A little disappointed
 

Recruitment hasn't quite started yet but there are various things to promote Greek life. I went down to check out what was there and talk to a few people, it could've been fun, but my roommate was a bit of a downer. =(

Her take: "Prissy, stuck-up bitches that I left back in high school, I don't want to pay to be around them now. I guess they do throw some sick parties."
She didn't say that to anyone's face, but she outright said she didn't see the point and was a bit rude to some of the members. That quote was when we were walking back to our rooms.

My take: I'd like to go through recruitment, meet some people, perhaps find a new "home" and get to know some wonderful people. If I don't join, that's okay, too, there are lots of things around campus. I mean, if I get cut or something I'll probably be a bit hurt, but I'll get over it.

Overall we do get along, but it was just a little disappointing that going into recruitment I probably won't know a single person as it seems no one I've become somewhat-buds with are interested.
I guess this isn't really related to much, I just wish it wasn't something I was going at alone.

Yikes, I hope the members don't think you think the same as your roommate!

This won't be such a big deal when you meet your Rho Gamma/Rho Chi/Pi Chi/whatever and your group. You'll meet tons of other women who are interested in going Greek.

Also, it's a not a bad thing that you're the only one of your friends going through. You won't be influenced by their opinions, you won't feel pressured to join the same chapter, etc.

College is a place to grow, try new things and meet new people. Give it a go with a positive attitude. Don't let other people form your opinions.

Best wishes.

Neither of my freshman year roommates were sorority women. You just sort of go about your lives separately. You know she's wrong so just try to block it out.

Only a little disappointed?

Women don't sign up for rush if they don't feel they could belong. They won't stay if they understand what "sisterhood" means to your sisters.

I'm sorry your sisters feel this way.

Concur. 95% of my freshman year friends weren't greek (and most of that 5% who were Greek were aiming for the NPHC, so they weren't Greek at the time and I didn't know they were interested in it :) )

Basically, do your own thang. It will make you happier in the long run, even if you have to listen to people say they no longer respect you, tease you about being a slut, or ponder at your shallowness. (Been there, done that.) DubaiSis is right- go with what you know about Greek Life and block it out.

Also, don't try and persuade her to go through recruitment, as I did with one of my friends. You end up fighting about who is right about Greek Life, and it just perpetuates the arguments you don't want to have.

You also get a better change to get close with girls in your Rho Gam group which is fabulous!

Finally, make sure to keep your non-greek friends. You'll need them on days when sorority life is too crazy. I lived with non-greeks until my senior year, and it was nice to come home to people who weren't obsessed with Greek Week and Pomping.

Good luck!

You're always going to run into people like that. I remember visiting the UCLA campus with a friend when I was in undergrad, and I wanted to drive past the sorority houses -- this request was met with "OH MY GAWD!!! Bunch of stuck-up bimbos! I can't believe YOU joined! Any daughter of mine will NOT!!" I knew that my friend had a skewed view of what Greek life was about, but I couldn't help thinking, "Geez, is that what you think of me?"

Now that I've been out of college for a while and have seen that some people never get past that negative attitude, I realize that some people bash Greek organizations, because they were so afraid of being rejected, they never even rushed. It's kind of a "you can't reject me, because I rejected you first." And this kind of attitude isn't unique to Greek organizations -- I've seen people take the same attitude toward other clubs and community groups or even companies they would like to have worked for.

I wouldn't worry too much about not knowing any other PNMs going into recruitment. You will meet girls in your Rho Gam group, and you are going to meet lots of women in the Greek community as you go to the parties. And you'll make other friends in your classes.

I love AOEforme's advice about "do your own thang." Greek life isn't for everyone, but if you know it's right for you, that's what matters.

Good luck!!!

The OP annd her roommate (not greek) went to meet sorority women. The OP is interested in joining and her roommate was the one who made the disparaging remarks.

Parfait if this is what your heart desires then go for it - don't look back, no regrets. I agree with Myopicsunflower some peoples first line of defense is to reject before they are rejected. I hope that both you & your roommate find a special group of friends that allows both of you to shine. Keep a open mind & heart during recruitment. Remember pref night is special - it reveals the heart of each group. Stick with it you have nothing to lose no matter how recruitment turns out for you. College is about gaining knowledge and the most important knowledge you will ever gain is about yourself.

Thank you, the support means a lot. =)
There's more info tonight and I'm going to that alone (assuming I can find it, they forgot to add a location!) and basically told my roommate that I will see her after. We're both adults, I think we can manage to be alone for a little bit.

She's been very nice to me, but I suppose we just have some different views on things. Welcome to life.

Sorry to hear things are not good for you.

