Arrested Recruitment
 

With schools preparing for/finishing up recruitment, I thought it might be fun to share my recruitment story from last winter! I attend a large school in the Northeast with 8 NPC sororities, and although I had prepared by stalking GreekChat, I hadn't gone to any Meet the Sisters events or secured any recs (except for my aunt's sorority). In addition, my best friend had just gone through rush at a certain insanely competitive Midwestern school, had SIPed, and had not received a bid. With this in mind, I started rush knowing any bid was a bid I would accept, to keep an open mind, and to not, under any circumstance, suicide!

I'll be calling the chapters after characters in my favorite TV show, Arrested Development!

BUSTER: This was the house every PNM wanted going in. I didn't know anything about their philanthropy, sisterhood, or vibe, but I was intrigued.

MICHAEL: Going into rush, I thought Michael was my home. There was a religious connection, I loved their house, and I had met many empowered strong Michael sisters I looked up to first semester. Before rush even started, I anticipating running home to Michael.

LINDSAY: Lindsay was the newest sorority at my school. All I had heard about them was that they didn't have a house during recruitment (although they would the following school year).

TOBIAS: Tobias is very strong nationally, and I had Tobias friends at many other schools. However, their reputation wasn't as strong at my school, and I had heard some unflattering things from other PNMs.

GOB: Gob was also very strong nationally, but had a stigma at my school. I really connected with their philanthropy, and was excited to hear more about their charity work!

GEORGE MICHAEL: I knew a lot of PNMs wanted George Michael, but I wasn't connecting with their philanthropy and didn't feel I would fit in. They did have one of the prettiest houses, and I was excited to go in!

MAEBY: This was my aunt's sorority, and I got the feeling it would mean a lot to her if I pledged. However, this was considered one of the 'top' houses and had a reputation for attracting partiers. I wasn't sure if I would fit in here, or if they would be able to see me as a potential sister.

LUCILLE: Lucille was another house that I was attracted to before recruitment. I loved their philanthropy, I had met a lot of amazing Lucille women first semester, and their house was absolutely the most gorgeous on campus.

Up next... first round!

Love your theme! Did Buster serve juice?

Well, crap. From your title I thought you got thrown in jail during recruitment and thought, “Now, that’s gonna be a good one!” ��

If she had gotten thrown in jail during recruitment, she could have called it a Live PD recruitment. :p

Or "Cops"! Bad boys, bad boys... :D

Watch out for hop-ons. You're gonna get some hop-ons.

Watch out for hop-ons. You're gonna get some hop-ons.

And guess what! My daughter ( Fsuzeta's daughter's rush) made us grandparents 7 months ago and we are "Gangee and Pop Pop". For real.

Haha, I didn't realize how clickbaity this title was! Spoilers: I do not end up in jail at the end of rush :eek:

My first round would be split into four houses one night, and the next four the next morning. I wore our recruitment shirt, jeans, and a pair of high black boots that started killing my feet before we even got to the first house- not my smartest decision!

TOBIAS: This was my first house of the night, and it took me a few minutes to get acclimated to the insanity of rush. They had all PNMs in one room, which meant we were all screaming, but I felt confident here. The actives I talked to were all enthusiastic and energetic, and stressed that they had one of the highest GPAs on campus once they learned I was in my school's Honors College. However, I remember feeling like these girls latched onto every joke I made, would laugh excessively, and would then repeat my joke to the next girl who came to bump. It felt almost a little uncomfortable instead of flattering, and I left Tobias feeling like either they were insincere, or they wanted me more than I wanted them.

BUSTER: Every girl in my Pi Chi group was terrified as we stood outside Buster, which in turn amped me up. I spent my round here almost in awe- the house, decorations, and sisters were all equally stunning. Although I was intimidated, I had a great conversation with an active here. It stayed pretty surface level, but we laughed a lot and connected over our major. Their recruitment video was gorgeous and really showed off their sisterhood, and I really saw myself here. I left kicking myself for not getting a rec for this chapter.

LINDSAY: My next party was Lindsay, our newest chapter. The very first girl I talked to was the former president, and the next two were both in the Honors program I was so uncomfortable talking about at other chapters! All three of these woman felt like people I was already friends with, but I was cautious because the chapter was so new. I was very caught up with them not having a house, and was aware of the extra work the women in Lindsay do to establish themselves. I loved the sisters, but felt I might miss out on some of the things I had been imagining in my sorority experience. I left feeling almost guilty over my torn feelings about Lindsay.

MAEBY: Like Buster, this was another top-recruiting house that I had an amazing time at. Although I had previously assumed this chapter wasn't right for me because of their reputation as a party sorority, I met some super fun and down-to-earth girls. I talked to a sister who was not only from my hometown, but had danced at my studio's "rival studio", which meant a lot to me because I live very far out of state. This was my aunt's house, and throughout this party, I kept thinking of how special it would be to pledge her sorority. This sorority had a super cute theme with a centerpiece that every PNM was talking about the next day, and I was so drawn to the high energy these sisters had! I could see myself fitting in with these girls, and started to rethink my assumptions about Maeby.

