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Can I post my Retro Recruitment Story?
Or is this trend dead?
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Please do!! Those of us who check this board constantly need something to read!
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I may just post it anyways, it will be fun to relive the memories!
Retro Recruitment Story Ok, I went through Recruitment in 2001 and here is my story if everyone isn’t totally sick of these yet! 4 chapters on my campus Coach LV Dooney & Bourke Kate Spade Why I went through Rush… It was about a week and half before school started on a Thursday. I was a nanny that summer and for SOME reason I had a random thought that day, I wonder about sororities? I decided to research it so I called the University and got the number for Greek Life. I was connected with the Greek Advisor and he informed me that Rush started in two days, Saturday and that I could still register if I filled out my form and paid by tomorrow. Remember I still had no idea what any of this meant. I was the first person in my family to go to college and I had ZERO Greek relatives or information. I honestly think it was a blessing that I decided to check out this thing called Rush. I called my friend Krystle because my BEST FRIEND and roommate, was out of town at a church thing. Krystle was always a fun girl and I figured I could talk her into doing this Rush thing with me. I grabbed my kids that I was watching and we headed up to the University where I picked up two packets, one for me and one for Krystle. After I got off work that day I went over to Krystle’s apartment to convince her to rush with me. It was a pretty easy sell; we poured over the Recruitment book over and over again and discussed which sororities looked better than the others. I had heard good things about Coach from alum that knew my best friend, she said they were the nice normal girls so I was already interested in them. Our other friend, Andrea was at the apartment too. She had actually received Rush information in the mail and wanted to go through with us too. The problem was that her dad had already signed her up for Scuba diving classes that weekend. Andrea was quite the dramatic girl and I will never forget her sobbing on the phone with her parents, “I want to be a sorority girl not a scuba diver” while Krystle and I just laughed at her. We had another friend, Emily who was Krystle’s roommate but she said she was NOT joining a sorority. Friday-the day before Rush Because I had convinced Krystle to go through Rush with me at the last minute I took 5 of her senior pictures and our paperwork to work with me. I filled out both of our applications, and attached our pictures. I did call my mom that day and discuss this with her. She was surprised and asked me why I was interested. I told her that I had always HEARD things about Greek life but I wanted to find out for myself. If I went through Rush and it proved to be superficial, partying, drinking only I would drop out before the end. She was very supportive but also told me that I would have to pay for it on my own. I was excited that my mom was happy for me so I grabbed my kids (again) and we went to turn in our forms. The Greek Advisor told me to be at the University at 1:00 PM (1 think) and I headed home on my merry way making sure to drive around campus finding the different houses. On a side note- It was a big jump for me to do all of this without Best Friend. She and I were connected at the hip and she is pretty conservative. I was worried about what she would think when she got home and found out I was rushing without her. |
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OPEN HOUSE!
I did not go shopping for Rush but I did scour through my clothes and borrow some from my very fashionable mom to come up with cute outfits for the week. For Open House I wore a knee length jean skirt with a sleeveless red turtleneck sweater that had a cute tie at the waist, comfy but cute healed sandals with hair/makeup/toes painted and cute earrings. Krystle, Andrea (yes her parents let her out of scuba lessons) and I went together. We were excited but nervous. We got to orientation and listened to the Rho Chi’s explain Rush, answer questions, and then we were broken into groups. The three of us were separated which was fine. We played Icebreakers and waited to find out our schedules for the day. My OPEN HOUSE schedule Kate Spade Coach D&B LV We finally started going to our open parties and here are my observations. Kate Spade-Unfortunately there was already some negative tent talk about this group on Open. They were the smallest group on campus. That meant nothing to me because I was clueless so I went in with an open mind. The singing freaked me out but the girls looked cute, they were in pastel shirts and khaki pants. They had a very small house but it was decorated cute. Unfortunately I did not have a good rusher, she was very small, and very shy. She barely spoke but I thought I did a good job of making conversation. Coach- I loved this house, all the girls were very diverse and they were very bubbly and smiley! The house was also quite small but bigger than Kate Spade’s. They wore Bright colored short sleeve shirts in different colors with khaki capri’s. I met a girl named Rebecca that I LOVED; she was really funny and VERY outgoing. I decided that I wanted to be a coach really badly. D&B- This house was HUGE, the biggest on campus and beautiful. The girls were all very pretty also, mostly brunettes (like me) and dancers (like me). They seemed very friendly but I was a little turned off. I was rushed by two girls that I went to high school with but they were a year older and very popular. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t a loser in high school but I was in the middle group if you know what I mean. These girls had NEVER said two words to me in high school and now they were acting like they had known me forever and were so excited that I was there because we KNEW each other. I know now that they were just being nice and trying to connect with me but at the time I thought it was a bit fake. Still, I was excited about this house and kept it near the top of my list. Overall, I still thought D&B might be a good match for me so I overlooked the girls I knew from high school. LV-My last house of the day was LV. I had heard that they were the BEST house and the largest group on campus. I still didn’t really understand why size was important but whatever. I was very impressed with this group because they have an AWESOME recruitment. They wore the cutest outfits, the house was big but not huge and it was completely decorated. I really liked LV but I wasn’t sure if I would really fit in as myself in this house. My rusher also talked a lot about religion, I am a Christian and pretty conservative but I didn’t really understand how this related to what sorority I would join. I wondered if I would be just another LV here or if I could really shine somewhere else? My ranking after Open Coach D&B LV Kate Spade Krystle liked D&B Coach LV Kate Spade Andrea liked LV Coach D&B Kate Spade |
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Krystle makes you feel old? Why?
