A 2011 UF Recruitment!
 

Ok, to start this off, I am a freshman at the wonderful University of Florida this year! Go Gators! This week I am going through sorority recruitment!!! (I am crazy excited, if you haven't noticed by some of my recent posts on here :D) I will give you a bit more background on myself after recruitment, because I would like to keep this thread as anonymous as I possibly can (for now).

Anyways, the 16 Sororities at UF are...
Alpha Chi Omega
Alpha Delta Pi
Alpha Epsilon Phi
Alpha Omicron Pi
Chi Omega
Delta Delta Delta
Delta Gamma
Delta Phi Epsilon
Delta Zeta
Kappa Alpha Theta
Kappa Delta
Kappa Kappa Gamma
Phi Mu
Pi Beta Phi
Sigma Kappa
Zeta Tau Alpha

My "codenames" for them (in a different order than above :p)
turtle
zebra
rabbit
lion
tiger
deer
fox
bird
dog
bear
mouse
cat
horse
frog
fish
monkey

Please pardon my extremely non-creative codenames :rolleyes:

Orientation
 

Ok, so today was orientation. UF allowed all of the girls who registered for recruitment before August 1st to move in at 9am this morning, which was an absolute blessing. (not only because it was MUCH less busy, but also because it was about 15 degrees cooler than it would have been in the afternoon ;)

Orientation began at 7pm, and it was great! There were SO many nice girls there, and when I say "SO many" I mean it!!! There were TONS of girls!!! We all had to squish into the main ballroom in the Student Union, which was insane. I met a lot of non-freshman rushing, which surprised me, but all of them were beautiful and kind nonetheless :) So the Pi Chis came out and did a dance which I thought was great. They all looked like they were having SO much fun and that really put me at ease. When we went into the rooms with our Pi Chis, they were very helpful in answering all of our questions, and it was really great to hear them say that sorority girls aren't perfect. They explained how although they look like these absolute perfect girls during recruitment, once its over, they are all very normal, and very much like all of us. I thought that was very comforting because while they warned us that we may be intimidated by these gorgeous girls walking in perfect lines with perfect posture, they also made sure to tell us that you don't have to be perfect to be in a sorority, and to just be the best you possible. They also told us where to meet in the mornings and things like that. I found orientation very informative and very comforting. I could see that not all of the girls that are going through recruitment with me are 6 foot supermodels with gorgeous hair :rolleyes: and even the ones that were really that beautiful, are just as nervous as I am about the whole recruitment process.

Anyways, I apologize for the MASSIVE post, I just wanted to share some of the things that I found very interesting and very important during recruitment/orientation. Hopefully, whether I receive a bid or not (although I am really hoping I end up in a sorority) this thread, and my thoughts on everything may help out a future PNM.

Thanks for reading my entire post! (I know it is ridiculously long) Round One begins tomorrow!!! Wish me luck!

Yay, I love a UF story! Cheering for frogs, because they're my fave! Good luck to you and try not to get overheated! :)

totally cheering for zebra or fish! Good luck to you!

Wishing you a wonderful recruitment. I am a Gator, too!

Enjoy every minute of the experience and I hope you find your home! :)

Go Lions!

Have fun with recruitment.

Thank you everyone for your support! I am getting ready for round one right now! :D SO excited!!!

Round 1 Day 1
 

Hey everyone!!! I finished day one of recruitment about an hour and a half ago, and after eating a super late dinner and getting ready for bed, im ready to tell y'all how my day went :)

Ok, so today, I went to bear, tiger, turtle, lion, deer, monkey, horse, fox, and fish. Most of my descriptions will be pretty short because we only had about 20 minutes with each chapter.

To start off the day, I went to bear. I really liked this house! the girl I talked to was very nice, although I could tell she was nervous. As of right now, I would like an invite back to this house, but I won't be disappointed if I don't get one.

Next I went to tiger. Tiger was great. I really liked the girls I met and they seemed pretty down to earth and real. Conversation flowed pretty naturally and there weren't any long awkward pauses. I could possibly see myself in this chapter. I would like to get invited back to see how well I really do fit in there, but i will not be devastated if I don't receive one.

Next was mouse. The girl who was rushing me here was SO nice and we had such a great and genuine conversation. I am hoping this chapter invites me back because I would really like to meet more of their members. I felt like I could be myself with the girl I met which was very comforting.

The next house was lion. I was really hoping to like these girls and this sorority but I found the conversation kind of forced. There were awkward lulls and neither of us knew what to say. Overall, if I get invited back I would love to learn more about the girls to see if I could have a place there, but I will not be sad if I do not get an invite.