I went to bed, kicked off my shoes, and went straight to bed until the next morning, where I started with...

GEORGE MICHAEL: I had been lukewarm on them prior to recruitment, and that feeling continued during my party here. I was paired with an active who, while in my major, had almost nothing in common with me, and who seemed pretty unenthusiastic. She couldn't really explain their philanthropy, and just kept returning to the theme and decorations (which, to be fair, were beautiful and looked time-consuming). It felt like every other girl in my Pi Chi group walked out raving about how badly they wanted to be a George Michael, but I couldn't wait for the party to end. However, they had a gorgeous house and a great reputation on campus. I couldn't shake the feeling that maybe my aversion to George Michael was "wrong".

LUCILLE: Waiting to enter Lucille that morning, I couldn't stop staring at their house- it was the most beautiful one on campus. My party was fairly unmemorable here, as conversations stuck to surface level and I didn't really connect with any of the actives. I didn't have a bad time here by any means, but I didn't really fall in love with Lucille either. From my friends in Lucille, I knew there was so much more to the chapter than what I saw during this party.

MICHAEL: This was it. Every girl in my Pi Chi group knew this was the house I'd been raving about all weekend, and the one I couldn't wait to visit. I walked in with my game face on, running through all my recruitment tips, but all my conversations just seemed to fall flat. At one point there were three actives talking to me, who were roommates, and ended up just telling each other stories about parties freshman year. I could see one girl rolling her eyes at her friend when she was bumped. I didn't feel like I made any connection with any of the actives, and couldn't see these girls as my future sisters. I left pretty dejected and ready to be done with rush for the weekend. However, I still had one house left for the day...

GOB: I had heard a lot of negative tent talk about this chapter, which had unfortunately colored my opinion of the sisters before we even walked inside. I talked to two different actives at this chapter, who were roommates and mostly talked about each other. The second girl I talked to here wasn't very talkative, which led to a lot of dead space and awkward silences. While I really liked their theme, the room didn't feel very welcoming and I didn't feel any real warmth or connection with this chapter.

When it was time to rank, I spent a lot of time wondering where George Michael and Michael would fit. I had listened to other girls rave about George Michael all day, and I had been so attached to Michael before this round that it felt hard to drop it. On the flip side, I hadn't considered Lindsay as an option for me before this round, due to how new they were on campus, but I had felt so at home with the sisters. Unfortunately, I let other people influence my opinions too much. I ranked (and immediately regretted)

1. BUSTER
1. MAEBY
1. LUCILLE
1. MICHAEL
1. GEORGE MICHAEL
2: LINDSAY
3: TOBIAS
4: GOB

I love this!! That's adorable.

After sitting through the whole week on edge, I was thrilled when I got a call from my Pi Chi telling me to go pick up my schedule. Looking at my parties, I had a full schedule consisting of....

TOBIAS
LINDSAY
MAEBY
LUCILLE
GOB

I was a little stung by the loss of BUSTER, but my Pi Chi reminded me that top-recruiting chapters make every PNM feel equally at home during recruitment, and I didn't take it personally. I was unsurprised to not see Michael or George Michael on my list, and I was thrilled to have another chance with Lindsay, who I regretted not ranking higher last round. Overall, I knew I was extremely fortunate that five sororities liked me enough to invite me back. I got a good night's sleep, put on my business casual (black skirt, purple top, and cardigan- in retrospect, not my best choice and I wish I would have put more thought into this outfit), and got ready for my first party!

MAEBY: My Pi Chi was standing outside this chapter when I arrived, and she didn't do a great job at hiding her surprise when I told her I was invited back. I didn't have the stereotypical "look" of a Maeby, but I had a wonderful time there first round and considered myself lucky to be back. However, this round wasn't as smooth. The party was an hour long, split into two parts. The first half of the party I spent talking to the same girl. I watched other bump groups function, but the active I was talking to was never bumped, and we talked for over half an hour. I wasn't sure if this was a standard rush hiccup, but the insecure part of my brain wondered if they didn't see a point "wasting" other sisters on rushing me. However, their presentation on finances and the house tour made me feel more at home, and I honestly connected with the other PNMs at the party than the sisters. I was thinking that if these were the kind of women in a Maeby pledge class, I'd fit right in. Their philanthropy was something that had impacted my life and my family, and I shared that story with another girl who had experienced the same thing. I left this party on a rush, but having the nagging feeling I was only invited back because of my aunt's recommendation.

