Curlyhead01 Fall 05 Rush @ UCF
 

hello all! yes, yes, i am back.

Summer is almost coming to a close, and we all know what that means...

Rush Week!!

I'm really glad I went to some Spring Recruitment events last semester, I feel like I know a little bit more about what to expect. [the kinds of Qs, attire, etc]

My excitement and nerves are climbing a little bit each day, and I can't wait. Formal Recruitment starts August 15th and goes until the 20th at the University of Central Florida.

There are 11 sororities that I'll visit which I have yet to name. I was thinking of using hurricane names, because that's all that seems to happen in FL. :D

Wish me luck & check back for updates!!

Whoohoo! Rush threads rock:) Good luck to you, I'll definitely be reading your thread!

Good luck and I look forward to hearing all about it! I have to agree with hurricane names being a good idea. I don't want to go through another hurricane haha but I guess that is what you get for living in Florida. Hopefully that won't be a part of recruitment this year =)

Sasha

Alpha Epsilon Phi
~UCF Colony~

way to go dear...have fun.
i ditto the others on hurricane name. bless you have seen enough of them.

HAVE FUN. I will be waiting with baited breath. (Is that the right term?)

GOOD LUCK.

I like to pick a favorite . . . So, when you give me the hurricane names I will pick, but If one of them is IVAN I want that one.

Have fun. I can't wait to hear about recruitment.

yay, another Florida girl!! :) I'm also a PNM but I'm rushing at UF. Good luck, can't wait to hear how it goes!

Have a great recruitment!!

HEY!!!! I'm going to the same rush as you at UCF!!! That's so awesome! I can't wait to go!!

Very cool. :)

Good luck to you, I hope that we both find a place that we can call home.

