Fall Recruitment as a Transfer: My story!
 

Hello, Hello!

Over the summer, I stumbled upon this site looking for recruitment advice for somebody in my particular situation.... I am an out of state, sophomore, transfer student at a big, southern University (I'm not sure if it is considered poor form to reveal my school??) and (you guessed it!) have decided to go through recruitment!
I'm very excited for the process to begin as I have wanted to go greek for many years. Truth be told, I am also nervous. I have been made well aware of how competitive recruitment can be at southern universities-- especially as an out of stater; especially not knowing anybody at the school; especially as a sophomore; especially as a transfer. I take comfort in knowing that my school does use an upperclassman quota and that I have a very open mind about recruitment.

I greatly value all of the advice featured in many of the GC columns and thought I would share my story as it unfolds! Recruitment stories are fun, right??!!

The juicy stuff will come soon! Cannot wait for recruitment to begin!

i went through recruitment as a transfer! good luck good luck good luck!

Good luck with recruitment!

we can't wait to hear-well, read- your story. how about waiting to reveal your school until the end of your recruitment thread? you could reveal your school and your sorority at the same time!

Good luck to you! I can't wait to see how things turn out!

Meeting the Recruitment Group!
 

I am thrilled with my Rho Gamma/ Gamma Chi/ Rho Chi/ recruitment guide/ fearless leader. So pleased. She is everything that I could hope for in this situation-- very supportive, level headed, bubbly, and quite humorous...
I seem to mesh pretty well with a few of the girls in my group-- some are even sophomores like me.
I was generally surprised by the diversity in the PNM's. I suppose I envisioned many more 'done up' girls. It was really nice (comforting from my perspective) to see girls rocking a more natural look... I tend to err on the natural side of things, so it was nice to feel on par with my peers in that regard. I anticipated that I would feel a bit lesser than the other PNMs, to be honest... I know that seems silly, but I just wasn't sure what it would be like down here!

I'm most nervous about the numbers at this point. A record number of girls have registered for recruitment this year-- it is a TOTAL madhouse!

I'm debating heavily between three dresses for Open House (split into two days) and am trying to determine which pair of shoes is the perfect combination of comfy and cute! Quite a difficult task, if I do say so myself!


Open House Installment to follow soon!

The Houses
 

The school I am attending has 17 NPC sororities.
I'm a horsey girl so I am going to assign each sorority a breed of horse!

The houses will go by the following aliases:

Arabian
Westphalian
Dutch Warmblood
Morgan
Appaloosa
Fresian
Fjord
Shire
Quarter Horse
Hanovarian
Connemmara
Clydesdale
Holsteiner
Shetland
Palomino
Standardbred
Thoroughbred

A quick run down of our schedule:

Open House was divided over 2 days: 11 houses on the first, 6 on the second
House Tours was on the third day and we could attend up to 12 parties
Skit was next and we could attend up to 6 parties
Pref followed skit and we could attend up to 3

Open House (both days)
 

I was amazed that I slept at all the night preceding Open House. I was so excited to see the sororities and meet a bunch of students. Truth be told, I as also quite nervous... I had heard horror stories from SEC friends on how hard it can be for a transfer to receive a bid, despite the upperclassman quota. That ate at me pretty hard. I came into this University not knowing a soul and was growing more and more nervous that my lack of connections would be my downfall during this process.

At any rate I remained positive, lighthearted, and very open minded. The only preconceived notions I had coming inwas that there were 3-or-so sororities that are chronically most desired by PNM's.

We met with our Gamma Chi group's early in the morning, and were transported to the sorority houses shortly thereafter.

Day One went as follows:

ARABIAN: We were greeted by boisterous door songs and lots of smiles. I spoke to two girls at this house. Both were extremely nice and absolutely stunning. I couldn't help but feel that they were not being fully genuine...It felt almost pageanty to me. When we left the other PNM's seemed to be under a spell, and I wondered if it was bad that I didn't feel the same. They were very nice (and the house was lovely) but something just didn't sit quite right with me. I had a rec for this house.

WESTPHALIAN: The door songs here were not as perfectly-done as the previous house's, but they interjected lots of humorous bits into them which I thought revealed a bit of the sorority's personality. I did not feel that I connected well with the girls I spoke to here. Maybe they were very nervous? Either way, I walked away kind of doubting myself-- most other PNM's were raving by this point and I was kind of wondering if I would find a house that suited me at all. I had a rec for this house.