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Maybe due to the non-traditional spelling?
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Krystle was the name of one of the main characters in "Dynasty", which will always remind me of huge shoulder pads.
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The fact that they don't get it makes me feel old.
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I have a sister named Krystle, I don't feel old...lol!
Mas por favor! |
Philanthropy Day
We didn’t cut and the houses didn’t cut until Theme Night so we had to go to all four chapters on the first two days. Today I felt a lot better, I wasn’t as nervous and I was excited. I was worried about what to wear though. We were supposed to wear our Rush shirts with casual bottoms because of the crafts but I feared it would be one of those things where the losers followed directions and everyone else showed up in heels. I finally decided to follow the directions so I wore my Rush shirt, with jean Capri pants and cute flip flops, making sure that hair/makeup was done. This night was held in the student center. I cannot remember what order I went in to the houses but here are my observations LV- Cute, the members all wore different letter shirts and I loved looking at them. We did tye-dye which was messy but fun and that is really all I remember. I still thought these girls were beautiful but a little snobby for my taste. D&B- This was sort of beach themed. The members wore pink and turquoise t-shirts with their philanthropy on them. We put together baskets. We did play a game where we answered questions pulled out of a beach pail in the middle of our table. I didn’t like this game because I don’t like answering silly questions like, “ If you were a car, what car would you be” Coach- Again I felt so at home with these girls. I sat a table and all the members where really funny. We painted pots (I don’t really remember why) and I painted mine like a watermelon. My rusher showed it off to everyone and told me it was so cute. She also asked me what I thought so far and I told her that I loved Coach and it was my first choice. SO BOLD of me. Kate Spade- Tonight I didn’t enjoy this house, as much as I tried to have an open mind, the tent talk was getting to me. In addition to that, I kept getting horrible rushers. Some of the girls looked cute and nice but I kept getting mute girls and I was tired of carrying the conversation. Weren’t they supposed to talk to me? I finished my craft (decorating small pails) pretty quickly. My rusher asked me if I wanted to make another one and I told her no. Looking back, that was pretty rude of me. I think I was worn out, it was my last party and I was annoyed that these girls were living up to the negative talk by not talking to me. After Philanthropy I liked Coach D&B LV Kate Spade Krystle D&B and Coach were tied LV Kate Spade Andrea LV D&B and Coach tied Kate Spade We would get our first invites back the next morning and we were all nervous! We all liked different houses so where would we end up the next day? |
very interesting thread...why am i so addicted?!? lol more please!
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I thought the "old" comment was related to spelling also! :o
Sorry, I must be younger because I never watched Dynasty, at least I know about it though! |
oh yes keep it coming!! I love the designer code names!! I only own Coach and D&B.
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Loving this thread! And it's funny because I called the sorority with the negative tent talk "Kate Spade" in my retro thread too! Great minds think alike!
