A Magical Live Disney Recruitment!
 

Hello! I have been lurking around the site for a few years now; learning as much as I could about recruitment, the different sororities and enjoying these recruitment stories. So now that I am going through, I have decided to share my own as it is happening! Well, mostly. I will be staggering these just incase someone in recruitment reads this and frowns upon it. My new school has nine sororities, and since I have a huge Disney lover I have decided to name the houses after some of my favorite Disney Princesses!

Snow White*
Cinderella
Aurora*
Belle*
Ariel*
Anna*
Rapunzel*
Merida*
Elsa*
* Denotes at least one rec letter

So first, some background about me! Sorry if I ramble on a tad, I feel like exposition is needed to pick up the story as it is happening now…

I am going through recruitment as a sophomore this year; I have transferred to a larger state school.

My first university did have sororities, and I was very excited about joining one! I was the girl that signed up on the first day registration opened in the fall and made note of every girl I saw around our miniature campus in letters. As the semester went on I was not enjoying my time at the school, it was too small! Smaller than my high school, I felt suffocated by the lack of people or things to do. On top of that my major program was not all I had hoped it would be. It was obvious by the time first semester ended that I needed to transfer to a larger school with a more established and respected program for my major. So I spent my Christmas break researching and applying for new schools.

When second semester began I was extremely torn– I had waited for years to go through recruitment but I didn’t want to join one of the four sororities on my campus and risk transferring to a school that didn’t have a chapter of my sorority, or had a chapter that I didn’t fit in with. I ended up going to the first night of recruitment but dropped the next morning when I finally made a decision. I wanted to have a chance to really be a part of my sorority, not to spend one semester as a new member before leaving and having to early alum. It was hard to drop and even harder to see my friends pledge without me. I know I made the right decision dropping and waiting for this year, but it didn’t make it any easier.

This summer I’ve gone practically dotty with excitement and I spent far too much time reading other peoples recruitment stories while fantasizing about what my own would be like. As per the advice I have received from friends who have gone through recruitment at large schools like my new one and from recruitment threads on here I have tried my hardest to keep an open mind about every house! My new school is in a different state and I personally know none of the girls in the sororities, I have taken this as a good thing since I will truly be going in with an open mind! I also worked hard to find rec letters to give myself the best chance coming in as an unknown sophomore.

Rush starts in about a week I am very very excited to finally start this process for real. While I am going to try to keep my mind as open as possible there are a few houses I want to note before this thing gets rolling…

Merida is the only house from my old school that has a chapter at my new school! Some of my best friends from my last school are Merida’s and they have a really wonderful philanthropy. They are very big in the south but don’t seem to have as large a hold in my new area. The only ‘tent talk’ I have heard so far (I know! I should not listen) is that Cinderella and Aurora are the top houses on campus. From their Facebook pages I know that they are filled to the brim with stunningly gorgeous girls, but from the talk around campus I have also heard that they focus far more on beauty than on personality plus have the highest pledge drop rate. I am not sure how to feel about this information, but I really admire both their organizations nationally and am looking forward to meeting both of them. One of my dear friends who was a year ahead of me in school joined Rapunzel a couple years ago and has had the most amazing time! I was super excited when I learned my new school had a Rapunzel chapter and I have thought about how great it would be if my friend and I became sisters! Lastly, as a girl, the first sorority I knew of was Elsa. As an eight year old enamored with the idea of sisterhood, this house and their symbols were ingrained in my mind. Whenever I thought about what a sorority might be like, I tended to imagine myself as an Elsa. I don’t know what they are like at my new school, but I admit I have very high hopes for Elsa!

I am so excited to see how my recruitment goes!!

P.S. My posts will be staggered just in case! You never know who is reading this or what they will think of my journey.

Regarding the bolded portion, you were wise to label this tent talk. This is the kind of "fact" that can really hurt chapters even if it is 100% false because it sounds scientific so it must be true. No one publishes pledge drop rates so it is rumor.

Good luck Allo. I hope you have a great time and that all works out in the end. I am looking forward to your story.

