Live Small School Recruitment!!
 

Hi everyone!

I intend to make this as short and sweet as possible. I am going through sorority recruitment this fall, and the first event was today. Since I go to a small school I will refrain from stating the sororities until Monday, as that will surely give it away.

The recruitment schedule is as follows:
Today (Tuesday): Meet and Greet
Monday: Info Night
Tuesday: Philanthropy
Wednesday: Preference
Thursday: Bid day

Now that I think about it, the schedule might give it away too :)

Today was Meet and Greet, and I was SO NERVOUS (goes without saying :D). I only know about two people in this entire university, and I thought that I was going to be walking into the event room by myself, which I did, and be standing around talking to nobody. The event started at 8 and I had a class that ended at 7:10, which meant I had to hightail it all the way across campus to my dorm and get ready. Which is exactly what I did, and surprisingly was ready by 7:55. After a few frantic calls between my best friend and my mom I worked up enough nerve to walk into that room. I was immediately picked up by two gorgeous girls and they struck up a conversation with me and all my fears were allayed. They were so nice and funny and I enjoyed the little chat we had. I had no idea what sororities they were in because all of the sorority girls were wearing their Panhellenic shirts. After signing in and getting my nametag I was led to a circle of girls which consisted of myself, two other pnm's, and three sisters. The conversation went really well and was definitely my favorite of the night. All of us were majoring in the same thing, and we all share a profound love for Vera Wang bags! The sisters then rotated around the room and about three more rounds of conversation took place. Then all the girls played a couple of getting-to-know-you games and we took TONS of pictures. A few more minutes of general socializing took place and then we were done! Everyone was invited to come to Info Night by different sisters, and then we were dismissed. So that was the first day and I really enjoyed myself and had a good time, and I will continue this after Info Night!

Good Luck!

The style of recruitment at your school sounds really fun! Good luck!!

good luck!

Hi again!!

So I just got back to my apartment from info night and I'm excited to tell yall my story! And thanks to everyone for the goodwill!

First off, sororities.
There are four sororities on campus and two of them are Panhellenic.
We'll call sorority one Blue October and sorority two Metric. Two bands I'm really into at the moment :)

All the pnm's were emailed with more detailed recruitment info than what was originally given out at Meet and Greet. We were told to meet in a room in the Student Center at 7 pm, casual dress. I got there at 6:55 and was surprised at some of the girls' interpretation of casual. I don't think that pajama pants, gym shorts, and ratty old hoodies qualify as "casual" for recruitment, but hey, that's just me. Upon entering the room we were told to sign in and were given a sheet that explained about the parties and how bidding works and when cuts will be made, etc. Some general Q&A went on for about 45 mins, then some general socializing took place, and at eight o'clock we were split into two groups and each group went to a party. My first party was at Blue October. When we (pnm's) walked into the ballroom we were greeted by extremely loud singing and each of us was given a feather boa and led away by a sister to a table. Each table sat four - two sisters, two pnm's - and the tables had the most gorgeous table decorations. Two plates of assorted cookies, some confetti and an oversized margarita glass with a blue beta fish and blue rocks at the bottom. The rest of the ballroom was just as exquisite. It was definitely clear that these girls were focused on recruitment and making us feel special. Some serious time had been spent on this room. The first sister I talked to was very nice and we had a general discussion about the sorority but there was no real connection. She took me around the room and showed me the t-shirts and began to talk more about the social events when another sister came and took over talking to me. This girl, for whatever reason I cannot explain, made me feel SO uncomfortable, I really don't know what it was, but I was definitely glad when the next trade-off came. This girl, we'll call her Susan, was my favorite person of the night, and my rush crush! We talked about everything from the sorority to everyday life and I felt that we had made quite a connection. While I was conversing with her everyone was asked to sit down and watch the slideshow. The slideshow, which consisted of pictures from their sisterhood and their philanthropy and various social events, was very entertaining. Susan explained to me where the pictures were from and why so-and-so event was so special, and so on ond so forth. When the slide show was over another rotation occured. I was so sad to leave Susan but she assured me that we would talk tomorrow :) The next sister I talked to was Jane, and I really liked her. She went over the more parental, as she called them, details of being in a sorority, like dues, fines, ateendance and whatnot. She was also the first to tell me about the new housing that is supposed to be opening next year. She and I didn't get to talk for a long time, as the party was soon over. After the party we went back to the meeting room and were told to fill out a survey of the party, and write down our three favorite things about it and three improvements. I had no improvements to suggest, I thought it was amazing. The next party was for Metric. I was initially excited about coming here as this was my "ideal" choice before recruitment, but I knew that it would be hard to top the experience I just had at Blue October. The song sung here was very cute and I still have it in my head now! The ballroom for Metric was disappointing as far as decorations go. It actually wasnt decorated. There were two sets of wooden letters on each side of the room, the conversation tables, a display table, and a serving table. After being led off and seated by a sister the VP spoke and introduced herself, and all the other sisters around the room stated their names, majors and office positions. I personally thought that was really useless, its not like we could remember all that, plus we had already done this whole introduce yourself game at Meet and Greet. A slideshow about the sorority was shown, and it was not at all entertaining. Informative yes, but it did nothing whatsoever to capture attention. Pnm's and actives alike were playing in their hair and checking watches. When that slideshow was over the conversation began. At my table there were three sisters and three pnms. It started out awkwardly but quickly picked up, and I really enjoyed the sister who I was sitting with. She and I and another sister had most of the conversation at the table, another pnm contributed every now and then and the last pnm was just sitting there like a rock. She was so reluctant to speak, but I think it was she was nervous, not disrespectful. We talked for around fifteen minutes and then everyone was asked to go to the serving table and get ice cream, and then we all sat back down. I applaud Metric on how they did rotation, you didn't even know they were switching until you sat down and another group of sisters was there! It was very smooth and well organized. Upon sitting and eating our delicious sundaes and floats and such, another slideshow was shown. This one was very entertaining and focused on socializing and philanthropy. After the slideshow we were to converse with the new group of sisters at our table. I was very shocked by the actives' behavior. They started talking only to themselves about random stuff not having anything to do with recruitment and completely ignored me and the other two pnm's. I was kind of offended and tried, somewhat successfully, to bring the conversation back to its proper focus. We only "talked" to these girls for about ten minutes, and then we were dismissed. Back in the meeting room we were asked to do the same survey but for Metric this time. From hearing the conversations from other girls in the room it seeme like most of their feeling echoed mine. I left with mixed feelings.

