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Third times the charm! Recruitment Story
Hey everyone! I have been on GC for about a year. It all began the summer before my freshman year of college. I had heard about sororities and knew that Greek life was very big at the school I was going to attend. It is in the south, but not an SEC school. Its safe to say that recruitment at my school is quite a big deal. Anyway, lets get into my story.
The first time I ever went through recruitment, I tried to prepare myself the best way possible. However what I assumed to the "best way" was to read sites like Greek rank, college ACB, etc for all kinds of tid bits about sororities. I started to form in my head what I thought were the "top choices" for sororities at my school. While doing this fact-finding, I also started to research how a girl should look going through recruitment. I started buying nothing but Vineyard Vines, Lilly Pulitzer, and Jack Rodgers to "prepare" myself for recruitment. Fall 2012 Recruitment finally arrived! I felt prepared. I thought I was going to be a shoe-in for a top tier sorority. So you can say I was quite surprised when it came down to pref round that I had only two choices. One that i liked, but wasn't so sure about, and another that i felt absolutely uncomfortable with. So i suicided, or "single intentional pref-ed" to be more official. I waited until bid day, and lo and behold received "the call" to inform me that i did not receive a bid. I was extremely crushed. Everything that I wanted, i didn't receive. It was so hard to see all the girls running to their homes, to see pictures online of all the happy girls in their pledge classes. I moped around, but knew that I was eligible for Spring informal recruitment, so I held onto that. After joining a few organizations and generally getting myself up out of my pity party, Spring recruitment finally arrived. I attended the event, met all the girls, and felt great. Two sororities invited me back, yet they were both ones that i felt "too good" for, so I didn't attend their parties. A few weeks later, I was invited to another spring recruitment event for one house. I was so excited to go. I spent the maximum allotted time there, meeting all of the girls and trying to make an impression. Once more, I came up with nothing. I really had no choice but to move on. I got involved in several things, and was happy my freshman year. But as summer came along and I did some more thinking, I decided that I wanted to try formal recruitment one last time... ______________________ So here is my story! Fall 2013 Recruitment Starts here. My theme will be TV shows that I love, since i am a netflix addict. There are 16 sororities at my school: The Middle Gossip Girl DC Cupcakes Dexter Toddlers and Tiaras What Not to Wear Project Runway Breaking Bad Pretty Little Liars Storage Wars Real Housewives Duck Dynasty Dance Moms Family Guy Sex and the City My Strange Addiction More to Come! :) |
Interested in hearing your story and wishing you the best....it sounds like you might have learned some lessons from your past experience (I hope I read that correctly). Being in a sorority is more than who is "top tier", it is about who you fit with and can grow and be yourself.
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What has changed for you? Are you open to other groups now?
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Ill get into this more in my story, but yes I became much much (really can't stress it enoigh) more open minded my second go round. Basically I went from the "I only want ABC, XYZ and 123" mindset to the "they all have something wonderful to offer" mindset, which has been such a help to me.
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Hopefully all of the chapters will be able to see your new open, more friendly self. Best of luck to you.
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So let's talk about kick-off!!
I arrived on campus with some of my friends who were also rushing. I checked in, received my PNM number & name tag, and my group number. I set off to find my group, and came across a super friendly, excited girl who was my Recruitment Counselor. Her name was Rosie. I could already tell that she was going to be such a help during this week! I waited for the rest of the group to join us, and soon learned that my group was mostly made of transfer students. This also meant that a lot of girls were sophomores and juniors. This kind of eased my mind, knowing that I wouldn't be the only sophomore in my group. However, I was one of the few who had rushed before. I kind of appreciated knowing what to expect, and being a little bit more calm then some of the other girls who seemed to be freaking out already!! After the kick off event and chatting with some of the girls in my group, I knew that this recruitment week was going to be great. Not sure why, but I just had a feeling that everything was going to work out. Positivity is key! Round 1 is next, which as soon as i get done with my classes for today I will post!! |
Round One here we go!
