Pasdechat's Retro Recruitment!
 

I've been wanting to post my recruitment story for a while now, and I've finally decided to quit thinking about it and just do it. I post on GC under another name, but I'd like the anonymity to be able to say exactly what was going through my head. That and my org's name is in my other screen name. =]

I'm not going to try and make my school totally secret, but I'm not going to refer to it by name. If you figure it out, please don't post it, but you're free to P.M. me and ask about the school and the code I'm going to use.

Things begin my senior year of high school. It was September and my friends and I were all deciding where we wanted to attend college. I only had one major criteria: my university had to be out of my home state. All of my friends were applying to my state's major universities, and I was trying to figure out what state I wanted to go to. My parents weren't comfortable with me going across the country or far up north, so I was pretty much confined to the south. I started looking at schools in a few of the southern states and making lots of "Pro/Con" lists. I finally decided on 4 schools to apply to that were out of state. To make my parents happy, I also applied to 4 schools here. So I began the task of completing applications and writing essays. Finally, by the middle of October, I was completely done and everything was in the hands of the Admissions Officers.

I was rejected by 2 of my out of state schools and 2 of my instate schools, giving me plenty to choose from. February rolled around, and my dad and I took a trip to visit my 2 out of state schools, since they were in the same state.

The first school we visited completely won me over. The campus was beautiful, the people were friendly, and it was a town similar enough to my home town to keep me from getting too homesick. I was sold. Before we left, I signed up for Freshman Orientation, bought my first school T-Shirt and Hoodie, and we headed home.

Next up: Freshman Orientation.

Do you have a pet cat?

haha, I did (I lost him to liver failure last fall). But a Pas de Chat is a jump in ballet literally translated to "walk of the cat". It's an odd looking move, but I love doing them.

Oh that makes way more sense than what I was thinking. Obviously I am not a dancer.... :)

I am sorry about your kitty.

I'm excited to hear your story, too.

My school has 6 NPC Sororities. They are:

Alpha Delta Pi
Alpha Omicron Pi
Kappa Delta
Kappa Kappa Gamma
Phi Mu
Zeta Tau Alpha

Since I'm a ballet dancer, I'm going to name them after my favorite ballet companies. In no particular order we have:

San Francisco Ballet
New York City Ballet
Atlanta Ballet
American Ballet Theatre
Pacific Northwest Ballet
Boston Ballet

Most of the groups come into play at orientation. =]

I signed up for the first possible orientation weekend. There was no way I was going to end up in crappy classes. I had met a girl, we'll call her Emily, who was going at the same time I was. She was an out of stater as well, so it was nice to have somebody know what I was feeling. I was really excited about Orientation, because I knew I'd get the chance to meet some sorority women and find out a lot more info.

I checked in for Orientation and went to the opening session. We were told what to expect this weekend and all that lovely business. Then we were split up into our groups and went in for Small Group Session number 1. My leader was adorable and so sweet. She told us all the things she was involved in, and as it turns out, she was an Atlanta Ballet. She was the first sorority woman I had met from my school, and I knew that if they were all like her, I had to be one too. She explained to us that we had to go to 3 breakout sessions, one of which was about Greek Life. Obviously that was the first one I went to.

During the session, they told us all about recruitment and explained that we could sign up at any computer lab on campus while we were there that weekend. I turned to my mom who was with me and she smiled and said "We'll get it done, don't worry."

That night, they had an event called "First Night Out" where all the freshman went to the Rec Center on campus for games and to find out more about student organizations. All of the sororities were going to be there. Emily and I decided we were going to talk to every group we could. First we went to Boston Ballet's table. They had lots of pictures, a scrapbook, and a few Boston Ballet gift items on their table. One of the girls handed us each a pamphlet about their sorority, but didn't say much else, so we left and walked over to New York City Ballet's table. Instantly one of the girls was over talking to us, asking lots of questions. She definitely made me like them a lot. We ended up talking for close to 30 minutes, and by the time we left, all the other sororities except American Ballet Theatre were gone. We walked over to ABT, just to check it out, and again the same thing happened. The girls were so friendly and we talked for about 20 minutes before we had to leave.

