recruitment @ IU 'O7'O8!!
 

as promised! here is my recruitment story. i'm a sophomore at Indiana University and I didn't go through recruitment last year. The first day of 19 party just ended and I had so much fun!! I have to rank tomorrow so I figured writing this up would be a great way for me to start to narrow it down : )

my 19 houses are (lame, but easy!) : blackberry, lemon, watermelon, peach, raspberry, lime, grapefruit, cherry, coconut, kiwi, strawberry, orange, blueberry, banana, grape, apple, plum, pear and mango.

today i went to blackberry - kiwi (10 houses)

SOOO...

Blackberry: first house!! really exciting, liked it and had good conversations but don't really know if I can see myself here, someplace I might I want to see more of.

Lemon: very pretty house, but not for me. okay conversation, 2/3 felt slightly forced and one girl touched her EYEBALL!! during our entire conversation which grossed me out. don't want to see more.

Watermelon: LOVE THIS HOUSE!! know a few girls, very nice and down to earth, very diverse, my conversations were really great here and I can totally see myself in this house, can't wait to hopefully go back!

Peach: really really great, had really good conversations, girls were very friendly, house was very nice, would love to see more.

Raspberry: this house was nice, but the girl rushing me talked about some things that made me sort of uncomfortable, very unique and nice attitude but don't think this house is right for me.

Lime: really liked this house, beautiful and wonderful girls! great about academics and really laid back feel, could definitely relate to the girls I talked to, really great energy, would love to see more!!

Grape: most uncomfortable house so far. conversation was very difficult, girls did very little to get to know me, asked sort of obscure questions, seemed distracted and overall just a more awkward experience, I don't think this house would be a good fit.

Cherry: definitely felt the "oh your a sophomore, NO" vibe here, but only from one girl, another was so excited she was practically spitting in my face talking so fast, good conversation with the last girl I talked to, but overall feel this house isn't for me.

Coconut: beautiful house and very nice girls, really positive about sophomore status and really interested in what I had to say, love the philanthropy, definitely would like to see more.

Kiwi: had great conversation here about really random things!! but walked away feeling great and wanting to talk longer even though it was the last house of my night. would love to come back.

so that was my first day!! i had so much fun! I do the remaining houses tomorrow and then rank them for the next party, 12, which isn't until January!! gahh!! but everyone said the time flies. speaking of time, it's time for bed and then up for more in the morning, have a great night everyone!!!

hey! i just went through today too! i started at kd...all of the houses i visited were completelllly different, but i loved something about almost everyone of them!! im so nervous about narrowing it down, and i dont want to cut off the one chapter that is right for me...ughhh im so nervous!

LOL! On purpose, or was it by accident? If it was purposeful, as in, she was doing it as part of her "conversation" with you, you should seriously tell your Rho Chi (or whatever you call them) so they can give the feedback to the chapter, that poor girl needs more rush training! ;)

Overall, sounds like a great day for you! I love reading about these rushes at big schools, it reminds me of my days back at Penn State, 23 sororities to visit, SO many chapters, names & faces to remember. But such fun! Enjoy! Be sure to update tomorrow night!!

I would guess that she was readjusting her contacts...I know that I sometimes do this unconsciously, and my friends have pointed this out.

Yay, another IU rush thread!

19 party is over!! today was incredible and it was really hard to narrow things down in the end, but first here is what i thought of the chapters i visited today:

Strawberry: amazing conversation here, really great energy, liked the house and it's location, over all +++++ here!

Orange: this house was nice, but I really don't know if I can see myself here, some forced conversation and didn't feel as comfortable as in other chapters.

Blueberry: in love. AMAZING HOUSE! really wonderful girls, great conversation (one had my same birthday which was a great conversation starter), overall really loved this house, but hear it's really hard to be asked back so I hope they liked me as much as I liked them!!

Banana: liked it here as well. one great conversation with a girl who really sold it because I could tell how much she really loved it, the next girl seemed disinterested : ( and a good friend from my high school surprised me which was really exciting, overall feel good and I want to see more.

Grape: another amazing conversation, legacy to this house, which made me feel like I was obligated to like it, but really truly did, girls were very genuine here and I talked to a sophomore, junior and senior which I really liked, overall I really really liked this house : )

Apple: amazing energy and really fun, pretty girls, was double rushed here and that made it hard because the girl I was rushed with seemed like she was uncomfortable, hopefully the girls I talked to remembered me, one was from near my hometown, liked this house and thought it was really nice.