DUTCH WARMBLOOD: I didn't take any notes on their door songs for this round-- nor do I remember, but I am sure they were loud, fun, and enjoyable. I was picked up by a very nice girl after the songs ended. We seemed to hit it off very well. I felt pretty comfortable in this house and enjoyed talking to the 3 girls I got to know. I did not have a rec for this house.

MORGAN: Their door songs were impeccable. I was picked up by an amazing girl who I thought should be my best friend. I fit here so well. The girls I spoke with seemed to gel really well with me and I was completely bummed when the bells rang signaling that it was time to leave. I had a rec for this house but was very nervous as this house was one that PNM's are groomed to be. I left hopeful, but was not holding my breath...

APPALOOSA: Again, these door songs were extremely well oiled. The girls I spoke to were extremely nice and absolutely stunning, but everything felt a bit fake to me. I felt kind of comfortable here but nothing like the magic I felt at the previous house. I left wanting to go back, simply in the hopes that I could figure them out a bit better. I had a rec for this house.

FJORD: Such sweet ladies! I got a very southern, girls-next-door vibe from this house which felt very comforting to me. I felt that I definitely clicked here. I had a rec for this house.

QUARTER HORSE: The door songs here kind of turned me off a bit... A lot of references to money and boys which I found kind of odd. The first girl I talked to here reminded me of one of my best friends from home, and I one of hers. We hit it off really well. I did not have as flawless a fit with the girl she introduced me to unfortunately. The second girl seemed to be a reflection of their door song. She talked about money and boys. A lot. I really wanted to go back to this house and talk to more women. Which girl was the exception to the rule?! I had a rec for this house.

FRESIAN: Another batch of really down to earth ladies. I got the same girls-next-door vibe from this house that I did from FJORD. I felt very relaxed here and enjoyed the girls I talked to very much. I had a rec here and am also a legacy. Their house was stunning.

SHIRE: This house did not suite me at all. The girls seemed nice but there was clearly a "type" to this house and I was not at all their type. I had nice conversations here but the chemistry just wasn't there for me at all. I had a rec for this house.

CONNEMMARA: More door songs about Dad's cash and getting the guys. I was/am so confused as to why a sorority would advertise that kind of stuff in their door songs. The door songs are a PNM's first impression of a sorority!!!
~Sorry for the mini tangent. I just do not get it at all...~ I had an awkward experience at this house. I was picked up by a girl and a minute or two into our conversation she noticed that there was 1 PNM who none of her sisters picked up so she went over and got her too. I think it was the proper thing to do in the situation, but the dynamic of our conversation changed dramatically... The other PNM seemed very nervous and shy and I think the active had a hard time trying to balance the conversation. I left with a gut feeling that I would not be asked back. The conversation became quite sterile and impersonal after the active rescued the lone PNM and I think the entire situation probably cast both PNMs in an awkward light. I was kind of bummed because I actually really enjoyed the active! I had a rec for this house

HOLSTEINER: I really liked the look of their house. Their door songs were adorable and sweet, much like the girls I spoke with. I really liked being at this house and felt that I could easily make lasting friendships with the girls here. I had a rec for this house

CLYDESDALE: I was really excited to meet the girls in this sorority. Prior to rush, I had looked through the sorority websites and I felt that I could really relate to this house in particular. I was very shocked by my experience here. The girl I spoke with was less than civil. She made backhanded digs at me throughout our entire conversation and would not engage with me at all. I also found it completely bizarre that she bashed some of the other houses-- houses that I found to be extremely nice at that. To top it off, upon leaving she told me that it was " umm, kind of nice to meet me, I guess..."
I was completely turned off by this house. I know that its not fair to judge a house based on one girl, but she is the only girls I talked to at this house and it rubbed me in the worst way. Unless one of the houses I had left could top this experience, I would be putting this house at the bottom of my drop list.

