InCursive's Recruitment
 

So, last fall I went through formal recruitment and after a long time spent lurking this forum I've decided to share my story.

I go to a mid-sized university where Greek life is about 20% of the student body but is growing really quickly. I'm a member of a large greek family, and a legacy at one of the chapters on campus. I was very wary about greek life because I am definitely not a likely candidate, but I decided to give it a shot anyways, what harm could it do?

At the time I was going through recruitment my school had nine chapters on campus and one that was looking to colonize. For the purposes of anonymity I will be calling myself Alice, and code-naming the chapters after minor Wonderlanders:

Caterpillar
Cheshire Cat
Dodo
Duchess
Gryphon
Mad Hatter
March Hare
Mock Turtle
Red Queen
White Rabbit

Our recruitment takes place over one weekend and goes like this:
Thursday: Recruitment Orientation
Friday: Round Robin, 10 parties
Saturday: Philanthropy, 7 parties
Sunday: Invitational, 4 parties
Monday: Pref, 2 parties
Tuesday: Bid Day

Obviously this isn't a live story so check back soon for night one!

can't wait to hear your story!

I'll root for the Mad Hatter!

I don't know who to root for, so... I'll just root for Alice. :)

Cheshire Cat! We had a horse named Cheshire after the Cheshire Cat.

Can't wait to hear your story! I'm rooting for Duchess!

Prepare yourselves for a very long post!

Orientation night was a whirlwind! I had just gotten a new roommate who I didn't know very well, but she and all of her friends were going through recruitment too so we walked over together before being split into our RoCo groups.

My group was really big and I couldn't even sit down during the presentation! All the girls in the room looked way more glamorous than me and I was super intimidated. After the presentation each group went to a separate room to get the specifics from their RoCos.

One of my RoCos seemed really sweet (we'll call her the Lory) and well meaning, but really awkward. The other one ("the Eaglet") had an event that night so we didn't get to meet her. I left orientation really nervous but super excited for what the weekend would bring for me! I spent the rest of the night reading through the viewbook that they gave us and picked out all my outfits for the weekend-- although of course I changed them all at the last minute!

The next day came and I headed off for the student center. Not all of the chapters on our campus have housing so each sorority gets a room in the student center and the groups all get organized in the auditoriums and ballrooms. Each girl made themselves a nametag as well as "business cards" to give to the chapters (I had no idea why at the time). I made sure to make mine really cute and embellished! Then we all started lining up in alphabetical order, and it was off to the parties!

My first party was the Dodos (this codename has nothing to do with their intelligence level!). They were the group that were going to colonize after formal recruitment. Sisters from a few neighboring schools were there as well as their team from nationals. We all sat in rows of chairs and they showed a slide show. After the slide show, a sister came to the end of the row and asked us if we had any questions. It was very professional and stiff, but I thought that maybe I could be a Dodo.

Next up was the Gryphons! This chapter was the newest on campus as well as the largest. This was my first experience with the cheering and the receiving line and I was completely in awe! The first girl I talked to was really nice but kind of unsure of herself. However, after her I talked to a girl who made me feel really uncomfortable and completely stop talking. The rest of the sisters were great though, and I knew one of them from one of my smaller classes. I thought I could probably see myself as a Gryphon.

My third party was the White Rabbit room. This is the chapter I was a legacy for (my mom colonized a chapter at a prominent southern school) and so I had high hopes. Their room was beautiful and their spirit was really high! The first girl I talked to I had tons in common with and the others were all really friendly and cheerful. They showed a really cute slideshow of their sisters around the city. I definitely wanted to return to the White Rabbits tomorrow!

Next I was on to the Red Queens. I had heard some negative things about this chapter, but had also been told that they were one of the top houses on campus. I talked to their social chair for the whole party and could tell that she was trying really hard to be polite, but that she had no interest in talking to me and was waiting to be bumped to. I felt really disengaged in this party, and looking around I knew that these girls were not my future sisters.

After that my group was brought to the March Hares. From the viewbook, this chapter was my favorite, so I was really excited! However, when I got into the party I was underwhelmed. This chapter was very, very small, with each sister taking two, if not three, PNMs. The first girl we talked to didn't even try to engage us in conversation, but just showed us things in the room. After that we were passed off to a girl who continuously tried to pawn us off on other sisters. Their newest new member class did a dance (apparently they do it every year) but nothing about this chapter sat right with me. I was glad when it was time to move on.

From there we went to the Caterpillars. The girls in this chapter were all dressed in super bright sundresses and they were singing more loudly than any other chapter I had been to. However, every time a new sister would come talk to me, they would move closer until I was practically backed into a corner. At one point a girl I was talking to reached behind her and grabbed someone that was walking by and then quickly left the conversation which made me feel really unwanted. I left this chapter really sad that they were so obviously uninterested in having me.