LINDSAY: I went to Lindsay determined to forget what I'd heard and trust my instinct. Just like last round, I had a great time with these sisters. I spoke to a little/big/Gbig, and was really touched by how genuine and close their bond seemed to be. One girl and I particularly clicked, and had a ton of fun joking around during their sisterhood video. I was also interested in their presentation about the house they'd be getting in the fall! Their philanthropy was something I had done work with before, and I once again could see myself as a member of this chapter. I just felt so comfortable with the Lindsay sisters!

TOBIAS: The Tobias party involved a craft, which I messed up- yikes! Here I talked to a few girls who had been very involved in the chapter leadership, but we didn't quite click. One woman, when hearing my dorm, immediately asked if I knew her best friend, who lived down the hall from me. Yes, I knew her, but we didn't get along at all, and this (unfairly) bothered me a little. Another sister asked about my high school activities, and then said "wow, you were involved! I can definitely see you being the future Tobias president." Like last week, I left Tobias thinking were laying on the flattery a little thick, and I hadn't made any genuine connection.

LUCILLE: I didn't feel the magic here last round, but the second I walked in the door, I felt like I was at home. The first sister I talked to was a girl I knew from a club who I'd almost forgotten was a Lucille! The theme was as elegant and beautiful as the house, and we got the cutest little drinks (which I was way too afraid to drink haha). However, I had a few hiccups here- she asked me what my schedule was for that round, which I almost wish I hadn't shared (she got a little close to trash talk about certain chapters I was returning to and got awkward about others, and commented on my full schedule). The girl who bumped her was the exact image of someone I wanted as a sister- we connected over a slightly obscure TV show we were both obsessed with, loved the same kind of music, and shared a major. We sat through the philanthropy video together (which made us both cry), and had a deeper conversation about this organization and the way it made Lucille sisters better people. This sister was exactly who I wanted a sorority to help me become, and I left Lucille swearing this would be my home on Bid Day. Everything about this chapter was perfect for me.

GOB: Anything following Lucille wasn't going to be my best party, as I had fallen in love and was also beat (this was the last party of the night). However, Gob was extremely underwhelming. I was paired with a sister I had talked to first round who had an extremely difficult time carrying a conversation, and I almost felt like I was counting down the seconds here. The last sister I talked to was a lot of fun and did a great job of sharing the things she loved about Gob, but my mind was on dinner and bed. Maybe because I was so tired, on the way up a flight of stairs my shoulder knocked a big metal letter they had on the wall, which sent the other two tumbling off the wall on top of me! I wasn't sure who was more embarrassed- me or the active. I took this as a sign that me and Gob weren't meant to be.

Going to rank, I again faced a hard decision. While Lucille was by far my top choice, I was torn whether to rank Maeby or Lindsay as my next pick for pref round. While I felt more wanted and confident at Lindsay, Maeby sisters were the kind of women I aspired to be. I ranked

1. LUCILLE
1. MAEBY
2. LINDSAY
3. TOBIAS
4. GOB

Were Lucille's drinks Vodka Tonics? ( sorry; I couldn't resist)

Fun fact: our daughter (our oldest child) and son both attended Samford University in Birmingham, Al. Fall her freshman year, she called all excited and said she had seen Buster Bluth at the student Union. It was homecoming weekend.We figured she had seen someone with a faint resemblence to Tony Hale,but upon further investigation we discovered he had graduated from Samford. The following years we attended homecoming weekend and every time, we ran into Buster! He is lovely.

And go Gangee!

Oh Lucille, asking a PNM what chapters they are going to that day can be a rush fraction!

Three days later...
COME ON!!!

Do you have Pop-Pop in the attic?

Sorry this took so long!

I woke up to a 7:30 AM call from my Pi Chi letting me know when I could pick up my schedule- I still had at least one invite! Running to the student center, I opened my schedule to see....

LINDSAY
TOBIAS

My heart dropped. I wasn't surprised I lost Maeby, but I kept scanning my schedule for Lucille. It had to be a mistake- I couldn't understand how I had felt such a connection with Lucille yesterday, but they didn't feel anything. I sprinted back to my dorm room, called my mom, and just cried for an hour. I had been so confident that Lucille was my home, and to not be visiting them for pref just felt wrong. I tried so hard to rationalize it, but couldn't think of any reason for my being cut (of course, now I understand these decisions aren't always personal, ect.). Seeing other girls walk to the Lucille house for pref stung, but I was determined to do the best that I could at the houses I was invited to. It was a gift I had a full schedule every round of recruitment, and I was still thankful two houses wanted to see me again.