HANOVARIAN: I had a lovely time at this house. The girls were all very nice and engaging which was such a relief after my last experience. I did not get a really genuine vibe from this house, but I still liked being there. I had a rec for this house

PALIMINO: My notes for this house are identical to my notes for the previous house. I had a nice visit here and the girls were all sweet but I had a feeling that they were not being totally genuine. I had a rec here and am also a legacy

SHETLAND: I acquired a migraine within minutes of entering this house. My memory of this house is unfortunately a bit clouded and my notes just say "Not what I'm looking for." I did not have a rec for this house

THOROUGHBRED: I was still in a migraine-daze at this point... It was so painful to go visit these houses! The door songs and the conversations are SO loud... I was beginning to feel nauseated. Despite feeling lousy, I enjoyed this house very much. I related well to the girls and found the ones I spoke with to be funny. I had a rec for this house but was worried that I wouldn't be asked back. Nobody makes their best impression when suffering from a migraine...

STANDARDBRED: I finished up Open House at this chapter. I was still feeling dreadful and was so ready for the day to be over. I was entertained by the humorous door songs here and loved how genuine the ladies in this house seemed. I had a lovely conversation with a girl who actually suffers from migraines too, so she understood what I was going through pretty well. She found a quieter area for us to talk which was so nice. I left with a great impression of this house. I had a rec for this house.



There I was... 2 days and 17 houses later. Blistered feet and a wicked migraine. I was so excited to get back to my Gamma Chi group and rank. (Okay I was more excited to get back to my house and take some medication for my head!) I was surprised to find that I did not have a difficult time ranking at all. We were ranking to go from 17 to 12. The last 5 are the sororities I would like to drop.

MORGAN
DUTCH WARMBLOOD
THOROUGHBRED
STANDARDBRED
FRESIAN
HOLSTEINER
FJORD
PALOMINO
HANOVARIAN
APPALOOSA
ARABIAN
CONNEMMARA
QUARTER HORSE
WESTPHALIAN
SHIRE
SHETLAND
CLYDESDALE

Thank you for putting them in one post. I am impressed with your organization and being able to adjust to a very difficult personal situation, I am rooting for you to get the houses that you feel good about.

Good luck! I never thought of it, but it's a wonder that more PNMs don't acquire migraines, with the combination of hot weather, little food/water, loud conversations and songs during recruitment.

I get a migraine just about every day of recruitment as an ACTIVE knowing full well what to expect. Props to you for rising above it and getting through! It is NOT a comfortable feeling at all.

Can't wait to hear the rest of your story!

I rushed as a transfer at what is probably the same school, and it turned out great! Hoping all the best for you

House Tours
 

Sorry it has taken me so long to post this installment-- I've been extremely under the weather and am just now getting back in the swing of things!

I was very nervous going into Round 2. The difficulty of my particular situation was beginning to weigh on me heavily and I was getting scared, despite how well I felt Open House went.

We started off our morning by meeting with our recruitment group and recruitment guide. She gave us an overview of how House Tours would go and gave us a pep talk about our parties before handing us our schedules. We could attend up to 12 parties, but my recruitment guide told us that few girls receive a full schedule. Its perfectly common to have 8 parties and totally fine if you have 6 or less. After all, you only need one match!
I was extremely surprised to find that I had a full schedule for the day. And it was pretty much full of my top houses!

This is how it all shook out:

STANDARDBRED: I was happy to go back to this house for tours. I was eager to form a more concrete opinion of this house. The girl who showed me around was a very nice young lady. Everything between us was perfectly cordial, but I did not get the sense that she was particularly interested in me. Looking around this house, it didn't seem like I would fit in here-- they actives did not seem as down-to-earth or considerate as the girl I spoke to during Open House. I left thinking it wasn't for me, but I would by no means be upset if I went back for the third round.

FRESIEN: I'll start by saying that this house is phenomenal to look at. It is completely stunning, inside and out. Counter to my experience at the previous house, the girls here seemed extremely interested in me-- in a very genuine way. It was really nice to feel wanted, if that makes sense...
I liked all of the girls I spoke with and felt like I bonded with the primary girl I was with for tours. I left feeling totally at ease and like this could work well for me.

MORGAN: I was most excited to go back to this house. I think I partly felt really 'honored' to even be asked back because so many girls were cut. But I also really loved them from the day before... I couldn't wait to go back. I was picked up by a girl who went to a rival high school from my home state. I got a good vibe from her, but it wasn't the same magical feeling as the day before. I adored their house and wanted to go back for a third party.

