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Retro Recruitment at Miami University
Hello! I haven't been on GreekChat in a while, but I just spent the last few hours reading all the retro posts, and I absolutely LOVE them! I wish I had known about GreekChat when I went through recruitment. I went to Miami University (in Oxford, Ohio), where we had 17 NPC chapters. Would anyone be interested in a retro thread about my recruitment experience?
I'm already brainstorming code names... |
Do we need code names for a retro thread...?
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Also, I hate to ruin the fun, but her username is a dead giveaway to what she ended up joining anyway.:p:p |
Not necessarily - that could be her chapter... I could say Theta Chi love and mean my chapter and not the fraternity.
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SERIOUSLY?
SthrnZeta - how about you erase your post and we'll just pretend like it never happened. |
AF, I PMed you. And yes, seriously.
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I'm on the edge of my seat for this retro thread.
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Yay! The recruitment thread needs a new story that we don't have to wait for January to hear the ending.
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Ok... so here it goes!
As far as my user name, SthrnZeta is correct . . . it has to do with my chapter name. So if you really can't wait, I'm sure you could figure out what chapter I'm in. Additionally, I'm going to use names since I know women on GreekChat go/went to Miami, and there are PNMs on this site that I would not want to influence with my story. If you want to know, just PM and I'll fill you in! I’m very excited to revisit my recruitment past! When I went through recruitment at Miami University, there were 17 NPC sororities on campus. Because we did not (and still do not) have sorority houses, each sorority has a sorority “suite” in one of four sorority residence halls. Due to the small size of these suites, only 35 PNMs can come through a party at a time. Thus, our recruitment is broken up into four rounds. Open House, which is spread out over three days, is the first round where we visit all 17 sororities. First Round (which is actually the second round) is spread out over two days, and you have the opportunity to go back to ten houses. Second Round is spread out over two days as well, and you have the opportunity to go back to six houses. Finally, preference round occurs over the course of one day, and you can go back to a maximum of three houses. After thinking about it for a while, I’ve decided to use precious and semi-precious gems as my code names! And because we have 17 NPC sororities, I ran out of gems, so I’m also using some metals. They are: Amber Amythyst Aquamarine Bronze Crystal Diamond Emerald Garnet Gold Opal Pearl Peridot Ruby Sapphire Silver Topaz Turquoise We have deferred recruitment, and at the time, had very strict silence rules first semester. My mother was in a sorority (though not at Miami), but she encouraged me to go in with an open mind. She was never that involved with her own sorority, so she really did not care if I ended up there or not. Prior to recruitment, I had gotten a few recommendation letters, but I don't think they are as important in the North as they are in the South. Even though my family had been involved in Greek life, I think I went into recruitment without a CLUE! I had some exposure to a few sororities prior to recruitment, but like I said, we had very strict silence rules. So, I entered recruitment really liking Garnet (because a lot of the upper classmen I knew from other organizations were Garnets). Additionally, my R.A. in my residence hall was a Garnet, so I was really going in with this one track mind. Even though there were 16 other sororities, I didn't know much about any of the others. My two best friends at other universities had already gone through recruitment, and they had both ended up Gold, so I was also eager to get to know Gold so as to complete our trilogy. I'll fill you in soon on my Open House experience... |
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SERIOUSLY??? [And for those who apparently need explanation, YES - I'M BEING SARCASTIC] |
Wow, I totally didn't pick up on your sarcasm the first time AlphaFrog.... it's been a long day! =)
Instead, I spent forever trying to figure out what sorority you could POSSIBLY think I meant... =) |
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Yay....my work day just got significantly less productive!
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Mine, too!!!
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Like I said earlier, Open House was spread out over the course of three days. So, we arrived back to school on a Tuesday, and we began recruitment that next Wednesday. Everyone going through recruitment comes back about 6 days before classes start in the winter. My friends and I were all going through recruitment, and we were really excited! We spent the entire night trying on clothes, and picking out the perfect outfit. Our recommended wear was very casual, just jeans and a shirt. So after careful consideration, I wore my nicest jeans and a green sweater. It’s been a while, and I don’t remember the exact order of my day, but I’ll talk about all the houses I went to!