My next party was with the Cheshire Cats. While waiting in the hallway, I saw a girl who I had gone to camp with when I was younger. She was a few years older than me and I had always looked up to her. When I was in the room I looked for her but didn't get a chance to talk to her. However, I felt like I made great connections with the girls I did talk to! I have a very unique accessory that I knew would turn some people off, but they all really liked it and seemed to think it was cool! This chapter did a dance too, but they seemed to enjoy it and it was much funnier than the March Hares'. This chapter was absolutely my favorite of the day!

From there we went to the Mad Hatters. They had a really weird set up where all the PNMs sat in lines and the sisters would move down the lines and talk to them. They also passed around bowls and plates of food which seemed kind of unsanitary. It was about a million degrees in there, and since I knew I would not be invited back to this chapter I didn't try as hard as I could have.

The Duchesses were next! The only way to describe this chapter is Glamazons. They were all wearing high, high heels and really fashionable outfits, and it seemed like they were all blonde and tan. I am a tall girl, and these girls made me feel kinda short. I did not feel nearly cool enough in this party, and one girl asked me if I had a fake ID which I had no idea how to answer since we weren't supposed to talk about alcohol. They showed a video that was mostly prominent fraternity members talking about why they loved the Duchesses. I left this chapter feeling really unsure.

My last party of the day was the Mock Turtles. Their theme was really vague and their outfits were cute but didn't really flatter everyone. I got to talk to their president, social chair and scholarship chair which made me feel very important. I really liked their song, and they seemed like a very close knit chapter, but they weren't the best conversationalists.

That night we could "cut" 2 chapters, since Dodo wouldn't actually be participating in the rest of recruitment. My bottom two were very obvious to me: March Hare and Red Queen. And if I had needed to rank, my top two definitely would have been Cheshire Cat, White Rabbit and Gryphon.

Glamazons!! I love it!

Calling Cards. We used them in the 80s.

Because we had so many girls going through rush and so few recommendations, it was the only way to keep PNMs straight. When you went into the house, you handed the card over to the Active that picked you up. The active then wrote her name on the back and the card was collected for voting. That is the most that I will say.

We had calling cards when I went through recruitment in 1997. They were used as attendance cards; we would generally put them in a bowl as we entered the house and an adviser/alum would go through the cards and check them against a list provided to the house by Panhellenic to make sure the correct women were at the party.

Maryland still uses calling cards. After being a Rho Gamma, I don't really see the point. The chapters know who is there because the Rho Gammas take attendance based on the list provided by Panhellenic. It just seems like a waste of cardstock and it stresses out PNMs who forgot to give their calling card to a chapter or lost it. I had a PNM almost in tears give me a calling card for a chapter and I gave it back to the Panhellenic Recruitment team and they even admitted that it's fine if the chapter doesn't have the card.

Having gone through recruitment as a sister now, I've learned why we use the cards. They're actually pretty important for our chapter. Not to give away all our secrets, but we hand them off to a sister who uses them to help us make sure every girl who comes through is remembered properly at the end of the night. When girls forget to give them to us it can be a little bit of a mess later on.

We didn't use it this way, but some chapters used holding the card in the Right Hand means this and Left Hand means that. As I've said before in other threads, some things from other chapters were not secret.

panhellenic at the school i advise has a bit farther to go before it can be said that they totally have their act together. up to this past year, they used calling cards and we advisors found it very helpful. the rho gammas would collect the cards from the pnms just prior to the party and then hand the cards to one of the chapter advisors right before the pnms came in. it was such a help to us in ascertaining that suzy pnm actually attended that party. we missed the cards this year!

Question... Were you originally naming your characters after Disney characters? I noticed in the last line you said, "Mulan would not be participating in the rest of recruitment..." I'm assuming you meant DoDo?

That's exactly how it's done at Cornell nowadays too. The recruitment chair greets the PNMs at the front door, they give her their calling card, and we have to check it against Panhel's attendance list for our party and submit it to them. The PNMs usually keep the cards around their necks on the name tag necklace Panhel supplies so they don't get lost, though we've had MANY PNMs show up to parties missing cards

We call those cards "tea cards" and they are VERY helpful..for our chapter at least!

haha yes, I originally had named them after Disney princesses/protaganists. Thanks for pointing that out, I should probably go fix it...

Philanthropy Round!

The next day I woke up and went on over to the student center with my roommate. I found my RoCo group and the Lory gave me my schedule... with only three parties! I was really disappointed, as the maximum that day was 7. I was invited back to White Rabbit, Mock Turtle, and Cheshire Cat. It was a huge bummer not to see Gryphon on my party list, but the others weren't really sad losses. I was more just disappointed at so few chapters wanting me back, but sucked it up and went to those parties.

First up I was off to see the Cheshire Cats! I was so excited to go to their party, and was glad that it was my first one so I wouldn't be tired. The first girl I talked to took me to do their craft, which was making bracelets for the Senior Citizens Prom, which was fun but she and I had nothing in common and the conversation was incredibly awkward. After her, I talked to a girl who I had an amazing conversation with and really liked. Their outfits seemed like something I would wear and the room itself was really comfortable. I was in love with this chapter!