WESTPHALIAN: I ended up liking this house better than during Open House. The girls seemed really interested in me, which was nice, but the chemistry still wasn't there on my end. I was not crazy about their house but they seemed to have a really strong sisterhood (something that I value greatly).

DUTCH WARMBLOOD: I LOVED the girl who toured me. We clicked so well... and it made me think even higher of this group of girls. I liked the interior of their house better than the exterior (which was still very attractive). The girls seem to enjoy each others company so much which made me feel really welcome and at home. I definitely wanted to see more of this house.

FJORD: The girls still seemed very sweet. I didn't experience any sort of "Aha!" moment here. I hoped I would. The girls all came off as a bit introverted which made me feel a little out of place. Still, they were extremely nice and I thought I might like seeing them again to figure out their vibe a bit better. Really pretty house. The inside was very cool.

APPALOOSA: I was surprised that I was not more excited to go back to this house. I mean, I was happy to go-- don't get me wrong-- but I thought I would have looked forward to it more than I did. I didn't really enjoy this house at all, to be honest. The girl who showed be around was perfectly lovely but she seemed superficial. She showed me a bunch of photos of their sisterly activities... a majority of which had to be censored (put a sticker over it) to conceal alcohol. It was kind of a turnoff for me. I realize that drinking happens a lot in college, especially at a large school, but it seemed like most of their pictures/activities were centered around drinking. I left fairly indifferent. I would surely go back with a smile on my face if I had to, but I didn't particularly want to go back to this house...

QUARTER HORSE: I had a very similar experience at this house. It seemed clear that partying was a really core part of this house. A ton of PNM's loved that vibe but I just was looking for something different. I asked the active who was showing me around what she liked best about her sorority/ why she picked it and she told be because they "rage the hardest." (For anybody who doesn't know to rage means to party hard) The comment just left a sour feeling with me. I just wanted a different experience than what this house seemed to offer.
**I realize that I made a huge generalization about this house and I am sure they have more to offer than parties, but that was the gut feeling I walked away with. I hope I'm not offending anybody-- I apologize if I am**

THOROUGHBRED: I had a wonderful time at this house. The girls seemed so fun and genuine. I felt that I really hit it off here, and totally saw myself in this sorority after I left. I really liked their house, too, which is always a plus!

PALOMINO: I liked these girls much better after this round. They seemed more genuinely happy to have me there. Their house had a few really neat features. The girls were very nice but the experience wasn't as nice as some of the others. A pleasant visit all and all.

HOLSTEINER: I was excited to meet more of the girls in this house. I had a wonderful time here. The girls all seemed very classy and sweet which appealed to me greatly. And they were SO down to earth! I had such a laid back and easygoing experience! How refreshing! I wasn't wowed by the physical house but thought I would enjoy coming back to see these girls again.

HANOVARIAN: I was very excited to see these girls again. I had a really nice START with the girl I spoke with here but it kind of unravelled as the party continued. She had a few dirty-rush moments which I tried to just play off, but it felt kind of awkward. I also started to get a kind of fake vibe from her, but I wasn't sure. I might of just picked up on some weird vibe after she bid promised me.. It was odd. But, I liked the house overall. I felt really strongly about their philanthropy and I think that helped keep them afloat in my mental ranking.

Ranking at the end of the day was tough-- we had to get from 12 to 6 houses. My Gamma Chi warned us that this set of cuts would be the largest from the sororities' side. I started to get nervous! Plus I was totally torn with how to rank on my end of things. I was the last to leave from my group and ultimately arrived at this:
~The bottom 6 are the houses I wished to drop, in order of my favorite to least favorite house~

MORGAN
THOROUGHBRED
HOLSTEINER
FRESIEN
DUTCH WARMBLOOD
HANOVARIAN

PALOMINO
STANDARDBRED
FJORD
WESTPHALIAN
APPALOOSA
QUARTER HORSE

I experienced the same feelings about a house when I was going through recruitment... other PNMs kept telling me it was the "best house I had left" at prefs, but I just didn't like that partying was the first impression they wanted to give. I have to wonder if Quarter Horse is the very same chapter, still giving the same first impression after a decade...

Wow, what a perfectly craptacular thing to say!

Every time I read something bad about recruitment at UGA, I hope, hope, hope that it's not my sorority.