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THEME NIGHT MORNING
We could go pick up our invites from the Greek office in the morning. I was SO nervous. I dragged my kids along and we had to wait a little bit because we got our invites one by one and there was a line. It was finally my turn!! I went in and sat down and I was so nervous. The Greek advisor explained I could only go to three parties that night. I was invited back to all four houses (YAY) and so I had to cut one. I did actually think about it, were the Kate Spade’s just a fluke because I kept getting quiet girls. Would I ever really fit in at LV? I decided to cut Kate Spade and so I would be returning to D&B, LV, and Coach. Krystle was cut by D&B (probably grades) so she would be attending Kate Spade, Coach & LV Andrea and I had the same party schedule. THEME NIGHT For theme I thought my outfit was SUPER cute. It was a hot pink sundress with matching sheer cardigan and I had pink heeled sandals that matched perfectly. It was a little “Legally Blonde” but I think I stood out because I was SO color coordinated. D&B- I went to this house first on theme night and I was in love! This house has an amazing theme night! It is completely decorated and the girls where the cutest costumes. The skit is Through the Decades, very cute and funny too. I loved D&B tonight! They completely won me over with Theme Night. LV-Oh no, another adorable night! Somehow Krystle, Andrea and I ended up all at this party together! We were so hyper and crazy that night! At this time, alums still drove us to the houses in their cars and we were with a LV alumna and I think she thought we were crazy! We were really just delirious and tired and happy. Andrea LOVED LV and I remember her turning around from her table and giving me this big cheesy thumb up. Coach- Last house of the night and my favorite through Rush so far. Again Andrea, Krystle and I were together. I have to admit, this skit wasn’t as cute or as put together as LV and D&B but what it lacked in style it made up for in HUMOR. It was hilarious and the three of us were just cracking up the whole time! I still loved Coach but I did have to look past the glitz and glam of LV & D&B to remember that. I thought that maybe if I was a Coach next year, we could make the skit better! Looking back, I am so glad that I saw the weaknesses in Coach as an opportunity to be a leader and make a difference. After theme I liked Coach D&B in a close second LV Krystle Coach LV Kate Spade Andrea LV Coach D&B Where would we go for pref? Was there any chance of us being together in a chapter or were we destined for three separate chapters? |
This one is so interesting! I'm glad you saw the opportunity to make a difference at Coach!!
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PREF MORNING Ahhhh! I was so excited and REALLY nervous this morning. What if I got cut by everyone? I went to pick up my invites, with bratty kids in tow. I was invited back to Coach (YAY) and D&B (YAY) but cut by LV. I was slightly disappointed in that WHY did they cut me way but I took it as a sign that I was not meant to be an LV. Late the night before I had struggled. I wanted to want to be an LV but I knew in my gut it wasn’t my home. Even though LV is a great chapter and very successful I would not have flourished here or developed into a leader like I did in my chapter. Everything happens for a reason! So in the end I was really thrilled with my pref schedule! Andrea and I were also both invited back to Kate Spade but we didn’t understand why, we had already cut them. I know now that the chapter was pretty low in numbers and always invited back the max number of girls to try and make quota. Krystle was cut by LV so she would be attending Kate Spade Coach Andrea was cut by D&B so she would be attending Coach LV |
Oooh...more, please! :)
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PREFERENCE!
For pref I wore a simple black spaghetti strap dress that was very flattering on me. I accessorized with a very funky matching bracelet, necklace, earrings set. It was beaded chunky gold beads so I thought it was cool and made me stand out from the pearls and diamonds everyone was sporting. D&B- I went to D&B first. The beautiful house was all decorated. We went into the living room and I talked to one of the girls I knew from high school. She was very sweet and told me how excited they were to have me back. We were given a pearl on a ribbon to wear around our necks (taken back later). We weren’t seated at tables just around the room and it was slightly awkward with a plate, three mini cheesecakes and a glass of punch. Then they performed a ceremony and the President and a senior talked. They had us stand up and they sang Circle of Friends and asked us to join their circle of friends. We then went through another really pretty room where our rusher talked to us one on one and said goodbye. I thought this preference was very pretty and I was honored that D&B might like me so much but it didn’t really touch me. Coach-We walked into Coach and sat for turtle cheesecake and punch while we conversated. I was rushed by a quiet older sister. I told her how much I loved Coach and she was very sweet to me and made me feel comfortable without breaking any rush rules. After the refreshments we went into the living area and we were given candles, the chapter performed the ceremony and it was beautiful. I was touched, I cried and I just knew that I belonged in Coach. Even though it wasn’t the biggest or best house on campus maybe I could make it better. I loved these girls and I felt 100% comfortable here. Also one of the chapter members wax catcher thing caught on fire in the middle of the pref ceremony! The women handled it so well, they laughed and stomped it out and then went on with the rest of pref. It made me realize how REAL these girls were. Back to the student center. Signing my bid card was not a hard decision for me. I ranked them
Krystle ranked
Andrea ranked
Side note- Best Friend came home this day and was very weirded out that I decided to Rush at the last minute. But after we talked about it she was happy for me and a great friend through the last two days! |
yes!! its BID time!
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BID DAY!