LINDSAY: I set my sights here. I had felt a connection here all recruitment, but had never given them a chance. Pref was my opportunity to really sell Lindsay to myself. I was picked up by an active I'd talked to during philanthropy round, and we had a good time. She was a founding member of the sorority, and I got a whole new appreciation for the effort these sisters put in to making Lindsay successful. They served chocolate covered strawberries, and I spent half the time staring at mine wondering how on Earth I was going to eat that without making a mess! A sister gave a beautiful speech about how Lindsay made her feel accepted after a battle with self-image, the sisters serenaded us, and we were given their sorority flowers. I left Lindsay knowing I could find a home here, but wondering if I had made a good enough impression to receive a bid- and also still feeling the loss of Lucille.

TOBIAS: Tobias had been lackluster for me all recruitment, but I knew pref could change things! Their ceremony was beautiful, and we also received a token (if I shared what it was it would definitely reveal the sorority!) that was impressive. I was rushed by three actives at the same time, none of whom I'd talked to at previous parties. A girl I'd talked to second round did stop by and said something nice about how "the whole chapter was talking about me/they're so happy to see me at pref/she knew I'd come back/ect", which was very sweet, but made me feel guilty because I hadn't had the same feelings about them. I actually found parts of this party slightly weird- food distribution was strange, sisters sat at your feet, making it feel less intimate than Lindsay's, and there were some parts of the ceremony that felt a little uncomfortable.

Remember when I said my first resolution for rush was to not SIP? I sat in the computer lab for almost an hour deciding whether or not to do it. I was truly unsure about whether I would accept a bid from Tobias, and if I would be able to put my heart into a chapter I hadn't felt at home with. I'd always been adamant I wasn't rushing just to join any sorority, but that if I didn't click, I wouldn't join. However, after a long conversation with my Pi Chi, I decided that I didn't want any what-ifs. I'd rather try out Tobias than not receive a bid at all, and always wonder if I would have loved being a Tobias. So I ranked

1. LINDSAY
2. TOBIAS

...and waited for bid day!

Looking forward to the conclusion!

Reading these recruitment stories, I think to myself "this is just SO HARD for today's PNMs". There really isn't any fool-proof method for MS, is there? 33, I think it was you who posted some time back about putting all the names in a hat or something of the sort. Do you remember? Was it you? More and more I ponder the whole recruitment process and I am truly grateful that NPC sororities continue to grow despite all the challenges and cultural changes.

Anyway, jessarose, I've been following, and I commend you on how you dealt with your disappointment as well as your joy throughout the week.

One last thing: ABC chapter may be tops at Arizona, and in the cellar at Penn. And so what? It's just for four years, and that is a blip in the big picture of life. What I have experienced that truly matters is the lifelong connection that sorority membership brings with it. It's there for the taking. This is hard to convey to 18 year olds. I have many close Theta friends, and I also have many close friends in other GLOs. We have the shared sorority experience, and honestly I'm grateful for the Panhellenic connections I have.

I completely and totally agree. Once you are out of school, it's more of a greek or non-greek, no letters. Some of my dearest friends have been in other sororities, and I'd be all the poorer for not knowing them - which takes nothing away from my own sorority sisters.

If I could impart only one piece of wisdom to a PNM, I'm sure this would be the theme.

I’m not sure if it was I who proposed the hat, but it certainly would be easier.

As a side note, if Lucille couldn’t keep other groups’ names out of their mouth, being released from them might not be all bad.

"The mere fact that you call making love "pop-pop" tells me you're not ready".

- Michael Bluth

Chi O cat, “I don’t understand the question and I won’t respond to it!”

I'm glad everyone is sharing so much amazing advice and insight! These are things I would have loved to hear during rush, so I hope some PNMs are reading :)

Anyways, the final installment!

I spent all day looking at my phone, dreading the sound of my ringtone. When it hit four and I hadn't received a call from my Pi Chi, I knew I had a bid waiting for me. It felt like Bid Day pre-festivities took hours- I learned that one of my Pi Chis was a Lindsay and the other was a Tobias (go figure). Envelopes were handed out, and as I stared at my bid, one of my Pi Chis grabbed me in a huge hug.... because...

we were both now part of...







LINDSAY!!!!!


also known as......













ALPHA GAMMA DELTA


Through all the drama of recruitment, I ended up in a chapter I truly love. One of the girls I talked to first round that made me feel so at home is now my big, and the house I was so concerned about not having is now my home! I'm so grateful for my sisters and couldn't be happier to live with purpose every day.

Thanks for following along y'all!

YAY!!!!! Welcome to the nut house!!! Not sure if you want to reveal, or if you did earlier and I missed it, but which chapter???

I'll PM you :)

Congratulations! One of my favorite girls from the freshman dorm floor was an AGD and our houses were back door neighbors to each other.

Congratulations on finding your home with Alpha Gamma Delta!:)

Thank you! I have a family member who was a Zeta (also at FSU actually!) and ZTA has a very special place in my heart.

Congrats on Alpha Gamma Delta! Must be fun to be part of the history of a newer chapter!

Good reading.