I came into recruitment with my own thoughts about the sororities based on what I had heard around campus and Facebook, and my notions were completely shot to hell tonight. In my head, I was a Metric, and didn't want to but wouldn't really mind getting a bid to Blue October.

I loved Blue October. These girls were really focused on their sisterhood and their sorority and you could tell that they all really liked each other, and being in Blue October had impacted their lives for the better. I'm also not going to let one bad experience with a sister greatly impact my choosing. I'm so looking forward to tomorrow night. The only thing that I don't like, and it's so superficial, but I don't like their letters OR their colors.

Metric was very lukewarm, I only liked two of the sisters out of the six I had met, and they didn't have all their stuff together. I'm probably out of place, but I don't feel like they know how to recruit properly. They seem to be focused mostly on social events. Diverse group of girls is a plus, and they gave us ice cream, my favorite food ever :) And I ADORE their letters, colors are just okay.

I will be posting tomorrow night after philanthropy!
Also if anyone has guesses about the school I go to/ sororities, feel free to pm me. I don't care about keeping it a secret, I just want to keep up the suspense for the sake of the story :)

:eek: really?

I was gonna say the same thing - yikes.

You'd be very surprised to see what some potential members wear to recruitment events at small schools. I even had a girl approach me tonight at an event and flat out say to me, as she stood before me in her over-sized hoodie and with messed up hair, "This is the result of not showering all day and napping before rushing down here for this."

I know we only COB, and we're not asking for much... but a shower? I don't think that's too much to ask.

At least it adds to the entertainment value :p

CAN I PLEASE BE IN BOTH SORORITIES?? PLEASE?

I had SUCH an amazing time tonight. This time my first party was at Metric. They upped their game this time and had a beautifully decorated room that was the essence of their philanthropy. I had a lot of fun here doing the craft (mine was the prettiest :)) and I got to know a lot more of the sisters. I liked everyone I met at the party and it gave me a deeper insight about how the girls interact with one another. The philanthropy didn't really have much meaning for me, I felt like it was identical to numerous other organizations except with a different theme. The next party of course was Blue October, who once again wins for the most amazing decorations. Their philanthropy is so non cookie cutter and I felt like it has so much meaning and the organization is one I feel is necessary for the people it helps. The craft here was really cute and I met two new sisters who were both extremely informative and welcoming and I immediately fell in love with them. A video of the philanthropy was shown and a slideshow about the chapter's involvement with it was later shown, and they were both adorable. I left feeling extremely happy and I cant wait for tomorrow night. Sororities make cuts tonight and we find out tomorrow morning about our preference invites!

