Duchovnysfan's Rush Story
 

Hi everyone!

Just an intro post to the community! I'm a junior who has decided to rush @ Loyola Marymount in the spring. At LMU, formal recruitment is in the spring not in the fall.

Here's my story: *this thing will get updated b/c I'm adding things as I get closer to recruitment*

I was initially interested in sororities at the end of my sophomore, and a friend and I casually threw the idea around about joining a sorority. While having the convo I didn't think much of it but over summer I gave it a lot of thought and noticed the greek system at my college. I went to an all-girls high school and missed the sisterhood that I had while I was in HS. During my sophomore year, I applied to so many things at my college but got turned down by everything I was interested in; in a way I'm still trying to find my niche, support system. I am involved in a few things on campus and am happy with it but I feel that something was missing and I honestly believe that a sorority is the missing piece/ the niche I have been searching. I did my research in sororities and decided to go through colonization of XYZ (I don't know if I am allowed to reveal what sorority it is so I used random letters) Then I decided to rush after going through colonization of XYZ in the fall @ my university. Things did not work and I was pretty bummed about it b/c I really had a connection with everyone who went through this as well. I was wary of rushing in the spring only because I knew how intense it is and the risk of being disappointed was too much to deal with at the time. However, I decided to go through rush because I knew this is something that benefit me now and in the future. I thought this was an opporunity I could not pass up.

My fears of rejection still remain. I feel that I will fall into the cracks during recruitment and I am paralyzed by that fear so much. I know that it has nothing to do with my personality and ability to talk to others, but I feel like I'll just run into bad luck and miss receiving a bid by a smidge. I am one of those people who is constantly enthusiastic and perky, but not in the annoying way, and I am afraid that might be perceived as over zealous or over the top. I hope that it is not seen that way b/c I only go into things I'm really excited about, I never do things just because everyone else is doing it or what have you.

Despite my apprehension, I'm really excited about rush, this year might have the biggest turnout ever @ my school so that's exciting and mindblowing.

There are 8 sororities @ LMU, I'll use candy brands as codenames b/c I love candy lol:
Cream Savers
Icebreakers
Smarties
Hershey's Kisses
Starburst
Red Vines
Twizzlers (They only participate on the first night)
Skittles (They have a a separate process)

I'll keep you all updated with rush, it starts the week I come back from Winter Break (1/11)!

My apologies if this is somewhat convoluted, it's hard getting all my thoughts down whereas it gets jumbled on 'paper' I'm happy there's a place such as GC to help me get through it. Look forward to talking to all of you :) Take care!

PS: What's a GLO?

Re: Rushing in Spring '06!
 

GLO = Greek Letter Organization

Good luck to you.

keep smiling...
remember, in a likelihood, they are as curious about you.
:D

Thanks so much! I appreciate the well wishes ;)

I'll keep updating this when Recruitment at my school starts (1/11)

By the way, am I allowed to disclose what college I go to? b/c I am really confused on that one :confused:

You can reveal your school. Hell, you can even reveal which sororities are on your school, and which houses you liked and didn't like.

Most people choose not to do that because things said on this board might be taken the wrong way. You won't know who's really reading your rush updates.

If you think you'll be fair, honest, and tactful by revealing that info, by all means--go ahead and tell us whatever info you want. At the same time, you can remain discreet and choose to wait until rush is over.

It's totally up to you, not GC.

Thank you! That cleared a lot of things for me :)

I tried to understand your post but I think I am missing something. Are you a Sophomore or a Junior?

Please read through other posts on recruitment, heck, you might find one from LMU that could help you know what to expect from your side.

I am soo "pro" spring recruitment. My university is Fall and I think spring recruitment really can make for an much more informed sisterhood and recruitment.

HAVE A GREAT TIME AND keep us updated if you choose. I know I don't have a dog in this race I just enjoy the recruitment adventure.

I am a junior. I feel a lot better about recruitment after talking to several people after I made the thread. I'll definitely keep everyone updated, recruitment is in about 10 days and I cannot wait!

Mr. Pibb + Red Vines= CRAZY DELICIOUS

There's not much to update except for the schedule for next week. I don't believe that recruitment is almost here and actually I'm glad it's finally coming up. Here's the recruitment schedule:

Wednesday, January 11th: Recruitment Orientation
Thursday, Janaury 12th: First Round: "Greek For Life" - Visit all 6 sororities parties (we don't have houses so they just call them parties)
Firday, January 13th: "Philanthropy Day": Visit all 6 sororities' parties again; then pnms rank their top 3 sororities
Saturday, January 14th: 2nd Round - "Sisterhood Day": pnm's are invited up to three parties. Then at the end, rank the top 2.
Sunday, January 15th: Preference Round, invited up to 2 sororities and then after pref pick one sorority (pref is in the morning)
Sunday, January 15th: Bid Day (in the evening)


P.S: Munchkin03, crazy delicious indeed ;)

Wow, your rush seems really quick! But good luck! Can't wait to hear about it (your whole process will be done before I even start mine!)... I'm excited for you!