Good luck, Allo! I'm really excited for you :D

Good luck with recruitment. I'm gonna have to go for Ariel as The Little Mermaid is my all time favorite Disney movie!

Thank you for posting on a delayed basis - it really is better for you!

As for the princesses, I'll go for Snow White, since she was the basis for the Beatles' song Do You Want To Know A Secret?. Best of luck!

Quick Update! Recruitment is going well, I've gotten into the swing of things with the process. I'm excited to keep going! Thanks for the support!

Oh that's great to hear! Keep us updated :) I hope you find your home!

Looking forward to reading more! Keep the story going.

Glad to hear it's going well! Keep your head up and an open mind!

(BTW, is your user name a reference to "Labyrinth?")

Another update! Tonight is Pref and tomorrow is Bid Day!!!! Super excited. I have hit a bump tho, I have two classes, today and tomorrow that go until 6. Ive already discussed this with my Rho Gamma, but I am still a bit concerned about my schedule. Classes are just beginning and I don't want to be labeled a skipper before class even really starts, but I also don't want to mess up my recruitment or add more stress to it. I should be getting my party schedule any minute now, so fingers crossed!

Also, my username is not in reference to Labyrinth, but I do love the movie! I didnt even think of the connection!

I hope that your schedule did not conflict with your class-I will go out on a limb and say that often professors won't keep students for the entire class period on the first few days, so maybe you will get lucky.

I would say don't skip class for Bid Day...get there late if there is a conflict. If the professor isn't Greek-friendly, or doesn't view a celebration party as a good excuse, that wouldn't be a good way to start the semester with your professor. Plus, the decision is made at that point, so you wouldn't be affecting the results.

It's Over!
 

Bid Day has come and gone!! I don't want to give away any spoilers, but I will say that I am wearing a new shirt today! Under some advisement, I have decided to wait until next week to post my story. Just a precaution since I don't want to unintentionally upset anyone. So I will post it real time as it happened last week, next week!

I'm very excited to share my story with all of you!!

Congratulations!

Will be looking forward to reading your story next week.

You will write a great story. I like description that you are wearing a new shirt! Congrats!

Part One: Pre-Recruitment, "Meet The Greeks"
 

Today was an event officially called Meet the Greeks, but is known more as ‘Your REAL First Impression.’ This is a great event, for the girls who don’t know if they are going to rush make the last minute decision. But, for girls like me who already know they are doing recruitment it is the unofficial first day of recruitment. Its a way to make a good first impression on the different houses! They have already received my letters of recommendation, so this was my first chance to connect the person to the packet. It doesn't hurt you if you don’t get to a few of the booths, but the ones you do talk to count. So here it goes!

I started off talking to Rapunzel, I was a bit nervous about how to approach the booths, since they were out in the quad with people just walking by. The girls also seemed to be deep in conversations with themselves. But, when I walked by Rapunzel they pulled me right over! The conversation was really easy and seemed to just flow. I loved the girls I talked to and they seemed to really like me also. I was happy to be talking to them and I felt like they were happy to be talking to me!

Next I went over to Aurora. I wanted to be sure I talked to Aurora and Cinderella to kind of see what they were like in person! One of my roommates is an Aurora, and I’ve found that she is really sweet and I really like her. Unfortunately I just didn't get the greatest feeling for the girls at the Aurora booth. I just didn't really feel a connection, the girls I talked to the most seemed very disinterested wight he whole thing and talked like a TV host. Over all I thought they were a lot nicer then people made them sound, but I just didn’t get a great feeling leaving them.

Cinderella- After how it went with Aurora I was a bit more nervous to talk to talk to these girls. Everyone at the booth was very put together and they all looked beautiful! When I walked over three girls swarmed me immediately, it was great! These were the best conversations I had all day. We had a lot in common and it just seemed like I really fit with these girls. We commiserated on a certain contestant being sent home from a competition series, expelled on our shared devotion to dance and debated the various pro’s and con’s of wearing white and headbands during recruitment. After today I am super excited to see them at recruitment!