So since there are so many chapters, we have 2 days allotted for round one. Our group received our schedules, and started off our first day. First we visited Toddlers and Tiaras. This house was nice. On the smaller side, but still pretty. However, the girls that I talked to weren't very excited. I don't know if they were first time rushers, or what could've been the issue, but they were just not very into the conversations. Despite this, I enjoyed my time here at Toddlers and Tiaras. Next was Duck Dynasty. I was very excited for this house because I had a rec here, from someone who was a very good friend of mine, and had just graduated this past year. Also, I had some friends from freshman year in this house, and I love all of them. Anyway, I loved my time here at Duck Dynasty. They were all so friendly, so engaging, and we had some great conversations, about all kinds of random yet interesting things. I knew I wanted to return here. After that was Family Guy. This was the house were I had attended a COB event, and felt a little uncomfortable. However, I refused to let that show through and decided to go in as positive as possible. Here i had another less than great conversation, but again I didn't want that to deter me from having the best experience possible. After this house was another I was looking forward to, Gossip Girl. These girls have an amazing house, and they are all so smart, pretty & well-rounded. The girl I spoke to was hilarious, we couldn't stop laughing at the silly things we talked about. When we did get to more serious topics, she seemed impressed by my involvement and activities. That was nice, but I wondered if it was genuine. Anyway, overall I had a great time at Gossip Girl and I really hoped I'd get to go back. The day continued with the Real Housewives house. I didn't do this name on purpose, but this name is really quite apt for this house. They are all so perfect-seeming, its a little bit intimidating. I had sort of an awkward moment here, when I was introduced to the president. It turns out she was someone I knew from high school, so instead of graciously introducing myself, I blurted out OMG I KNOW HER! to my rusher. Ahh.. not my best moment. But she was nice about it, asking where we knew each other from, etc. I couldn't help but feel out of place at this house, but I guess I made the best of it! Next was Dexter, another house I was ver excited to visit. Once again, I had several close friends in this house and knew from experience how sweet, warm and genuine these girls were. I was not disappointed here. I met a great girl, and we talked about all kinds of stuff. Halfway through, one of my good friends ran up to say hi, and we exchanged a few words before she returned to the girl she was rushing. It was nice to see a familiar face. By the time I left I really wished I would get to return to this house. After a nice hour long break, our group went to our last three houses of the day. We went to Sex and the City. I had a nice time here, nothing special nor terrible happened here, plenty of sweet girls, and nothing embarrassing happened so it was a win win! Next was Dance Moms. Another house with a friend! I didn't see her, however I still had a nice conversation here. I guess I was tired, or maybe I was just running out of things to talk about, but at this house I kept struggling to find things to say, and losing my train of thought. The girl that was rushing me was nice about it, but I have to admit I was frustrated that I let the day get the best of me. Oh well, moving on to the last house of the day, Breaking Bad!. This was the house I sort of liked at pref last year. I was anticipating a little awkwardness but either they didn't remember me, or they tried to mask any weird feelings they may have had. (I really think its the former). Anyway, I spoke to two girls. One was great, we had a lot in common and had a great conversation. The second one, all we talked about was this girl we knew from high school who ended up pregnant. Umm weird recruitment topic much? Anyway, after that day 1 was over! Next was day 2, to finish off round 1, which shall be coming soon! :) |
I love it! Can't wait for the ending! I'm rooting for Toddlers and Tiaras lol
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I'm rooting for The Middle and hoping for a Brick reference.
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Day 2 of round 1 lets go!