Next up was the White Rabbits. They made really drastic cuts after the first night, so I was glad to be invited back! The girls I talked to were all really nice, and one girl said that I reminded her of a girl in their chapter who had just graduated. I was really comfortable in their room, although I wasn't really the biggest fan of their charity event. The girl I talked to the first night saw me on the way out and said she was glad that I was back that night. I hoped that I wasn't invited back just because I was a legacy, because I was liking this chapter more and more.

My last party of the day was with the Mock Turtles. Again I was double rushed. The other PNM I was with was in one of my classes and I was not her biggest fan. By this point I was really tired and they had the lights dimmed so I was falling asleep. The girls all seemed really genuine and nice, but this chapter didn't excite me the way that the other two did.

After the parties were over we checked in with our RoCos and departed for home. Since the max for night 3 was 5 parties, I didn't get to cut any chapters, but I didn't hate the 3 parties I went to so it wasn't a big deal. But I would have ranked them Cheshire Cats, White Rabbits, Mock Turtles.

Things get crazy in the Invitational Round so stay tuned!

Here is the last installment of my story. I hope you've enjoyed it! :)

So, this brings us to the Invitational Round. I was super excited for this one and made sure to look my best. I headed over with my roommate to the student center once again, and headed straight for my RoCo group. However, when I got there the Lory was talking to a girl who seemed very upset (she wasn't invited back to any parties that day). This is where my nerves kicked in and I paused before getting my schedule from the Eaglet. When she handed it to me I saw that I only had one party for the day, and it was the Mock Turtles. I was crestfallen. Because it was such a large time commitment (my party wasn't until party 4, and I couldn't leave and come back) and I wasn't in love with the Mock Turtles, I decided to drop out of recruitment, since I could already feel myself slipping behind on my schoolwork. I handed my schedule back to the Eaglet and told her I was dropping out. She said okay and then I headed back to my dorm, where I was soon accompanied by my roommate who had also not gotten invited back to any of the parties she wanted.


Fast Forward two days, to bid day. Walking back from class I can hear all sorts of cheering from the main quad and I feel like I am in a sea of brightly colored shirts. While I had been okay with my decision to drop out of recruitment, on that day I felt really sad and wished I had given it a chance. Everyone's doors were being decorated and Facebook statuses were being updated, and I felt like I had definitely made a mistake.


The next day, I got a package that contained my new cell phone. When I set it all up I found that I had a voicemail. It was the President of the Mock Turtles and they still wanted to give me a bid! I was really unsure about it, since I didn't feel much of a connection to them during recruitment. In one of my classes the next day, though, one of my friends said she had preffed Caterpillar and Mock Turtle and had loved them both, and strongly encouraged me to at least go meet them all. I took her advice and called the President back, and the next day I went to a new member meeting at their house. I was immediately greeted by the New Member Mom who was so genuinely excited to meet me that I could feel my uncertainty beginning to wane. She gave me a tour of their house, whichis so beautiful! Most of the houses on our campus were recently built and are really just dorms, but the Mock Turtle house is a real house that has been amazingly renovated. After meeting the other new members, and talking to the president I signed a bid card and they gave me a bag and some shirts and I knew that I had found my home.


So, the moral of the story is: trust the system, it always works out in the end. In the spring I was voted best new member by the chapter, have held two positions, live in the house, and will hopefully be on our governing board next year. My big and I are inseparable and I am so excited to take a little this fall! I love my chapter so much, and can't believe I ever doubted them during recruitment. All's well that end's well!

Great story!

You mentioned one girl in your RC group crying... were girls not told them had no invites until they showed up to get their schedules?!

For some reason our RoCos wouldn't call us for that. Other people's would, but mine didn't. My RoCos also wouldn't let us leave if we had long gaps between parties whereas I know other girls who were allowed. It's weird.

What a great story!! Congrats on MOCK TURTLES!! Will you be sharing who they are?

Congratulations to you and the Mock Turtles! It sounds like things worked out well for you both!

It sounds like it all worked out! Congrats!

In honor of getting my little tonight I decided to reveal my chapter to you all!

I am proud to call myself.......


















A Phi Sigma Sigma! Woohoo!

Congratulations Incursive!

Hooray! I love it when things work themselves out in the end.

Also: this is our second Phi Sigma Sigma ending this week.

love a sweet story and happy ending. congratulations to you and Phi Sigma Sigma!

They do this at the school I used to advise at as well. It was so much easier than relying on the RCs. We ALWAYS found women who ducked out of parties. Silly girls.... :rolleyes:

Wow another Phi Sig ending! Thanks for sharing :)

I agree. Where I advise they use calling cards. So helpful!

Yay Phi Sig!!