Hope you start you're own thread soon!

~~~update 8/7/05~~~
 

The 11 lovely hurricane names:
[it would be perfect if I went to UM, but it's relevent enough.]

Andrew
Ivan
Charley
Frances
Jeanne
Dennis
Michelle
Dora
Donna
Mitch
Agnes

Some of them date back to the 1960s, so there's a bit of Florida history in this too haha.

Countdown: 7 days.

Here is my rush song for IVAN (The sorority I picked before she named them)

With an I, with an I, with and I V A
With a V, with a V, with a V A N
With an I V A, with a V A N

I - V - A - N

(wow that was a hard won, I don't know what kind of songs IVAN would have?)

Have fun again. Yea IVAN

I was hoping for Irene, she's sitting out in the Atlantic now.
Irene is also my daughters name.

I am voting for Frances...

gotta go with Andrew because I love that name.


wouldn't it be funny in the end after she gets her bid and we find out that the one we chose is actually our own sorority. He he. :)

So I guess "DISCRETION IS KEY" is thrown out the window.
 

Thank You all for giving good advice!:)

You are All Swell!;)

Re: So I guess "DISCRETION IS KEY" is thrown out the window.
 

For a good time, read:
http://www.livejournal.com/community...rl/522301.html

Re: Re: So I guess "DISCRETION IS KEY" is thrown out the window.
 

nevermind, it finally got bah-leted

To the readers of GC,

I recently asked for recommendations from greek readers on LiveJournal, fully aware of my time restrictions and lack of personal interaction with the readers. It was indescrite and wrong of me, I apologize for any offense that my request has caused.

Since then, it has come to my attention that several girls have been trying to lash out at me. As you can read in the above posts, my words have been taken out of context and used against me.

I am deeply saddened by the actions of the ladies within the greek and LiveJournal community that have been involved in this matter. I hope that this is not a reflection upon Greek Life as a whole, and I look forward to starting anew.

Thank you for your time.

Curlyhead,

I replied to the LJ entry, and you responded that you hoped no org would pick you based on whether or not you have a rec. Like it or not, recruitment is competitive at some schools. The only way to be remembered at some is by having a rec; that way the chapter has more info on you instead of just the basic form. I know it is different for all GLOs, but recs are a good way to get a little character on a PNM since (as we all know) there is not a lot of time to get to know people during recruitment. MANY fabulous PNMs go through each and every year. Sometimes it is hard for chapters to make decisions like this with so many fabulous women. The average ones or not-as-outgoing ones may fall to the wayside. It stinks, but that's the way it is. Recs are something that anyone who has researched Greek Life in the South should know about.

ETA: Sorry for the harshness, but this is reality. No one is going to sweet talk you and say "Oh, it's ok, I'll write you a rec even though you could be a serial killer." You registered on GC months ago; all this info about recs has been discussed many a time since then.

I went through recruitment at UCF in '99 and did not have recs. I was still invited back to all the houses and I still made it into a sorority. UCF rush has changed but not so much that it is absolutely necessary to have recs. They're appreciated but not a necessity. But, with 1,000 women rushing at UCF, it could be a good way to stand out.

All my fellow greek sisters are saying is that they can't understand why you waited until the week before recruitment starts to begin looking for recs. Showing responsibility and initiative is important to have when a girl goes through recruitment, not waiting until the last second.

Honestly, I really don't know.

I know it's easy to say "if you really wanted this, you should have gotten a head start." But I've been tossing and turning with the idea of joining a sorority the whole summer.

I've heard so many testaments that say "I went through rush even though I really didn't know if I wanted to join, but I was just looking for some friends and I actually found my sisters." I didn't want to be the opposite case and ask someone for a recommendation and then not pull through with rush, that would be the ultimate insult.

I've been trying to not think about recruitment since everytime I do, I just get nervous. I could give you plenty of other reasons as to why I didn't, but they could easily be deemed excuses as many have pointed out.

No that wasn't harsh, I like the way you put it. It's just like applying for a job through a cold call, instead of getting a job that one of your friends works at. It's unfortunate, because I've been the one that has done the cold calls and not really gotten any response because of it.
Apparently I have underestimated the importance of recs within the South.

curlyhead, don't count yourself out yet!! ztangel knows of what she speaks. she went to ucf and knows how that campus works.she and adpiucf would have the best information of all. best wishes for a wonderful experience!!

ps:and remember the sorority sisters will be just as nervous as you pnms!!

my daughter had all the recs that we could get. WE did lack a few that had houses at the university that she was attending.

Guess what? She pledged at a house where she sid not have a rec!!!!!!!

I didn't even know what recs were (KEEP IN MIND, small school!) when I went through rush the fall of my freshman year. I did join my first choice sorority ;) but yeah, recs are very uncommon at my school... so different situtation there...

Anyways, while maybe curly did wait til the last minute to ask for help with recs... if she is asking strangers, then perhaps she is not a legacy anywhere... meaning there's a higher chance she doesn't know all the ins and outs of rush.

Good luck curly and all the UCF rushees! :)

Curly,

I didn't see the LJ, so this is just based on what I have seen here on GC. RECS can make or break you at some schools but if the girls in the know say that they won't at your school... then don't stress over not having any.

Also... due to the rules of some groups, some Sorority Ladies could not have given your a rec if they hadn't known you for 6 months to a year prior.

Here is my advise for making yourself known to the orgs...

1. Ask questions and engage each Sorority lady with more that just fluff conversation. Ask a really good open ended question.
i.e. If you can tell me, what does your mascot represent? Or where/how did your org choose that mascot? Now you might not get a really good response from your question because the org might consider that "chapter secret" but it won't hurt to try and it will show that you are interested in knowing more that just the weather.
2. Do you have an interesting spelling of your real name? I spell my name with an A, so people in college called me "Arin with an A" since it is an interesting spelling. I introduced myself like this, if people asked about my name tag. It is dorky but I was rememberable.