I feel that way too when I am reading about a recruitment at a school where we have a chapter!

I enjoy reading the UGA threads since I know so little about the campus. A few years ago, I had an interesting experience with an NPC alumna of a group other than my own from UGA at a social event here in my area. By interesting, I mean odd not bad! So I have wondered what the Greek system is like there. :)

BraveMaroon, trust that it's NEVER about your sorority at UGA. My rec girls are always impressed by your chapter, and even the girls who don't rank it as a favorite still have nice things to say. I've never heard anything bad about your chapter at UGA!

gebbie, what happened to you? :(

Skit Round!
 

I was amazingly nervous going into Skits. The morning of, my alarm woke me up in a complete panic-- I was SURE it was my Gamma Chi calling with bad news! (I decided to change my alarm ringer after that mini panic attack!

After my group collected, our Gamma Chi started giving us this really worrisome speech about how last nights cuts were huge (essentially cutting party lists/ PNMs in half) and how it is very important not to talk about our schedules as there will likely be many upset girls today... We all were starting to look seasick.

Honestly, I was a bit shocked when I received my schedule for the day. First, I was ecstatic to skim the schedule and see that I had received 6 invites, the maximum for the day. Looking closer I kind of felt my stomach flop a bit. I had lost a few that I really liked and was wondering if the one's in my bottom 'cut me' or if I had 'cut them,' and if I had made a mistake by putting certain houses in the bottom.


I was looking forward to all of the houses I had been asked back to and knew I was very fortunate to receive a full list. Happy faces! Here we go!

WESTPHALIAN: I wanted to feel a connection here so badly... But I just couldn't. I really liked the girl I was matched with for the party, but collectively I didn't feel like I fit in at this chapter. Their skit was not particularly impressive to me, but I was not sure what to expect exactly. It didn't seem to showcase any sort of personality and I think I was really hoping to see something relatable/exciting/humorous from them.

FRESIEN: I was paired with a hilarious girl. She was extremely down to earth and we really hit it off. The skit at this house really let us see how funny the girls in this house are. It definitely amped up my perception of them. I felt like I could definitely find my way here.

FJORD: Like the first house, I was hoping that their skit would reveal something new about the chapter's personality. It mostly just confirmed how I thought of them... They were extremely sweet girls. I felt that this house could maybe work for me, but it just didn't feel natural to me.

THOROUGHBRED: I was most excited to see this house again. I was not crazy about the girl I was paired with but I felt that I fit extremely well with the chapter overall. Their skit was extremely enjoyable and definitely showcased members' personality traits. After the skit, the active and I had an awkward/odd exchange about something I am very sensitive about and I clammed up pretty badly. She completely caught be off guard (it was not a statement you would EVER expect to come out of someone's mouth during recruitment) and I tried to handle myself to the best of my abilities but it was an extremely uncomfortable situation for me to be in. She definitely looked at me weird after the fact and I had a feeling she was not going to put me through for the next round.
I left kind of sad...this house was exactly what I was looking for in a sorority. While I didn't love the active this round, I completely fit at this house. I hoped that maybe the situation was not as uncomfortable as I thought it was... maybe it would be fine. But I had a horrible gut feeling that the exchange we had was a deal breaker...

DUTCH WARMBLOOD: I tried my best to rally by the time I arrived at this house. I was greeted by a really awesome girl who seemed so happy to have me back at the house. Their skit was hilarious and very well done. This house seemed to fit me well. The girls seemed to be a bit more 'done up' than I generally am, but I still felt really comfortable here.

HOLSTEINER: I didn't take notes on the active who was with me. This house's skit was so creative. It was extremely humorous and actually centered around a lot of improv. Looking around, I thought that I could completely see myself here. I felt so comfortable and at home here.


I had a really difficult time ranking. We were aiming to cut our houses from 6 to 3 for Prefs. I ended up staying very late and hashing it all out with my Gamma Chi.