Elsa- This was the house I had dreamed of, wondered about and semi-obbessedly pictured myself as. It had been the picture in my mind since I was a kid, so I couldn't really help it! Thats why I was so disappointed by today, I had walked by them and even stepped up to their booth! But they never paid one bit of attention to me, not only to me but to any of the other girls who were buzzing around them. Over the entire time I was at the Meet, I never saw them do anything but chat animatedly to each other and take selfies. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon, but really disappointing to me and I’m sure to the other hopeful PNMs in attendance. However, I will say that I did have some really good interactions with a group of them earlier in the week when they had had a philanthropy sale booth up on campus.

Merida- It was interesting to see the difference between the Merida’s at my new school and at my old school. At my old school they were all very cool and hip, on top of trends, different types of interesting. They were everywhere and knew everyone. At my new school, even tho every sorority girl has been wearing lettered shirts each day, I hadn't seen a single Merida on campus! The girls at the Meet were very nice and seemed very excited to be meeting the PNM’s around, they just didn't seem all that interesting or interested. Very nice, but I’m not so sure I would fit in.

Belle- While I was speaking to the other chapters, I found my eyes being drawn to the Belles! They all seems to be having a really great time together and with the PNMs around. They were playing music very loud, lots of spice girls, and their booth was very bright. It just looked like a fun place to be! When I went over to talk to them they were all extremely enthusiastic, they were really fun to talk to and seemed like they would be a fun group of girls to be around!

Anna- Unfortunately, when I got to the Anna’s booth I looked at my watch and noticed that my class had just started. I had spent so much time at the Rapunzel and Cinderella booths that I had gone over my allotted hour and a half to spend at the Meet the Greeks! Since I was already at the Anna booth I quickly said hello to the girls, they introduced themselves and we exchanged some quick notes on recruitment excitement and the start of the year. It was a nice little conversation, but I didn't get much of a sense of them and I don’t think they got a sense of me either.

Unfortunately, as I was almost ten minutes late to class when I left the Anna booth, I didn't get a chance to visit the the Snow Whites or Ariels. I was disappointed that my poor time management skills prevented me from checking out these two booths, but I didn't want to miss any more class then I was already missing.

More more!

Part Two: Orientation and my Amazing Rho Gamma!
 

In my past week of being in my new city before recruitment started the weather has been perfect, sunny, pleasant and bright. Then this morning, the morning of orientation I woke up and looked out the window to see a dark grey day, wet but not rainy. On my way to class it felt like I was constantly walking through a mist! Not enough for an umbrella, but enough for it to be both unpleasant and very bad for the fate of my hair. All day I just thought, thats just my luck! Especially seeing as how I have an appointment for airbrush tanning a couple hours before orientation, I don’t know how the tan will every dry in this weather!

Orientation was held in one of the schools big auditoriums, and it was full. Like, really full. The sound of girls talking though out the hall gave the impression that auditorium was not full of girls, but full of twittering birds. All the girls sitting around me were freshmen, it made me feel absolutely ancient! My nerves were building as information began. Most of the actual information they gave I already knew, but then they played a video. It was a video produced my the Panhellenic national council, dare me to move was playing in the background. I was watching this video, when I suddenly realized my eyes were tearing up! I was so moved by the video, the words on the screen, the music, my own excitement and apprehension. I couldn't believe that I was actually crying, and recruitment hadn't even started yet!

I pulled myself together to meet my Rho Gamma’s and my Rho Gamma group! They talked and introduced themselves and we introduced ourselves to each other. I met another girl who was a sophomore also, we commiserated on how incredibly old we both felt. But the highlight of my night was meeting one of my Rho Gammas, for the purpose of this thread I shall call her Tinkerbelle! Tinkerbelle and I are kindred spirits, after everything was over I went up to ask them a couple questions and we hit it off right away! I absolutely love Tinkerbelle and I am secretly hoping that she is a really a Cinderella… and that I might be a Cinderella as well.

Party Three: First Datebook
 

A chilly morning, I woke up before the sun had risen and I couldn't contain my excitement! It was finally here, the first day of recruitment! They day where I would meet so many wonderful girls and my potential future home! I got to the meeting spot and there were girls clutching coffees and chatting anxiously to one another. I met up with my Rho Gamma group and it was time to begin!

