LilLady's Fall rush 06'
 

Well, I moved over to this forum to share my rush story. I'm fairly new to all of this. Quick synopsis, I'm a transfer junior at a northern city school and today was opening day/kickoff for the panehel groups. I learned sooo much about sororities so I'll start at the beginning.

From the very kind RhoMu's that informed me, there are five groups (including one that is just colonizing-is that being too specific?) which I'll name after the Ramones: Joey, Johnny, DeeDee, Tommy, and C.J.

I have to say that I liked it. I wasn't sure of what was going to happen, the girls there, what it would be like, but it was all very warm and friendly with the rhomu's being very excited. They gave us the rundown of the next two weeks and how we have to attend more than one event by each group in order to be preferenced. Overall it was very, VERY relaxed. I was expecting it to be more formal and perhaps more people from having read GC forums but I liked that it wasn't hundreds of girls. In fact, I really like how they set everything up for us to be very casual and friendly.

Afterwards, I went to the one MGC sorority that I had talked to. I haven't quite decided what I will do since they have a different time period but I won't make up my mind just yet since tomorrow is when 'rush' really starts. Whew, that was long! So far, I'm excited and definetly glad I started the whole thing.:p

Getting excited
 

I keep reading all the fall rush stories, especially about the junior pnm's, and I get more and more excited. I hope I have the same happy ending. :)

I hope you have a great happy ending too! yay for PNMs from the northeast posting!

Seriously, there are sooooooooo many girls rushing as juniors on here, I'm seriously beginning to think every junior girl going through rush in the U.S. this year is posting their story, hehe. And it helps to feed the addiction! Good luck to you!

i rushed as a junior and got more invites back than some of the girls in my group who were freshman and soph's...so i guess it just goes to show that personality is more important that age :) good luck and i cant wait to see YOUR happy ending!

I added you to this thread

Yay for being a junior! Hope everything goes well for you :)

First official day of rush!
 

So, I don't know if I was supposed to move into the other thread but I figured I'd stay here since I already moved once and I don't want to intrude on the other girl's stories.

Back to the story,
Today was day one. Now because we are a city school in the north (we're actually not in the NE but I'll tell you after rush is over) we don't have rounds. Rather, rush is spread out over two weeks and you have to see each group twice. That way, you spend a little more time, don't talk to 100's of girls and it's a bit more chill, at least for us I think it works well. So today my group went to go see DeeDee, C.J and Tommy.

DeeDee- I really liked this group of girls because they all seemed very different and not what you would imagine at all. Each girl really stood out whether through personality, dress, enthusiasm, you name it. My group had some really nice girls including another transfer junior! They did emphasize that though they aren't a big group nationwide, they still have a strong alumnae network. I don't really know the pros and cons of having a strong national presence, to use another forums words, so I don't know why they kept mentioning it. The only bad thing was that they didn't have any ice breakers besides having everyone name a quirky thing about them so after awhile conversation kept going back to things like "these are our paddles" and etc. But I guess because it was the first part, it wasn't a big deal.

C.J- This was the last part for my group and I think this is where the people who are in sororities might be able to figure out where I go to school. But I want to comment on it anyway since it did make a good impression. Now, I knew that there was a new chapter colonizing at my school and I thought it sounded interesting to begin with. Even though none of the people there were college students, they were all national directors, regional directors, alumnae from other schools, I liked their presentation. Many of them had southern accents and when your own accent sounds something along the lines of "sassage and beer", it is very interesting to be immersed in Texan drawls and Tenneseean (sp?) lingo. for me, the main selling point was that the girls who joined this group would be the founding members and would have a lot of leadership roles and opportunities, which I really like. The only thing I wonder is there will be a lot of hand-holding instead of guiding but I guess I am no one to critique on that seeing as how I don't know anything about sororities. So really, I wonder how we would manage a chapter but I guess they have a great support system.

Finally, Tommy. Oh Tommy. I REALLY liked this group. They were all very sweet, pretty and outgoing girls. They had a great video to watch that I may not have gotten all the inside jokes but I did have a blast watching it. Plus, the girl whom I talked to, I'll refer to her as Q, really made me feel welcome. I'm not the most outgoing person as I can get kind of shy and I'm not the kind of girl to jump up and down and cheer especially if I'm not in a setting where I'm comfortable, but Q made me feel that that was ok and since everyone was nervous there was nothing to worry about. Overall, this group definetly seemed to be a lively, outgoing bunch.

Tomorrow is day 2 and we have two more to check out so I am keeping my eyes and mind open. I met some pnm's who were also like me and though we aren't bursting at the seams with excitement, we can all tell that we are happy to be going through this but in our own way. I hope that came out right because I sometimes fumble my words. Oooh..this was a long one! I'll tell you all about tomorrow after I get home! :)

If you want to PM me with any concerns about joining a colony and the wonderful experience it brings... you can!

Can I just say how excited I am to see a thread with code names from the Ramones? Oh, and good luck ;)

Ditto on the Ramones code names! I'll admit, I think I know where you're going to school but will wait for your "big reveal" at the end.

