Fall 2010 SEC Sophomore Re-Rush
 

I recently finished recruitment at SEC U, where I am a sophomore. I went through recruitment last year but received no invites after the second round. This year I went into recruitment better prepared and even more excited than I was a year ago.

There are seventeen sororities at SEC U, so I randomly assigned a former Seventeen magazine cover girl to each chapter:

Ashley Greene
Beyonce
Blake Lively
Hayden Panettiere
Katy Perry
Kristen Stewart
Lauren Conrad
Leighton Meester
Miley Cyrus
Nina Dobrev
Pink
Rihanna
Selena Gomez
Shailene Woodley
Taylor Momsen
Vanessa Hudgens
Whitney Port

ETA: I know my school will be glaringly obvious to those familiar with the SEC (or with mad search engine skills), but PLEASE don’t spoil the fun by revealing where I go to school!

Round One: Open House

During open house I visited all seventeen sororities over two days.

Ashley Greene: I’m absolutely in love with this chapter. I got to talk to several girls and really felt a connection with each of them. I feel like my personality really meshes with that of the sorority.

Beyonce: I talked to one girl at this house. Conversation flowed fairly well, but I didn’t feel a strong connection here.

Blake Lively: I got to speak to several girls here; I really liked all the girls I met but felt a really great connection with one of them. I really enjoy how involved this sorority is on campus.

Hayden Panettiere: I had a really great conversation and got along really well with the girl I talked to. However, I’m not sure if I can see myself fitting in with the sorority as a whole.

Katy Perry: Conversation flowed pretty well. There were some group conversations, with two actives and two PNMs talking together, which sometimes made conversation more difficult.

Kristen Stewart: The girl I talked to was really sweet, but I didn’t really feel a strong connection. I think we might have both just been really tired since this party was late in the day.

Lauren Conrad: I really felt a connection with the girl I talked to here. Conversation just flowed really well and we have a lot of the same interests.

Leighton Meester: I talked with several girls at this house and conversation flowed really well with all of them. This sorority is really involved with a large campus organization that I’m very involved with.

Miley Cyrus: The girl I spoke with was really sweet, but conversation was a little awkward here. It felt like we were grasping for topics, but we were able to find a few common interests.

Nina Dobrev: I only talked to one girl here, but conversation flowed really well. I really like this sorority’s involvement on campus and with their philanthropy.

Pink: I talked to several girls here, and I really felt a connection with one of them. We had a lot of the same interests and conversation flowed really well.

Rihanna: I met lots of girls here, but conversation was somewhat awkward. I didn’t really feel a connection here.

Selena Gomez: I talked to a couple girls who rushed as sophomores here. Conversation was very natural and flowed really well.

Shailene Woodley: I spoke to three girls here, including a girl who rushed as a sophomore; the conversation flowed really well. This sorority is very involved in a large organization that I’m involved with.

Taylor Momsen: I really felt a connection with the girl I talked to here. We’re both involved in a large campus organization. The entire sorority also has really high participation in the main event put on by that organization.

Vanessa Hudgens: Conversation flowed very naturally here, but I didn’t feel a strong connection.

Whitney Port: The conversation was a little awkward at times, but not too bad. We spoke about a large campus organization that I’m involved in that the sorority is also very involved with; however, the girl I was talking to doesn’t actually participate in that org. We also talked about some mutual interests, but it sometimes felt like we were grasping for topics.


After visiting all seventeen sororities, I listed my top 12 and ranked my bottom 5.

1. Ashley Greene
1. Beyonce
1. Blake Lively
1. Katy Perry
1. Kristen Stewart
1. Lauren Conrad
1. Leighton Meester
1. Nina Dobrev
1. Selena Gomez
1. Shailene Woodley
1. Taylor Momsen
1. Whitney Port
2. Miley Cyrus
3. Pink
4. Vanessa Hudgens
5. Hayden Panettiere
6. Rihanna


Honestly, I would be totally ecstatic to return to any of the chapters! There are definitely some I love, but I genuinely liked every single sorority I visited.

Very cute! can't wait to hear the rest of your story!