My first house was Aurora, we stood outside their gargantuan house for almost ten minutes until they talked out. In perfect order and togetherness they stepped out two by two, made eye contact with one of us and took us inside. I talked to two great girls! The conversation seemed really easy and it just flowed. We had so many things in common, it was just easy. Then they began their song, and wow! The noise was so great and loud, I almost started to cry! I was to moved by everything happening around me. I didn't think I would, but I really loved Aurora! They were great and I really hope I get to see them again tomorrow.

The Merida and Cinderella houses are right by one another, I felt my heart when I saw the Cinderella house, it was the most beautiful piece of architecture I had ever seen. Then we talked by the Cinderella house and stopped at the Merida house. The whole time they were taking girls into the house I was looking jealously over at the girls being led into the Cinderella house, wondering when it would be my turn. I was double rushed at this house, the other PNM with my was quite a dud. They kept switching us out with a new girl every couple minutes! It made the conversations really choppy and I didn't get to connect with any of the girls. Right before they sat us down for their song, the Vice President of Membership came and talked to me! That was pretty cool. While I wouldn't mind going back to this house, I just didn't get the same feeling I had had at Aurora!

Next it was off to Anna, I didn’t know anything about this house, so I had no idea what to expect! What I didn't expect, was that I would fall in love. I felt so great at Anna, the girls were really cool and totally my style. So many people were complementing me on my outfit. I just felt really at home with them and in their house. Their songs were awesome and their moves were really in synch. I thought the floor might break they jumped so much! I didn't want to go when he party was over, all I wanted to do was to stay in their and keep talking with them. I will be so devastated if Anna isn't on my party list tomorrow, I really hope they liked me as much as I liked them!

We had a break then, Cinderella! I was so excited to be at Cinderella, the girls I talked to there where really great and they had a crazy cute video! I connected really well with the girls I talked to, we had really similar interests. I really really like Cinderella, but after their party I didn't leave with the same glow I had after leaving Anna.

Then Snow White, I was picked up by a girl who looked a little dazed. If that makes any sense. She didn't really seem to be in the moment, I’m sure she was just really tired but it wasn't a great start. The second girl I talked to a lot more, she had rushed as a sophomore as well! It was great to hear her experience. There were a lot of alumni milling around this chapter, they seen to be a smaller group, so alumni were doing things that girls had been doing at the other houses. Like with Merida, I wouldn't mind seeing them tomorrow at all, I just didn't really click with them.

I was really happy to be at Ariel next! They had a really different ways of taking us into the house, it was really fun and made everything seem like a party. Again I met crazy great girls! The conversation was really easy and fun and they seemed to be really happy to be talking to us. Their house was really old and beautiful inside, it almost looked like it came from a story book. Their songs were really fun and cute! I can totally see myself being an Ariel.

I had a bit of a trek to get to Belle from Ariel. The girl who picked me up first was one of the ones I had talked to during Meet the Greeks! She remembered me and the conversation we had then. I really loved the girls I talked to at this house and they had the cutest song and chant of the day! It was really clean and so memorable. I am hoping that I see Belle on my schedule for tomorrow!

I had been looking forward to Rapunzel all day! I was so excited to be there, but unfortunately it did not go great. I was one of the last girls called and I was paired with another PNM. The other girl immediately asked to use the restroom, so the active and I stood awkwardly in the hall outside the bathroom while all the other groupings were spread out outside and in the living room. When the other girl finally came out we were outside for less than ten minutes before the girl brought us into the other room to watch their perform an then to be led out. I only got to talk to one girl and the other PNM I was with was dragging everything down. I was so disappointed! I would like to go to Rapunzel again, but I am unconvinced that I will be invited back.

The last house I went to was Elsa. I was feeling the pain in my feet and starting to get very tired when I made it over to Elsa, but after what had just happened at Rapunzel I was determined to have a goo time at Elsa. Happily, I did! The girls I talked to were till really bubbly even after their long day and they seemed to like me as well! When they got to their performance, it was just as energetic as if it was the first party! They looked like they were having the most fun of the day, they were basically just having a big dance party with each other. I really wanted to join in with them!