I grew up in a very Greek Family. (My mother and sister are both in Pi Beta Phi, my father is a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and my brother is going through fraternity recruitment currently). I grew up watching my mother attend events for her alumna chapter and write letters of recommendation for college-age girls. I assumed that everyone wanted to go Greek.

Consequently, I was shocked when I got to college and found that not everyone shared my sentiments about Greek Life. It was the first time I had heard a bad reputation of Greek Life and I was surprised at the number of people who didn't even consider going to recruitment.

When I finally got to recruitment, my sister was not pleased with my choice of organization. I did it because it was best for me and my life. It was what made me happy. (My sister has very much come around now, but it was hard for her at first).

Go out there and be brilliant! Let your roommate make her own choices, even if we all know how very wrong she is. ;) You are the smart one and you will reap the rewards! :D

I'm really glad that I went to the info session, even though I went alone. Not many people showed up, but it was just a "a bit about Greek life" type thing.
I really liked how honest they were at the meeting about grades, bids, being released or withdrawing, alcohol, what the parties were like, and stereotypes.

So I guess we'll just see how it goes. =) I'm pretty excited for it, I love meeting people. Hopefully they'll see my roommate and I are not the same person although I'd like to remain friends.

Good for you; go for it! You have nothing to lose by checking it out -- might work, might not. But if you never try, you'll never know.

Roommates are not all destined to be best friends. You may find your best friends in a sorority, like my daughter did. She & her first roommate had NOTHING in common. Four years later, mine's happy as a clam and the roommate dropped out.

Best wishes! Keep us posted. I love reading those stories.

Don't worry Parfait. Get to know the chapters and let them get to know you. They will see your enthuaism and will take note of your roommate's lack of such. The chapter's know that you are two seperate people. I'm certain you will have a very positive experience once you actually get a full weekend on campus and get to know people outside of your residence hall and classes. Recruitment is the best way to meet new people and get involved in the university community and it all starts with your Gamma Chi group. Thoes ladies will be going through the same thing you are at the same time and will have many of the same fears, excitements and disapointments no matter the outcome of recruitment. Your roommate, especially if you were randomly placed, obviously will not have the same feelings towards activities as you so it's time to seek out others that have similar likes and dislikes. Good luck in finding your home. I hopeto hear how things turn out for you. ; )

Thank you, the replies have all been great. =)

Unfortunately I'm quite ill right now so my social life has been put on hold. I was really looking forward to the game yesterday but was just too sick. It does worry me a bit for grades, although I went to the campus health center and got a note saying I was sicker than a dog and was told I'm allowed back to class until Tuesday at the earliest. I called my doctor's office at home who basically said the same thing. Thankfully it's a three day weekend so I'm missing just one day of each class.
Hopefully I'll recover by the time recruitment starts.

My roommate and I are VERY different people, I disagree with a lot that she says, but we keep it civil. In her opinion sororities would take her in a heartbeat but she wants nothing to do with such stuck-up people, which is kind of odd. :S I dunno, she brings it up in the middle of a conversation about something completely different. She's a bit stalker-ish and an odd duck, but overall she's nice.

I remember when my freshman year roommate decided to rush after talking to her sister. My roommate had the same view of being "stuck-up" etc of sorority women. Her sister was older and in Sigma Kappa. I remember one night her talking to her sister and she was telling her sister about how she would never rush, blah blah blah, and her sister said "so you think you're too good for a sorority?" and my roommate's response was "No, you guys think you're too good for the rest of us." And her sister responded, You're the one judging 50 girls without getting to know them" . My roommate tossed that around in her head and eventually decided to go through recruitment.

I always think about that when I hear freshman girls repeating the "stuck-up" line or girls that get cut from a top house and drop out because sorority girls are "petty." Judgement goes both ways, but at least the sorority women are willing to get to know any girl who's interested. Can't say the same about some PNMs.

Oh, my word, did I ever read that wrong. I apologize for making a bad assumption about a group of women, and for mis-reading what the OP wrote.

It's okay, it happens. =)

Parfait, I am glad to hear that you decided to attend the informational meetings about Greek life at your school. It is somewhat intimidating to do something like that alone, but you did it. It sounds like you are an independent and motivated young woman, and frankly, those are the very qualities that many Greek organizations are looking for in their new members. Good luck with recruitment, and I hope that you feel better enough to truly enjoy this once-in-lifetime experience.

Don't worry- you'll be fine! You won't get along with everyone you meet, no matter how pleasant you try to be- something I learned throughout college and the working world. Hell, I didn't get along with my roommate 1st semester of college and was lucky enough to move into the sorority house for the second semester, taking someone's place who was going abroad. Let it roll off your back and spend time with others who appreciate your personality and what you do!