Next was deer. I was not expecting to like this house, but I really did. One of the girls who rushed me told me a story that showed an example of how close they are as sisters, (which is VERY important to me) and it really touched me. The recruitment chair also came over to meet me which I hope is a good thing? But she was very nice as well. The second girl I spoke to and I were having a conversation about something totally random and honestly probably not that interesting, but we were talking and laughing and it was just a great genuine conversation which I think is a very good sign. I will be a little disappointed if I do not get an invite back to this sorority.

Next is monkey... I will start by apologizing for being so forward, but I think I love this house. I walked in and I felt the warm fuzzies that I had been waiting to feel all day. It just felt like home. The girl who was rushing me was SO sweet and we were having a genuine conversation about recruitment and sisterhood. I complimented their house, and she was so glad I liked it. I could really tell that this girl loves her sorority. I was then bumped to another girl that I had an amazing conversation with. When it was time for us to leave, we were still sitting and talking before we noticed that everyone had left the room. And even after that, we were still talking as I was walking out of the house. It was SO great. I am not going to pretend that I have a completely open mind anymore, because I pretty much understand what I want. I couldn't stop smiling after I left. I wanted to cry I was so happy. It was just that good. Needless to say, I will be very disappointed if I do not get invited back this house. But I will say that, while this is my favorite, it is not the only house I could see myself being a part of.

The next house was horse. I really liked the girl that rushed me, but I don't think this is the right house for me. When we were talking about how strong their sisterhood is, she told me that she didn't know half of her sisters... that's definitely not the kind of house I want to be in... And when I asked her about the Big Little program, she told me exactly how they pic their Bigs and Littles... which I am pretty sure is ritual information that only members are supposed to know, but I could be wrong. This seems like a strong chapter with very nice girls, it just doesn't feel like the house for me.

The next house was fox. I really wanted to like this house, and maybe it was just the girl rushing me, but she did nothing to help create conversation. It was SO awkward. We ended up talking about the weather for a while. And when I asked her a question about their sorority, she would give me a short answer and then just kinda stare at me... It was awkward. This was my favorite house coming into recruitment, and now it is one of my least favorite =/ I will not be disappointed if I do not get invited back.

FINALLY, I had fish. I really liked fish, and despite being ridiculously tired, I managed to have a really great conversation with 3 of their members. They all seemed very down to earth and very unique, but also very tight as a sisterhood. I really appreciated that. I would really like an invite to this house for the next round so I can get to know them better.

Ok, so that about sums up Day 1. I am VERY pumped for Day 2!

I'm excited to hear more!!!

Very excited for you! Enjoy today!!!

I have heard wonderful stories already from ladies at UF.

Hmm. Would you accept sincere wishes for a great rush from a Seminole?

UF has a wonderful greek-friendly campus and you'll be very happy wherever you find your place. Best of luck!

ditto on the good wishes from another Seminole!!

Round 1 Day 2
 

Thanks so much for all of your support everyone! (even you seminoles ;) )

Today, we went to
dog
frog
zebra
rabbit
turtle
bird
cat

My first house today dog. I liked this house, but I didnt love it. The girl was very nice but I am not totally sure that I would fit in and feel comfortable there. Our conversation struggled and I'm not sure that I want to go back, but I will give them another chance if I do.

My second house was frog. I could tell that these girl were nice, but they were fairly awkward. This made being in the house awkward, but I am definitely willing to give it another chance because they seem to have a strong bond as sisters and they were very nice.

Next was zebra. The girl was very nice and I might see myself in this house. We mainly talked about rush and I felt really comfortable talking to her. I would like an invitation back to this house.

Up next we had rabbit. I really liked the girl at this house. She seemed really nice, but it was very difficult to tell if she was honestly interested in what I was saying, or if she was just being fake.. I am definitely willing to give this house another shot to see if I would really feel comfortable looking my worst with these girls.

Next house was turtle. While the conversation flowed naturally at this house, I was caught off guard by how superficial it was. The girl kept asking me generic, superficial questions about where I grew up and it made me feel like she wasn't interested in me, but only where I came from.. I am willing to give it another shot because I am hoping the entire house isn't like this. (now that recruitment is over, i can tell you that I grew up in southern california, so she kept asking me if i knew famous people... i was so confused.. haha)

Next was bird. I think these girls are SO sweet. I was talking to one of the girls about recruitment, and I could tell that she was honestly REALLY excited about getting new sisters. These girls seemed SO nice and I would really like to go back.