Good luck
 

Many good thoughts going your way. You are approaching recruitment in just the right way.

Another Junior Transfer!
 

I rushed as a junior transfer at a northern school as well--good luck & have a great time!

I didn't join a colonizing chapter, but it may as well have been- the chapter was down to just five members so it was like starting from scratch. It really gave me the opportunity to get involved in more leadership roles than I otherwise would have been able to, and now that I'm out in the real world (I graduated in '05) I really appreciate that experience. Sometimes it's exciting to be able to put your stamp on a great organizatoin, you know? Anyway, I'm glad that you're keeping it in the running :-) I can't wait to hear how the rest of it goes- good luck & have fun!

i second that!

(i'm a junior going through informal right now:)

Day 2!
 

Ahoy again. Boy am I pumped. For some reason I always get more excited when I'm at home and writing it down than when I'm there, I guess I'm still a little bit nervous. But today went great. We had dinner with the rhomu group and I'm really liking my group because we all seem to get along very well.

We started with Johnny. As a transfer, I had seen this group around last semester during COR but I only went to one event at the time. I wasn't sure then about joining so I was really open to seeing the house at formal rush. I liked the first girl we talked to as she was really sweet but I didn't have the greatest conversation with the second girl. There was one thing she said that made me kind of uncomfortable and I know it might be trivial to others but it kind of hurt me since it deals with my heritage. My sister said I might be being too touchy but it was just a closed minded thing to say. However, I won't hold it against the entire group since the girl we talked to after her was sooooo nice. She was probably the nicest girl I've talked to and she really made me feel welcome. However, I will go to another of their events since I think this one event shouldn't stand for all of them.

After that we went to Joey. I hadn't heard of Joey before this and so I was eager to go in since it was the last one of today and I was in good spirits. Beforehand, one of the freshman had asked if I knew any of the reputations of the houses but since I'm a transfer I don't know anything really. Its hard since I'm new but I think its a good thing since I don't want anyone elses opinions. To behonest, most of the time its just gossip, at least I think so.

Back to Joey. These girls were wonderful. After Tommy, this group really felt like a place I could be welcomed. All of the girls I talked to were friendly and made me feel like I could easily fit in. Whereas I didn't feel the warmth from Johnny I certainly did from Joey.

We have philanthropy day on Sunday and I am going to be there all day so I'll most likely post then. However, as of right now, my list would have to be:

Tie between Joey and Tommy
DeeDee
CJ
Johnny

I hope sunday goes well and by this time next week I'll be anxiously awaiting my preference tea bids. :)

I'm not quite wide awake but I skipped over here to post a quick one. Philanthropy day is today. I have no idea what we're doing but I'm not too nervous.

Sorry, I just yawned. ::rubs eyes::

I'm guessing we're doing some sort of small project concerning each chapters philanthropy but I'll find out soon enough. I'm glad that we're doing something as a group instead of just the small chats because my nerves have really gone down so I'll enjoy this today. I'll post how it goes later tonight. :)

Good luck! Keep us posted and enjoy!!

How much later?!? :)
Hope it went well! We're all wishing you the best!

Oooh..It's been a long day but I rushed back here to post. Sorry it took so long! We had a going away party for a friend who joined the army (tear) so I'm just updating.

here goes!!

Today was a blast. I had a lot of fun going to each of the chapters and talking to them while doing crafts. Plus, it was nice to be able to work on something so that there were other girls you talked to while you worked. We went to all five chapters today, in a row!, so I'll start there in order.

DeeDee- This was an early one and I had a lot of fun talking to the girl whose name I still remember! I think this is a good sign because I talked to so many girls that I try and keep up with names but this one really stuck since we had such a great conversation. I liked the fact that we only talked to one girl because sometimes it gets hard when I talk to 7 and then I forget names. Also, this was my number three choice going in but now it definetly has been bumped up because I liked the girl and how we shared a lot of interests even though I didn't think we would. I am going to definetly going back this week to see them. This group is one of the ones that I could definetly see myself joining.

Joey- I was really looking forward to seeing Joey because of the great girls I met from last time so I was super happy that the girl who had talked to me last time not only talked to me again but remembered my name and what we had talked about. I met two other girls and they were really nice and supportive about me going through rush, especially when we agreed about breaking out because of stress. This room was very pretty since they were all wearing the same thing and the room was decorated like a restaurant with low lighting. Plus, their video was very nice to see because it made me feel that the girls were very close to each other. The one thing I don't know what to think of is that someone told me that this group is on probation, but I don't know the girl very well so I don't know what to think and it doesn't really change my view of them. But on the other hand, I would like to know why. Plus, to me, it's most important that I feel I can fit into the group and with this group I do.

I don't remember if I went to see Tommy or C.J afterwards so I'll go with C.J.