It's always nice (in a twisted way) to hear others don't get along swell with their roommates.
I know it happens that people hate the roommate, don't quite mesh well, or have some sort of conflict, but my friends (sadly at other schools) all LOVE their roommates. I like mine well enough, but I don't see us being best friends or even good friends.

Totally normal. I didn't LOVE a roommate until I got to start choosing them myself.

Parfait, when I rushed (yeah, I wasn't "recruited"), NOBODY in my lunch bunch was the least bit interested in going greek - even the ones who were legacies! The women in my Rho Chi group (especially 3 I had met a parties) became some of the closest friends I've ever had.

When I was a junior, there was a debate held on greek v. independent, and I'll repeat here what I said then: (at least at my school) It was harder to get to know people who weren't greek than those who were - there was no vested interest in others on campus & in the college itself among independents.

Don't worry about your roomie - I've only known one person who had the same roommate for four years!

I will say one positive thing since I've been quite boohoo about it on the thread: We like the same room temperature. Thank goodness, it would be very uncomfortable for one or both of us if we didn't.

Does anyone have any absolutely AWFUL roommate stories? Certainly people have dealt with insane people! Mine is just somewhat annoying but nice, it could be much worse.

My first roommate was the polar opposite of me, as you could tell by the statue of the Virgin Mary on her side of the room and the shirtless Jim Morrison poster on my side. :) She wasn't a bad person, we were just utterly mismatched. I think the best thing is to find a roomie who you're congenial with, but not BEST friends with. All the best-friend roomies I saw ended up at each others' throats.

I lived in a 4 person suite, and 2 of my roommates were bffs before moving in. One of those two got pregnant.... (first week of classes... i guess she missed her bf:rolleyes:) So she was pregnant the whole time i lived with her (while her bff would sleepover at her boyfriends house.... every night). There were several instances where pregnant girl and bf would be really loud (laughing, talking, doing the things that got them in trouble in the first place) at really early hours. I also walked out of my room to find him sitting in my room in his boxers.... and just the boxers :eek: (this was pretty much a weekly thing :/)

I suggest creating a new thread. I'm ready to contribute!

I did a search and didn't find any threads for that, but there are probably some.
So. . . http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh....php?p=1980431

Oh meeeee tooooooo. Awful roommate stories defined college for me...until I moved in with sisters. ;)

Tonight was the first night of parties, I really enjoyed them. It did suck though, when I was returning my roommate and another person she met kept asking "so how was the sorority thing?" in a really nasty tone. Jesus, I don't go "so how was your writer thing?" or tell her I think her idea of fun sucks ass. I only responded with "it was fine." I figured they weren't interested in hearing about it and I wasn't going to sit there and bash it when I enjoyed myself.

I met a lot of people tonight and I think a few of the others in my group will be great friends. We all had dinner tonight as a group. Not all of us agree on the groups and that's okay. Our leaders insisted that we not say anything negative about groups to the others, but we could come to them if we needed.
Tonight's rankings weren't all that difficult for me, but it's not as if I hated any groups.

Anyway, I guess I'm still just a little disappointed in my roommate's attitude about things. Sometimes I wish I could break out the duct tape, but I have a feeling that would be frowned upon.

You should have just went on and on and on about how awesome everything was and kept following her around to tell her about it.

33, you're just mean. I like it, but still.

I think the best revenge you can get is to have a great time and find a great home.

LOL. I think I would have been more tempted to say "A lot more fun than listening to you do your middle school thing."

if roommate actually didn't care about sororities, she would feel no need to bash them or make you feel bad about thinking about joining a sorority. hang in there and DO NOT let her ruin your fun.

It shows her imaturity, and honestly, some people never grow out of it. Be the bigger person and say, "I really enjoyed it, want to order a pizza?". Change the subject and keep her off guard.


ETA: I was fortunate. When I went through recruitment, even though my room mate did not go through until the next year, she was very supportive. Her mother was an Alpha Chi Omega and she must have asked her mom for advise. When I returned to our apartment after bid night, not only was the door decorated by my sisters but my room mate asked them what our chapter colors were. When I got home later, there was a card with two roses on the kitchen table from my roomie. I was so touched.

She was cranky and hungover today, yikes.

I'm so nervous today! I was invited to my favorite groups but I'm still so nervous.

Parfait, you probably won't read this until after your parties. Don't be nervous, be joyful and shine, and you'll have a great time.

And don't let that roommate or anyone else put dark clouds over your happiness.

And if she does, don't be afraid to scratch your tush with her toothbrush ;)

Thank you. I have one more party today but it's an hour from now so we're all just chilling across chairs. Thankfully we all have time to eat.

It's been a lot of fun, but I'm paranoid about getting The Call. Some of the sisters seem nervous, too. I hope they like me as much as I like them.