Bid Day morning I was so nervous I felt sick! I wore a cute shirt (with white bra and tank underneath as directed) and jean capri’s. Hair and makeup were fixed and I was ready to go. Andrea, Krystle and I went together. We were so nervous that we were being quite silly in the car, screaming songs at the top of our lungs. Krystle was kind of a rebel girl and she was DONE with the Rush thing at this point. She wanted to join but she was sick of smiling and fake conversations so she was quite amusing by Bid Day. Andrea was so dramatic that she was alternating between screaming with excitement and crying in fear. I wanted to smack her but I didn’t. We got the designated location and the three of us sat together. We were given our bid cards in random order so I got mine first, then Krystle, then Andrea. We waited until all three of us got them before we opened them. Around us there were girls jumping around and screaming from excitement and other girls SOBBING because they didn’t get their top choice. I felt sick to my stomach as we opened our cards. Together we counted, 1-2-3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . Opened our cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . AND SCREAMED WITH JOY!!!! ALL THREE OF US GOT COACH! ALSO KNOWN AS DELTA ZETA! We went to the doors and one at a time we were announced. Ladies of Delta Zeta please welcome MAXIMUS406!!!! ANDREA!!! KRYSTLE!!! We ran over to the President and the VPR and they gave us cute black Harley inspired T-shirts and turtle nametags! We waited on the rest of our pledge class and then we went to the gymnasium where all the chapters were eating lunch together and taking pictures, waiting for the Rho Chi reveal. Why they did this I have no idea, it was really not a good idea. After that we went back to the house where we got our bid day baskets! We got DZ scrubs, cup, pen, notepad, pencil and key chain in a cute tub. We went and took pictures at the park and hung out with our new sisters until the end of bid day (around 5-6 bid day ended and we had a 24 hour silence period between the NM and the chapter members) |
RECAP
Joining Delta Zeta was the best decision I made in college. I loved my chapter and I took on a lot of responsibility to improve my chapter. I also had an awesome new member class. We were all very involved in chapter and on campus and I think we were a big part of making Delta Zeta the best it could be at our school! I served in many chair positions before becoming Vice President. When our Chapter President was removed from her office I was asked to take over for her. I served as Chapter President for 1.5 years, and graduated in 2005. I went on to be an advisor for about two years and I am now involved as an alumna and we are starting a new alumnae chapter in our area!! I got to shine as a Delta Zeta and my college experience would not have been the same in any other chapter. When I graduated, Delta Zeta was truly living up to its fullest potential on my campus! Krystle was a member for 3 years before she had to quit because of financial reasons. She made great friends and her big sis is still her best friend to this day! We drifted a part in college but I will always love her! She recently got married and Emily was in her wedding. Andrea transferred schools after two years but it was an awesome 2 years with her in chapter. She is CRAZY but so much fun. She is an alumna of Delta Zeta and is married and happy! Emily (Krystle’s roommate) ended up watching us have lots of fun over the next year. She and I actually roomed together in the dorms our second semester. She ended up COBing Delta Zeta the next fall and was active until a really bad car accident. She shattered her leg and had to take a semester off school. She went alum after the accident, transferred, graduated from nursing school and is living in CA with her fiancé. I will see her at her wedding in September. BEST FRIEND- Well after a week of watching me have a blast with my new sisters she came to a COB event for Delta Zeta. Our VPR fell in love with her and offered her a bid to Delta Zeta that night. She accepted and we spent the next four years together in chapter! We drifted close and far apart through college but we have been friends since 7th grade so we are always there for one another! She was my maid of honor in my wedding and I was in hers this past year. Our VPR became her Big sis and they were a perfect match! |
what a great story! thanks so much for sharing!!! i also loved the current updates on everyone.
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Thanks!
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Due to some past issues arising from identifying myself online I would prefer not to reveal my school or the other chapters.
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i loved it! congratulations...
maximus406... i loved your thread. i am so happy that you "suddenly" found out about rush and that you and all of your friends ended up in wonderful delta zeta!
these threads are a great deal harder than people think... and you did such a wonderful job with such speed. i am certain that your leadership skills that delta zeta imparted to you have served you well. congratulations on a wonderful recruitment and finding a home for you... and all of your friends! that was a wonderful story with a "happily ever after ending"... thank you! cheers! |
Thank you so much!!! Once I decided to do one I typed it all out in Word and then just kept cutting and pasting! That made it go much faster but in Word it was 10 pages long!
I am loving your story so please keep updating and quickly too! |
Did Andrea ever regret not getting a bid to LV, her first choice?
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I really don't think that she did. She was interested in LV because her older brother was in a fraternity that was very in cahoots with the LV's. I think she felt like they strung her along through recruitment more because of him than a genuine interest in her. I don't really think that was the case, but this chapter was notorious for inviting back the max girls they could each night even if they had no intent of offering those women a bid. This was before our Panhellenic started using the system based on past years return rates.
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great story!! im glad you all found happiness in DELTA ZETA!
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That really was a great story!
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YaY for Delta Zeta!
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I loved this thread! No muss no fuss, just clear concise (yet interesting) writing and the perfect amount of suspense.
Kudos! |
Thank you!
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