JustHey's Rush Experience
 

SORRY FOR THE LONG POST!!!
Ok, well my first night of rush was Thursday night. But guess what, I did not know about it, so I did not attend. I didnt get any kind fo paper saying there would be a meeting, and I didnt see anything posted around campus. And good god, I LIVE on a sorority floor, and most of THEM didnt know about it. Anyways, I was afraid that I was going to have to drop out, but, I went to the Student Affairs office the next day, and they said that it was just an info meeting for girls who had not actually signed up to rush yet. So phew, I didnt miss anything.
Good thing I went up there, too. I found out some interesting info. First thing, I found out that only 75 girls had actually signed up AND PAID for rush. Last year they had 150 girls go through, so this worries me a little. I know that quota last year was 35, this year its going to be closer to like 20 if more girls dont sign up.
I also have some fears. The first party night is Monday. What we do is we all do little crafty projects out in this main area of campus at picnic tables while the sororities (i think only a certain number of girls from each sorority are allowed to attend) just come around and introduce themselves to girls. This is where the problem comes in. I live on the AOPi floor, and I am afraid that snice the AOPi girls already know me better than they should, that they are going to come up and talk to me, and then the other sororities will see all of them around, and not even want to talk to me bc they may think my mind is already made up. WHICH IT ISNT!!! I really have no idea where I want to go, and although I think the girls on my floor are GREAT girls, funny, pretty, smart, nice, etc, how do I know that I might not fit in with some other girls even better? AAAHHHHH. I hope there are rules about how long a sorority is allowed to talk to you or something.

Good luck Justhey!! I am glad that you got all that stuff straightened out. While going through rush just be yourself and follow your heat!! As for sororities talking to you during recuitment, outside the parties (that is if it is formal rush), they really aren't suppose to do that...but I am sure your recruitment leader will explain all that to you. So just relax and have fun meeting new people. We can't wait to hear the rest of your story!! Take care and remember to smile! :D

If registration numbers are low, then it means that sororities will be competing very hard for the few rushees, so be careful.

Yes, the sorority members on your floor should not be talking to you - if at all, it should only be dorm-related stuff "can you please unplug your hair dryer?" but what's nice is that at least you will see some famliar faces at their house.

Keep an open mind! That is most important.

Can you please post which school you're at and how many/which sororities are there? It makes it easy to follow your thread when it's posted near the beginning!

Thanks...and good luck!!! http://www.gamers-forums.com/smilies...y/biglaugh.gif

How do your parties go after Monday's first round? I would guess that even if many women from your floor talk to you on Monday, you would still have time to spend with women from other orgs. at other parties that week?

I'd love to hear more about how your rush goes, because it sounds different from most other rushes I've heard about here. Do you go to all the orgs. after Monday's round?

Hehe, just to clear some things up. Monday IS formal rush, and the sororities are supposed to talk to us, but instead of four separate parties hosted by each chapter, there is one big party held out in a main feild area where a select number of girls from each house come to the party with all the PNM's and talk to them. This is at least how I understand it will work (I didnt go to the info meeting, so it is obvious that I could be slightly confused as to how things work). After that, we go to normal parties starting Tuesday. Tuesday we will visit the four sorority floors. Wednesday, we will again go to all four of the chapters, but this time, it will be more of a party held in rooms in the University Center. Then Thursday is skit night, and we go to three chapters, then Friday is Pref night, and we go to two chapters, and Saturday morning is Bid Day!!!!

So yes, to answer valkyrie, I will get a chance to meet the girls in other houses on the party nights if I dont get too much of an opportunity on monday.

And KDonline. The houses on campus at Northeastern State are AOPi, DZ, Tri Sigma, and ASA, but I have not decided if I will use the actual sorority names when I post about the parties, bc I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings say, if i say on here that I liked XYZ the best, and put them first on my pref card, but then end up going ABC bc they bid on me and XYZ didnt (NOT to say I would just pledge ANY house bc they gave me a bid, but it might happen!!), I would just feel a little bad.

KDonline~ What do you mean if numbers are low they will be competing feircely for girls and to be careful? Wouldnt this work to my advantage? I dont understand!

What I meant was that if 75 girls are registered & there's an even distribution between the 4 sororities, that leaves about 18 per house. Quota may or may not be that number - I don't know how it's figured.

Yes, it can work to your advantage because if quota is 18 or lower, then you have an excellent chance of getting a bid at any of the houses.

So, the houses have 18 girls they need to pick to make quota. Odds are that all of them will be after the same 30 or so rushees - this is where the sororities will have to "sell themselves" - this is how the rushee makes her decision too, of course.