I'm very interested in your story! I re-rushed as a sophomore too, but not as quite of a competitive school as those in the SEC

Great example of being honest and sharing your thoughts, without bashing anyone or putting anyone down.

A "not-so-great party" might happen for a variety of reasons, and you get that. An awkward conversation might happen because the rusher was not feeling well that day, or simply, the two of you didn't have much in common. Low energy can be attributed to it being the 6th hour of a very long day. These huge recruitment processes have so many variables, that any number of things might go awry.

I'm looking forward to hearing more. You've done a very good job of stating your views without being "brutal" or catty. Thanks in advance for sharing! :D

THIS is what I really appreciate reading. You Get It and I predict your story is going to have a very happy ending.

Just out of curiousity - why was Pink where they were? It seems like they and Whitney should have been switched around.

so excited to hear the rest of your story!! :)

I had a really difficult time ranking Pink, Whitney and Miley. I finally ranked them based on information that I didn't include here because it would easily identify the sororities (philanthropy, campus involvement, friends in the chapter, etc.).

Round Two: House Tours

I was invited back to 10 sororities out of a possibility of 12! I included how I ranked each sorority at the end of round one in parentheses so y’all don’t have to scroll up to see the rankings.

(1) Ashley Greene
(1) Beyonce
(1) Blake Lively
(1) Kristen Stewart
(1) Lauren Conrad
(1) Selena Gomez
(1) Shailene Woodley
(2) Miley Cyrus
(3) Pink
(5) Hayden Panettiere

Ashley Greene: I felt so at home here and really clicked with my hostess. I love the house and the different events Ashley Greene has throughout the year.

Beyonce: My conversation here was very natural. I love the house and the different events Beyonce has throughout the year.

Blake Lively: I really like the way Blake Lively conducted house tours; it was really different from the way my other houses did it. However, I didn’t feel as strong a connection with my girl as I had during round one.

Kristen Stewart: I loved Kristen Stewart this round! I really clicked with my girl and our conversation flowed really well. And I really loved the house.

Lauren Conrad: I did more listening than talking this round, but maybe that’s not such a bad thing? I had a great time learning about the different events Lauren Conrad hosts throughout the year and enjoyed seeing the house.

Selena Gomez: I had a really great time talking to my hostess, seeing the house and learning more about Selena Gomez’s events.

Shailene Woodley: Conversation was really easy here. I really liked the house and enjoyed learning about Shilene Woodley’s events.

Miley Cyrus: The conversation was much better this round and I enjoyed seeing the house.

Pink: My conversation went really well, with only a few awkward moments. I also enjoyed touring the house.

Hayden Panettiere: The girls I talked to were really sweet, but I didn’t feel the same connection I had during round one. I can definitely see the Hayden Panettieres as my friends, but I don’t know that I can see them as my sisters.

After house tours, we had to list our top six and rank the remaining chapters in the order in which we would like to return if not invited back to our top six.

Listing my top six and ranking my bottom four was REALLY difficult. With the exception of Hayden Panettiere, I could see myself as a member of any of these sororities (and I would still gladly go back to Hayden Panettiere, because you never know). After much thought, I ranked the sororities as follows:

1. Ashley Greene
1. Beyonce
1. Blake Lively
1. Kristen Stewart
1. Lauren Conrad
1. Selena Gomez
2. Shailene Woodley
3. Miley Cyrus
4. Pink
5. Hayden Panettiere

Fingers crossed for invitations to round three! I’m super nervous because this is the round after which I was released last year.

Thank you! I appreciate this.

I also always appreciate a story from this school, and I like that we have so many going on right now!

Round Three: Skit/Philanthropy

For this round, we could visit up to six chapters. I received invites to:

(1) Selena Gomez
(4) Pink

I was really shocked to go from ten to two invites. I was also really upset that my very favorite chapters had cut me; I felt like I really clicked with the girls I talked to there. But mostly I was worried that I’d be released tonight. But I still had two chapters, which is two more than many girls.