Thanks s0phie! Rush for us is really quick which has its benefits. I don't know if I can endure 2-3 weeks of rush b/c of the waiting period it entails.

I know! Mine is a little over two weeks and I feel like I am going to be EXHAUSTED after it. There are three parties each night and they are all like two hours long. I'm going to DIE! haha, j/p!

lol
And to think we whined when it stretched over two weekends.
Our Greek Affairs people (and a VP of Students that I'm not a fan of) moved our recruitment around regularly. They tried a Tuesday through Monday affair that was on Labor Day weekend. They tried a Friday/Sat/Sun/Fri/Sat/Sun thing caused a lot of dropouts long the way. They move it up and back and in circles.

Ah well.. I'm the alumna now. Though No matter which alumnae chapter I end up in, I've been told that I'm required to return to SLU because I'm the computer nerd who can also fix the power point if the music isn't playing and OMG there's only 20 minutes til first party. (You may note that things aren't so simple on our side either..)

Have a lot of luck Duchovnysfan! And fun too!

Join the club, I'm the computer nerd but my luck is different it happens during an event :D, but it's all good I get giddy when it comes to fixing technology ;)

thanks Drolefille! Recruitment is in 4 days!!! *twirls* I don't remember a time where I have made a countdown everyday for something. Apparently, this is a big deal for me :D

horayyy
 

todays her first day! GOOD LUCK!!!!

Good luck from a fellow PNM!!! I'm excited to hear how everything goes! :)

Update!
 

Wednesday was the kick off to recruitment! We met with our Recruitment leaders (Rho Chis). I was a little lost because I came a little late b/c I had a class, but everything worked out.
They were telling us the schedule, what to wear, you know just to get all the adminstrative stuff out of the way. Then we did an Icebreaker, and it wasn't as daunting as I thought it would be. I actually had an interesting fact to tell about myself; b/c I always draw blank on stuff like that ;) The girls in my group seem really nice and it's comforting to know that we are all going through the same thing together. Also, I found out that one of my friends is in the same group as me!

In short, it was a good day and gives me hope that the rest of the recruitment will be just as wonderful :D

Today will be the the first day of going to parties and I found out last night that after the second day we rank our top 4 not 3. When I heard that, I was so relieved because it maximizes our chances!

Thanks to everyone for their well wishes and advice, it means so much! *hugs to all*

GOOD-LUCK! :)

I KNOW! I hate when they ask "say one thing interest about you".... I never know what to say either... bah, oh well... I'm glad to hear you had fun... can't wait to hear about today!

Rush Begins!
 

I just got back from the first official day of recruitment. All I have to say is wow! I had such a great time at all the parties ;). Everyone has been telling that I will be exhausted while that is half true, I had so much energy for all the parties especially the last party! I met some girls in my recruitment group, really nice girls and quite a few of them are sophomores and juniors so that was more comforting. I found out that one of my friends is rushing and she is a senior!

The first day was "Greek for Life", we went to seven sororities and these are my thoughts on what I thought on each one:

First we went to Cream Savers....
I felt really comfortable in this party. Every rusher I talked to made me really right at home. I didn't know much about this sorority so it was a good time to ask a lot of questions. I can tell she was really excited to that I was asking so many questions. I talked to about 4 girls but stayed with one about half of the time we were there. I later found out that I talked to the incoming president! I was thinking, that must have been my lucky day! No odd silences which was my goal for the night and passed with flying colors ;) This was not my first choice but I'm glad I was open to what they had to offer to us pnm's

Next we trekked to Red Vines....
I was comfortable here as well, not the same as Cream Savers though. It got hard at one point to keep the conversation going, more like a mini bump in the road of conversation. Then things got much better with the next couple of girls I talked to where I was able to ask questions. The girls I talked to were genuinely excited to talk to me as well as I getting to know them and their sorority.