Plum: this house was nice, the girls were easy to talk to and the rooms were very nice, last conversation was sort of difficult but overall enjoyed it and would like to see it again.

Pear: really tried to look at this house objectively, the tour was way to long and it felt like the girl was reading off a teleprompter, didn't ask any questions about me or the other girl (double rushed here) and felt sort of forced into conversation, the 2nd girl we talked to was nice, but because the 1st talked for so long about so much, it was hard to find a jumping off point. i know this house isn't for me : (

Mango: so much fun here! great conversations, knew one of the girls rushing me through a mutual friend, very positive and the house is great, know a girl from a class who went through as a sophomore and she's great, felt good about this house.

phew. so that's that. I really had fun this weekend and seeing all the houses made it hard to narrow things down. in the end I had to list my top 12 in no particular order and rank my bottom 7. it was tough but my lists looked like this:

top 12 (alphabetical is easiest for me): Apple, Banana, Blueberry, Coconut, Grape, Kiwi, Lime, Mango, Peach, Plum, Strawberry, Watermelon

my bottom 7 (in order of liked most to liked least): Blackberry, Orange, Lemon, Raspberry, Cherry, Grapefruit and Pear

it was tough, but I did it. I can't wait to find out what happens next. I will keep you posted, 1st invited is Jan. 4, 2008 (sooo far away!!)

have a great night!! : )

oh and about the eyeball!! I think she was just doing it without realizing it, but it made things really awkward!

LOL! You are too funny! Sounds like an amazing day and it's so great to hear you like so many houses! You're right, January is TOO far away. Well, another reason to look forward to 2008 -- can't wait to hear more!!

Good Luck with your Recruitment.

Wish it was not so far away. That seems too long.

GO COCONUT!!! I absolutely love anything with coconut in it.

Hope you have a tutti-frutti Recruitment!

IU 12 parties start tomorrow!

Good Luck! Have lots of fun!

Yea Big 10. I can't wait!

*gasp* That's right!!! It's January!!! Yippee! The story continues soon!!

Well, it continues if the OP is still around and willing to share her story with us. :)

She'd better be around! How sad would it be if she wasn't around.

of course I'm around!! I wouldn't leave you hanging!!

12 party is over and holy moley it was an extremely long, exciting day. since I am a sophomore I had to be up and ready to leave early so that I could make it to the Union by 6:45, it was insane!!! when I finally got my list I was soooo nervous, and when I looked at it was shocked! to see that I had a full day, all 12 houses. I didn't get some of my favorites back like Blueberry, Watermelon and Banana, and I got some of my less liked houses, all in all 7 of my top 12 asked me back, and 5 of my bottom 7 asked me back as well. I was incredibly excited!!!

ooh and looking back on my 19 party posts, I realized that I put two houses as Grape. The one day 1 was GrapeFRUIT and I totally spaced and just wrote Grape, day 2 was just plain Grape : )

sooo to start my day...

I was at Kiwi first. Just like 19 party, this chapter felt amazing!! Really comfortable for me, a GREAT skit and awesome ladies, really like it here!!!

Grape!!! (for real!!) Fell in love with this chapter!! had wonderful conversations here and never felt that I was struggling to make a connection of some sort happen, had an amazing time here, great girls great skit great attitude, really great!! (seriously, how many greats??? ugghh it's been a long day!!)

My next house was GrapeFRUIT. Again I felt sort of forced here, but the skit was cute. In the end I feel better about it, but know it isn't for me.

On to Cherry. Again, apparently being a sophomore is a huge turnoff here. The second girl I talked to, when hearing that I was a sophomore, stopped making eye contact and made faces at girls behind me. Conversation was impossible. This house is NOT for me.

I went to Mango next. During 19 party, really liked it, this time I wasn't so sure, was one of the houses that I was iffy about all day and ended up deciding that I would like to see a little more.

Plum. Glad I got to see more, had a really good experience this time and talked to some great girls, changed how I felt about it during 19 party by really making the positives I saw then stand out, very cute skit!!

Then I got a break, which was soo needed. When I got back....

Strawberry. I really liked this house during 19 party, but really felt they emphasized some things that I'm not really looking for in a chapter, was on the fence and ended up including this chapter in my lower 6 at the end of the night.