C.J.- I know all of you know which one this is but I'm going to comment on it because I feel its important in my deciding. I've been thinking about C.J alot mainly because I don't know if it's for me. I do see the potential in choosing a colony as opposed to an estabilished sorority but something worries me. I think the thing that is concerning most is that I might not be here next quarter/semester because of study abroad and I don't want this to hurt me. Also, I don't know if with my pending new job I'd be able to contribute as much as I'd like to. However, with that said, I did enjoy talking to the girls who were there today even if they weren't students at my school. ooops, I nearly wrote my school name! The one thing I didn't like was that they felt they had a closer bond due to living in the same house and they would say how this was so important but that it's not necessarily better, just different. I guess it troubled me because it felt that our chapter wouldn't be as close. But, I might just be interpreting this the wrong way.

Tommy- I have thought a lot about Tommy because I didn't want to get my hopes up too much. However, I did talk to a lot of nice girls and felt that I could possibly fit in if I got to know them better. I don't remember this group too much because it was at the end of the day and I was really tired by now. However, I do remember talking to girls who really connected to their philanthropy and I liked this since it showed that they did take an active interest in it.

The end of the day brought Johnny. I went into this group not knowing if I would enjoy it but the girl I talked to was so nice, I am starting to question if perhaps my initial thoughts of this group were wrong. I really did enjoy talking to her since we both shared so many interests and this is one of the smaller groups on campus, which I liked. I don't know yet if I am looking for a super large group or or a smaller group but I will decide on this within the next few days. We had a great talk and I found out that she had a similar experience to mine while rush. I want to see this group again because I want to make sure I could really join this sisterhood or if it was just this one girl. I'll have to see.

Overall, the entire day went really well. I had so much fun and was much more relaxed than the previous two days. I am going to go tomorrow and see Joey since I only have time for him due to classes. I'm getting more and more excited every day because Bidday is coming up and the more I think about it, the more I realize I made a really good choice in going through rush. I just really hope I get those pref. tea calls!! :) Goodnight everyone!:)

We narrow down our choices this Friday when we talk to our rhomu's and on that day we get told who preffed us. Saturday, we can only go to three pref's and we go to those on that day. As for study abroad, I want to go for an internship with a very big government/umbrella organization in Europe.

Before I forget, I have two questions to ask because they have been troubling me.

1) If I have a concern about financial situations, what should I do? Ask my rhomu or..? I haven't thought about it but I did realize today what a commitment it would be for me since my soon too be part time job wouldn't pay much.

2) Should I worry about my study abroad? Will the groups mind that I have to leave so suddenly? It is for school but I don't want to miss out or be eliminated so early.

how many more years will you be at your school?

you are smart to consider the financial cost of being a member. the sorority
needs her members to pay their obligations on time-just like you need to pay your rent, the electric bill, car payment, etc. in a timely fashion, so should you pay your sorority bills.

Have the costs of the sorority been disclosed to you? If not, I would ask for financial to determine if this is something that you can afford.

Regarding study abroad - this is usually pretty commonplace and shouldn't count against you. Usually you only have to pay national dues during the time you are out of the country, but do ask about their policy. Obviously you couldn't run for an office or anything.

I'm not going to speak for every collegiate chapter of every sorority, but there are some chapters that will allow you a "break" from their financial requirements during the time you study abroad. Obviously, you'll need to check with the chapters at your school specifically, but I know for a fact that several of the chapters at my institution allow members studying abroad to pay decreased amounts in dues (or none at all) while they were abroad. Dues pay for both the business of the sorority as well as the social functions, so some chapters may elect to "discount" dues since you wouldn't be taking part in the social functions.

Again, make sure you check with the chapters at your school before assuming they will do this! I have no idea where you are attending school, what chapters are there, what the situation is like, if there are houses, etc. But it is always worthwhile to ask those types of questions!

Good luck!

Thanks everyone! I did get the monetary stats except I still have some questions I will ask the girls of each sorority. Also, I'll be in school for two more years (this one and the next) so I intend on getting involved just not next quarter.

Only two hours till my interview with C.J. In order for them to pref us, we have to attend this interview and I wanted to keep all my options open. I'll post tonight how it went!! :)

*I picked out my outfit. It's a black check pencil skirt with red pumps, a red scarf and a white button down shirt. I know its pretty much what they wore yesterday but I love these shoes and really want to make a good impression (since red and white are their colors).

Wait a minute...back the train up and hold on...

Going to a GLO's activities (purposely) in their colors when not a member...NOT a good idea.

Yeah, I agree. If you happened to be in their colors it would be one thing but purposely..... i don't know about that. It would probably seem strange to me, but our colors would probably look a bit more obvious (cardinal and straw)...LOL

You mean I SHOULDN'T go to a ChiO mixer dressed as Ronald McDonald??:p

LOL... I was envisioning a girl dressed in bright yellow pants and a red top with red heels with some sort of yellow accessories. Adding the wig and gargantuan shoes would be awesome though....LOLOLOLOL

Lol,
I thought of that the second I posted it. I'm not wearing their colors. I found out that its not formal and since I have class on the 12th floor (no way I am walking up 12 flights in heels) I'm going in a nicer pair of jeans and a shirt. Gracias for the tips!

12 flights?! Wow. By senior year, everyone at your school must have great leg muscles.

I'm confused by the comment that you have to interview somewhere for them to pref you?

she said she's not walking up 12 flights in heels, that implies no elevator involvement