Soon after we visited Hershey's Kisses....
The girls are absolutely adorable! They really enjoy that they are part of this sorority. I appreciated that aspect. It was difficult to talk to the 2 girls that I talked to b/c it was so loud that I could barely hear them. The room was small and loud. I didn't hold that against them, I tried channel out all the noise and zero in on the girls and it got better towards the end of the party. I had a great time talking to them, it was very relaxed, laid back, and open. I really like to see them again tomorrow and hopefully the noise level will not be exponentially high ;)

Then we rushed over to Starburst...
These girls are absolutely energetic, excited for us to be there and for their sorority. I met several girls and seemed to be really sweet. The girls I talked to for a while, I absolutely loved. I really enjoyed talking to them and it was very comfortable in conversation flow. What amazed me was the rapport between the sisters in this sorority, it's something I want. I had this feeling that I can have a wonderful time with these girls and the excitement they had was just infectious! I was amazed and became one of my favorites for the night.

Afterward we took a trip down to Icebreakers....
Before I went to this party, I thought I was not going to fit in with them, but I was giving them the benefit of the doubt. My goodness was I wrong. As soon as I started talking to a couple of girls, I felt like I was having a daily conversation with one of my friends. There was no pressure at all, I had that rapport with these ladies. While I was talking to one girl, a bunch of girls that I knew came up to me and said hey and seeing if I had a fun time and I was totally touched. I really loved their performance and teared up a little because I thought it was so cute. I had a great feeling getting out of that party. This is one I'll definitely keep in mind.

Then we swung over to Twizzlers...
It was different from the other parties. I respected that they are extremely close with one other but I just thought that this was not the place for me. The girls were really proud of their sorority, which I admire them for but it was not enough for me to stay interested.

Then there was one last hurrah with Smarties...
Felt extremely comfortable here. It was the last party of the night but the girls were so excited that we were there. The energy was infectious so it kept excited throughout this party. I had so many conversations, there was never a dull moment. I loved also how close the sisters were to each other, it was genuine, they loved each other's company; they have a great time together. I thought to my self those are things that are important to me in terms of sisterhood. I had a great time talking to every girl I met at this party. I can see these girls as sisters.

That's it for the first night. It was absolutely exciting to go around and meet all the ladies in sororities. By the time it was over, I said to myself I'm going to have such a hard time tomorrow night ranking my top four because I enjoyed each one (in different ways though). It's such a great start to recruitment that I think it's only going to get better! Honestly, I was not at all tired, I actually wanted more time for each party to talk to the girls b/c many times convos has to be cut off b/c it was time to go to the next party. Overall, a great night and I cannot wait to get to tomorrow. I have to jet and get my rest for class on Friday and recruitment!

Thanks again for all the support!!!


*apologies for missing words (if any) I type faster than I think ;) or I think I meant the other way around :confused:

It sounds like you had a fantastic start to your recruitment, I can't wait to hear more from you! You have such a positive attitude, which is such a HUGE asset to have as a PNM. Good luck with the next round of parties!

I am glad that you liked most of them! I hope the next round goes just as well! :)

Wow. What a great description of your first day! I'm glad that you're liking it and you seem to have a really great attitude. I hope that things continue to go well for you. Good luck!

Philanthropy Day!
 

Day 2 of recruitment has just finished and it was just as fabulous as the first night. We went to 6 sororities today to talk to more people and learn about their respective philanthropies and make a craft ;) Here's we go....

First stop of the day was Starburst...
The same energy I had previously was still there. I clicked with the first person that I talked to. Thinking while that was great, it started to stretch thin really quick. I tried to keep going but it was little difficult than it was the first time around. I stayed with one girl and she was really sweet and very accomodating especially with the craft work but the connection/rapport was waning at times. We had great conversations and kept going but there was something off that couldn't quite put my finger on it. I appreciate the hospitality that she offered me the entire time but after comparing with the rest of the sororities, it seemed different; the connection was just not all there. Despite that, I didn't know much about this sorority but at least I came out with a lot of respect for these ladies and saw what they had to offer.

Next we headed over to Hershey's Kisses...
When I stepped into the room, I was all smiles, I paired with the same 2 people I talked to the night before. I was really lucky and a great concidence! I felt so comfortable and had a great time making their craft and talking with the ladies. Some girls that I knew came up me to say hey and appreciated that very much :D When they talked about their philanthropy and what it meant to them I was so touched, to the point where I started to tear up. After they made their presentation, I cried a little b/c their presentation excuded to the genuine love and support they had for their philanthropy. They was never a dull moment at this party. I see these girls as my sisters, the girls I can hang out with and talk to; with the second girl I talked to, it was very open and felt that connection that I can talk to her about anything and everything. This was my favorite party of the night. I could not wait to come back for, the connection was very strong!