The thing is, if any sorority members talk to you outside of rush, this can be construed as "dirty rushing" - this is what you need to be careful about.

Justhey, good luck! :) With only 75 PNM's going through, it'll be easier for you to stand out.

Good luck justhey! ;) Even if you're not using the names I am so excited to finally read a rush story with ASA in it!

As far as the big party where the sorority members circulate around to the PNM's, I'm betting that (even though it might not be visible) that the amount of time the sisters spend w/ PNM's will be strictly timed, and even more so if the number of PNM's is lower than last year. About how many students are at Northeastern anyway?

YEAH-- finally 33girl and I are getting some ASA stories-- I won't be offended if you talk about ASA. You'd be any in any of the 4 houses I think. :)

This just in...175 ladies are signed up for recruitment at NSU as of noon today! Yeah! There may be more, though...PNMs have until 5:00 today CST to sign up!

Just finished today. Like sailboatgirl said, we got lots more girls, up to about 175, which, from what I understand, is a record. So that is really exciting. all of the PNM's and Rho Chi's met in the "Spirit Pit" and got into four groups. Then, we walked around the town and colleceted cans for the Tahlequah Food pantry. It was a whole lot of fun. I met a really nice girl from ASA, and a nice girl from DZ. I didnt really get a chance to meet anyone from another sorority, seeing as my group split up to gather more cans efficiently (it was a competition to see who could get the most cans), but, there is pleanty more time for that once parties start tomorrow night. I was soooo nervous last night that I was just POSITIVE that I was not going through rush, but today really eased my mind, and I think I am going to have a lot of fun.
All in all, I am having fun, and I am really looking forward to tomorrow night!!!!!

Have fun tomorrow night. Remember, be yourself.
Try not to get too nervous and stuff...lol

I'm so glad that you had a nice time last night! You'll meet a few more members tonight during floor night and tomorrow night you'll meet all the members of each sororities when parties start!

Once again, good luck!

justhey76,
Good luck with recruitment, you have great chapters to get to know. I can't wait to hear about the rest of your experience!

Ok. So tonight was floor night, and I had the best time ever. I went from being totally nervous, to being totally calm. I felt like one of the calmest girls around, actually.

The night started out with all of the PNM's and Rho Chis meeting in the University Center, and dividing into groups. I was really excited about my group because there is this one girl that I always see around campus, and I knew she was a Rho Chi because they have to wear like certain outfits and stuff, and she is really really nice, so I was TOTALLY pumped to be in her group.
The first floor I went to was the ASA floor, and I think it might be one of my favorites so far. I was really impressed with how all of the girls were dressed so nicely. We walked into the door to so many beautiful, sweet women singing and clapping at us and we were lead into the chapter room where the girls who were selected to show us around introduced themselves to the group (only about ten from each chapter are allowed to show yu around on floor night). Then we divided into smaller groups, and one of the girls from the chapter came and found a group of about three or so girls and took us around. I was so excited when my girl came and found me. Her name was Traci and she is the chapter president. She was really sweet, and she showed me and another girl around the floor.

My next Ffloor was the AOPi floor. This is the floor I live on, so there was nothing really new. These girls are very cute and they were all wearing matching baseball-esque AOPi shirts and they looked totally cute. I was taken around with a girl that I LOVE that lives on my floor, and it was so nice to be able to carry on a more "real" conversation with her, since I kind of already knew her.

The next floor I went to was the Sigma floor. It a very pretty floor, and I was impressed with how personable all of the ladies were. I also loooved how my girl took me around and told me things that seemed really aplicable. I feel like I learned the most about this sorority. She mentioned something about a door that they don't like people to touch bc it involved thier ritual or something, and I was really excited to hear how sacred they kept it, and how important it was to them (not to say that the others dont, but the Sigmas were the only ones who mentioned how important it was to them tonight).

My last foor was theb Delta Zeta floor. I was taken around by the chapter president in this house too, and although, I know that may mean absolutely nothing, it made me feel very special that she was so nice to me. I loved all of the beautiful pink and green on the floor and the whole atmosphere was just so bright and cheery!! I was glad to have this as my last floor because just when I was starting to get tired and ready to get back to my room and crash, I walked into this beautiful bright hall with sweet ladies all smiling at me and it was just a perfect way to end the night.

Anyways, no REAL favorites yet, its just too early to tell. Tomorrow we go to all four chapters again, this time in party rooms in the University Center. I'm really hyped to see how things go tomorrow, and I am excited to start making some descisions after tomorrow night!!!!!

Thanks for the update, JustHey! I can't wait to hear about tonight, I hope you have another great evening.