The first house of the day was Pretty Little Liars. This is another group with a GORGEOUS house. These girls are known to be very down to earth and chill. I have a few friends from my freshman year in this house, so I was hoping I'd get to see one of them. At first I didn't, and I had a great conversation with the girl that rushed me, until I noticed something. One of my friends was rushing a girl right next to me, and didn't even smile or say hi or anything. I mean I'm sure there could be a million reasons why she didn't, but it kind of threw me off. Regardless of that, I had a very nice time at this house. After that was My Strange Addiction. This house is known for being a "top house". (I say that in quotes because as I've learned from my year on campus, tiers are really a silly/meaningless justification for how good a chapter is). Anyway, this house is really quite beautiful, it almost looks more like a mansion than a chapter house. Despite whatever "reputation" this house has, I wanted to go in and see what they were like for myself. Both of the girls I spoke to were actually very down to earth and friendly. I had two fun conversations with the girls in this house. Next was What Not To Wear another house known for being full of gorgeous girls, however this group has sort of a reputation for being "party girls". Anyway, once again I didn't want to let any gossip or tent talk affect my time here. Just like My Strange Addiction's girls, I was pleasantly surprised by this house. I had a lot in common with the girl who rushed me (probably on purpose but whatever), and left this house feeling good. After that I went to The Middle! This house is gorgeous as well, but I didn't really know much about these girls or what they would be like. I spoke to 3 girls here, who all seemed to genuinely love their sorority. They were so excited and eager to get to know all the girls coming through. I felt like I really wanted to go back and spend more time at this house! Right next door was Storage Wars. I had two suite mates from my freshman dorm in this house, but other than that I didn't really know too much about this house either. They all seemed friendly and nice, except for the girl that rushed me. All she did when I was in there was give me advice about recruitment, telling me how I shouldn't be sad when I get dropped by houses, etc. So weird!?! She didn't ask me anything about myself and didn't seem to care either, it just felt like she wanted to take up time by talking at me. It was very uncomfortable, but I didn't want to dwell on it too much. Next was the other house that I preffed at, DC Cupcakes. I was hoping that I wouldn't feel uncomfortable here, and I didn't at all! It was great to meet new girls who seemed to be different than last year's girls. However, it still wasn't my favorite place to be. I didn't want to give up on this house so quickly so I decided that I wouldn't mind returning to this house. I should note that this is a house that every girl tries to drop at first, but many get invited back anyway. Most girls who are freshmen don't understand that when they "drop" a house, they really aren't the ones doing the cutting, but the sororities themselves. Hence the confusion when many of these girls who "drop" them get invites back. Again despite this I decided that I would definitely want to give this house another chance. Finally I went to Project Runway. Like a few of the other houses I went to today, this house has a "party girl" reputation. They are known for going out a lot and sometimes pressuring new girls to drink, etc. I don't believe all of these rumors, but I don't really know too many of them so I couldn't say for sure if they are true either way. The girl that rushed me didn't seem to care too much about our conversation. She kept looking around the room trying to find someone to bump her, but it ended up just being her and me the whole time. We ended up talking about holidays like halloween and christmas the whole time, which was fine but not really the best thing to talk about during recruitment. After these houses, we went to rank the houses. I was so tired after these 2 days that I was ready to go bed and find out what Round 2 would have in store!! More coming soon!! |
I'm really excited to see how your recruitment goes, being the 3rd time. I wish you a lot of luck! :)
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Round 2!! Skit day!
I was super nervous to get my schedule! I knew from last year that the cuts can be pretty harsh, especially for upperclassmen. So I didn't want to get my hopes up too much, knowing that I could end up with only a few! Anyway so FINALLY i met with Rosie, my RC, and received my schedule! I was invited back to: Dexter Dance Moms DC Cupcakes Gossip Girl Duck Dynasty Sex and the City What Not to Wear My Strange Addiction The Middle 9 Houses! I was super excited. This round was split up into two days as well. The first day i went to the first 6, and the second day I went to the other 3. Day One of Round 2! First house of the day was Dexter. I was excited to come back here after my pleasant experience here the first round. Once again I had a very nice time here. I spoke to two girls who were both so sweet and friendly. I started to think this would be a house I'd like to end up in. Their skit was so funny, apparently one of the girls in the skit was a theater major. They all did a great job! Next was Dance Moms. I was surprised that I got invited back here due to the fact that I was so out of it during round one! Regardless, I had a much better time of it here than during the first round. The girls I spoke to talked about how much being in their chapter has improved their lives, and what they've gotten out of their sisterhood. It was nice to hear. This skit was pretty generic, but still well done. I enjoyed it. After that was DC Cupcakes. I wasn't surprised to come back here, but I wasn't upset about it either. Many girls were complaining about this house. Apparently some even were straight up rude to these girls, resulting in two girls getting released from