Finally was cat. This was definitely my favorite house of the day. I had TONS of things in common with this girl (and I know you are thinking that we got paired up that way, but our similarities were more experiences and ways of thinking) We were also talking about how we were looking for the same things in a sorority, I could really tell that this girl loves her chapter. The president of the sorority introduced herself as well so I hope thats a good thing!!! I really want to be invited back to this house.

Did you go to "Turtle" both days?

oh! No i didnt! Thanks for catching my mistake, ill fix it now

Round 2
 

All I can say is wow =] Today was amazing.

I got invited back to
bird
fish
cat
horse
monkey
frog
lion
rabbit
fox
tiger
bear

meaning.... I had a full schedule! I was thrilled =]

Because I am SO tired, I am just going to share some of the highlights/important moments of my day.

I was REALLY glad I got invited back to some of the ones I had ranked low yesterday. I went back, and I ended up REALLY liking them. But, some of the ones that I LOVED yesterday, really werent the same today, which was sad. I did find a new favorite in tiger. I talked to three girls here, and I felt like I had really deep conversations with all of them. When I was talking to one of the girls, both of us started to tear up when talking about sisterhood. Her because of how much she loves hers, and me because of how emotional I am about hopefully being able to join one of these amazing chapters. It was the most amazing connection ever. She told me that it was really refreshing and that we had one of the most real conversations of the day. And she said that she really appreciated it. This touched my heart to much, and I really am praying I get the chance to go back to this house.

On that note, I am so excited for tomorrow. I am so nervous/excited to see what chapters invite me back, and I am so excited to learn more about them. Today was amazing, and to think that in just a few days, I could be a part of one of these amazing sisterhoods is honestly overwhelming.

Horray! So happy you had a great day. Continued luck :)

That tells me the rushee ACTUALLY has an open mind. My opinion changed pretty dramatically when I went through rush, but I wouldn't have even begun to consider dropping out if I didn't get back this or that chapter.

Enjoying your story, Gatorgirl! Rest when you can, and drink LOTS of water! My daughter just finished recruitment at Auburn. Good luck to you!

Thanks everyone! Im on lunch break right now. I cried when I got my schedule this morning.... But they were happy tears! Only ONE of my top 7 dropped me! I couldn't believe it! It is going to be SO hard to choose tonight... I don't know how I am going to be able to do it. So far today has been good, but really confusing. I still have 3 more houses to go so I am hoping those go well. Thanks again for all of your support. =]

I am really excited for you. I hope that your three afternoon parties are really revealing to you so that your decision tonight will be clear and easy to make.

hooray for gatorgirl729!! continued good luck for you!

I think these two sentences show what a mature and realistic person you are! Best of luck!

Round 3
 

Thanks to everyone SO much for the continued support! It means so much. I actually had a really amazing day today.

SO I got invited back to all of my 7 top chapters, but one. I was THRILLED!!! I saw my schedule and almost cried out of excitement.
I was invited back to:
horse
bird
monkey
rabbit
fox
tiger
fish

Since it is SO late, and I am super worn out, I will basically sum up how today was, and describe specifically what I chose as my top 3 houses that I would like to attend preferentials.

Today was the sisterhood round. Each house showed videos that showed their daily life and the important things about their sisterhood. Each house was unique in its own way, and I really appreciate the time I spent there, but It got to lunch time, and I found myself really sad.. I really liked each of these sororities, and each of the girls I talked to, but nothing felt like home. I was feeling really lost. After lunch things started to get better. I went to fox. Although this girl and I didn't have a serious conversation about sisterhood, she made me feel SO comfortable and we were just having this crazy conversation that was making both of us laugh hysterically. This is when I knew that I could be happy at this sorority. I could see myself there. And while it didnt feel like home, and she didnt feel like my sister just yet, I knew that in time, we could get there. The next house I went to was my favorite from yesterday, tiger. The girls are so nice at this house and I feel that I can have real conversations with them. I didnt have as strong of a connection with this house as I did last round, but I would still like to attend prefs there because I do know that I could fit in there. While I was walking to the next house, I found myself worrying SO much about tiger inviting me back next round. I wondered if I had said something wrong, or if I hadnt said enough. I then walked into the next house, fish. Fish has been flying under the radar since day one. I liked how layed back they are, but I wasnt totally sure that was for me. I didnt quite understand what made them so tight. The first girl who rushed me is honestly someone i would LOVE to have as a big. She was SO easygoing, and I could just tell she wasnt expecting me to be anything, so I felt free to be myself. We then watched their movie. I had managed not to cry all day, but when I saw these girls in this movie, I couldnt help it. I was crying. So by the time I started talking to this girl again, I had tears running down my face. She was SO sweet. She was trying to comfort me, and tell me that it is OK to cry because they see something in me that made them bring me back. She made me cry multiple times during our conversation. She told me that she had talked to the girl who rushed me before, and that they could see that I had so much love to give by the way I spoke about wanting sisters who would be there for me and accept me as I am, and that all I wanted was to return it. Even though I just met this girl, and i honestly dont remember her name, it didnt matter. I knew that she cared about me. And it just felt like home. There was nothing shallow, superficial, or fake about it. I honestly felt loved, and cared for, and I just knew that these are the girls that I want to be my sisters. I walked out of that house not worrying if they would invite me back, because the way she spoke to me, somehow, I just knew. I have never been so sure of something in my life. And while I will try to go into preferentials with an open mind, I am almost positive of what my ranking will be come that night. Who knows, my mind may change, like it has so many times before, but i do know that this sisterhood touched me in a way that made me feel like i have never felt before. It just felt right. I was telling my Pi Chi about how I felt, and she hugged me and told me how hapy she was for me. She said she got goosebumps listening to me talk about how i felt there. And while I know, that if I am wrong, I will GLADLY accept a bid from ANY sorority that invites me into their sisterhood, I do hope that it is this one.