Christin

good beginning
 

sounds like an outstanding start...
keep your mind and your heart open and see how the week plays.
lol
:D

Good Luck, and have a great week. I can't wait to read how everything is going :)

Good luck! I can't wait to hear more about your RUSH experience :)

Kerry

Sounds like you are approaching this with an open heart. Enjoy yourself the next few days and keep us posted.

We have to feed our recruitment addiction somehow:cool:

Greek love,
Melissa

I hope that she gets back to us soon, I want to find out how it's going! ;)

Ok. Sorry it took so long, but I wanted to wait until I got my invitations back to tell you guys what is going on.

Last night I went to four parties for info night. The first party I went to was AOPi, and I was very happy that that was my first party because I was really REALLY nervous, and knowing those girls a little better helped me transition into party night a little smoother. I had LIPSTICK on my teeth when I first walked in, and luckily, the girl told me. We got to see some slide shows (and ps, I saw slide shows at every party, but I think I was most moved by this one). I got to learn all about the panda, and why it is thier symbol, so that was really cool. I also learned that AOPi started bc a jewish girl was not accepted into a sorority, so she formed a new one, so thje AOPis were telling us that they are based on diversity, and looking at thier girls now, I can say that they are keeping to that, because it is a very diverse group of girls.

The next party I went to was the DZ floor ***EDITED I put house origionally, but it is floor, NSU does not have houses*****. I am definitely starting to fall in love with them I think. These girls are SO cheerful and sweet. I didnt have any trouble carrying on a conversation with my girl, who was the same girl who took me around most of the first night. I told her about some of my high school activities, and was happy to learn that they have a very high GPA, and SEEM (notice, obviously I dont know everything about every sorority, but from what I have observed so far) to take their studies a little more seriously. And they have a great partner program where you pair up with an older girl in the house (not the same as big lil, although, im sure that girl could end up being your big) who has close to the same major as you, and she helps you out, and tells you the best professors and everything!!!

The next party I went to was ASA, and they have been a favorite of mine all along. I met some of the girls that I had talked to the night before, and then, I was taken around by a new girl, who introduced me to TONS more girls. So that was really cool that I got to meet lots of girls from the chapter. I met more girls in that party than I have met in all of Rush combined.

THe last party that I went to was the Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority. I like these girls a whole lot, and actually, I found out tonight that there are lots of girls from my home high school that are in Sigma, and lots of girls from my HS that are PNM's want to go Sigma really really badly. Although I really like these girls, and they seem really put together, I think that this was a turn off more than a turn on. I am in college now, and I want to broaden my horizons I think. I know that there are many other ways to do that if I was to pledge Tri Sigma, but something tells me that this sorority may not be for me. The girl who took me around didnt seem to talk to me very much at all, and, actually I was really nervous that she might not like me or something, which leads me to invitations, and my big shock.

I just now went to get my invitations and somehow, I was invited back to all four. I was pretty shocked to get invited back to Sigma, because I was just sure that the girl hated me and thoguht I didnt click well with the chapter at all. Then I had to debate, and pick only three parties to attend tonight. I debated for a long time over which to eliminate. last night and all this morning, I just assumed that I would be cut by Sigma, and then I wouldn't have to make a descision on which three to attend today, because I would only have three or less invitations. But, after I found out that all four invited me back, I went into complete and total panic. I was worried now that maybe the girl DIDNT like me, but they wanted to give me a second chance with another girl tonight. Maybe i just read too much into how the girl acted because it was the last party annd we were ALL exausted. After much deliberation, this is how I legitimized (is that a word?? hehe) to myself. I know I was comfortable in AOPi, and even a bit emotional, I KNOW that I was comfortable with the DZs, and I KNOW I was comfortable in ASA. I wasnt sure about Tri Sigma, and isnt comfort what this is all about? Seeing these girls as potential sisters? It shouldn't be this hard to choose, and I shouldnt have had to read so much into the Sigma party. So that is how I made my desicion to accept invitations to AOPi, ASA, and DZ for tonight, and decline my invitaion to Tri Sigma.

I am sad about not going back to thier party tonight though. Sailboatgirl was supposed to be there, and I would have really REALLY liked the chance to meet her, since we couldnt really meet outside of rush.

Anyways, I am way stressed out now about my invitations, but, I am very confident in my descision, so I will let that soothe me. I am REALLY looking forward to skit night tonight. I am also really looking forward to wearing the outfit I have planned for tonight, it is one of my favorites!!

Sorry this was so long, and ps, hootie, I go to Northeastern State, in OK.