recruitment due to their poor behavior. I can't imagine how those poor girls from DC Cupcakes must have felt. Anyway, I had another good conversation here, but despite that I still didn't feel like I really had a connection here. Unfortunately, their skit was kind of bad. None of the girls that weren't in the skit were cheering or clapping or anything, so their were a few awkward pauses. Next was Gossip Girl. I was super happy to get to come back here! I was hoping for more great convos like in the first round, but unfortunately the girl that I spoke to today just didn't seem to be feeling it. She just asked generic questions about my major and what I did over the summer. Blah. This house's skit was amazing though. They did a great job with the acting, and they did a dance routine that was so good. After that I went to Duck Dynasty. I was so happy to come back here! I had more awesome conversations with these girls. They seemed so down to earth and friendly. I felt comfortable here. During the skit however, I had another awkward moment (im on such a roll!). I saw a girl before the skit that I sort of know through a friend. She was waving, I thought at me, so I waved back. After though I realized that she was waving a sister standing behind me.... Oh. I sat through the skit feeling kind of weird, but overall I still had a good time here. Last house of the day was Sex and the City. I felt kind of bleh at this house, I think I was just tired. I felt like I had to struggle to keep the conversation going. But their skit was good, and after it was over I was ready to finish off Round 2 the next day!! ~~day 2~~ I woke up excited to see all of these houses I had on my schedule for the day. I started off with What Not to Wear, one of the "top" houses I spoke about earlier. I was surprised to be back here, but once again I had a great time here. Their skit was super funny and high energy, they seemed to be really into it. I saw the girl that rushed me the first day and she came up to say hi, which I thought was really nice. Next was My Strange Addiction! Another "top" house, but this time I felt a little out of place here. The girl that rushed me was not very interested in me. The conversation was just not happening. Their skit was pretty generic too, nothing special or different, it just kind of felt like they were going through the motions. The final house of the day was The Middle. This house blew me away. They had hands down the best skit out of all of them. So many girls participated in it, they all seemed SO pumped up, and they made it feel like this was without a doubt the best place to be. I was getting so into it! After the skit, I spoke to two girls. Both of them were so enthusiastic. As I left, one of the girls said "I hope to see you again!" which was nice, but I knew didn't necessarily mean anything. Still, I really hoped I'd get to come back here! After that, we ranked our selections. Since we had a maximum of 12 to return to, and I only had 9, I could only drop 1 house since the next round was a maximum of 8. I decided to drop DC Cupcakes, but knew that it could very well be that I would return there for round 3, so again, didn't want to get my hopes up too much about anything! The next round was house tours, and I was so excited to be getting closer and closer to bid day!! |
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As far as the waving goes, as my mother says, "it never hurts to be friendly!" Thanks for sharing your story...can't wait to read the rest! |
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I agree.
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Whispers under my breath, "yay, The Middle is still in the mix".
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Time for Round 3, House Tours!
I was super nervous to find out which houses wanted me back. The max number of houses that we can visit this round is 8. I went up to Rosie and she gave me my schedule. I went from 9 houses to 3. I received back. Dexter DC Cupcakes Sex and the City I was upset that so many of the ones I liked dropped me. Out of what I had back, I only truly loved one of them, but I figured maybe my opinion of these houses could change during this round, so I decided to keep an open mind. First house of the day was Sex and the City. The girls seemed happy to have me back. They gave me a tour of their house, which was on the smaller side, but it was still very nice. We had ok conversations, like much of the other conversations I've had here. I decided that I wouldn't mind coming back here for Pref, but I still wasn't in love with this house. Next was Dexter. Wow is all I have to say about my time here. The girl that rushed me today and I had probably the best conversation so far out of all the other houses. I felt such a connection here, and everything that she told me about her experience with this chapter and everything she's been through with her sisters made me long to make this chapter my home. This chapter doesn't have a house, but they are opening a brand new one this Spring. So instead of a tour, they showed us a video detailing the plan for their new house and all the preparation that has gone into it. I thought how exciting it must be to be this in this chapter, when they were about to have a brand new, house, beautiful house! Overall, I completely fell in love here. I hoped with all of my heart that I would get to return here for Prefs. Finally I went to DC Cupcakes. The girls here seemed excited to have me back too. They were all so sweet, so nice, but I still didn't really feel a connection here. Anyway, they took me on a tour of their house. They had recently remodeled it, so it looked great. Despite this, I still wasn't in love here either. I knew it was likely that I'd come back here for pref, so I decided to be as gracious and friendly as possible, despite the fact that this still wasn't my top choice. After this round, we ranked our top 3 for pref. I ranked them 1.Dexter 2. Sex and the City 3.DC Cupcakes Next up is Pref, then BID DAY! So close to the end!! :) |
Yay! Please post soon!