Go Anna!

Part Four: Open House Round
 

I got to the meeting place bright and early! All dolled up and ready to start my day, I waited anxiously to get my schedule. When Tinkerbelle finally gave me my schedule and it read:

Rapunzel
Merida
Elsa
Snow White
Anna

Looking at my schedule I had conflicting feelings, I still had five houses which was good and better than some of the others in my rho gamma group! I had my favorite house of the day, Anna. I had Elsa! I was really really happy to see Elsa on my list. I also had Rapunzel, I was really pleasantly surprised that Rapunzel was on my list seeing as how I was pretty sure I wouldn't get invited back. I was very willing to give Merida another chance and was looking forward to seeing more of Snow White.

While I was pretty happy with my schedule, I was a little shocked that I had been cut by Belle, Cinderella, Ariel and Aurora! I really had thought that I made good connections with them and that they had liked me. I couldn't stop thinking about why they had cut me, what I had done wrong at those parties. Tinkerbelle reminded me that it was an honor to get invited back to the houses I did and that I did really well. The houses that had cut me had a reason to and in the end, if they didn't want me then its their loss! She told me to hold my head high, walk into the parties I did have with a smile on my face and rock it. In the end you only need one.

Rapunzel was up first. Yesterday I had been so disappointed by Rapunzel, I was skeptical about what I would find inside today. I loved all of it! Today I was so impressed by their philanthropy! Their house was really bright and beautiful, it was a house I could see myself in. I adored the girls I talked to today, I feel like I made real connections with them. I am really hoping that I will be returning tomorrow!

Merida came next, I was really sad looking down the street and seeing all the girls lined up outside of Cinderella. But I walked in I held my head high and tried to get a real feel of the house. I liked them a lot more this time! They had a really fantastic philanthropy. I liked the girls and I would be happy to return tomorrow, but I am still not sold on Merida.

Elsa, I couldn't wait to come back today! I was really happy that I still had them on my schedule and I was excited to learn more about their philanthropy. They even made their philanthropy party into a dance party. I was really happy to be there and I enjoyed my conversations with these girls as well!

Snow White was next on my list. I don’t have much to say about Snow White, they were nice and had a really great house, but I just didn't get any impression of them in general. I would be fine returning, but I am not confident with them.

Finally, I got to Anna! I had been waiting all day to go back and when I did I was not disappointed. They were the same as they had been yesterday, and I had the same great feeling. They were the only house that had a personal story connected to their philanthropy and the only ones that sang to us again. I will be absolutely devastated if I don’t return to Anna, right now all I can think about it going back to Anna.

Oh dear. She said dance party.

That was my first thought too :D

I don't think it's the school in question because that school as 14 sorories. :D

and the infamous dance party is round 1. But I'm wondering if you don't mind sharing more details of that party. Maybe it's a more positive thing than some of us are imagining.

The terminology and schedule identify the school; it's not the "dance party" school.

Oh, I KNOW it wasn't the "original" dance party school. I just figured we would get a chuckle out of that type of party being mentioned.

I can give you more details on that party round one! When I said, "dance party" I meant they didn't have a routine. During their songs and chants, most other chapters had a routine they performed with cute moves and lots of jumping. At Elsa, they didn't have a routine! They were literally dancing with each other, all kinds of fun things you would do with your friends at a party rather then in front of PNMs. I even daw one girl doing the shopping cart move! It was really funny and they seemed to just be genuinely having fun with one another rather then performing for us.

The same thing was happening in the second round, they had a room of the house where their philanthropy things were set up, in it they were blasting music so loud you could hear it walking up to the house. When I was brought in there were a ton of actives around the room dancing similarly to how they had during the first round.

Also, if you think you know what school I go to message me! Its fun to hear what you think.


As an aside, things are going very well in my new chapter! I am getting to know my pledge class and we are having a great time. I have an activity with my pledge class tonight! I will be posting my account of skit night when I get back tonight!

