You're late for TEA!
 

I loved Alice in Wonderland - the old cartoon, the new movie, and would love to read the book. So that's what shall inspire the names of the chapters.
For what it's worth, I am a sophomore transfer and the campus has a fairly laid back recruitment.

There are five sororities.
Queen of Hearts
Cheshire
Jabberwocky
Caterpillar
Mad Hatter

Now each sorority does have a reputation, but it doesn't matter because a single pledge class can change that for better or for worse. What matters is finding a home that suits you. Besides, they could have easily been created by another sorority, a jaded PNM, or just some asshole - fact is, until you get to know them, you won't know.

There was a Greek information BBQ before recruitment started. My roommate went with me - she wasn't thrilled but she didn't want to do anything else or go back to the dorms. This is what inspired the "A little disappointed" post, because she was rude and then afterward expressed her immense dislike of sororities and her ideas of them.

There was another info session, not too important in the story. Then OH NO! I get horribly sick. Not just a little cold, but unable to leave bed or attend class. I made the mistake of walking over to the health center (long walk, sick, bad idea) and was told I probably had allergies. I went to the doctor who said it was the flu and a sinus infection. Great. My first week of class and I'm incredibly sick.
DUN DUN DUN.... Will I get to go through recruitment? Will I have to withdraw before it even starts? Actually, we already know the answer to this was yes, so I shall continue. I mostly recovered just in time for recruitment.

First off was the Sorority Showcase! This was held in a theatre where we were put into our Gamma Chi groups and sat down to watch a slideshow and a few members from each group talked about why that sorority was right for her. After that we all sat outside in our groups and had pizza while talking. A lot of pizza. Who knew girls could eat that much?

My Gamma Chis were pretty freaking awesome and super nice! They encouraged guessing of their groups, but absolutely refused to tell us!
For the most part they were VERY thorough about information and answering questions. They talked about what happens if you withdraw, what happens if you accept a bid, that it's possible to not be asked back to your "favorite" groups but to try to keep going. One of them told about how she was dropped by her favorite group but accepted into her legacy sorority and was VERY upset, but has grown to love it and hasn't regretted it since. One thing they did NOT mention was it's possible to be released from recruitment until someone asked.
As we parted, they stressed that it would be best to not go out and party or to miss class. Hopefully we'll get together with our group for some activities such as dinner.

Round one started the following day. . .

I love your title! Don't be late for your very important date! ;)

I love your title cos my little group of friends probably going to do an Alice theme for Halloween!

You'll have to pardon me, I'm reading off my scribbled notes and attempting to put it in a way so it makes more sense to readers. I don't think you guys would appreciate my stars, hearts, and swirls codes in this story. (Don't judge, we had 10 minutes to write AND walk across campus then line up for parties!)

Round One
Visit all five sororities. Wear a Panhellenic T-shirt, they had pink and yellow ones. The t-shirt had an extra sorority on it that is no longer on campus, so I guess the shirts are leftovers. I thought the pink ones were cute although I'm not a fan of pink, that's the one I wore.

On the way over to the student union my shoe broke! I ran back to my room and switched, then on the way back over my EARRING broke. I didn't want to be late so I removed the remaining. I was in a hurry and trying to make a good impression, this upset me a bit!
We met in our Gamma Chi groups and off we went to each chapter's room! (Some were in the student union, the others in another building.)
These are in the order we visited them.

Caterpillar
We stood in a single file line while the cheering started and then walked in and each PNM was paired up with a current member. The amount of girls seemed small, which may have been exaggerated by a large room. The first girl I spoke to seemed sweet, but I didn't feel a huge connection with her, but then again it is the first meeting. I don't remember what we chatted about, it wasn't important. The second girl seemed nice, but uninterested. I honestly wasn't feeling a sisterhood here, but who am I to judge since I don't know them personally? I did not enjoy my time here, but if invited back I would give them another chance.

Cheshire
I liked these girls. They seemed nice and like they stood up for their sisters. They had a cute runway show to show off their different social events such as Mom's Day, formal, Dad's day, etc. Their tables were really cute, too. I liked the girls I talked to, although one seemed really nervous! I wouldn't mind being invited back here to learn a bit more.

Jabberwocky
These girls seemed to have a very close sisterhood, but seemed a little small. The first girl I met had bright purple eyeliner with a skin-toned subtle sparkled lid and I LOVED IT. I totally wear bright eyeshadows some days, but had gone more neutral for recruitment. She had just enough so that it wasn't trashy, but actually quite nice. She was so nice, I enjoyed talking to her. With one girl the conversation lagged awkwardly a bit, but that's okay, we were both really nervous. She took me to see their table, which I liked a lot. I really liked these girls and hope to be invited back.