Ultimately this is what I arrived on, the last 3 being the houses I wished to drop:

Thoroughbred
Dutch Warmblood
Holsteiner

Fresien
Fjord
Westphalian

I struggled hugely with how to rank Holsteiner and Fresien. I liked both of them equally and could see myself at both houses. I don't remember why I ended up putting Holsteiner about Fresien, but this was my rank! I explained what happened at Thoroughbred to my Gamma Chi and confided that I was scared I would be dropped because of the exchange. She found it funny that I was worried about how I came across-- she could not believe that I was not holding a grudge against the house! I ranked them first because I could see myself there better than any other house. If I got cut I would presume it was related to the exchange...and if I were to be cut based on THAT, then maybe it was not the house for me.

Big cuts again going into prefs! I felt extremely nervous...

I third this notion. I had the same feelings at probably the exact same house. This house is a popular house on campus, but I knew even before rush started that I wouldn't fit in here, and the vibe I got during recruitment just reassured that.

Pref!
 

I could barely sleep the night before pref. It was a really tough night...

I was completely nervous to receive my schedule for the day. I was scared to see how the Thoroughbred situation had panned out.
When I looked down at my schedule I saw that I had, again, receive a full list and I was hugely grateful for that. Very few girls in my group received full pref lists and I was the only upperclassman to receive a full schedule.
My heart sunk when I saw that I had been dropped by Thoroughbred. It seemed like such a perfect fit for me...I was sad to see that I no longer suited what they were looking for.

I was also dropped from Fjord and Holsteiner, which I was not anticipating.

My schedule was:

FRESIEN: I was paired with a girl who I had spoken with for 2 of the previous rounds. We continued to hit it off and I felt extremely comfortable here. I like this house. I can tell they like me. Their pref ceremony was not as intimate/emotional as I was anticipating... but it was pleasant.

DUTCH WARMBLOOD: I spoke with the same girl I had for skits. It was nice to see her in a less comical manner and I found myself longing to be part of this house. I meshed so well with the girls and was touched by the pref ceremony.

WESTPHALIAN: I spoke with a really sweet and fun girl who I had been paired with earlier. We hit it off really well and I began to consider this house more that I had previously. Their pref ceremony was really wonderful. I loved how rich in tradition it was and how strong the bonds between the sisters are here. I still didn't feel quite at home here, but I realized that I could make this work.

This rank was easy for me.

DUTCH WARMBLOOD
FRESIEN
WESTPHALIAN

excited to hear where you found your home!!! Good luck!

Bid Day!
 

At 6:00 p.m. after the first day of classes, the remaining PNMs gathered for Gamma Chi reveal and to receive our bid.

My Gamma Chi is a Delta Gamma

And I am thrilled to announce that I am....


































an ALPHA GAMMA DELTA!!!!!

Yeah!!!!! Congratulations to you and US!!!!! Glad to have you as part of the family.

Congratulations to you, baby Squirrel!

Congratulations! Loved your story, glad you listened to your heart, enjoy your new sisters!!!

WOOT! another Alpha Gam ending!!! Congratulations and many happy memories ahead.

I preffed there a bajillion years ago, so I always have a soft spot for Alpha Gamma Delta at UGA!

Congratulations, and have fun!!

Congratulations, enjoy your own special breed!:)

Congratulations on Alpha Gam! Enjoy your time at UGA!

MY CHAPTER! YAY! Welcome to Gamma Alpha!!!

Yea , love that chapter! Spent one summer at the house while working at a day camp Athens.

Congratulations!

I'm really surprised to hear that. If it is possible to do so without revealing the houses, what kind of lyrics are we talking about here? Did they really say "ABCs take daddy's Amex to Nieman Marcus" or something equally explicit?

"Hey Daddy, I wanna be a ________"
I don't know if this is the chant/house the OP is referring to, but it still sticks in my head 10 years later.

Congrats to the OP and Alpha Gam!

I remember both that one (and the sorority who sang it) as well as a group that sang something like:

"I'm a ramblin' woman, a gamblin' woman. I'm out every night! I just dropped by to tell you that I'm really all right."

And I'll see your ten years and add another eight! Yikes!!

Thirty years later, I still remember one house- it may be the one dgdramadawg is referring to, singing, "I gave up my car, champagne,caviar just to be a _________."

Congratulations on Alpha Gam!!

Congrats on Alpha Gam! And I'm so excited your RC was a DG! <333

So, I know I'm really behind on this, but YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! Congrats on joining my wonderful sisterhood! You'll have a fantastic time and meet the most wonderful women of your life!!!!

Red & Buff Roses to you!