3. Are you an person who likes to dress at the top of fashion or a little beyond the edge? I remember a girl who was so interesting in how she dressed that even though I didn't know her name (I didn't meet her that night) I could find out more about her from sisters who had met her because I was able to comment on her dress that evening. In the end she became a sister of mine. If you are not a "top of fashion" dresser, don't force it just for this week. I would suggest that you try not to dress like all the rest, find an interesting dress that you haven't seen on anyone else, or wear a hat, or if it is raining carry a really interesting umbralla (not just a black plain one)... whatever you do, do something that sets you just enough apart from the crowd that someone will ask later about you.

Good Luck

To echo ZTAngel and in response to FSUZeta's post:

Like ZTAngel, I came into recruitment knowing nothing about recruitment... in the dark ages before there was Greek Chat, before blogs and before Facebook. I still managed (as a sophomore) to have a very competitive recruitment and got my first choice!

ETA: Please don't accuse me of sunshine blowing-- y'all know I am the last person to cheer for someone if I really think there's not a snowball's chance in Hades for them at recruitment. As a UCF Greek, I can say with assurance that while it can help to have recs, it is possible to maximize your options and receive a sorority bid without recs, provided you meet basic minimum membership requirements.

And... I "third" that motion!

I also went through rush when there was no internet. I lived in the northeast where nobody that I knew had ever been in a sorority or a fraternity.

When I arrived at the University of Florida, I didn't know any of the names of the GLOs, what rush was... who the "popular" houses were... zero! I wasn't even intending on going through rush because I was busy with sports. But, a girl in one of my classes asked if I would go through it with her to keep her company.

So here was this yankee from the north, with no clue about anything Greek, going through rush. I had never heard of recs, had never gotten advice on what to wear, etc. I was so ignorant about rush, that... trying to make conversation, I asked one of the sisters at one house what one of the symbols on her GLO's shield meant! She turned white, didn't know what to say, and excused herself. I had no idea that I had commited a big fau pax! Needless to say, I didn't get invited back to THAT house!

But, I was invited back to the houses that I liked, and chatted with everyone and had a wonderful time at the rush parties. I was very at ease, because I hadn't even intended to pledge anywhere at the beginning. Of course all that changed the minute I walked into the ZTA house (but that's another story!):D

So here is my advice... try to take the pressure off yourself. Be as at ease as you can. Put rush into perspective. Remind yourself that you WILL LIVE if you don't get invited back to that particular house.

I kind of look at it as a job interview-- you need to show that you are genuinely interested in the house, and you need to show why you would make a good addition. In a job interview, you don't want to look "desperate" (even if you DESPERATELY want the job!) you need to be cool, calm, yet warm and friendly. You need to make the employer WANT to hire you.. just as you need to let the sisters know why they would want you in their sorority.

I do think it really helps to find something to make yourself memorable. Do you have an unusual hobby or interest? I really think that's what made me stand out. I don't know if there were many black belts in judo who went through rush, so I think it was easy for people to remember me!

And... as I keep suggesting to everyone going through rush... get thyself to the library NOW and read the Dale Carnegie book, "How to Make Friends and Influence People." It's a classic and should be required reading for anyone rushing.

Good luck, and have a blast! Rush is really fun!

update
 

Hey everyone,

I met my Rho Gamma last night, and she is AMAZING. I <3 her so much.

Last night was a little introduction to Recruitment Week and they Rho Gammas did little skits about greek life. There are about 61 Rho Gammas in total, and we didn't find out who ours was going to be until the end...suspenseful!!

So today I visit 6 of the 11 houses, and then 5 tomorrow. Wednesday is when we make our first cut down to 7.

Wish me luck!

Good luck, and don't forget to have fun!

have a great day today!!

day 2 update
 

Alright so today was HOT!!!! Forget foundation, the heat takes it off within the first 2 houses!! [at least for me]

Went to 6 houses:
Andrew
Ivan
Charley
Frances
Mitch
Dennis

Mitch and Andrew weren't really my type, but I seemed to get along with all of the 4 other houses.

I'm a people person so I can generally get along with a lot of personalities, so that makes it hard because I'm determining whether I can simply converse with them or I can be their lifelong friend.

I met around 5 girls from each sorority, some less, some more.

Things I didn't expect:
1. LOUD. I didn't know the houses were going to be so loud from all the girls talking to one another.
2. Switching. I was surprised at how well the sisters rotated while in conversation so that we could meet more people. I didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing to rotate a lot of sisters. Either they didn't like you and wanted to meet someone else, or they did like you and want more people to know about you.

Overall, I'm super tired and pretty sunburnt. I couldn't imagine meeting all sororities in one day.

All I know is I <3 Greeks because I am beaming happiness today and yesterday.

they rotate so that more sisters can get to know each pnm and the pnms can get to know more sisters. that is all!!(and they practice the rotation process-a lot!!)

Okay great to know! I was getting slightly self conscious when I was meeting a new girl every 30 seconds, trying to figure out what was going on.
I'll just take it as an opportunity! :)

So is tomorrow pref night?

If so what where your top three choices?

So I'm guessing Mitch and Andrew weren't your top choices ;) which leaves us Frances, Charley, Dennis and Ivan.

So making a random guess:

Frances
Charley
Ivan

(am I right. :D)

Actually, today was only the first day--theres 11 sororities. So the parties went like this:
(Ucf day - part 1) Tuesday- 6 parties
(Ucf day - part 2) Wednesday - the 5 parties that they didnt get to the day before
(Philanthropy day) Thursday - they narrow it down to 7 parties
(video day) Friday - i think they have 5 parties they go to?
Pref Day (saturday) - they go to 3 parties, and then decide

and SUNDAY IS BID DAY! YAY!!!!!!!!!


So this is only the first part of day 1 lol 5 more houses tomorrow!

<3

Got it thank ya.