So those are the three houses that I listed in my top for preferentials and why i chose them. Thank you to everyone again for being so supportive. It really means a lot during recruitment which is SUCH a confusing and complicated time. I can't wait to update you tomorrow on how preferentials go. I am just SO excited.

I hope that you get invited back to your top 3, but realize that if that doesn't happen, you can find a home elsewhere. good luck!!

GatorGirl,

I'm so happy you're having such a great recruitment experience! Sounds like you're going to be a real asset to one of these chapters--I wish one of them was mine!

Someone commented about how neat it is to see how PNMs' assessments of chapters can change so much from one day to the next. Even better for me is reading how some are so profoundly affected by Preference rounds. I rushed many years ago and STILL get misty when I think about Preference Night.

Best wishes to you. It sounds as if you're well on your way to finding your sorority home. And thanks for sharing!

Preferentials
 

Hey everyone! I had an amazing day today, and I am so excited for Bid day tomorrow. (im just praying I dont get one of those awful phonecalls!)

Tonight was preferentials. I got invited back to:
fish
fox
bird

I went into this round very worried that the only house I could fit into was fish. I knew I liked fox and bird, but I wasnt sure. Each of the preferential ceremonies was absolutely beautiful in its own way. I felt like all of these girls in each of the houses truely cared about me, and right now I can honestly say, that I would be proud to call any of them my sister, and happy to call any of these houses my home. I felt a different connection at each house. One made me laugh, one made me cry, and one made me reminisce on old times while getting excited for times to come. I can truly say that I have gone through this process with an open mind, and I have been nothing but true to who I am, and I know that no matter who is on my bid card tomorrow, i cant lose. While I do have my favorite house, and my rankings do reflect how I feel, I can see myself as an asset to each of these chapters, and I would love to call any of these girls my sisters. I honestly had an amazing night. I cannot wait until tomorrow because right now, I refuse to even think about the possibility of getting "the call". I will make sure to keep all of you updated on where I end up, and I hope you all truely know how much I appreciate your support. It has brightened my spirits during such a long process. I cant believe that tomorrow, I will be a part of a sorority, and more than that, a sisterhood. I cannot wait. :)

Very excited for you! Enjoy Bid Day to its fullest.

You are fortunate to be in the position that you are as I know two wonderful girls who were released this week at UF and would just die to be in your position.

Have the time of your life!!!!!

go gatorgirl729!!! can't wait to hear where you end up!

MUST KNOW

I Know!!! UF is making us CRAZY!!!! We have to wait untill 5:30 to get our bid cards, and 6:30 to open them!! I am DYING with anticipation!!! PLUS! I am REALLY excited that I DIDNT GET A PHONE CALL!!!!!! :D IN 4 HOURS I WILL HAVE 150 NEW SISTERS!!!!

Excited to hear too!!

my cousin is a DPhi at UF! I'm so excited to read all of this

Tell them it's 5:30 in England and you want your dang bid card. LOL.

If you conducted yourself in real life with the positivity and open-mindedness you have here on GC - it is absolutely no surprise that you're soon going to be a member of a great sorority. :)

:D:D:D

I hope you have a wonderful day!

Hooray!

I am really loving the variety of rush endings we've had this year.