Have fun tonight! Looking forward to hearing more details.:)

Justhey,

If you declined Tri-Sigma with interest, and they invite you back to another round, you can accept that invite and decline another. That's up to you, though. I know that some houses on some campuses will invite girls back even tho' those PNMs dropped their house.

You are keeping a very open mind and that's great. Just relax and have fun!

Congrats on your invites! http://www.gamers-forums.com/smilies.../corkysm60.gif

justhey - I'm so glad you got to meet a lot more ASA's (hey, I am entitled to a little bias!) and that's awesome about your invites. Keep us posted, I'm glad you're having such a good time! :D

Glad to hear that you had a good time at all the houses. I can't wait to hear more. :D

Congrats on being invited back by all 4 houses. Keep having fun and keep us posted! :)

Congrats on being invited back to all four houses. It sounds like you are looking at this the right way- you definately want to be comfortable with your sorority, it is a lifetime involvement.

As for not meeting Sailboatgirl, there is always after rush to do it. Just because you join a GLO doesn't mean you can't have friends in other GLO's.

Have fun!!

Melissa

Ok!! I just got back from my parties, and I am totally hyped. Last night, I had a good feeling about my desicion, but tonight, as of this moment, I don't know what I am going to do yet. I hope one (or more) houses will cut me so that I dont have to make the desicion, because sometimes, I think that the sisters might know better than you where you fit in.

My first party of the night was Delta Zeta. It was skit night, so the theme was Delta Zeta County Fair and everyone looked sooooo cute. They served root beer floats, and we played little games before the skits like pin the tail on the donkey. I definitely had a really good time here and I was completely at ease, and didnt really have to read into anything that went on, so I dont have too much to say about it. I am positive that DZ will be one of my choices to go to Pref, if they invite me back. I fall more and more in love with them every time I see them.

My second party was Alpha Omicron Pi, and they did a Grease skit. It was, by FAR, the best skit (and it was TOTALLY hilarious) I saw all night and not that the skit is the most important part, or that it should be the deciding factor, but it was obvious that not only did these girls REALLY care about thier skit and trying to impress PNMs, but they also looked like they were having a TOTAL blast and really enjoying themselves. That really reflected well on them because it was nice to know how much they cared, and how comfortable they felt around each other. I don't know between them and ASA which one I would like to attend tomorrow.

My last party of the night was Alpha Sigma Alpha, and these girls never cease to impress me. They again looked SO put together, and if they were fake or not (I had heard some of the other PNM's in my group talking about how the ASA's were fake and superficial) I could not tell. I saw genuine love and support for each other, and I felt like they genuinely enjoyed getting to know me as well. Their theme for the night was ASA paradise and it was of course, very cute. They put leis on the PNM's and they served punch with little umbrellas in the glasses, and it was really cute.

It is going to be very difficult to make my choices tomorrow. I see girls in every chapter that I would be honored to call my sisters, and many that I could see as lifelong freinds. I don't find out my invitations and make the cut (if needed) til tomorrow afternoon, but I will try to get an update of where I am going for Pref night tomorrow night before the parties start.

Thanks everyone for all of the encouragement, but now I am off to eat, and see if MTV is running the VMA show again (I know they will run it like eighty five times more!!), since I was rushing tonight and I missed it!!!

I forgot, I do have one more thing to say that brings me the most concern. I live on the AOPi floor, and have kind of gotten to know the girls (way better than I should, I am sure) and I am absolutely in love with some of them. This has REALLY stressed me out over the past week. On one hand, I really like them, but only bc they have an unfair advantage. I already KNOW what the "real" AOPis are like. Does that make sense? It is easier to like them and feel comfortable with them because I already KNOW them. Thi has just totally strained me and I am confused about what to do. If I would have lived on another floor, I would have felt the same way about them, REGUARDLESS of "where my heart told me to go". I think it is completely unfair to put PNMs on a Sorority floor, especially with all of the silly rules they have. All, and I do mean ALL of the other rushees that live on the AOPi floor (there are three others) want AOPi, and I am not sure that I do, just for the simple fact that I am trying to be as objective as possible throughout all this. And, what if I DONT pick them? I still like these girls, and I know that I will probably move to whatever sorority floor I pledge, but they will be insulted. They already told me (in the least infraction way as possible) that they would always be my freind no matter where I went, but that they might be sad if I moved off the floor and on to another one (and please for god's sake, if you do go to NSU, please do not try to get a rush infration on them. They did NOT say anything about AOPi, so I really dont think there was anything wrong with what they said, at least as far as the rules are concerned). I dont think this is fair for several reasons. AS much as I may like them, I would like to live with my sisters!! I dont want to miss out on all of the sorority fun just bc I dont live with my sisters!! Anyways, That has put a whole lot of stress on me the past few days, and I am really having a hard time trying to keep an open mind and decide what to do tomorrow.

