Will it be too difficult for me to participate in recruitment so far from home?
 

I am planning on participating in formal recruitment at the UW-Seattle this fall. I'm from Tennessee, and I'm looking forward to joining a sorority for many reasons, but especially for a home away from home. My one worry is recruitment. The more I read about recruitment, the more problems with my situation I see. Recruitment at UW is 2 weeks (I think...) before school starts, and at the end of the week, you move right into your chapter house. Here are a few of my concerns, and anything you could say to ease my anxiety would be appreciated. :)
1. Would it be smarter to wait and buy my sheets, storage, etc. when I get up to Washington since I don't know how much space I'll have, living arrangements, etc? I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not.
2. If I'm not rushed, I will have to live in temporary housing the first semester. I'm afraid this could altar my college experience. What do you think of this?
3. Unlike the majority of the girls rushing at UW (I would assume), I don't live anywhere near within driving distance of the campus obviously. Since I'll be living out of a suitcase, or whatever I can dig out of boxes in the trunk of my car, will I be at a disadvantage? I looked at the recruitment week dress code, so I will be able to plan out outfits, but I'm worried there will be some sort of dress code I'm unprepared for.
Any other experiences you or your sisters have had living in a sorority house far from home would be appreciated SO MUCH! Thank you!

Are you sure you have that right about moving into the sorority right after recruitment? It seems like it would be very difficult to have so many students' housing plans up in the air, depending on whether or not they joined a sorority...no matter whether they're local or from far away.

That is what I interpreted the text under "Bid Day" to mean here: http://www.uwpanhellenic.com/join/formalrecruitment.php

Yes, all new members move in immediately. Everyone lives in at UW. Most of the houses utilize sleeping porches, at least for freshmen. From what I understand, UW lets women who sign up for dorms out of their housing contracts if they pledge.

OP, there will be many women rushing who are from out of state or at least from out of the area. You won't be the only one on her own. After you celebrate on bid day with your new sisters and bring your belongings over in your car, they can help you carry it up into the house. I think you can safely assume you'll need twin bedding, towels, toiletries, clothes, etc. no matter whether you're in a house or dorm. Either way you won't have a lot of personal space, so I wouldn't plan on bringing a lot of extras. It's been my experience that most women bring waaaaay too much stuff with them to college. I know in my case I only wore a fraction of the clothes I brought, and they became a burden.

Give the FAQ on that site a thorough read. Some of your questions are answered there.

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That sounds awesome!

in 2008, my daughter got on a plane to Seattle with one suitcase and one carry-on for Recruitment. At that time you were required to sign-up for housing and then had to cancel if you joined a sorority. ($50 fee for cancelling). She was scheduled for temporary housing anyway, so this is an improvement in that you don't have to lose the $50. At that time, she did not have to provide her own sheets and towels for the recruitment housing.

From what you said about your trunk, are you taking your car with you or are you talking about a clothes trunk? If you have a car, you can easily drive to a mall to get the things you need. Be sure you are there in time to buy what you need. During the actual recruitment time you will probably be too tired to run out for anything, because it is exhausting.

If you don't have a car, there are some shops walking distance at the University Village, but for bedding you would have a choice between Crate and Barrel and Pottery Barn. No walking to Bed, Bath and Beyond, Target etc, but maybe you can make friends with someone who does have a car.

My daughter was able to survive recruitment week and the next week on what she brought with her. Once she was a new member, she went shopping with her new sisters for her pledging dress (even though she had a new white dress with her). We then drove up from California, on Friday for presentation with the rest of her things (and yes she brought too much). You could have your things ready to be shipped and call your parents with your new shipping address once you know where you will live (sorority or not). Since she didn't have sheets or towels that first week in the sorority house, she was able to borrow things from people who lived nearby. But you will need them before then, so you will have to decide if it is worth the extra suitcase space and fees or the price of an upscale shopping center. Comforters and pillows take up a lot of space in a suitcase, you might want to bring a towel, washcloth and sheets and get the other things in Seattle.

Good luck to you, I hope you decide to go through recruitment. It was certainly a wonderful thing for my daughter to find a home, when she was so far away and didn't know anyone. My daughter will be graduating this June after four fabulous years at UW.