Mad Hatter
Ahhh! I really liked this party. They had fish on the tables, which was neat. Apparently one of the fish had jumped out earlier between parties. The conversations were easy and I liked the girls. They rotated a lot in this party, I wondered for a second if they did that with annoying or unwanted PNMs but then realized it was happening to ALL PNMs. The girls I talked to all seemed to really care for each other. I hope to be invited back here!

Queen of Hearts
I LOVED this party, too! They seemed to be very happy in their sisterhood, very close. Their philanthropy is something close to my heart. I met several girls, but had one main girl talking to me. Their tables were totally adorable and I loved looking at all the photos. I thought the conversations went well and I really wanted to be invited back here, too!


RANKINGS:
Queen of Hearts
Jabberwocky & Mad Hatter
Cheshire
My #2 option was Caterpillar
I went ahead and listed them in order of my favorites here.

The one thing I noticed about all parties was how freaking loud it was, I felt like I was straining my voice to be heard.
I spent most of the night and the time up until the party fretting about being dropped from recruitment. The next day we could be invited back to FOUR parties.

Oh...my...GOD! I have a weird thing about fish, and I seriously would have cried and run away if I saw that happen! Thank goodness it was between rounds but...Ahhhh! I'm sure my reaction would have made me labelled a weirdo PNM and ended up in "Weird rush stories".

Aww, that's a good thing then! Wasn't there a story in the weird rush stories about a girl cuddling the feeder goldfish?

One thing about the parties: In each one we were sat at various round tables with chairs around them. The chairs were back to back so two were facing each other. The active and the PNM sat facing each other while back to back with another person. That's probably why it was so loud, one room and everyone so close!

I also don't want to go too detailed into conversations because that is a bit personal.

Round 2
No more fretting, it's time to receive invites!
Dress is a high school t-shirt. I was invited back to two sororities. Just two? I thought the girls liked me more than that, but at the same time, I was happy because they were in my favorites and it only takes ONE.
Invites: Mad Hatter and Jabberwocky.
I was sad that Queen of Hearts had cut me, I really liked the girls. However, like I said, Mad Hatter and Jabberwocky were also favorites. Besides, I'm a sophomore and had been sick, perhaps their impression wasn't a good one or perhaps they DID like me but I was below the cut-off for invites, I don't know and it doesn't matter.

I had one party at 11:40pm and one at 3:00pm. We had to stay with our groups, so the wait was long, but at least we waited near an area where they sold food! No one fainted from hunger in our group! We entertained ourselves with a game that had cards that had "this or that" type options and poking around on our phones.

Jabberwocky
As with all parties, we were put in a single file line and sent into the room filled with chanting girls. The only difference was the groups were mixed instead of going in with our Gamma Chi group.
The girl brought me in and we chatted for awhile in the chairs. There was an awkward silence at one point because I had a question and I forgot it! Just plumb forgot. So I admitted I was nervous, but really happy to have been invited back. Each table had its own theme/country where we sat around it with other PNMs and actives. The game was fun, it had cards labeled Favorite, Random, and Rather. When you turned the card over, it had a question for people to answer. It was a great way to get to know a bit about everyone at your table and everyone seemed to enjoy it. The party time seemed over way too fast. I hope they invite me back, I like them so much!

Mad Hatter
I remember the sister who escorted me to a table had the brightest blue eyes. The chat was easy, but it was more of a "first meeting" type chat. Meeting other sisters didn't feel awkward at all, it was all easy. The game here was the same as the other party, but done differently. Instead of cards, there were puzzle pieces that you drew. I did feel another PNM took control of the table, she was loud and proud, she stood out and she dominated conversations. I remember this group had cute shirts that had to do with puzzles. I liked them so much, too.

I sat for a long time just wondering what I was going to do. I liked both groups so much and could see myself fitting into both. It was only the second day but already my heart felt torn into two. I liked Jabberwocky just ever so slightly more, but it was just so tough.

When I arrived back in my dorm room (I'm not in a freshman dorm so it's kind of lonely to walk back) my roommate seemed very interested. That is, until I explained what it was like. She thought parties meant loud music, heavy drinking, and hanging out with the sisters. When she found out it wasn't that, she lost interest. To quote her from a previous conversation "they must throw some sick parties" and to her that's all they could possibly be good for since they were all stuck up bitches. :rolleyes:


RANKINGS:
Jabberwocky
Mad Hatter

There is another round, Pref, and Bid Day left. I will save those for later as it's quite late and I have an early morning class and a long day.

Looking forward to the rest of your story!

I'm going to have to root for Mad Hatter now! The reason might be obvious to some of us....

I think you end up Mad Hatter.