So by the end orientation, I already had opinions about most of the sororities. Girls were already tent talking, and it made me a little bit nervous. I really liked NYCB and ABT, but apparently they were the two least popular groups on campus. I heard a lot of girls talking about wanting to be a Pacific Northwest, Atlanta Ballet and San Francisco Ballet. I was just ready for recruitment to begin so I could find out for myself.

Up next: A bump in the road?

oooh, love the ballet names! can't wait to read more :D

me too!

After orientation, I went home and began getting to work on finalizing my Recommendation letters. I have a few sorority women in my family, and they helped me secure recs for American Ballet Theatre (I had 2 in this house), San Francisco Ballet, and Boston Ballet. I managed to secure one to New York City Ballet on my own, but never heard from any of the alums I contacted from Atlanta Ballet or Pacific Northwest Ballet. I wasn't too bothered by this because recs weren't do or die, and I already had my mind set on NYCB or ABT (I know, I know...I never said I was a good PNM!).

The week my recs were sent off, I got a letter in the mail from Panhellenic. The GPA that my school had calculated for my admission was .1 lower than the GPA required to participate in recruitment. I knew this couldn't be right because I graduated with a 3.0! I was quickly on the phone with the director of Greek Life, had my final transcripts faxed to their office, and everything was fixed. I was still on the road to joining a sorority.

I spent my summer shopping for recruitment outfits, preparing to make the move to my school and talking to other incoming freshman. I made friends with another girl that we'll call Laura, and she was going through recruitment too. I also kept in touch with the girl I talked to from New York City Ballet, and I was really starting to want to call her my sister. Finally, July was over and it was time for me to go!

I moved into my apartment on August 1st, so I had about a week to get ready for recruitment. I made a list of what I would wear on each day and planned everything down to my undies. I'm a bit OCD when it comes to my clothes.

Finally, it was the night of our Info session where we would meet our Pi Chi groups and find out everything we needed to know about how the week would progress. Emily and I decided to go together, so we'd know somebody. I dressed casual, just like they told us to. But when I walked into the Student Union, I instantly felt like I was in over my head. Apparently my idea of casual and everyone else's idea of casual was very different. I wore cute jeans, a cute top and a pair of ballet flats. These girls were almost all in khaki shorts, Ralph Lauren Oxfords and Sperrys. They all looked the same, and I was scared (I was voted Most Unique in high school, so I was never one to be like the other girls).

I checked in, was given my name tag and recruitment shirt, and told where I could find my Pi Chis (we had 2). The second I saw them, I felt so much better. One of them was in jeans and a T Shirt! As silly as it sounds, that made me feel so much better. Our Pi Chis introduced themselves and told us little bit about themselves without giving away any info concerning their real identities (they had code names, mine were Sunny and Cher) or affiliations. Then they broke down the schedule of the week for us. We would have Open House round for the first two days, visiting 3 chapters each day. Philanthropy Day would be day three, Skit Day would be day 4, Pref Day would day 5 with Bid Day being day 6. Our Pi Chis then explained a little bit about each sorority to us. They told us that this year was the first year American Ballet Theatre was participating in formal recruitment since they had just come back to campus from a break. Rumors were flying about why they had left in the first place, but I tried to ignore them.

I knew one of the girls in my Pi Chi group, we'll call her Ashley. Thank goodness for her, because I was incredibly shy and too scared to talk to many other girls, even though they all seemed nice. Over the summer, we had figured out we had the same birthday thanks to the Facebook group that was out there for our class. Ashley and I decided that we would ride together to our parties the next day. We were scheduled to meet around 9 the next morning with parties starting at 10:30 or 11 (I don't remember haha). I went home to get some sleep, which didn't work very well because I was very, very excited!