Good luck on making your final decision! It's great that you've gotten so far, already. Have fun for the rest of rush, and please keep us updated!

XOXO,
Annie.

JustHey,

All I can suggest is to listen to your heart and to your mind and let them both lead you to where you feel is best for you, now and for a lifetime. It's good that you are trying to do all that you can to keep an open mind. It sounds like everyone will truly be happy for you regardless of what you decide (I know I'll be thrilled for you, the thought you're putting into your choices so far will benefit you well in whichever group you do pledge!) Please, make the choices that are best for you.

There's nothing wrong with already knowing chapter members or about a sorority on campus and there's nothing wrong with wanting to get to know as much as possible about all the sororities. Sure, of course I'm biased :) The very best of luck when you get your invitations today, because it sounds like you visited three great sororities yesterday. Have a wonderful time at your parties, wherever go you!

Christin

JustHey,

I can only speak from my experience, but I thought it might help...
I went throught Recruitment as a sophomore. My freshman year I lived on a floor with four Sigma Kappas. They were the sweetest girls and, besides my best friend who is in a fraternity, they were a part of the reason I caved in and rushed. I was pretty sure I was going to join Sigma Kappa but I wanted to go through Structured Recruitment anyway for the experience. From day one, I knew there was something about Alpha Gam that I just couldn't put my finger on. Of course, every day I loved Sigma Kappa too...they rushed me very hard and every girl I met I got along with famously...but every day there was that little Alpha Gam voice in the back of my head. When I joined Alpha Gam, everyone was shocked but they all supported me.

My point is that usually there is that little voice inside your head. Whether or not the AOPi girls have an "advantage" doesn't matter because if you feel like you need to be somewhere else, you'll probably feel it. The hard part is acknowledging the little voice. Everyone says follow your heart, but more importantly follow your head. Ultimately you'll make the best decision for you, whether it's DZ, ASA, or AOPi. Good luck and have fun! ;)

JustHey-
You definitely have a dilemma on your hands. It's understandable that you don't want to sell yourself short or wonder if you are missing out on other houses if you go AOPi. But think of it this way.....you *know* that your comfortable with those girls. You just haven't seen their "rush" faces, but know them as people. LeslieAGD's story is a great counterpoint that things can work out in the other direction, so to speak.

Also, I think it's smart that you aren't letting the other PNMs' opinions of ASA color your own. Besides, they may just be jealous of how put together the ASAs are and are worried they won't get a bid there!

Good luck! I'm very excited to hear what decisions you'll be making. :)

JustHey,

It sounds like you are having an extremely successful Rush! I know that you're torn about AOPi since you live on the same floor, but I'm really proud and happy to hear that you're being objective and keeping an open mind. :) If the girls told you that they will still be your friends if you go somewhere else, then believe them and follow your heart.

When I was in school, I had several sisters who had some of their best friends in other organizations, and lived with them for years. One in particular had 2 ADPi roommates and a Phi Mu roommate all at once! :D So, don't worry about what your AOPi friends will think when you sit down with those bid cards. If they are truly your friends then they will continue to be, regardless of where you end up on Bid Day. :)

Anyone who is a member of a GLO understands that pledging a sorority is a personal decision, and isn't one that should be influenced by others. From what you've told us, I really think that your AOPi girls will respect whatever choice you make. The hard part will be narrowing down your choices, because it sounds like you've got some great houses on your campus! ;)

Reminds me of that song that goes... "It's your thing, do what you wanna do..." :D :D :D

Good luck!

justhey -

Do not worry about the fact that you feel close to the AOII's because you live with them - that's completely understandable. IMO, you have gone way beyond what a lot of rushees would do by keeping such an open mind and being so positive about the other groups! A lot of people would say "well here I am on the AOII floor, and I like them a lot, so I'm just going to concentrate on AOII because that makes things easier."

and as everyone else has said, if the AOII's are as nice as they sound, they won't shut you out or be too upset. I remember one of my dorm-mates from one of the other sororities I preffed running up to me when I got my bid, giving me the world's biggest hug and saying "you made a great choice." That meant the world to me.

just follow your heart and be honest and open and everyone involved will win. :D

Justhey--I'm sure that the pnm who said the ASA's were fake are confused. After doing the skit so many times, asking pnm's the same quesitons, it bgeins to get wearing and we still need to keep a smile on our face. That is too bad that the those girls have a negative impression of ASA, but just realize everyone has a different set of eyes and we see things differently.
I can't wait to hear where you are going this afternoon!!!!