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Pref day is here!!
I was so so so nervous all night before pref day. I kept thinking about my conversation at Dexter and how much I wished I would get to go back there for Pref. Finally they morning came, and I met with my RC Rosie. She had a smile on her face as I came up to her, which relaxed me a little. She said "Soflogirl, I'm so happy to tell you that you're going back to Dexter!!!" I was so happy to hear that. She also told me that i was going to go back to DC Cupcakes, which I expected. My first Pref party of the day was Dexter, followed immediately by DC Cupcakes. All the girls attending Pref stood in a semi-circle waiting for sisters of Dexter to call them in. I was the third girl called, and I was so excited to see it was the sister that rushed me the previous day!! I almost teared up right there. She took me into the room where they would hold the ceremony. I noticed that there were only a few other girls in there with me, most of them were in two larger rooms set up with tables and chairs. She told me how she thought a lot about our conversation the last round, and how excited she was to have me back!! I was so excited and so happy to be back, and I told her this. She started telling me how she thought I was perfect for Dexter, and how she felt I would have so much to offer. I just had the biggest smile on my face the whole time. During the ceremony, the sisters all told stories about how Dexter had positively impacted their life. The girl that preffed me stood up and told a story too, smiling at me while she did. After the ceremony, I couldn't help it, I just jumped up and hugged her!! As I left, she said "I hope I get to see you tomorrow!!" I felt so strongly and so deeply that I belonged here. I was shocked by how connected I felt to this house, after not really having them on my radar most of the week. I couldn't stop smiling after I left this house. Next was DC Cupcakes. Like the past house, the girl that rushed me the previous round picked me up for Pref. The ceremony consisted of a lot of singing and guitar playing. It was sweet, but I just didn't feel the same sense of connection like I did at Dexter. My pref girl told me how much she wanted me to be there on bid day, and how she wanted me as her little(!?). It was nice of her to say those things, but I just didn't feel the same way. After it was over, I went to rank my two houses for bid day. Many girls were talking about suiciding. As I mentioned earlier, I suicided my freshmen year for one house. I don't know if this is true, and maybe some of you experienced GC-ers can clarify, but I've heard that by suiciding you can end up hurting yourself, because the computer can move you to the bottom of the houses' lists? I'm not sure exactly, but I heard a few things about this during Pref day. I remembered the torture of Bid day morning from my freshman year, waiting to see if I would get a call (and i did) saying I wouldn't be receiving a bid. So I decided I might as well just maximize my options, and if it was meant to be with Dexter, it would be!! So I put both chapters down, went home, and tried to relax before bid day!!! ~~Tomorrow is the big day!! Can't wait to share the end of my story!!~~ |
My imagination has been running wild with your TV show names. I imagine the Dexters draping their room with sheets of plastic and the people participating in the ceremony wearing elbow length rubber gloves and industrial plastic aprons. The ceremony involves a knife!
Good luck!! |
I'm loving this and I hope you end up in Dexter! Please post soon, I'm dying to find out
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If quota was 50, and you SIPed ABC sorority and did not get a bid, then you were not on their list of the top 50 girls they wanted (also called a 'first bid list'). If you had ranked all of the sororities where you attended pref parties (called 'maximizing your options') but were not high enough on any sorority's bid list to get a bid, then you would be added on to one of those sororities as an extra new member ('quota addition or QA'). Depending on your Panhellenic's recruitment policy, you might have gotten an 'extra' bid to any of your choices (some schools give you your first choice, some schools add QAs to the smallest chapters, some have other ways of figuring it out). Getting to be a QA is a reward for PNMs who have an open mind and rank all of their pref sororities, but would not have gotten a bid otherwise because they were not high enough on any chapter's list. |
Good luck...I'm glad you didn't SIP this year! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Dexter, but I'm sure both options will offer you a wonderful sisterhood experience.