After orientation, I went home and began getting to work on finalizing my Recommendation letters. I have a few sorority women in my family, and they helped me secure recs for American Ballet Theatre (I had 2 in this house), San Francisco Ballet, and Boston Ballet. I managed to secure one to New York City Ballet on my own, but never heard from any of the alums I contacted from Atlanta Ballet or Pacific Northwest Ballet. I wasn't too bothered by this because recs weren't make or break, and I already had my eye set on NYCB or ABT (I know, I know...I never said I was a good PNM!).

The week my recs were sent off, I got a letter in the mail from Panhellenic. The GPA that my school had calculated for my admission was .1 lower than the GPA required to participate in recruitment. I knew this couldn't be right because I graduated with a 3.0! I was quickly on the phone with the director of Greek Life, had my final transcripts faxed to their office, and everything was fixed. I was still on the road to joining a sorority.

I spent my summer shopping for recruitment outfits, preparing to make the move to my school and talking to other incoming freshman. I made friends with another girl that we'll call Laura, and she was going through recruitment too. I also kept in touch with the girl I talked to from New York City Ballet, and I was really starting to want to call her my sister. Finally, July was over and it was time for me to go!

I moved into my apartment on August first, so I had about a week to get ready for recruitment. I made a list of what I would wear on each day and planned everything down to my undies. I'm a bit OCD when it comes to my clothes.

Finally, it was the night of our Info session where we would meet our Pi Chi groups and find out everything we needed to know about how the week would progress. Emily and I decided to go together, so we'd know somebody. I dressed casual, just like they told us to. But when I walked into the Student Union, I instantly felt like I was in over my head. Apparently my idea of casual and everyone else's idea of casual was very different. I wore cute jeans, a cute top and a pair of ballet flats. These girls were almost all in khaki shorts, Ralph Lauren Oxfords and Sperrys. They all looked the same, and I was scared (I was voted Most Unique in high school, so I was never privy to what everyone else was doing).

I checked in, was given my name tag and recruitment shirt, and told where I could find my Pi Chis (we had 2). The second I saw them, I felt so much better. One of them was in jeans and a T Shirt! As silly as it sounds, that made me feel so much better. Our Pi Chis introduced themselves and told us little bit about themselves without giving away any info concerning their real identities (they had code names, mine were Sunny and Cher) or affiliations. Then they broke down the schedule of the week for us. We would have Open House round for the first two days, visiting 3 chapters each day. Philanthropy Day would be day three, Skit Day would be day 4, Pref Day would day 5 with Bid Day being day 6. Our Pi Chis then explained a little bit about each sorority to us. They told us that this year was the first year American Ballet Theatre was participating in formal recruitment since they had just come back to campus from a break. Rumors were flying about why they had left in the first place, but I tried to ignore them.

I knew one of the girls in my Pi Chi group, we'll call her Ashley. Thank goodness for her, because I was incredibly shy and too scared to talk to many other girls, even though they all seemed nice. Over the summer, we had figured out we had the same birthday thanks to the Facebook group that was out there for our class. Ashley and I decided that we would ride together to our parties the next day. We were scheduled to meet around 9 the next morning with parties starting at 10:30 or 11 (I don't remember haha). I went home to get some sleep, which didn't work very well because I was very, very excited!

I am really enjoying your story thus far, and am going to root for PNW Ballet since that's my town's company!

I can't wait to hear more of your story!

I woke up quite early that morning to start getting ready. For Day 1, I wore a light blue dress with brown and white flowers and brown sandals. I headed up to the place we were set to meet, and chatted with one of my Pi Chis and a couple of other girls. I definitely thought I could end up being friends with these girls and I hoped that I would end up in the same sorority as a few of them.

We got our schedules and found out that we would be visiting New York City Ballet, Boston Ballet and San Francisco Ballet that day. Before we left, we played a "getting to know you" game with Starbursts and then it was time for parties!