As of right now, my whole take is:
1. I like all of the girls I've met so far in Blue October, and most of the girls in Metric
2. I like everything about Blue October, except for the letters which I can get over
3. I don't really know enough about Metric to make serious judgments
4. I really hope I get invited back to Blue October, I would still like to see more of Metric but if I don't that's perfectly okay.

There were a lot of girls who didn't show up tonight because "philanthopy night isn't important". wtf? I guess they weren't paying attention on info night and forgot about the whole sorority cut thing tonight. Their loss.

Also can anyone explain to me about the whole snap bid thing? From what I understand, a girl who didn't attend any recruitment events but is interested can get a bid. Isn't that like getting around the rules?

Also, some hints about my school and the sororities:
1. It's a southeastern university
2. Both sororities are three letter orgs.

I was asked why I didn't list the sororities at the beginnning, and that's becuase I didnt want it to turn into an either/or guessing game kinda thing.

Okay so I'll update quickly tomorrow morning after I get my invite info!!
I'm nervous and excited at the same time lol!

Good job on your story - I like that it is fast paced and you are dealing with the whole process honestly.

I have to chuckle a bit because I think you are the first and only pnm who has had issues (read:likes and dislikes) regarding the actual Greek letters of an organization! :)

exactly. If a chapter is a Total after formal recruitment, they will not be able to COB. So girls who drop out of recruitment in hopes that they will be picked up in COB are doing themselves a disservice because if the chapter they want meets quota/total, they wont be allowed to recruit anymore.

When I was going through recruitment, I thought the same thing about the houses. It's funny because out of the four houses at my school, I thought Theta's greek letters were the least aesthetically pleasing. (The other houses are Pi Phi, A Phi, and G Phi) Obviously now that I know what our letters mean, I wouldn't give them up for the world.

BTW: pnmf0910, I'm puling for METRIC... love that band.

:D Yes.

I agree! I was so iffy about the letters of my org during rush. But the colors (and the girls, of course) eventually won me over :D

I wanted a three letter group because I thought the block letters look better that way. I'm not sure why I thought that, but oh well, I know now that there are only two letters that look best on me!

I have been outed!! Haha
on campus at least. Some girls have figured out the school but not my identity!!
Therefore I'll continue posting after tonight. Thanks for reading!!!

I stand corrected regarding the importance of Greek letter shapes and sorority colors! :) :)

I guess it just goes to show you how the 18 year old mind processes the many important components of recruitment!!

So I'm going to be leaving for preference in about an hour, and I'm super nervous. To calm myself down, I'll elaborate more on last night and my feelings.

First off, I want to retract a statement I made.
I DO NOT want to be in both sororities. I only want one.The one where I belong. BLUE OCTOBER!! I realized this at about three in the morning :)
I actually haven't picked up my pref invites yet, so I don't know if I've been invited to either one or both. I really and honestly don't care about Metric anymore. Hopefully if I only get one invite it's not from them!
It may seem like I'm writing Metric off, and I guess I am, but I've come to realize that since we're this far into recruitment with bid day being less than twenty four hours away, I doubt I'll be making an huge impression on them. I highly doubt if I'll even get an invite from them. One would have to be seriously considered by the sorority for that right? I know nothing about Metric. So I guess I'm done with them.

That being said, I feel really hopeful about my chances with Blue October, but I don't want to get cocky and screw myself over, so I'm (trying) to keep my enthusiasm in check. I love everything about Blue October, the philanthropy and the down-to-earth AMAZING girls and the most adorable mascot and the most beautiful crest. It might even be the prettiest out of all the NPC's crests, and that fact kinda offsets the whole letters thing :D

Everyone's comments about the letters are making me hopeful about getting over my dislike of them. It's so funny to me that the one thing about my dream sorority is something so trivial as the shape of the letters. I love everything else though!

To KSUViolet06,
My school must not be doing recruitment correctly. When I asked the Recruitment VP for clarification about snap bids she said that they are pretty much like how fraternity bids work i.e. they are just handed out after formal recruitment in the fall, and that they are different from COB. So yeah, it's like getting around the rules, which is retarded and kind of makes formal recruitment unnecessary if bids are just going to be freely distributed.

@LoggerTheta: I too love Metric. But not this time.

Okay everyone wish me luck for tonight! I'll need it!

Lots of luck tonight! I have to admit though it makes me chuckle that the shape of the letters and the beauty of Blue October's crest is weighing in on your decision.

ETA: This was my 1,000th post :)

hi hi hi!! I just got back from an amazing night!!

KSUViolet06: At Preference for schools like mine the sororities have the option to cut/invite back pnm's. So I could have been inviting to one, both, or none. That's where the first round of cuts occur.

SO, I went to go pick up my invites and guess where I got invited back to??? BLUE OCTOBER!!!!! I about died with happiness.