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I'm really dumb with all this and was confused when talking about quota with a sister from another chapter where I helped with recruitment. She tried to explain this to me because I had a PNM just go through recruitment that needed clarification. Needless to say, I think I was pretty useless. So, please help me understand. If you rank the sororities like this: (1.) ABC (2.) DEF (3.) GHI and you maximize all your options by ranking all three and NOT just ranking two, then what does it mean if you get GHI? If you would have ranked it like (1.) ABC and (2.) DEF, would you have gotten ABC or DEF? Meaning, if you got (3.) GHI because you maximized all your options though you ranked it last, does that mean you were not high enough on the bid list for ABC and DEF and if you would have completely written off GHI, you would have not gotten a bid at all? I had a young woman ask me something about ranking like this that just went through recruitment at a school I won't name. I didn't know how to answer her. Thoughts? |
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If you are agreeing that my initial belief was right and she would have gone bidless, then I think I am much better at this than I thought and I did not give her the wrong information. Also, with this same scenario, she really liked DEF better than ABC but, she let the tent talk get to her and ranked the more popular ABC as her number 1 and DEF as her number 2. If she would have ranked it like this: (1.) DEF (less popular than ABC) (2.) ABC (3.) GHI then what? Would she have gotten DEF or still go to GHI? (or) (1.) DEF (less popular than ABC) (2.) ABC (3.) -------- and completely dropped GHI, would she have gotten DEF? She got GHI. I was bummed she got dropped from my organization but, I have told her to stick it out because GHI obviously wanted her and she should be thankful. I'm just trying to understand the logistics of it because if I can go back and say, "See, either way you would have gotten GHI or nothing so be thankful" I feel like she may be more open-minded to staying. Thanks for your input. :) |
If you rank three and get your third choice then you would not have received a bid at all if you had left your third choice off.
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Love your story! I can't to hear where you end up. So far your story is proof that if you keep an open mind to ALL of the houses and stay positive, you will most likely have a successful recruitment.
(Along with things like grades, recs, personality, impressions and such) |
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Where it gets hazy and unfortunately no one can answer with any clarity is what happens when you move into quota addition territory. Would she have gotten ABC, DEF or GHI? NOBODY knows. It seems that schools do it in a variety of ways and it seems all but utterly random. I think a lot of schools like to insinuate that you will get your first choice if you move into QA territory but that is not necessarily true. It COULD be true though. You also might get the smallest chapter of your 3, or you might get the weakest recruiting strength chapter (which is technical mumbo jumbo, especially at schools where size does not necessarily equal recruiting strength). And no schools, as far as I know, are divulging their methodology. It's like the RFM version of membership selection secrecy.
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Hoping no news today is good news??? Looking forward to an update:)
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Sorry for keeping y'all waiting, and thanks to all of you who clarified my question about SIP.
I know you all want to know how my story ends!!! Sunday morning was such a stressful time!! After meeting my rho gamma group, we went to our school's convocation. The whole time I couldn't even focus on the ceremony, I was so nervous!! It didn't help that a few girls that SIP-ed who ended up there already knew they got their top choice and couldn't stop freaking out with excitement!!! Finally the ceremony was over and we walked back to our spot where we would receive our bids. All the girls were already set up waiting to welcome us home!! I started shaking with anticipation, waiting to see what my future would hold! Finally Rosie started to hand out bids!!! She called us up by chapters. Each girl in my group seemed so happy with her bid!! But wait.. she called up DC Cupcakes, without calling up me! The girl in my group ran up, then said to me, "You didn't get DC Cupcakes! You got your first choice!" Even after she said that, it didn't really set in. Finally, she called up DEXTER!! Me and one other girl from my group got in!! We screamed, jump up and down, and put on our shirts!! We ran home... spent the rest of the day meeting our new sisters, and having a great time!! So want to know what chapter DEXTER is?! It is.... ALPHA PHI!!!! I am so happy to have found my home!! It's been great so far and I can't wait for whats to come for my next 3 years in college!! Just goes to show that sometimes the third time is the charm!! |
Congratulations
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I LOVE an Alpha Phi ending! Congratulations! Come introduce yourself in the Alpha Phi forum.
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