I have one big "what if"...

My mom and grandmother are both Alpha Phis and I always wanted to be an Alpha Phi as well--it was only that background that prompted to go through formal recruitment. The day before pref the Alpha Phi who was talking to me left me by myself during their skit. At the time I didn't understand why my whole perception of the Alpha Phis changed that night. I called my mom and cried because I had to eliminate two chapters that night and Alpha Phi was going to be one of them. So my question is:

what if I had gone back to Alpha Phi's pref party?

I don't think I would change a thing now because I am a collegiate chapter adviser for a DG chapter and love it--something I could not do if was an Alpha Phi (no chapter here).

What if I hadn't cut Theta the day before pref-would I have ended up here on pref night?

What if DG had been at A&M when I rushed-would I have joined my grandmother's sorority?

what if I had bothered to get recs for XO, Pi Phi and Kappa-would I have liked these houses?

I have quite a few...

--> What if I rushed freshman (or sophomore) year (I considered myself VERY anti-sorority at this time).?

--> What if Tri-Delta or Kappa Delta had been invited to colonize at NCSU my junior year instead of Delta Gamma (would I have considered rushing one of these groups - I'm a DG legacy)?

--> If I was not a DG legacy, would I have considered membership in a sorority?

--> If my mom was not sick, would I have considered membership in a sorority?

In any case, I think God does things for reasons and I know EXACTLY why I ended up in the Delta Gamma sisterhood!!

I've wondered that too, except with ADPi and Alpha Phi. Would I be in either of these groups right now? Who knows, but things happen for a reason.

This is the exact same "what if" that I have had. I wonder if my rush experience would have been better (mine was horrible and involved me crying every single day of the week).

I am almost positive that had I rushed as a freshman, I would not have gone ADPi, and it makes me sad to think that I might have chosen differently.

If I had rushed as a freshman and pledged a different house, I honestly don't think that I would be the person that I am today. I never would have met the women who are the best friends I could ever have, and I would most likely not have been as active in promoting my chapter.

In the end, I know that it worked out perfectly. I think that I have always been an ADPi at heart. :)

Oh my! As someone who is hoping to successfully complete Alumna Initiation, I am filled with "what-ifs."

The BIG ones:

1. What if I hadn't attended Rush (spring of freshman year) with my friend across that hall who wanted DG or nothing? Would I have considered my options differently?

2. What if I hadn't declined my COB bid in the fall of my sophomore year? Or what if I had gone through formal recruitment again that year (I never did try again)?

3. What if I HAD joined a sorority in college? Would I have met my hubby?????? He wasn't anti-Greek, but he was a very shy independent.

LM

I think I will always wonder "what if" I had gone thru formal rush freshman year. Rush was always held before school started and so I wouldn't have had any outside input guiding my direction. And I wouldn't have known who all would be in my pledge class. I went thru COB a month after school started and I was totally happy with my decision.
Had I gone thru rush, I think tri-delt still would have been one of my top choices, but part of me thinks that I would have seriously considered XO for the simple reason that there was a girl there from my homestate (there weren't many of us!)--silly reason, but then again, I was a silly freshman at the time!

If we're talking about mutual selection...I don't have what-ifs...I know :)

I'm 99.9% positive that:

if I had rushed at Oglethorpe University, I would have gone Chi Omega

and, at UGA, Pi Beta Phi

...but nothing was quite right until Theta Nu Xi!

My "what if" is the opposite. What if I had went ahead and went through rush at Kansas State Univ (instead of taking the out of state scholarship to an HBCU)? I can remember that May of my senior year, getting rush week information from KSU (I don't come from a greek background so I just assumed that all sororities participated in this - NPC, NPHC, etc.). I wonder would I have gone through rush?

Interesting...

Here's a different "what if"

*What if I hadn't transferred schools the quarter after pledging ZTA?

As some of you who follow the AI board know... I was a very serious athlete during my high school and college years. While competing in the nationals, I was offered a scholarship and a chance to train with the best athletes in my sport in the country IF I transferred.

I decided to follow my Olympic dream... and had to sacrifice sorority life because the University where I transferred to-- didn't have a ZTA chapter.

I'm now happy to report that after two decades of being a pledge :) (I never depledged) I have now been initiated in to ZTA. (I have to wonder if I hold the record of having the longest pledge period in history??!!)

And while I am just thrilled to FINALLY have "crossed over" after all these years... and yes, I really love being involved with my Alumnae chapter... I always wonder *what if* I had stayed where I was and had been initiated while in college.

Looking back, I think I really missed a lot, and sometimes it makes me sad. I was so busy training, that I didn't get to go to the "date nights" and "mixers"....But then, I think about all of the fantastic experiences I had while competing.

But still..... I can't help but wonder... what if.......

Ya know, I actually think about that sometimes, too. I love my sorority and I loved running, but I gave up formals for NCAA trials, mixers, intermurals/games during Greek Week (heaven forbid the coach find out you're doing another sport) and thur night fun for the 48 hour rule, I gave up leadership roles because I didn't think I would have enough time, etc. I even missed Circle Degree (its Tri Delta ceremony that makes you "offically" an alum). Now that I'm semi-retired from running, and read active's away messages I think about it sometimes.

DolphinChica (and anyone else to whom this applies): will you be able to go through your Circle Degree in the future? And if you feel I'm too close to ritual, please ignore me!

We have Jewel Degree, named after one of our first national presidents, as our "active to alumna" ritual. If someone misses it when they're a senior, they can still receive it at a later date, no harm, no foul.

I hope that you'll be able to enjoy your ritual in the future, too!

And blueangel - I hadn't heard your story. Thank you for sharing, and congratulations on finally becoming an alumna!! If your heart's in the right place, I'm sure your crown is, too! ;)

We can go through Circle Degree at a later time as well. I'm "Circling out" at our Pansy Brunch in May. Any Alum chapter can perform the ritual, and my Alumnae Chapter is actually all excited because they haven't ever done the ceremony before (there isn't a collegiate chapter around) so when I asked the president, they got all excited.

I have to admit, I am excited as well. I loved our other rituals, so I'm looking forward to this one. Sarah Ida Shaw hasn't let me down yet!:)

What if I had not dropped out of formal recruitment?
Would I have given the others a chance? Before formal recruitment, I was hoping for DZ, DDD, or SK but ended up having to drop formal recruitment. When I heard that SK & AOII were having COB events, I decided to try again. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I had visited AOII first instead of SK? I received a bid from SK & chose to go there b/c it felt right from the minute I walked in but I never had the chance to experience a day with the AOII ladies. What if I had visited AOII first? Would the story be the same or different?
Sometimes I wonder but I have never regretted my decision.

What if...

....your aunt had a penis.

Then she'd be your uncle.