take every word on this thread as gospel! There are many Ole Miss alumnae here who want to help PNMs get through recruitment at Ole Miss and find a home.

Remember the mantra... KEEP AN OPEN MIND and a CLEAN NOSE! Watch the partying on & off campus that could potentially destroy a girl's rush. Tell her to pretend that her grandmother is right behind her, watching everything she does!