Raspberry. Knew this house wasn't for me at 19 party, definitely know that it isn't now. One of the girls that rushed me told me how unhappy she was when she got her bid, since she didn't see any positives in the house, and how her friends had to convince her to join since they were going to. She still doubts if she made the right decision but "guesses she is learning to love it." I don't even know what to do with this!! Definitely not were I want to be.

Apple. Really really surprised I was asked back. Since I was double rushed here I didn't know if I had made enough of an impression, and I was glad to go back. The skit here was awesome and I laughed so hard at how much fun the girls were having. Really enjoyed this house and had some wonderful conversations, ending up being a great surprise!!

Blackberry. Glad to see more, but know that it probably isn't for me. Ended up putting them in the top of my lower 6 since I am still somewhat unsure.

Lime. Again really fun, talked to a girl I knew here, comfortable and a really good experience overall : )

Orange. Last house of the night, felt as though the girl I was talking to wasn't interested, which could be the fact that we'd been at it all day, but really felt as though I was boring her. Another conversation here was good, but still feel pretty sure that this house isn't right for me.

At the end of the night my list looked like this (in full order most favorite to least favorite):

Grape, Kiwi, Apple, Lime, Plum, Mango, Strawberry, Blackberry, Orange, Grapefruit, Raspberry, Cherry

I'm excited for tomorrow and should probably be sleeping!! I'll keep you all updated!! have a great night!!

What does "double rushed" mean?

Glad you had so much fun today!

double rushed means that one active member talked to two PNM's, me and one other girl. sometimes girls also get triple rushed (3:1 PNM's:active) and even quadruple rushed (eek!)

Yay, she came back! Great recap, sounds like a fun day, reminds me how tiring rush is/was when there are so many chapters you get to meet. Enjoy tomorrow! Be sure to post!!

Oh my goodness, why would anyone say that during recruitment?! What an awful thing to tell a PNM, I don't blame you, I would have felt so awkward after that!

has your concept of any of the chapters changed?

SERIOUSLY? I'm sorry, but I think girls who feel like that should just quit. They only end up hurting the chapter and dragging it down. Think of how many girls she probably told that to who might have considered Raspberry before that.

6 party is over and it was great!! All of the houses in my top 6 asked me back and I was very excited to start the day. For FSUZeta, yes my concept of some of the chapters has changed, and in the past two days have really helped me to see what is right for me.

today was the scrapbook video day and I started off at Apple. This house was wonderful, like I said before I was surprised to get this house back and I really enjoyed my time there. Watching the video it was hard not to cry, it was so clear how much the girls cared about each other and how fun their sisterhood really was. This house was great!!

After Apple I went to Grape, this house has really become a place where I feel I belong. The girls here were wonderful and again I found myself tearing up during the video. I saw many of the girls that I talked with before and each was so happy and seemed genuinely glad to see me again. The conversations I had here today were amazing and I felt a real connection, I'm trying not to get TOO excited, in case things don't work out in the end, but I know I would love to be a part of something this wonderful : )

Next I went to Kiwi. I was really disappointed here today. While I understand that the general mood of today was supposed to be serious, here the seriousness took away from what made this house stand out to me in the first place. I felt that I was being rushed very hard here and that made me uncomfortable (at one point "we can talk off the record" was said and that made me feel very weird), this house was somewhere I had felt was really good before, but today I just felt like I didn't belong.

Lime. This house was great, the video was great and the girls were nice. It was hard here because I talked to the same girl from yesterday for the majority of the time and it started to get a little bit difficult to keep things going. Overall, as much as I like this house, I'm starting to think that maybe it isn't for me.

Mango. Another house that I felt discouraged at. Conversation here tonight was difficult and I found myself getting bored, something I hadn't really experienced at all so far during recruitment. Another thing that made me less enthusiastic was the video. To me it didn't show the goofy side, the side that comes out after late nights of studying wearing no make up and dancing in the hallways, to me seeing that in the videos at other houses showed the close bond the girls had and here it seemed a little bit to pristine... I don't know, I do know though that my excitement for this house has gone away : ( and I know it isn't right for me.

My last house of the day was Plum. Here things have changed for the positive. The energy level here was great and the conversation was awesome. Really glad to have been given the chance to see more : ) Like this house A LOT!

So after all this, my list was Grape, Apple, Plum, Lime, Kiwi and Mango.