I'm just gonna skip right to the party because nothing too exciting happened in the meeting room. Every girl looked gorgeous in dresses and (mostly) heels. We were separated into two groups. The first group went to Metric's pref party and the second group (which I was in) went to Blue October's party. Upon entering the party we were led off to a table by a sister with whom we talked to the entire night. Do I even need to describe the room for you to know it was amazing? Breathtakingly beautiful, full of soft lighting and flowers galore. I talked to the active I was with for a good while. Time flew by and I didn't want to stop our conversation, but the pref ceremony had to come sometime!! That was just the most amazing ceremony, extremely touching, and everyone was tearing up. I felt so blessed to have been a part of this ceremony and omg I'm tearing up now just remembering it! When the ceremony was over we went back to talking to the actives for a few more minutes and then we were dismissed to go fill out our ranking cards or whatever they're called.
So that was my night and I'm praying/hoping/wishing that I get a bid to Blue October!! I find out tomorrow at noon!!! AAAAAAAAHHH!!!!

MORE HINTS!!!
1. My school is in GA
2. A chapter of Alpha Delta Pi used to be here
3. I chose to assign the code name Blue October to that sorority for a reason

I'll reveal all tomorrow, don't worry :)

Ah! Good luck! Let us know how preference goes!!!!!

Oh and even if I don't get a bid tomorrow, I'll come back and say so. I won't leave yall hanging!!! Hope for the best though!!

Okay, unless I am way off (and it wouldn't be the first time) I might know why you assigned Blue October that name...but, it might just be a coincidence. Good luck tomorrow!!

I know what the school is... and I'm pretty sure I know who Blue October is. Can't wait for your next update!

Blue for Kappa's two blues and October for the month we were founded? Haha ok, I'm allowed to guess aloud if she gave hints, right?

ETA:
When I was choosing between Kappa and Theta, I actually like the way Theta's letters looked more than Kappa's. I did like the way "Kappa Kappa Gamma" sounded though. It seems so silly now!

I can't wait to hear about bid day! ;)

haha
The Blue October reference is a color reference, October just so happened to be a part of that band name. No (intentional) significance there.

Hands down, the two best-sounding sororities in my opinion are
Kappa Kappa Gamma
Delta Sigma Theta

I guess I just like the way the a's at the end sound. lol

I flip out at the mention of bid day :)

Hurry up bid day!

I'm excited/nervous for you! All the best thoughts for bid day!

Okay, thanks to the magic of Greek Chat, I'm pretty positive I've figured out the school and which chapters which...can't wait to hear your outcome! Good luck!

ETA: Ohhh, and I get the letters thing now...LOL!

I figured it out too :) That never happens to me!

Well, I am still in the dark, and based on your comments was definitely off the mark trying to figure out what Blue October referred to. I am just going to drink my coffee and wait for an update...

How is it that I feel so uncool?
a) never having even heard of bands called Blue October or Metric?
b) trying and failing to decipher a clue?
c) both a and b

Lol the suspense is killing me! I hope all is well!

Aw, shucks. :p

Well, I have to say, I love our letters too (both the way they sound and the way they look - they seem so symmetrical and classy to me!). And to echo Logger Theta... now that I know what they stand for, I love them even more!

There is a local on my old campus who was Delta Psi Delta I thought that their letters always looked cool because they had a triangle on each boob and a pitchfork in the middle. :D LOL

I love the way teh two letter organizations sound. Some of my favourite: Phi Mu, Alpha Phi I like how the Phi is like a chameleon changing sounds all over the place!

The summer prior to Recruitment, I was deciding which sororities I liked by the abundance of greek letters and whether the sisters all wore the same thing on their composite picture or wore whatever they wanted. I also avoided one because one of their greek letters is the symbol of death. :rolleyes:

Wishing you well!

HI EVERYBODY!!!

Ready to hear some exciting news?

I GOT A BID!!!!!
To Blue October, obviously, since that's the only place I preffed.
I love my new sorority, which is....
































































......................
























(DUN DUN DUN)






































ALPHA XI DELTA!!!!!!!!!!
WHOOO!! :)

BTW, I go to Southern Polytechnic State University, and the other sorority, a.k.a Metric, is Gamma Phi Beta.

I hoped yall enjoyed reading this!! I had fun writing it!!
Thanks to everyone on GC who has posted the million and five helpful tips. I would have been lost without them.

I'd go into more details about my extreme state of happiness (i cried twice today), but I'm ready to go prance around the promenade with my new sisters.
~ Thomeisha

Yayyyyy! I wondered if Blue October was Alpha Xi. Congrats and welcome to the sisterhood!