Ashley and I drove down to Greek Row with a few other girls and walked up to New York City Ballet's house. It was pretty early in the day, and it was already SO HOT. They lined us up alphabetically, and we waited for what seemed like forever. Finally, the Pi Chis started counting down and sounds of cheers, chants and banging on doors spread all thoughout the row. The doors flew open, and in we went. I was taken back by how beautiful the inside of the house was. I was paired with a girl who had the same name as me, from the same state AND she was a dancer too! This was a little crazy. With so much in common, you think we would have had a lot to talk about. Not so much. The conversation was very awkward, and after talking about dance competitions the silence hit. I could tell she was nervous, so I tried not to think she was awkward, but I really couldn't help it. She asked me all the standard questions, but outside of that, nothing picked up. I went from loving the idea of being an NYCB, to not wanting to be one at all. I saw my friend from Orientation and she waved, and then it was out the door and on to Boston Ballet!

The cheers here were even louder than at NYCB, and to this day they still stick in my head. They took us into the Chapter room to listen to the President speak, and then we were scattered around the house. I was sat in a chair and the active sat at my feet, which I really didn't know how to react to. We found out that we were both Pre-Med and taking some of the same classes that semester. The girl's little then came up and talked to us for a little bit which was pretty cool. The only other thing that I remember was that this girl had a very high pitched voice. She was very sweet, and made me feel very comfortable though. I definitely thought I could see myself here. In what seemed like seconds, it was time for us to go.

For the last party of the day, we went to San Francisco Ballet. This house was absolutely beautiful from the outside, so I could only imagine what it looked like inside. I was grabbed at the door by a very cute, bubbly brunette. When I looked around at all the actives, I instantly felt very inadequate. They were all very tall, and very gorgeous. It was like a chapter of models. From the second I walked in I knew I didn't belong there. I saw a lot of actives shooting glances at my back (I have a tattoo between my shoulder blades) and it made me uneasy. My active talked about nothing but the keggers she and her boyfriend would host and how she somehow managed to kill every pet she's ever had. I was not a party girl at this point, so I was really turned off. I wouldn't be disappointed to not be invited back.

Finally, my day was over. We decided to go out to dinner as a group that night, and I was excited for that. We went to a little place near campus and just talked about our days and got to know the other girls. Our Pi Chis tried to get us to guess what their affiliations were, but they wouldn't tell us if we were right or wrong. After dinner, they told us to meet same place, same time to prepare for day 2 of Open House. I talked to Emily after I got home, and she told me that she wasn't sure if sorority life was for her. She was going to give it another day or two and then decide. Laura was loving it just as much as I was.

Next up: Day 2!

Hahaha omg that girl who talked about keggers and dead pets sounds ummm interesting!

First, I LOVE that we've had multiple dance-related recruitments. That's pretty awesome.

Second, I have no personal favorites- just good luck!

P.S.- I love your username! I suck at pas de chat, but pique turns are my specialty!

The next day, I wore a black and white halter dress with black ballet flats. I met up with my group, and we found out we would be going to Atlanta Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. I was so excited for Atlanta Ballet and ABT.

Atlanta Ballet was first, and I could not wait. I knew this was a top chapter, so I was also pretty nervous. Their house was HUGE and so pretty. The Pi Chis counted down, the cheering started, and in we went. I was picked up by an absolutely adorable girl. We circled around the chapter room, to listen to the President speak. Our actives stood behind us, and then moved us to our spot when the president was done. Instantly, my girl was like "I LOVE your tattoo!". That made me feel really good after my experience at San Francisco Ballet yesterday. She never got the chance to ask me the standard questions because our conversation just took off. I loved every second of it. When it was time to go, I just knew I'd be crushed if I wasn't invited back here for Philanthropy round. I wanted to see more!

Next up was Pacific Northwest Ballet. I was so nervous, because this was what people considered to be the best of the best. Perfect Southern Belles (a.k.a. not me). I had had a bad run in with them at an Open House I attended at the school earlier in the year and I was just not looking forward to it. But I was pleasantly surprised. I was paired with a girl from my home state and she felt like somebody I had known forever. She was so funny and I think we laughed more than we talked. As much as I liked her, I knew this was not the house I belonged in. It was time for us to go and it was off to American Ballet Theatre!