Then we trekked to Red Vines...
I had such a great time! I instantly clicked with the girl I was paired with. We had such a great conversation about shopping, clothes, and just about everything. I realized that we so many things in common and amazed how well things went. There was never a dull moment. Another girl came in joined our conversation and totally clicked with her as well, it was so easy to get through conversations and enjoyed every minute of it! We had such a great time that we forgot to do the craft, we were so caught in each other's company. I really enjoyed and those are the conversations I love having. I was bummed when I had to leave b/c the time went by so quickly! I really love this party and hope to come back next time!

Then we moved on to Cream Savers....
I felt comfortable here as well. The girls were nice and genuinely excited to get to know me. We had quite a few things in common and reciprocated the rapport. It was not overwhelmingly obvious as the night before but it was enough to enjoy myself and have a great time. I talked to a couple of more girls and found out we are involved in the same activities. In addition, the last girl I was talking to gave me the best advice about choosing my top four when I asked how her sorority stood out from the rest when she rushed and it was the best advice I have ever received regarding recruitment! These are really fun girls and really enjoy each other's company and support. While I appreciated that very much, I felt like was looking from the outside more than being immersed into it as in other parties. Again, I didn't know much about this sorority, but regardless I have a newfound respect that I thought would never occur.

Next rushed right over to Smarties...
I had such a wonderful time in here. I felt so comfortable talking to the ladies and making the craft. I enjoying making the craft b/c it was so neat. The first girl I talked to was helping out come up with ideas. We put our heads together and came up with something fabulous. Again, conversation was so much fun and never dull. We had quite a few things in common and that happened with every girl I talked to. Overall, I had a wonderful time and thought that I can see these girls as my sisters because they are so easygoing and reflect myself ;)

Last but certainly not least we visited Icebreakers....
The minute stepped into the room, I had the biggest smile on my face. I could not stop smiling when they were singing. I felt so connected with the girls when they singing and when I was talking to the girls. Quite a few girls that I knew came up to me to say hey and see how I was doing. Again, I was really touched by that. Even though it was the last party, I was so excited to be there even to the point where I got some of the girls I was talking to be excited. My personality shined through at this party and loved every minute I was there. These girls are so fun that I can totally let loose with them if given the opporunity. A great way to end the night!

Then it came time to rank my top four. By the time it was the fourth party, it was a clear decision where I felt it was the best fit. It is as follows
1- Hershey's Kisses
1- Icebreakers
1- Smarties
1- Red Vines
2- Cream Savers
3- Starburst

I would love the opportunity to get invited back to all of my top four. I was pretty sure that these were I enjoyed, loved and had the best connections with. I gave my 2 and 3 picks so much and while they were fun as well, it was not as strong as my top four. This night, I had a great time, I was really comfortable and really got a chance to let them get to know me and my interest in their organizations. I finally can say philanthropy correctly and perfected the art of the illusion of the first time ;) I'm really proud that I did that! Overall, a great second night and hope that the third day will just as wonderful!

More to come soon.... the next round starts in about 11 hours, I cannot wait where I get invited to! Thanks again for all the support and well wishes, it keeps me very motivated and de-stress and have an amazing time!

Re: Philanthropy Day!
 

I'm sure your fellow PNMs would benefit from the advice. I'm surprised that I am as intrigued by your journey as I am. Usually, I just glance over other Recruitment threads, but I'm really enjoying this one!

I hope that you're invited back to your top 4! It sounds like you're having a great time.

it would be really sweet of you to share the good advice you received AFTER your recruitment is over. i am sure that other pnms would love to hear what that young woman had to say.
best wishes for good news tomorrow!!

Sisterhood Day
 

Day 3 (I think I lost count already) is just winding down. With day 3, we got our invites back. At the time, I didn't what much to think where I got 1 invite back, Icebreakers. I will admit I was really shocked, I had so many emotions going through my head. I was really happy that I got Icebreakers b/c quite honestly I was not expecting it at all! They were in the my top 4 but I thought that I may get an invite back from Smarties or whatever. I think right then and there I went into a tale spin b/c the very thing that I was hoping that would not happen (get only 1 invite back) actually did. Thankfully, I had about a good 1 hour to regain composure and see that Icebreakers did invite me back! So this is what happened....

So I was paired with one girl and the minute I came into the room; I was really touched. I started to tear up while they were singing. Then I was paired (I said that too early) with one girl and felt completely open with her, and just felt so happy to be there! Then several girls that I knew came up to me, gave me hugs and saw how I was doing. I absolutely loved it and felt the genuineness of them really happy to see me. Then some girls - I didn't know - came up to me and said they heard about me from their other sisters that I knew or had class with said what a wonderful person I was. I got really emotional and started to cry because it meant so much to me. It wasn't tears of sadness but tears of happiness. I was just so happy to be in their presence. I absolutely loved it more so than I did the last 2 days; it was buidling up. I really liked the speeches and the last one actually inpsired me. Just from observing from today, those little moments are things that attracted so much to participate and find my fit in a sorority. The thought that I only got into 1 and not say 2, 3 or 4 went away easily. So of course, with only one to rank, I ranked Icebreakers, 1.