You have such a great attitude, Allo, I'm really proud of you and loving this story so far. Can't wait to see where you end up (and rooting for Anna) :cool:

Part Five: Skit Night
 

I waited anxiously all day for my party schedule, hoping and praying that I had been invited back to all five, but specifically to Anna. I couldn't keep my mind off it! Finally a mere hour and a half before my first party I got the message. It read:

Rapunzel
Snow White
Merida

My heart dropped. I felt sick. Anna had dropped me. Anna, had dropped me! I couldn't comprehend it, it was what I had dreaded and prayed with all my might wouldn't happen. I tried to look on the bright side, I still had Rapunzel! But no matter how much I tried to think about how much I had loved them yesterday my mind kept coming back to Anna and Elsa. Why did they drop me? Why didn't they like me? What did I do wrong? Questions kept rolling though my mind and I couldn't seem to stop them

I went to my first party at Rapunzel in the rain, it matched my gloomy mood. I was having a hard time shaking off my funk! Then they came out, all the girls in their skit outfits, smiling so warmly at us. I looked at them and remembered how much I had really enjoyed my time at Rapunzel the day before. I had a big smile on my face as I was lead into the house and sat down to watch their skit. I adored it! It was adorable, genuine and had an amazing theme. The girls were all so talented! I continued to talk to the same girl who had taken me in for the rest of the party, she was really sweet and excited about her house. As she lead me out she told me I reminded her of many of her sisters, I smiled ear to ear and told her that I really hoped I would see her tomorrow. I left Rapunzel glowing, I had a new hope that I could find my home in another house other than Anna.

I walked off to Show White, it was still raining outside but my mood was much improved. Snow White has been an underdog so far in my rush experience. They were nice everyday, fine, but not particularly special. Today I found something special in them: their sisterhood. They were so strong together! They had a great, diverse group of girls. They may not be the top dogs on campus, but they seem to really enjoy each others company. Their skit was a bit of a mess even! But they were having so much fun with it that I didn't really mind. Even though I hadn't been exactly thrilled with them the past could days, they kept inviting me back. I left thinking that they must see something in me, so I should open my heart to them.

Last I went to Merida. Merida had a really excellent skit! It was hilarious and really fit their personalities. I was laughing the whole time! I also enjoyed talking to the girls I did. I had a very good time at this house tonight, but I thought that Snow White had eclipsed Merida tonight.

I went to do my (useless) voting and I saw Tinkerbelle. When she saw me she walked up to me and asked how I was doing, I had told her that I was cut by Anna. Earlier in the day I had also done some digging, Tinkerbelle was an Anna. She came up and seemed genuinely concerned, she told me she was so surprised when she heard the news and that recruitment could be brutal. She gave me a hug and the tears started coming, everything hit me again. Next thing I knew I was crying in front of Tinkerbelle and all of the other girls voting in the large room. The tears felt like they came out of no where, but they seemed right at the time. It hit me that Anna had cut me and that Rapunzel could likely cut me tomorrow.

Oh no!! I hope not. I am so impressed that you gathered your wits after you received your invitation list and that you enjoyed yourself at all three sororities. I hope after your cry-and who doesn't need a good cry every now and then?- that you felt better and that you were able to appreciate what a great time you had at your parties. As we always say on GC, concentrate on the ones who invited you back. They really, really wanted to see you again!

You poor thing. You were really doing your best and maintaining a great attitude! Recruitment can be so stressful.

So glad you found a home! You really have your head on your shoulders. I am sure that you are a fabulous addition to your chapter. I can't wait to hear where you ended up!

I would love to hear the end of your story!

Allo
GreekChat Member
Last Activity: Today 09:02 AM


This person is still logging in. I wonder why she's chosen to not post the end of her story.

There may not have been a happy ending. Hopefully that's not the case, though.

Happy Ending in real life. No ending to this story....

Well, it's obvious I hadn't had my morning coffee yet when I wrote that. :o Thanks, ComradesTrue.

Unless something negative happened [in her new member experience] before she could finish the story. :(

I just don't get why someone would continue to log in, but not finish the story. :confused:

If someone knows the answer and it's not a 'secret' prohibition: Might she be discouraged from posting by her NPC group because she is not yet initiated?