SAME!!! I would have freakedddd out. I had a beta fish that I got as a gift and I made my friend come clean the bowl and stuff. He also took it home over Christmas break. Well Spring break came, and I figured I'd take it home. I was super careful with it on the car ride home, but the next day when I went to feed it, it was gone. I scanned my desk, but didn't see it. I was freaked out and didn't want to find it dead on the ground. I shut my door, avoided my bedroom and waited until my dad came home and made him go find it! I was so freaked out! I guess it committed betacide.

Did your dad find it?
Bettas can surprisingly jump! My roommate and I have a lid on the tank, but I keep finding the damn thing in the air bubble tube because he uproots it.
One time I was home alone and had to care for our outdoor fish. One died. So I ran to the bait shop and replaced it. The next day I found the replacement dead and half eaten outside the pond. It was so unpleasant, I nearly cried.

Dearest Parfait,

enough of the fish talk, please. Please finish your story, please! I beseech you.

AzTheta (on behalf of the entire GC recruitment story addict group)

Like.

Second!!

I just fed my fish. ;)

Okay, maybe that last post was a little evil. Instead I'm going to tell you a bit about the Gamma Chi group and feelings.

Everyone shall have a false name.
Daisy really loved Mad Hatter. She couldn't see herself anywhere else. She was invited back to Mad Hatter and Jabberwocky. She liked Jabberwocky, but LOVED Mad Hatter.

Victoria loved Caterpillar. She adored them. Her experience there was different than mine. We aren't really friends, but we chatted.

Angel really liked Jabberwocky and Caterpillar even though they are very different. She was a little miffed that before recruitment started she attended a party and was asked to leave by sorority girls because they weren't allowed to socialize with PNMs. She felt she had the same right to be there because it wasn't their house. She left, but only after someone who did live in the house asked her to leave.

Cherie liked Jabberwocky and Queen of Hearts. If she wasn't invited back to them, she was dropping. She had her heart set on them from the slideshows. She hated Cheshire because of their colors.

Donna K did like Mad Hatter, but disliked one of the girls "in power" (I don't remember her position) so very much. She ranked them last but was invited back then was cut the next day. She was a legacy to them.

Chloe She was nice, but super negative about everything. She didn't tell her favorites, but disliked Cheshire and Queen of Hearts.

There were other people in the group, of course. We all got along very well and hopefully some of us remain great friends. ;) Perhaps some are sisters of mine, I guess you will have to wait and see.

The person who can guess the theme of names here wins. The prize is nothing, sorry. Perhaps bragging rights?

Perfumes?

That's it!!

I was going to guess characters played by Mia Farrow. LOL not so much.

Le sigh. :(

LOVE this one!

Perfumes are correct. Was it the Donna K or the Cherie that gave it away?

Cherie....I love Dior perfumes :)

Hehehe. I love perfume bottles, they're all so pretty. Some of the scents, however, yikes.

Now I'll continue with the story.
I was still a little bummed about being cut from Queen of Hearts but it wasn't earth-shattering, perhaps just a little disappointment.

Round 3
The dress today is a college shirt.
I was so paranoid of being cut, I was ready to be surgically attached to my phone in case the dreaded Call was made. My roommate's effort to cheer me up was: "You don't want to pay for your friends anyway, they're all snobs." :rolleyes:

I did not receive the call, instead I went to the student union to meet with my group to get my invites. I was invited back to only one party:
Jabberwocky
Mad Hatter had cut me. I was a bit sad, but Jabberwocky is still a favorite and had been well liked all through recruitment. I can't guess why Mad Hatter cut me. Perhaps it was the massive nosebleed I had in class while sitting next to one, maybe I wasn't pretty enough, maybe I wasn't personable enough, perhaps I was on their list but too low, or perhaps I just wasn't a good fit. It doesn't matter. They had invited me to one party, so it wasn't as if they completely hated me. Plus I still had a group that liked me!

Daisy was invited to return to Mad Hatter and Jabberwocky.
Victoria was invited back to the maximum, including Caterpillar.
Angel was invited back to the maximum, including Jabberwocky and Caterpillar.
Cherie was invited back to Mad Hatter and Cheshire.
Donna K was invited back to Jabberwocky.
Chloe: I honestly do not remember which groups invited her back.

I went to my party and the Jabberwocky girl was one I chatted with yesterday. After the party I felt that perhaps being cut from Mad Hatter wasn't so bad because it made my choice easier and I wasn't so torn. Another girl I talked to had the cutest jewelry. Which made me realize.... I forgot my earrings back in my dorm room! :o One girl sat down with me and told me why she loved Jabberwocky as we colored our philanthropy craft. We joked a bit about our poor artistic skills, particularly when the flower I was coloring turned out brown due to the paper being colored.
The downside was I still felt like I was straining my voice to be heard because it was loud in there.
Too soon the party was over and I went back to the computer and ranked Jabberwocky as my first and prayed they liked me as much as I liked them.