It was incredibly hot, and most of us were feeling the weather. A girl standing in line at NYCB actually passed out while we were waiting for this party! I was so excited for this house. There were a lot of ABT's who were friends of my family and I loved them. Soon enough, the cheering started and we were ushered in. I was one of the last in line, and when I walked in there was no one there to greet me. Um, WHAT?! Someone just kind of pulled me off to the side, and I just awkwardly stood in the chapter room and listened to the President speak without an active by my side. Once everyone moved around, one of the girls I had spoke to at First Night Out grabbed me and pulled me over with her and her PNM. She started apologizing and picked up the conversation. I was so distracted from being ditched that I didn't contribute much. I was really upset because I wanted to love this house. When it was time for us to go, I was very glad.

We met with our Pi Chis and they told us to be at the union at 7 to watch a movie and receive our invites for Philanthropy round. We were told that if we weren't invited back anywhere that we would get a phone call by 6:30. At this point, the only group I wanted to see on my list was Atlanta Ballet.

I envy you for being a good turner! I am horrible at turns. I remember one day, in what seemed like a freak accident, I landed a clean quad pirouette and I thought I could just die right there I was so happy haha. It never happened again and I struggled with triples for months. Extension is my thing. :p

Has anyone seen commercials for Center Stage 2?? Because this thread is totally making me think of Peter Gallagher. I LOVE IT. I would vote for American Ballet Company if there was one haha...

Well American Ballet Company is a pretty much a direct spoof of American Ballet Theater. Most of the dancers that were in Center Stage are from ABT. :)

Oh, I know. My roomate's cousin is married to Emily (I think that's her name) the girl that gets kicked out for being too fat? And of course she's a twig/amazing dancer in real life. I am WELL versed in Center Stage b/c its one of my fave movies of all time haha. PS Keep going! Hello! I want to hear where you went next!

Hijack but I thought Center Stage 2 was terrible and I LOVED the first one (my first copy was VHS and I wore it out!)

I can't wait to see where you end up!

Small world! That's so cool! Next update coming up! :D

My phone call never came, so at 6:45 I headed up to the union. We have a movie theatre in our union, so Panhellenic planned for us to watch Because I Said So as we waited for the sororities to get their lists in. We watched the movie, and after it was over, the Panhellenic President explained the invite process to us. A few sororities were running late with their lists, so we had to wait an extra 30 minutes. My group played a game where you held an index card to your forehead with a celebrities name on it and people had to give you clues so you could figure out who you were. Finally, the lists were in and we were called in one group at a time to see our invites.

One girl from my group came out, extremely mad. She had been invited back to every house except San Francisco Ballet and just didn't understand why they wouldn't invite her back. I thought she was lucky to have houses to pick from, but maybe that was just me.

I went in to the room to get my list, praying that I would see Atlanta Ballet. I clicked on my name (our invites are done on computer) and I was shocked. I had been dropped from everyone but American Ballet Theatre. I was convinced that there was some kind of mistake. I just stared at the screen. One of my Pi Chis came in and asked if I was ok, and I just started crying. I told her about the parties and how much I loved Atlanta Ballet and how I had gotten ditched at ABT. I didn't understand why I had gotten cut. She explained that cuts this early were usually because of grades, and even if my GPA was high enough to rush, nationals had a requirement, and chapters sometimes had a requirement that was even higher. She told me that I should really give ABT one more shot because they really were a great group of girls, even though I didn't think so today. She told me one day could change my opinion. She assured me that if I still didn't like it tomorrow, I could always drop out. So reluctantly, I accepted my invitation to ABT and headed home to prepare myself for Philanthropy round.

I woke up the next morning to get ready for my only party. I put on the recruitment shirt we were given, a pair of cuffed jeans and leather flip flops. I headed up to meet my group. Ashley had to have her schedule condensed, because she was also a cheerleader at our school and had practice at the same time as some of her parties, so she would be getting done at the same time I was. We decided to ride together.

We lined up to start the first party, and I was just not feeling it today. I was scared I'd get ditched again and I didn't want to face getting cut by my last group. I walked in the door and was picked up by a girl who didn't seem like she wanted to be there. That made two of us. We sat at tables with another sister and PNM to do our craft, and I was so nervous my creative side just wasn't coming out. We watched a slideshow of things the sisters did for their philanthropy, and it looked like fun. My girl kind of ignored me, but I enjoyed talking to the other sister and PNM. Ashley came in after the party had started and sat at my table, so I talked to her as well. It was time for us to leave, so I went out side and waited for Ashley to finish her last party so I could go home. I talked to my Pi Chi and she told me that if I didn't get my invite for the next round, she would call me before we were supposed to meet up.

Good for you for hanging in there and giving ABT a chance! I'm hoping things improved for from here!

Ok I'm really excited to finish my story.....and since it's already typed out, I'm going to try and finish posting it today :)


I went back to my apartment and watched TV with my roommate. I was so nervous all day, just waiting for my phone call. It was 6:30 and my phone hadn't rang yet, so I started to get ready to leave. Just as I had finished putting on my makeup, my phone rang. I felt my throat close before I even looked at the number. I picked up and it was my Pi Chi. I had been released. She told me I could still rush in the spring or wait again and go through next fall. She sounded really sad, and she tried her best to console me, but it just wasn't working. I hung up with her and immediately called my cousin. I was absolutely crushed, and she did her best to assure me that maybe now just wasn't my time. I talked to her for a little while longer before I decided to just take a shower and go to bed. I made a plan to go out of town on Bid Day so I wouldn't risk seeing the celebrations.

Emily ended up dropping out of recruitment. She said she just couldn't see herself in a sorority after all. Laura ended up pledging Atlanta Ballet. She told me she would take me to their parties and stuff so I could meet the girls and possibly pledge in the spring if they were going to do recruitment then. Ashley dropped out as well because she wanted to focus on cheerleading. I found out within the week that the Pi Chi who helped me out when I got my cuts was an Atlanta Ballet and the other was a San Francisco Ballet.

School started the next week, and I threw myself into my school work. I studied all the time and hardly skipped class. I decided that if grades were the reason I was cut, I was not going to give them a chance to hold that against me next time. I went to a party at one of the fraternity houses that weekend and starting making friends there. I met a girl who was a new member of American Ballet Theatre, we'll call her Stephanie, and we spent the night talking. During the second week of classes, I noticed Stephanie sitting across the room in my Music Appreciation class. I moved and sat next to her and we decided to be study partners. We started going to dinner together every week before class, and we hung out a lot. Through her, I met a lot of the new girls and I really grew to like them. Stephanie and I spent a lot of time together and became really good friends. She kept me up to date on the things that American Ballet Theatre was up too. I really started to like these girls, and I could definitely see myself with them behind the frills of recruitment.

In October, Stephanie told me that ABT was definitely participating in Spring Recruitment. She really hoped I would come out because she really wanted me to be her sister. Laura also told me that Atlanta Ballet was doing recruitment as well, but they had less than 10 available spots. I knew they were highly sought after, and I didn't spend much time with them and the connection I felt at recruitment was gone. I went on Christmas Break and could not wait to go to ABT's recruitment events. I went back to school the first week of January and within days of school starting, I was invited to join a Facebook group for girls interested in COB with American Ballet Theatre. The Open Houses were scheduled before Atlanta Ballet's, so I decided to just go to ABT. I really liked the girls that I had met, and I just had this feeling that this was what was supposed to happen.

Keep it coming! I love it when these retro-recruitment's have a twist!

During the second week of school, I went to the first Open House at ABT. I was incredibly nervous, even though I knew a lot of the girls. I actually broke out in hives before I went to the house! After I called my mom and she calmed me down, I finally walked up and knocked on the door. I went inside and filled out an info card. I talked to a few sisters as I filled it out, and when I was done they led me into the chapter room and took me to a group of girls to talk. One of the first girls I talked to reminded me so much of my cousin, which made me feel so comfortable. I felt like I had known her forever. Stephanie came over and joined, and I talked to this group for about 30 minutes. I even saw two of the girls from my Pi Chi group from the fall! Stephanie took me over and showed me the picture boards and then we went and sat with some other girls and talked until it was time to go. Two whole hours had gone by and I felt like I had only been there for 10 minutes! I knew that I was supposed to be an American Ballet Theatre. This was where I belonged.

I left and immediately called my mom. I was so excited about the way things had gone, and she was sure I'd end up happy. Unfortunately, there were still more Open House events, so I had no idea when I'd know anything. I went on with business as usual, with thoughts of ABT still in my mind.

The next Monday, I was supposed to go to dinner with a few of my friends. After class, I went back to the dorms to hang out and watch TV before we went to eat. We were sitting in the common area watching America's Next Top Model when my phone rang. I looked at the number, but I didn't recognize it. I usually never answer numbers that I don't know, but for some reason I did this time.

OHHHHH!!! I can't wait to see who it was!!!

I've been lurking and reading your story but I had to respond. It's a good thing you decided to stick it out and then make friends with Stephanie. It would be easy to ignore girls in a group you didn't join and end up regretting it but it looks like things are going well.

Nice going with the cliffhanger btw. I laughed when I read it and realized you hadn't posted about what the phone call was about.

I want more!

me too I can't wait to find out where you went!!!!!!

ack! way to leave us hanging! :-)

"Pasdechat?"

"This is her."

"Hey, Pasdechat, this is Meghan from American Ballet Theatre." At this point, I was really confused...

"Oh hi Meghan! What's up?" (Did I really just say that?)

"I was just calling to tell you that we loved having you at the ABT house last week, and we would like to extend you a bid!"

I screamed into my phone. I asked her three times if she was serious, and promptly told her yes!! She told me that I had to go to the Office of Greek Life before a certain date to sign my bid card, and that there would be an invitation only "Pref" Ceremony/Dinner after the final Open House.

The night of our pref, I wore a black, blue and white dress with a pretty flower pattern. We were lined up outside and they called us in one by one. Stephanie was waiting for me inside the door! She put her arm around me and started guiding me in. We stopped at the entrance of the chapter room, I was given a flower and they announced my name, and then we made our way to our seats. There was a really nice dinner and after about 20 minutes, some of the older girls stood up to tell stories of what American Ballet Theatre meant to them. One instantly hit home for me. One girl talked about how even thought she was hundreds of miles from home, she always felt like she had a place to go and she always had someone to turn to. That's what I wanted! After the stories, they began to sing a song (which is still one of my favorites). I definitely had to fight the tears. As the girls sang, we stood up and were ushered out. Right then, I knew that I had made the best choice I could. Listening to the words these sisters were singing and saying, I knew that without a doubt, I had been born to be a...































KAPPA KAPPA GAMMA!!


The next week was our formal pledging ceremony. Stephanie was the one to pin me, which was special because if it weren't for her, I'm not sure if I would have ended up in Kappa. I had the most amazing pledge sisters ever and a wonderful pledge period. I'm so happy fall recruitment went the way it did, because I know with out a doubt that I was born to be a Kappa!

YAY A KAPPA STORY! Congratulations sister!

Throughout my process, I realized a lot of things. Accidents on lists happen during recruitment, and in no way does it reflect what the chapter thinks of you. I learned that things have to fall apart for things to fall together, and even though it sucks in the meantime, the end result is always sweeter. Tent talk is pointless. People spread a lot of rumors about my chapter during recruitment, and as I got to know these beautiful women I call my sisters, I learned just how untrue it all was. I wouldn't trade my time in Kappa for anything, and I'm so happy I ended up where I did. You really do end up where you're supposed to be. Granted, I didn't find out why until initiation, but sitting here, knowing what I know now, I don't argue with the process.

I am so glad you joined Kappa! =)

No, she didn't. They didn't want us to have girls from the fall pledge class as our Keys since we're pretty much around the same age. I'm actually older than her so it would have been a little weird haha

Yayyyy Kappa!

Your part about the bid phone call was funny. NMs say cute stuff like that! I called a few girls last week to extend them bids after COB, and some sounded like that!

WOOOOOOOOOO! YAY!

So glad you ended up finding your home! Congrats!