DoubleRose

OK you did say car. Get there early and find someone who wants to go shopping. They can point you to the mall.

I read the FAQ, I just wanted to hear some opinions or stories similar to my situation.
Thank you DoubleRose! That's very reassuring for me. I'm actually flying, and then my parents are driving my car up on a "mini-vacation" road trip kind of thing, then they'll fly back. Once again, you have eased a lot of my anxiety! I'm not a nervous person (or I wouldn't be moving 2,000 miles from home), but this has had me thinking. I'm so excited, and AGAIN, thank you so much everyone!

Oh, and I have one more question. This one isn't as "important", but is it safe to assume I should buy one solid black dress and one solid white one to bring? I know it's a silly, unimportant question, but my cousin recommended it because she said that her sorority and some that her friends are in consider this "basic dress" for many ceremonies or activities they do as a group.

Well, you never go wrong with those in your closet anyway....

Certainly wouldn't be a bad idea to have those in your wardrobe.

It's never bad to have a little black dress. We used them for chapter, recruitment, pinnings... the list goes on. Many organizations do use white dresses for things. It wouldn't hurt to have both. Better to find a white dress now when they are easier to find then in the fall when they are few and far between.

Since women move into the chapter facility on Bid Day at Idaho, they don't sign housing contracts. However, women who do not accept or receive bids are found a place to live on campus as all freshmen are required to live on campus, which includes Greek housing. All of the women's facilities (except Delta Zeta as they are living in a dorm while their house is being built) have sleeping porches.

I think there are more sightings of Sasquatch or a Boise State graduate than there are white dresses for sale. tngirl01, you are wise to bring a white dress with you as finding appropriate white dresses in the Pacific Northwest is often difficult between Memorial and Labor Day. At least you'll be in Seattle where there is shopping if what you have doesn't fit the chapter requirements. It also may not be a bad idea to have comfortable white shoes as well.

Oh, and don't forget to pack or procure rain gear, even for recruitment. In 2010 it was raining and averaging 90% humidity, and in 2011 day one was 80 degrees and bid day was 60 and it was raining. In general you may feel colder since the humidity is constant due to weather patterns and being on Puget Sound. Also, you may be able to drive in winter weather, but trust me on this, just don't do it in Seattle. There will be freeze, thaw, repeat, and black ice on hills, and in some low lying areas, flooding.

Sorry, that's just needs to be repeated. Winter driving in the PNW sucks.

Also umbrella. I forgot to bring mine to recruitment and looked like a drowned rat the first day.

Buy both a black dress and a white dress. Both should be JUST black or white - no colored trim, no cutouts, covering the shoulders, no strapless or spaghetti strap, not too short or tight. If you are the superstitious sort, leave the tags on them until you need them.

Ok, thank you all for your opinions! I know there's probably no exact answer for this, but when are the worst winter months to drive in? I HAVE to bring a car (it's a long story), but I am concerned about driving in an unfamiliar city.

tngirl01 - I don't mean to completely disagree with the previous posters on the driving issue- they are right in that you do want to be cautious and you don't want to assume because Seattle has a temperate climate that driving in winter is a breeze, but it isn't fraught with extreme danger either, and most of us (including teenagers) in the PNW drive throughout the winter without taking our lives in our hands.

I've driven in Portland, Eugene, Spokane (which is less rainy and much more snowy), and Seattle extensively through every season for almost 30 years now, and except for a bizarre day here and there, I've never found driving in the winter here to be particularly hazardous. Of course, I'm not originally from the area, so maybe those who have been born and raised on the west coast and have driven less in other parts of the country would feel differently. I'll admit, Oregonians and Washingtonians are not among the country's best drivers. ;)

Yes, it can get icey (but this isn't a nightly occurence), and yes there can be a lot of water, but they have built many of the roads on the west side so that water runs-off. As long as you remember to pump your brakes slightly after going through an occassional large puddle, and maintain a reasonable speed - it isn't usually a problem.

I've found visibility issues - from fog and driving wind/rain to be a bigger cause for concern, but again, if you are excercising normal safety precautions, it isn't any more hazardous, in my opinion, that the driving obstacles you face in a lot of states and cities in the winter and less than quite a few.

Again, you do want to keep safety in mind, but I don't want you to be terrified to come up here and get behind the wheel either or feel like you can't drive at all 3 months out of the year. Everyone does. The only thing that brings people in Seattle to a screeching halt is 1/2 inch of snow (that's true for the entire west side).

The worst months are December-March, but February for whatever reason seems a little better. However, this can all vary a lot from year to year. The last couple of years, have seemed (to me at least) colder and ranier/icier than usual, but some years are pretty temperate year round. The only thing you can count on is rain.

Driving in an unfamiliar city is scary but part of life. You'll probably start out sticking pretty close to the U-District. Fortunately, most of what you need will be close by, so you won't have much reason to wander far (there is a large mall no more than 5 minutes up the road in addition to the on-campus shopping). As you get comfortable you can wander farther and by then you'll have plenty of friends, I'm sure, from Seattle and surrounding areas who will jump in the car with you and show you where to go.

If it makes you feel any better - some of my best memories are of days I got lost with friends in Seattle. :) After a while you'll feel like you know the parts you need to know well.

AXOmom, thank you so much! I'm pretty used to driving in snow, except for it didn't snow at all this year where I live like it normally does. You had me pinned when you said that about coming up to Seattle and being terrified, so you've really eased my anxiety! Which if you haven't noticed, I have a lot of. ;)

Often it's not so much the snow, but with the hills, the snow and the ice (which often comes with it). Even though I know how to drive in snow I still hate going out because of the other drivers. The snow here is much "wetter" than in the rest of the nation where it is powder.

A few examples of drivers in Seattle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6zlkP8thkk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzBdW1OVcWw

There are quite a few more... Seattle got hit harder than Portland did, but we didn't have much (any?) snow until after New Year's. Even then we had a couple days maybe while I think Seattle had about a week. The rest is driving in rain and fog like AXOMom said.

Here's the thing: in a city that regularly has inclement weather, the roads get salted/plowed quickly and people don't freak out when it snows. It's an adjustment, certainly, but it's not nearly as bad as being in a city where people DON'T know how to deal with it (see: Atlanta).

Well, Seattle and Portland, as WCSweet's video pointed out quite effectively, are a little more on the "freak out, don't know how to deal with it" end of things. The other drivers are a bigger danger than the weather.

Not to drag this even further off track, but in Portland at least (I assume the same would be true for Seattle for the same reasons), they don't use salt or chemical de-icers. Reason: fear that the chemicals will seep down through the soil into the river and hurt the salmon and the salt hurts the roads. Instead they use gravel/sand mixes that are rather useless.

My comment is not about your driving, but all the people on the road who make it more dangerous, and if you don't need to be driving, avoid it. I have a lot of winter driving experience, a vehicle made for winter and off road terrain, and I often choose not to drive in the winter because of other people. I'll walk or coordinate rides since I'm half a block from the snow route and have excellent outdoor gear. If you don't have a membership to REI, get one now, it is well worth the $20 for a lifetime membership.

Both of you are so high falutin' with your sidewalks, paved streets and plows. You haven't lived until you've driven either US 95 of WA-26 and have to stop and open the door to check if you're still on pavement. I'd also suggest US 12 this side of Lolo, when the black ice provides Elk ice dancing it is a thing of beauty.

QUOTE=VandalSquirrel;2140929]

Both of you are so high falutin' with your sidewalks, paved streets and plows. You haven't lived until you've driven either US 95 of WA-26 and have to stop and open the door to check if you're still on pavement. I'd also suggest US 12 this side of Lolo, when the black ice provides Elk ice dancing it is a thing of beauty.[/QUOTE]


LOL - I've driven both US 95 and WA 26 (not US 12). Driven WA 26 often - it's how I got from Portland to Pullman. The last time was daughter's freshman year at WSU. They had tons of snow that year - closed school twice and 195 for what seemed like a month. We were headed back to Spokane for a gymnastics meet she wanted to see and some house business for me, so I had to go that route through the snow to get her and then go back to Spokane that same way. Took me 3 1/2 hours (from Pullman up to Spokane that is ):(.

Now that we're totally off track- US 95 at one time was listed as one of the most dangerous roads in America;however, in the summer the drive down through Lewiston/Clarkston then eventually going off and continuing to Walla Walla and into Oregon is gorgeous in a stark/lonely sort of way.

tngirl001- don't worry about any of this though. Unless they are attending WSU - no one on the west side ever sees these roads or comes near them. They are only dimly aware there is another part of the state on the eastern half of the Cascades and these are not the driving conditions you will have to deal with. You'll be in the world of sidewalks and paved streets (not many plows though - they keep those in Spokane), but see how much you're already learning about your new state!:).

(whoops - quotes didn't wrap..sorry).

I call BS. There is no "Eastern half". :D

Honestly, if/when it snows there is enough around the campus that you probably won't need to drive.

DRIVING
 

I have only driven in the rain in Seattle.

However, I have driven in blizzards on mountain passes where the road could not be seen. I ski. It is a part of life. It sucks at times.

BOTTOM LINES;

YOU ARE IN NO HURRY TO GET IN AN ACCIDENT. DRIVE SLOW.

LEAVE PLENTY OF SPACE BETWEEN YOU AND THE NEXT CAR.

SUVs and 4 WHEEL DRIVE ARE WONDERFUL BUT BY NO MEANS OVER RIDE THE ABOVE.

KITTY LITTER THE BACK FOR WEIGHT AND TRACTION.

EXTRA WINDSHIELD FLUID

KEEP PROVISIONS IN YOUR CAR; EXTRA CLOTHES, HIKING BOOTS, FIRST AID KIT, BLANKET, FOOD/WATER. If you don't use it, someone else will such as a stranded car.



A lot of time, I will turn off the radio or turn it down to focus on driving and listen to my car.

Typical Wetsider attitude. So completely full of yourselves.;).

True on the latter part though - there is more on UW's campus alone than there is in well...VandalSquirrel's entire town of Moscow. :p.

This is excellent advice (grew up in Colorado, so I know that weather well too), but lest we scare tngirl001 into never crossing the Tennessee border before she's even boarded the plane for SeaTac - let me just say - she is going to be smack dab in the middle of a large metropolitan city, so unless she plans on taking her car up into the Cascades on a hiking trip (which granted she may decide to do at some point), the provisions are not going to be necessary to get around Seattle on a typical December day. ...the only thing she's really in danger of is getting stuck in traffic for a year and a half. Actually now that I think about it those provisions might be a good idea. She may need them to survive until she makes it to the next exit. Should have thought of that the last time I was in Seattle. Would have prevented a family meltdown or two. :).

Tngirl001 - By the way, I just read an article that listed Seattle and Portland as the top two cities Americans view most favorably. Tried to link it but the link is too long and I can't find a shortcut.

I've never driven in the PNW, but as far as driving in any bad weather, WORD about the SUVs. We (the Northeast we) see way too many people driving them who can't handle them and think they're fine in snow because their vehicle is bigger. Get a car you can handle and put the right tires on it.

Right now I have a Nissan Juke, which I can handle pretty well. I've driven it since I got my license. My dad has offered to trade cars with me since he has a smaller car, but I think I'll be fine. This winter when I visited my family in New York, I had no trouble with drving through the snow (knock on wood) in my own car. Thank you all for your advice! I definitely feel more prepared!

You may get plowed in if you're parked on the street, so get a collapsible snow shovel to help dig yourself out. In regards to the kitty litter, get the non-clumping kind and it can be safely used for traction and weight in the back of your vehicle. Many places, like Les Schwab, will sell tire cables and if you don't use them you can return them. However, having them isn't a bad thing and I suggest that you do a practice run for putting them on if you ever actually need them installed. I put a pair of gardening gloves with rubber palms in my cables box to protect my hands and make it easier when I put them on.

You may want to ask the Seattle Nissan service people when you get your oil changed after your parents drive your car from TN, is about the oil grade. Often when living in colder places many vehicles use 5W-30 instead of 10W-30, so you'd want to get the right oil to top off the oil when you check it between changes. Also consider changing your wiper fluid to the kind that handles below freezing temps, and look into gas line antifreeze, like Heet, since you won't be driving your car a lot.

Lastly, look into a AAA WA membership if you don't have a TN one. The roadside service is worth it, and you can get all kinds of discounts. I personally have the Premier one with 200 miles of towing since I live in the middle of nowhere, but you would probably be fine with the Classic. I upgraded from the Plus and Plus was well worth it for years. http://www.aaawa.com/membership/

tngirl01, as a resident of a Seattle-area suburb for most of my life, I can tell you that a although the city is a joke during any snowstorm, thankfully that only happens maybe 2-3 days per year on average. We have the occasional freak year when the snow sticks around for a week, but usually when it snows it only sticks around for a day or two on the roads. The Seattle area, and certainly the city limits, gets very little snow, as we are barely above sea level. The mountains and their foothills, some rural areas, and the eastern side of the mountains can get lots of snow, but you will be fine in the city. If it does snow, you will hear all about it on the news days in advance, and you can park your car for the day or two. In that case, enjoy the sledding, skiing, naughty snowmen and streaking naked with the other UW students since on those days classes will probably be cancelled!

Thank you for the advice! I never would have thought of those things.


Ok, thanks! I'm really excited to live in Seattle, so I appreciate all the new things I'm learning.

Trust that the weather, construction, or an accident will always happen when you need to be somewhere and use your car.

The AAA roadside service part of the membership is tied to you, not your vehicle, so if you're riding with someone else and have a mishap you can call for help. They don't just do a jump start, but they carry batteries so you can get a new one on the spot. I am getting a vibe from you that you take the time to plan ahead and investigate, much like I do, so I'm just trying to give you information about stuff so you can make the best choices for yourself.

I'd like to consider myself a capable and independent woman of the world, who also went far away for school. The AAA membership gives my parents peace of mind as I'm the baby, the only unmarried daughter, and the one who lives the furthest away from home. I know how to check my oil, change a tire, jump start a vehicle, push start a vehicle, and all those tricks, but knowing 1-800-AAA-HELP is there 24 hours a day is great.

I also previously mentioned REI, which PeppyGPhiB and I agree upon is the place to get outdoor gear. Their return policy, and customer service is amazing. They've sent me repair and replacement items while in the field, and given me my money back on items that were years old and crapped out. There's a store in Brentwood if you want to buy at home during their upcoming anniversary sale, as you can always exchange it in Seattle.

ETA: You're so close to Canada you may want to go sometime, not a bad idea to have a passport if you don't already have one. You can drive your car, drive your car onto the ferry, or get on the ferry as a passenger. It is something to do that isn't too far, and often young people will go skiing and snowboarding in British Columbia. I personally think Victoria is fun because I like to put on crazy hats and have High Tea at The Empress, you may have other interests.

Echo much of what Vandal just said, plus I'll add that REI is also a great place to buy a bike if you don't already have one. With every bike purchase they also give you a credit for one of their bike maintenance classes, so you can learn how to fix any basic problems with your bike. The downtown store (flagship) has walking trails to test footwear, bike trails outside to test bikes, and a rain shower inside to test waterproof coats =)

Get a passport. I personally think it's a good idea for all Americans to have one, but especially anyone in a border state. Plus, let's get real, this must be mentioned since it's relevant for you: the drinking age in B.C. is 19, so you may meet people in college that want to go up there for a weekend, especially for skiing at Whistler.

Most of the UW Greeks as well as a large percentage of the UO and OSU Greeks (some WSU as well I think), head to Whistler on MLK weekend becuase that's Whistler college weekend. Pretty big deal for those Greek systems- particularly for the freshman/sophomores, so you will definately want that passport.

I just got my passport renewed so I think I'm good there. I don't know if any of you will be able to help me out with this, but I have one semi-irrelevant passport question: Since I won't turn 18 until July, is my passport still only valid for 5 years, or since I'm turning 18, will it be 10 years? I know this is a random question to ask that I could probably find somewhere else on the Internet but just wondering. :)
Thanks for the AAA advice! My parents will be all over that. And you're right, I LOVE to plan ahead! I'm one of those really organized people, so thank you all for the info! I am actually going to Brentwood this weekend for a wedding, so I'll check that store out before the sale.

I believe that since you were over the age of 16 when you renewed your passport, it is good for 10 years. Had you been under 16, then it would have been good for 5 years.

Coincidentally, I just completed the forms to renew my kids' passports today. 16 and up is good for 10 years, and costs the full adult price.

Oh, ok. I just assumed it was 5 until you were a legal adult. Thank you!