I can't wait for tomorrow, even though I know I have some potentially very hard decisions to make before the night is over. Rho Gamma (recruitment counselor) unveiling is tomorrow night and I can't wait to see what happens!!!

I hope you all have a great night!! Keep your fingers crossed for me!! : )

Congratulations on getting all of your top 6! Sounds like you had a good round. Good luck on your invites tomorrow!

how exciting. congratulations on being invited back to your top six. i hope that you receive the invitations you are hoping for today. best wishes and fingers crossed!

Sounds great so far. I am really enjoying reading your story.

What did the Kiwi sister follow, "we can talk off the record" with?

seriously,

that's as bad as the one girl saying she doesn't know if she made the right choice and told that to a PNM......

but congratulations on getting invited back!!!!

Sounds like another great day! Wow, for that big a greek system, it sounds like they really push through the rounds quickly. 12 parties one day, 6 the very next, and how many today? Is Pref tomorrow? Sounds exhausting but fun! I hope you get the results you want!

pref at IU is today and the PNMs can attend up to 3 parties.

here's hoping you have a great fruit salad and get the invitations you want.

oookkk so today was a whole lot of emotions!!! when I got my list this morning I was sort of disappointed. My list was still great, but both Apple and Grape didn't ask me back. But I was still excited, and I went to Plum, Lime and Mango. At the end of the day my decision was a tough one.

Plum was great!! I really liked it here, the girls were really easy to talk to and I was really touched by the ceremony and the attitude of the girls around me. All in all this chapter has everything I am looking for from academics to philanthropy to goofiness and I can really see myself here. I just hope that things work out for me!!! : )

I went to Lime next and this is where things got hard. I liked it just about as much as Plum and when it came down to make my decision I kept going back and forth. Looking back at my lists didn't help because the two had traded places throughout the weekend, so it was a really close call. Here the conversation was easy and the girls were really laid back. The atmosphere here is comfortable and I really enjoyed my time here. I could see myself here too!! aaaahhh!!

Mango... this house just isn't right for me. I know they have a lot of fun together but it was really hard to see beyond the surface. Here conversation was difficult again and it was sort of disorganized. I just felt no connection here and could feel that it wasn't the one for me.

When I had to rank I went back and forth between Plum and Lime for awhile and finally ranked Plum first and Lime second. I didn't rank Mango because I know that it just isn't what I am looking for and I didn't want to say I will accept a bid from them knowing that I won't and take the place of someone who might really feel right about it. I am excited but at the same time so nervous!!! I would love to be apart of the amazing sisterhood that I saw at both Plum and Lime and just hope that in the end, like everyone's been saying, that things work out for the best.

Tomorrow is going to be an incredibly long day. I won't find out what happens until 6:30 or so. I am so anxious and know that I won't be paying attention at all!!! Recruitment was so much fun and I hate that so many people told me it would be awful and that sophomores were given no chance. Even if I don't get a bid, I'm glad that I went through the process and that I got a chance to see what greek life really is about. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!!! I'm going to try and sleep : ) but it's going to be hard!! : ) Thank you so much to everyone here, I hope you all have a wonderful night!! : )

Oh also! about the "off the record", she said she knew that it was hard to make a choice and that she could try and help make it easier for me, and she just started to sell the house really hard in a very unappealing way, it was just very forceful and made me so uncomfortable. I'm glad I didn't go back there today!!

OHHH!! and my Rho Gamma was a Watermelon!! I was so excited, but she tricked us all, well at least me!!!

Goodnight and phew, one more day until I know!! : )

I'm glad you had a good time at pref, despite not getting asked back to some favorites. Good luck tomorrow!

lots of luck to you!!!

today will be a long day for you! i hope that your classes will distract you a bit. can't wait to learn if you are a plum or a lime!!

Ooh I can't wait to hear the end of the story!

Hopefully no news is good news and she is having a blast with her new sisters!

i've heard from my sisters at IU that everyone who got bids are at their houses, so i'm assuming its good news.

soooo!! bid night was tonight!! thanks to everyone who listened to my story!!! the good news is... I'M A PLUM and I AM SO GLAD TO BE






















A THETA!!!!!! : ) : )

this has been a wonderful experience and I AM SO GLAD I DID IT!!!
Thanks again for all your kind words, I AM SO EXCITED TO HAVE FOUND A PLACE TO CALL HOME : ) : )

Congrats on Theta! Tell us all about it!!!