Selena Gomez: I loved their skit! I couldn’t stop laughing the whole time. I really like this chapter. I also really enjoyed seeing their philanthropy video, which showed how they support their national philanthropy.

Pink: The skit started off kind of slow, but I ended up really enjoying it! I also liked that their philanthropy video showed both how they support their national philanthropy and how involved they are in campus and local philanthropic organizations.

After skit/philanthropy round, we list our top three and rank the others. Because I had less than three invitations, I did not have to rank.

I enjoyed both parties I attended today but am really nervous that I’m going to get “the call” tonight.

Good luck, and I hope your phone doesn't ring!!

So true. This is absolutely the right way to look at things.

Glad you enjoyed both skits!

Your honesty about your visits to the different chapters, while still staying classy and kind, is really refreshing. Good luck to you!

Preference Round

I didn’t get a call, so I put on my black dress and headed to preference. When I got my schedule it read:

Pink

I was so upset that Selena Gomez had cut me. I was so sure I would either be invited back to both parties or released from recruitment; I never imagined I’d be left with only one party.

It took me a while to calm down, but luckily I had a break between getting my schedule and going to Pink. I just had to get over the shock of only having one preference party and remind myself that this was one party more than I had this time last year and that it was one party more than many girls had.

Also, I had to remind myself of what I’d been telling the freshman who asked me about reputations all week: that this is SEC U and all the sororities rock.

Pink: I really, truly enjoyed their preference ceremony. I also really liked the girl I was paired with for this round; I could just tell how much she loved her sorority.

After my party I wrote down Pink and signed my pref card. My recruitment counselor told me she’d call tonight if I mismatch.

Tomorrow is the first day of class with bid day in the evening! Fingers crossed once again for no call!

Good Luck!! I hope everything works out for you!

Love your attitude! I'm hoping for a happy ending for a classy PNM.

the suspense is killing me!! post more :)

You said in your first post that you just finished recruitment, but this later post sounds live. Is it just me that is confused?

I believe she is finished with recruitment, but is writing her thoughts as she had them on each day. I say this because she posted two updates yesterday, one that ended with "Keep your fingers crossed that I don't get released" and then another a little bit later that had the houses she visited the next day.

I'm really enjoying this story! I hope I can have a nice positive outlook like this during my upcoming rush.

Delayed posting?

I am so pulling for you to get a bid to Pink. You are one classy girl and deserve it!

Sorry for any confusion about whether this is live or not. I wrote my thoughts after each party in a word document, but didn't want to post my story until I knew how it would end. I'm also extremely impatient so I wanted to post the entire story by today. So without further ado....

Bid Day

I didn’t get a call, so I put on my white dress and went to pick up my bid card. After receiving my bid from Pink…..









…. I headed over to Milledge Avenue…









…. To the DELTA GAMMA house!

Yay!!! That's my chapter! Congrats--you are going to love it!

:D YAY!!!! See it really does only take one!

Congrats that is awesome!

Good for you! You had an awesome outlook and I'm sure will so enjoy your new sisterhood!

Yay Pink! (and blue and bronze) Congratulations!! :)

congratulations on Delta Gamma!

Congrats! Have a wonderful time with your new sisters. What a great addition you are to Delta Gamma.

Love the DGs! The anchor pin, philanthropy, motto---and nothin' cuter than new DG pledges wearing white sailor hats giving the gamma salute! (my cousins were Delta Gammas and I was bummed there wasn't a chapter at my school...)

Congratulations to you! Have a wonderful year.

YAYYYYY great story! My friend is in that chapter of DG!

Who was Selena Gomez?
________

So glad you decided to drop anchor with Delta Gamma despite initial hesitations! I know as you get to know your sisters more you will grow to love it as much as I do!!

congratulations!! be sure to go over as often as you can so you can get to know and love all your sisters!!

YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!

Not just a DG ending, but a UGA DG ending!

Congratulations on the best chapter ever in the whole history of the world (yes, I'm a little biased). :)

Congratulations. I spent some of my undergrad at UGA and knew several DGs. Classy ladies all around.

Congratulations! One of my bridesmaids is an alum from your chapter, so I know it must rock!