Cherie withdrew from recruitment after tonight's parties. Our Gamma Chi encouraged her to stay, but she had made up her mind. I felt bad for her, but she didn't want to go back again.
I found out later that Angel had also withdrew tonight, but for financial reasons.

"Tomorrow" night is Pref and we had to put together our own outfit. I had brought two dresses with me and a few shoes. The day after is, of course, Bid Day, which took a surprising turn when we opened our envelopes...

We know. ;)

Sheesh - I was ready to buy you a bottle of chill pills myself!

Haha, Greek Chat was really the only place I had to express my nerves. All I said to my roommate was "I'm a little nervous they won't like me." Everyone else said they were amazed at how calm I was! :D

I painted my nails to try and relax, but then I'd mess them up and have to start over again. My nails were maroon yesterday.

Do you get them from nerves? I used to be like that too. I VIVIDLY remember getting one right after I started school in the middle of the caf - while holding a full tray of food and nowhere nearby to set it down - and getting blood all over my pink sneakers. Not sure if anyone else noticed, but I was completely mortified.

I have a confession - I have always been totally afraid of squirrels, even to this day. I now live in an area where the squirrels and rabbits are friendy and don't run away when they see you so you have to shoo them away and wait for them to run-- very scary. Anyway, think of the possibilities at Alpha Gamma Delta, especially if I had pledged there. I laugh at the pictures of squirrel suits on GC, but real squirrels always upset me. I do like pearls, though. :)

Also, Parfait-- please let us know what color you painted your nails now before you finish your story and tell us all about which chapter you ended up at!

We're waiting!:)

This very second my fingernails are purple.
Editing in a second to add Pref night.

ETA: If you saw my little "oopsies!" please don't give it away!
Pref
Of course, I went back to Jabberwocky.
There were more tears today. A lot of girls were cut by their favorite groups, I wasn’t sure how to respond other than to offer sympathy and tell them that the groups that did invite them back liked them enough to invite them to Pref. I think some girls in my group were cut completely or withdrew as it was smaller, however, it’s really none of my business so I’ll leave it at that.

A few of us had to walk over to another part of campus in our nice shoes and dresses when UH OH! A few fat rain drops started to splash the ground, then a few more, then some more. We got a bit wet, I managed to hit what was apparently the only puddle and got the end of my dress SOAKED. Great. However, I did remember my earrings this time!

The girl who picked me up at the door was the one who did for the past two nights.

I did not expect to be crying at Pref. Greek Chat made me expect for it to be a nice evening, more intimate, plus a ceremony of sorts. I didn’t cry buckets, but the eyes were definitely watering a little.
After the ceremony, which was very touching, another girl took a turn to speak with me. I hadn’t met her before, but she was very sweet and kind. She told me why she chose Jabberwocky and we had a lot of the same reasons for going through recruitment. I was happy this was my only party as my choice was clear which one I was going to rank first and did not have the other groups clouding my mind and decision - I would have probably cried harder.

The next day is Bid Day, which as I said, was a little unexpected, but great!
I'll go ahead and post the groups and let everyone guess. ;)
Alpha Sigma Alpha
Phi Mu
Sigma Sigma Sigma
Alpha Delta Pi
Sigma Kappa

You definitely didn't go Kappa Sigma, lol! Perhaps you mean Sigma Kappa ;)

For some odd reason, I'm going to guess Sigma Sigma Sigma.

DARNIT! I've been doing that all week. Thanks for catching that. I even have all the info packets from the sororities in front of me. I keep calling Phi Sigma Kappa just Sigma Kappa, too. Thankfully it's mostly in my head and not outloud, I doubt they would be amused. I wouldn't be, either.

I'm feeling ASA for some reason.
But I really would love if it were Sigma!!!

My daughter gets them from nerves too. I have never heard of anyone else that does that, even though our doctor said it happens. She will be going thru Recruitment in 2 years and worries about getting a nosebleed during parties. I will have to let her know she is really not the only one that gets them due to nerves. :)

Parfait- I am loving your story and can't wait to find out about your bid day!

My guess is Sigma or Sigma Kappa, based on nailcolor choice alone. ;)

Nah, my grandma sent me flowers congratulating me on Kappa Sigma. It happens ;)

The last time I had one (knock wood) was when I was in a car accident. That was like 15 years ago. Hopefully she'll grow out of them. My cousin and her daughter both have RAGINGLY bad ones, on just a random basis. Luckily I avoided that.

I hope she grows out of them as well. We went a couple of years without any and then recently she started having them again... Some of them are like rivers. Scary.

sorry for the hijack Parfait!

More off-topicness! I bleed like a mofo. My nosebleeds are medical-related (not drugs) or nerves.When I was sick they increased from the amount of tissues I had been using.

Ok, you can knock off the drama queen act and just tell us you're a SigKap.:rolleyes: