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Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My! An Arkansas Recruitment Story
A week from now I will be starting recruitment at the U of A! I am so excited, but so nervous! I just moved into my apartment and one of my roommates is also participating. I'm so glad I'll have someone to go through all this with! :D
The sororities fully participating in formal recruitment are: Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Omicron Pi, Chi Omega, Delta Delta Delta, Kappa Delta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Pi Beta Phi and Zeta Tau Alpha. This year we have 2 sororities colonizing (Alpha Chi Omega and Phi Mu), but they will drop out of formal recruitment after the first round. I decided to use animals for my code! In no particular order: Alligators Monkeys Tigers Giraffes Penguins Bears Lions Zebras Day 1 is Orientation and Open Parties Day 2 is Open Parties Day 3 & 4 are Philanthropy Day 5 & 6 are House Tours Day 7 is Preference Day/Night Day 8 is Bid Day |
Can't wait to read your recruitment experience! I'll be rushing at Mizzou this year and am wishing you luck!
I'll be rooting for the Monkeys because um, if you can't tell by my username, I kind of love monkeys! Haha |
Good luck!! I can't wait to read an Arkansas recruitment story to see what you think of the colonies. And the gorgeous houses.
Also, can I just say I love all the PNMs supporting each other so much? It seems like we have a bunch of super sweet girls posting recruitment stories right now. Way to keep it classy and polite ladies. |
Can't wait!!!!
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I hope we're the Giraffes! I love Giraffes!
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Rooting for Lions- duh!
And a big Wooooo Pig Sooooeee! I used to live in Arkansas :) . |
Good luck. I would love to hear about the colony presentations. I'm unfamiliar with that process. I hope you can share a little about both presentations and your thoughts.
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Good luck to you! We have several girls from our area going thru this year at Arkansas. I am sure you will make lots of great friends
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As an AEPhi, I'm pretty much obligated to cheer for the Giraffes. ;)
Good luck - I hope you find your perfect fit. |
I LOVE how many PNMs are getting ready to post their stories right now! Looks like I'll have lots of good reading to do in the coming weeks :) Best of luck to you! Remember always always ALWAYS keep an open mind and be yourself!!!
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Day One: Orientation and Open Parties
Today, my roommate and I went to the basketball arena at 7:00 am and checked in. After that, we waited for about an hour for all the girls to file in. After introductions from the recruitment panel, Panhellenic council, the Greek Life office and chapter presidents, we watched skits from the Gamma Chi’s. They covered everything from what to wear to how to react to “frat-lappers”. They were really funny! Then we met our Gamma Chi groups, went over how recruitment would play out and then got our t-shirts. Luckily, my group didn’t have any parties that day. We got to go back home and sleep!
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Day Two: Open Parties
I was so nervous when I woke up! I was hoping that I would look good and that the conversations wouldn’t be forced. Our Gamma Chi group met at 6:50 and waited for our first party at 8:30.
We went to the colonization presentations first. I liked the presentations, but my only dislike is that we couldn’t ask the presenters questions. Party one was good. I kind of felt like I still didn't know much about the sorority afterward though. Party two was really cool. They invited alumnae from the area and a few were from the first pledge class at Arkansas. Party two was my favorite of the two. If I ended up colonizing, I think I would have gone with them. My first of the “real” parties was at TIGER. I knew a lot of great girls in this sorority, but was still nervous to go in. When I was picked up by my first member, I thought I recognized her from a class. It was good to see a familiar face! Our conversation flowed really well and we talked about a lot. I talked to two more girls that I honestly don’t remember as well, but the first girl came back at the end too. I really liked that she brought me in and guided me out. Overall, I felt very comfortable with the TIGERS. My second party was at ALLIGATOR. I didn’t see any of the girls I know, but the girls I met were all very nice. The first girl complimented the skirt I was wearing and the conversation was pretty good. I left not knowing how I felt about this house. I liked the girls, but I wasn’t sure if I could see myself being best friends with them. My third party was at ZEBRA. I saw a few girls I knew, but did not know the girl who picked me up. She was the only one I talked to the whole time. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. We had a lot in common though and the conversation was nice. It wasn’t as comfortable as TIGERS, but since I only spoke to one girl I knew I really wanted to come back. After lunch my fourth party was with GIRAFFE. This was the first house I fell in love with. I told myself not to, but it was so hard. I was picked up by a girl I knew from high school, but we didn’t know that much about each other. This made me feel so comfortable right from the start. The last girl I talked to also rushed as a sophomore. I wanted to talk with her more, but time ran out. I was really, really hoping to be invited back and especially wanted to talk to my last girl more. I already felt at home and it was only day one! My fifth party was at MONKEY. I had some really good friends here and really expected to love it. I was picked up by a good friend at the door. It was good to be able to talk to her! My next girl was okay. I don’t know if I was just tired or what, but the conversation seemed to be lacking something. I’m not sure what it was. I was hoping to be invited back, but was okay with it not working out. My sixth party was at LIONS. I also absolutely loved this house. She complimented me on my skirt and the conversation was so relaxed. Girls kept coming up to introduce themselves and then we would go back to talking. One of the girls who came up said she had heard great things about me and was glad I was there. Another girl I met previously through a mutual friend also stopped by and it was good to see her! I felt so comfortable and in my notes wrote “just overall wonderful”. My seventh was at PENGUINS. I also had friends here. I really liked the first girl who picked me up. We had a lot in common. Two of my good friends came and said hi. The girl asked how I knew them and that also sparked good conversation. I talked to two great girls in PENGUIN and felt comfortable. My last party was at BEARS. They were in a different location from their house, but it was so cute! As I was walking in, I saw lots of familiar faces. I didn’t know the first two girls who talked to me, but the last one I sort of knew. We went to church together before she went to college. Everyone was so sweet and I felt comfortable with the girls. Overall, I had a really good day! I felt like the conversations I had were all so good! I was very tired at the end of the day, but all the chapters kept the energy going through the day. It was so hard to pick a bottom two! After day one, this was my rankings: 0. Giraffes 0. Lions 0. Tigers 0. Penguins 0. Bears 0. Zebras 1. Monkeys 2. Alligators |
Woo hoo! Keep going!
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Day Three: Philanthropy Day
I had some hard cuts today. If I am correct, they made lots of cuts based on grade risks. I’ll admit I was a grade risk. I’m not sure what my GPA was after summer school, but I know I was most likely still a risk. I only had three houses. However, I heard that many girls did not have any. I had GIRAFFE, ALLIGATOR and MONKEY. I was SO happy to have GIRAFFE!
Giraffe was my first party. The first girl to talk to me was a roommate last year with the girl I knew from high school. She said the girl told her that I was so sweet and she wanted to meet me! I told her that I was excited and thankful to be invited back. I also had a girl in between who I had great conversation with. The last girl was a senior and she was the philanthropy chair last year. It was so cool for her to talk about her philanthropy since she was so involved. I also spotted a girl I know through a good friend and she said hi and waved. The video was so great! I got a little choked up during it. After the video, some of the girls got up and sang a very cute song. I was sad I had to go! I know it’s a little early, but I started to feel so at home there. I was really hoping that I wouldn’t be cut before house tours. My second was at ALLIGATOR. After a just okay first day here, I was hoping that they would change my mind. All the girls were very nice, but I didn’t have the friend/roommate pass-off like I did at GIRAFFE. I tried very hard not to compare the two, but it was hard after such a fantastic party. One girl also said something sort of negative about the other sororities and it put me off a little. I’m sure she meant well, but it just rubbed me the wrong way. Their video was also great! In this party, I also talked to girls afterwards. Overall, it was a good party, but I didn’t feel like I was really at home. |
Where's Monkey?
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Day Four: Philanthropy Day
My third party was the next day at MONKEY. I liked them. Not as much as GIRAFFE, but I felt comfortable. The chapter president came over to personally introduce herself to me. It made me feel really special and wanted. Their philanthropy was close to my heart because of a girl I knew from my club swim team.
This day really felt the longest. I had the very first party at 7:45 am and had to wait until 4:30 pm to leave the holding areas. They played movies and I ended up getting some pillows and a quilt to take a nap with, but 8 hours is a long time to be in a church watching movies! At the end of the day, I had three parties out of 6. I couldn’t rank, so my card looked like this: 0. Giraffe 0. Monkey 0. Alligator |
Day Five: House Tours
Day Four: House Tours
Today started house tours. I was really hoping I would get all three houses back. My heart was pounding as my Gamma Chi handed me my schedule. Praying for the best, I looked at it. My spirits sank when I read it. I had MONKEY and ALLIGATOR. GIRAFFE had released me. I was upset. I knew I should feel lucky because other girls had been completely released, but it hurt. I thought I had really had a great time there and connected with the girls. I couldn’t see why I had been released. I did not have parties that day until 1:00 pm, so I was allowed to go back to my apartment. I talked with my Gamma Chi before I went back and she told me that I still had great houses and that it was okay to be upset, but I needed to look at the houses I had left. She gave me a hug and told me to text her if I needed anything. When I got back to my apartment, I called my mom. She made me feel better with a little tough love. I also went to IHOP with my roommate. While we were there, we saw a girl eating with her Gamma Chi. She had been completely cut and looked devastated. It made me truly appreciate the houses I had left. I know she would have loved to still have two houses. I perked up and started psyching myself up for house tours. These girls liked me so much that they wanted me to see where they lived! It was exciting! I got ready and texted my Gamma Chi. I told was on my way to wait for my party and that I was feeling a lot better about what happened. She said she was glad and wished me good luck. [Side Note: My roommate officially dropped from recruitment today. She does not feel that she could end up pledging any of the 3 houses she has left. She feels that her heart lies with colonization and is particularly excited to see Alpha Chi Omega. A close family friend of hers is an Alpha Chi. If she allows me, I will try and post her colonization recruitment story in September.] My first party was with MONKEY. Out of the two houses, I was the most excited for this one. I had seen the inside of their house last semester, but I was still excited to see a full tour of it. Their house was completely gorgeous! The first room I was taken to was the “function” room. They had banners from functions hanging on the walls and pictures from them on the tables. We got to walk around to the tables and talk to members about them. It was super laid back and I loved it! The next room was the study room. Two girls talked to us about study hours, GPA requirements and how they were committed to helping the new members study. Next, we were taken around the house in groups of threes and got to look in at one, two and three girl rooms. All the rooms were so cute and had lots of awesome canvases! After the tour, we were given drinks and taken into the dining room to chat. Both girls I had were very sweet! The last girl asked how I liked the house. I told her I loved it and was very comfortable with everyone. I definitely saw myself being happy at MONKEY. Today also felt long. My party wasn’t until 1:00 pm, but I still had to wait after my party at a church until 6:00 pm. I understand that they don’t want us to have our phones until the parties are officially complete, but I really would have liked to go back to my apartment to sleep until my Gamma Chi meeting. |
Day Six: House Tours
ALLIGATOR was my second and last house tour. I didn’t like this house too much in the past rounds, but I went in with an open mind. The girls I talked to were all super nice and I liked them. Their house was cozy, but I am not sure I would like it at ALLIGATOR over MONKEY. They did have the best drinks though! They served them as we were touring the house, so we could actually drink the drinks without having to worry about talking.
Today was another long day. My party was at 9:55 am and I couldn’t leave the church until 6:30 again. I feel that half the stress of recruitment is being cooped up in a church with 50-60 other PNMs (I was always at the smaller church) for 8 hours and being constantly told not to talk about anything recruitment related. I understand why, but it’s hard not to talk about something that is currently consuming your life. |
I hope that you share that feedback with Panhellenic. Sitting somewhere for that long doesn't seem reasonable. It would seem that women with only 2 parties could be scheduled for one of the last parties of the day, both on the same day.
I could see wanting to drop out of recruitment after days like that, honestly. |
Agreed. It shouldn't be hard for the computer to arrange parties in clusters. Even if they're in the middle of the day, they could be TOGETHER.
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Day Seven: Preference Day
I went to my Gamma Chi meeting in high spirits. I was fairly certain that I would be asked back to both houses. Of course, I was preparing for the worst, but I didn’t feel stressed. As soon as my Gamma Chi said “I don’t think anyone will be disappointed today”, I knew I got both back. Sure enough MONKEY and ALLIGATOR were both on my schedule! Today was the most stressful day. After we went into our first party, we were not allowed to talk at all. My first party was the very first party at 7:45 am. My next was at 4:10. That meant about 8 hours of only talking in the parties. I was pretty tired and we were allowed to bring blankets and pillows, so I slept for a good 4 hours in between.
I was glad to see that my first party was MONKEY. As soon as the doors opened and the girls began singing, I felt that it would be a special day there. The first girl I talked to was a junior. We had good conversations about why she chose her sorority and their sisterhood events. I found out she was the Big of a good friend of mine. I got excited when she told me that her Little would be talking to me after the presentations! The presentations were beautiful. The video included pictures of the girls and video messages from members. Some were to the chapters or specific girls in the chapter. Then the girls talked about what the sorority meant to them. I found out later that the members had not seen the video before the party. Everyone got choked up, including me. A member read a letter she wrote to her Big and it was beautiful. After the girls sang songs, my friend came to talk to me. I was trying so hard not to cry. For some reason, when I saw her, I got even more choked up. I told her I was tearing up and she said she was too. We looked at each other and started crying and laughing. After talking to her, I knew I would most likely end up placing them first on my card. My second party was at ALLIGATOR. They really surprised me. The atmosphere was beautiful. They had white sheets hung up, covering the room. Each sheet had a quote about sisterhood on it. The lights behind the curtains were the sorority’s color, making the room that color. I talked to a girl that I had met in a previous round and we also had good conversation. Their presentation was also moving and I could see why everyone on campus says this house has the best sisterhood. I could tell that they all loved one another. A girl I talked to said she had never gotten into any sort of disagreement or argument with a sister. I liked ALLIGATOR and the sisters were fantastic, but MONKEY just had an extra spark for me. I couldn’t tell you what it was exactly. It was just a feeling of being home. I felt like these were the girls I could count on when I was at my worst and needed someone. I walked to the Union confident in my choice. As I signed my card, I smiled. Everything had worked out. I knew I would be happy at either house, but was really hopeful that I would receive a bid to my first choice. No, I didn’t pref my “first choice” from the rounds. No, I didn’t have a full schedule every time. Yes, I got cut because of a less than stellar GPA. Yet, I was okay with all of this. Would I have been happy at GIRAFFE? Probably. However, I still got to see a glimpse of two amazing sisterhoods and I truly believe in the statement “You end up where you are supposed to be”. Two amazing chapters were willing to give me a shot even though I had messed up in school the year before. I felt SO blessed and truly happy. They held us in the union until 2 a.m. We had to wait for all of the parties to finish AND the sororities to submit their bid lists. Luckily, I found some close friends and spent the night talking, laughing and napping with them. We were all so alike, but each of us had put a different house as our first choice. Two of the girls had put MONKEY second. As much as I knew I would love to potentially have them as sisters, I would also feel a little sad that they didn’t get their first choice. All that was left was BID DAY! |
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If they are going to hold them captive for so long, they should at least plan some activities for them. Maybe get a van or bus and take them somewhere like a restaurant, mall, movie, book store, zoo, something, especially in the early rounds. I am sure having empty time slots is hard to endure, maybe having some distraction would be good for the women.
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Day Eight: Bid Day
I met my Gamma Chi at our usual meeting spot at 11 am. I was pretty tired from the night before, but adrenaline kept me going. I could not wait to find out what sisterhood I would be welcomed into! We walked to the Greek Theatre with our Gamma Chi for their reveal and Bid Reveal! When we got there, all the sororities were holding balloons and chanting. It was so exciting! They played music for a while and then finally got to the reveal. It turns out my Gamma Chi was an ALLIGATOR. I seriously never would have guessed it!
After reveal, she came back to give us our bid cards. Holding the card and waiting for the countdown felt so long! As the countdown began, everyone was nervous. I opened my bid card and was overjoyed. I was welcomed into the sisterhood of MONKEY! I ran to their section and saw that my buddy for the day was my friend that I talked to during pref! I spent the day eating lunch and taking pictures at the house. I also went shopping with my mom and got some cute little things! Later that night we went roller skating with the entire chapter! I have been so lovingly welcomed into the sisterhood of....... ALPHA OMICRON PI! |
Congrats on AOPi!!
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Congratulations!
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Hooray for an AOII ending!
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You're a rose, you're a pearl, you're an AOII girl. Congratulations!
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Congratulations!
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Great story! Congrats!
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Congratulations! What a great ending! Enjoy!
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Haven't you always wanted a Monkey?! Yay! Congratulations, and welcome to AOII! Your new chapter is fabulous.
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Way to go tpiazza! Exceed the expectation! :)
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Congratulations!!
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Welcome Home, tpiazza! So happy to have you in our amazing Sisterhood!
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EEK! I can hardly express how excited I am for you! I hope you enjoy your NM period as much as I did! :D :D :D
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and welcome to AOII! |
Congratulations... I know several AOPi's there and you are in great company!
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Yay for a new AOII! Congratulations and welcome!
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