Today will be the day where I hope that I will not get the "dreaded phone call" but statistically and realistically the odds are not in my favor - you know with matchup, so if it comes I understand b/c I know I did everything I could and enjoyed it and developed a strong connection with ladies @ Icebreakers would be something I can add to my life and it knowing it was not because they did not like me or fit in. I'm thinking about COB/informal recruitment as an alternate, to keep my options open but it depends how everything plays out.

Honestly, I just feel at peace for me esssentially it's over b/c if I do get invited back tomorrow I will get a bid from them b/c it's only one (I talked to my Rho Chis and said this was the case) and if not I'm going to over stress the fact that I have to choose and let go of one and etc is a lot to deal with.

Whatever may happen thanks to all, recruitment was a great experience. I do not hold any animosity towards sororities. The way I thought of it, that's how the cookie crumbles sometimes.

I sound like that it's officially over and thinking I will be cut from Icebreakers via matching but after talking to a couple of Rho Chis, that's pretty much where I stand right now. It's a feeling I cannot explain it just is.

Hey hon! Crossing my fingers that you hear something good from icebreakers (I am partial to the cinnamon flavor) :)

Good luck to you.... It sounds as if the party went well for both you and the sisters of Icebreakers. It's out of your hands now, though. You already did everything you could.... so just wait to see what tommorow brings. Try not to dwell on it. You can't count your chickens before they hatch... or don't hatch. :)
By the way... My little brother went to LMU, so I've been following your thread with interest. He was a member of Sursum Corda (I think), but just graduated last spring.

I'm thinking of you and hoping that everything goes WONDERFULLY tomorrow :) You have such a great attitude though- so I'm sure whatever happens, you'll be just fine.

Here's to hoping you get in!

Ironically enough, I was munching on Icebreakers as I read this thread. :D

good luck, honey, I'll think ICEBREAKERS for you!

it seemed like a great match from the start, so here's hoping that everything works out!

but I am glad that you are still keeping COB an option, especially since you had good experiences at a variety of houses, but only went to one final party.

but let's not think about that yet... come on, ICEBREAKERS! :D

Well today is bid day and I'm sending positive vibes your way.


"icebreakers, icebreakers, icebreakers" :D

Come on Icebreakers!!!!!

Update!
 

Well, without much surprise, I did get the phone call @ midnight. It was interesting because it was not my Rho Chi that called but the director of recruitment. We talked for almost 10 minutes about it even though we talked about the possibility of being released for 2 hours after my last party on Sisterhood Day. When I got the phone call, I was relieved because there was no more uncertainty

Honestly, it's okay, yes the fact I was released does sting but I know it has nothing to do with me; I did everything I could and glad I went the way I went out after my last party with Icebreakers. Being in that party is something that will always have a special place in my heart because I felt a strong connection with the girls I got a chance to talk to and was so happy that I got be there and enjoy the time I had with them.

If you were at all the bit curious about who's who (I have been wanting to reveal this for a long time) here it is....

Icebreakers = Delta Gamma
Hershey's Kisses = Delta Delta Delta
Smarties = Delta Zeta
Red Vines = Pi Beta Phi
Cream Savers = Alpha Phi
Starburst = Kappa Alpha Theta
Twizzlers = Sigma Lambda Gamma
Skittles = Delta Sigma Theta

I'm hoping for a snap bid but those are rare so I will not be surprised if that falls through. Now after giving it much thought, I really want to give COB/Informal recruitment a shot if given the opporunity. I know my status as an upperclassmen was irrelevant because @ LMU everyone was encouraged to join no matter what year you are.

Overall, I'm glad I rushed. Even though, it was not a happy ending I'm proud that I went through this because I wanted to and made the decision to do so on my own. I didn't rush because everyone else was doing it or just to have exchanges/formals. I wanted to join a sorority because of the sisterhood, friendships, leadership/service opporunities, and to have a new experience and always to look back on it as a great investment. Most of all, thanks to everyone for their support! The well wishes and thoughtful words mean so much to me, I got teary-eyed more at the wonderful replies and support than being released from rush :D Also, I know being released is not the end of the world, I'm happy with what I have, I'm in involved in a bunch of other things on campus but being in a sorority would have been a great thing to add to my life or else why go through it if I didn't think so ;) If COB/informal recruitment does occur I will definitely continue this thread because I know it's not completely over there's still a chance.