Crystal – This was the very first house I went to. You could tell the girls seemed pretty nervous, and I know this was also their first party of the day. I talked to a few different girls, but nothing really jumped out at me. There wasn’t much energy in the room, and all I talked about with one girl was swimming. She swam in high school, and I had as well, so we talked about that for a while. Every girl I talked to after went back to that same conversation. Needless to say, after that house, I needed to take a break from the swimming conversation. Amber – Here the girls seemed very down to earth, but nothing really popped out at me. At this point in recruitment, I was being very superficial, and to be honest, I just didn’t think this house was that trendy or “popular”. Amythyst – At Amythyst, I was a legacy by my mother. This house was very prominent on campus, and everyone had been talking about them as the day went on. I knew I was supposed to like them, but they could not have seemed more disinterested in me. Even though I was a legacy, no one came over to say anything (I didn’t speak with their president, or anyone from their recruitment team). The one girl I spoke with had a lot of similarities as I did, but she did not appear to care about that at all. We were from neighboring towns outside Chicago, and we knew a lot of the same people. Still, she seemed very disinterested. I knew this house was popular, but after leaving, I simply was not feeling it. Aquamarine – This house had a lot of energy, and I really liked the first girl I spoke with. The second one I spoke with was from my same area, so I tried to talk to her about the new mall that had just been built by us. She said, oh yeah, my dad was the developer. I later recognized her last name, as her dad was probably one of the leading developers in the entire state! Furthermore, our similarities ended right there, after she started talking about the private school she attended, and kept asking me if I knew anyone who went there. I know about two people, so needless to say, our conversation sort of stalled after that. I got the feeling this was the “rich” sorority, and I felt a little out of place. I liked most of the girls I spoke with, but I didn’t know if I would fit in. Bronze – Sixteen of the seventeen sororities on our campus are very strong in the sense that they always make quota and are at or above total. Bronze is the only chapter that is noticeably struggling, so girls had been talking about it all day. I tried to go in with an open mind, but the conversations I had were very strained. There were not enough women in the chapter, so there were two PNMs to every active. Our conversation did not really progress, and I knew I definitely did not want to be in this chapter. Also, I was still being pretty superficial at this point. Diamond – At the time of recruitment, I was dating a guy whose sister was in this chapter. I didn’t know much about the chapter at all, but I was a little nervous to go due to this sister situation. The girls seemed pretty laid back, but they didn’t make a lasting impression. However, I did speak with one girl who spoke a mile a minute, but she was so genuine. I was a little intimidated at first, but I really liked her honesty. Walking out, I liked the girls, but I didn’t think the chapter was the right fit. Emerald – I also knew a girl in this chapter through one of the clubs I was involved with on campus. I was really excited to see the chapter, but their recruitment chair freaked me out! She was VERY loud and peppy, and kept showing off her light up ring. The girls in the chapter were dying laughing, but the PNMs were just looking at each other. I spoke with one girl who had the same major as me, which as a public administration major, made me really excited because NO ONE has my major. I was so surprised by the randomness of the event, because of course at this point I thought everything was so random! I had mixed feelings, but I did like the energy and all the girls with similar interests as mine. Garnet – Like I said earlier, I REALLY wanted to be a Garnet. I was so excited to go to this sorority, and I really enjoyed my time there. I knew a lot of the women in the house, and I wanted this sorority so badly. I didn’t have the most amazing conversations, but I still knew so many women, and I knew it was a perfect fit. I didn’t really look at this house objectively, because I was dead set on being a Garnet. Gold – My two best friends from high school were Golds, and a friend of the family had written me a letter of recommendation. Gold was THE chapter on campus at the time, so I was really excited to see it. All my friends that had already visited were so excited about Gold, and I was very excited. I went in and spoke with several girls, and I had a great time. However, nothing really stood out about the chapter. The girls were beautiful, and they were imbeccibly dressed. But, they must have been staring at me, since looking back I don’t know what I was thinking in regards to my outfit! Even though I did not have great conversations, I really wanted to be in the same chapter as my best friends. Opal – This house was really fun, and I had a really great time talking to some of the women. They were all very unique and real. I really liked this house after I left. My conversations were about old television shows we watched when we were kids, and it all seemed very natural and friendly! Pearl – I LOVED this house when I went through! The recruitment chair was so enthusiastic, and she was dancing all over the place! I loved the energy and enthusiasm, and the women seemed so interested as though they really wanted to get to know me. All of the girls I talked to seemed so interested and friendly, and I had some really great conversations. I was really excited about this house after I left. Peridot – I didn’t remember much about this house, but it didn’t really stick out to me. I had a really great conversation with a senior, but other than that it was sort of mediocre. Ruby – All of the girls in this chapter were wearing all black outfits, but they were wearing brightly colored pumps (pink, green, etc.), and had “flair” that matched the color of the pumps. I didn’t know it at the time, but this chapter was also struggling, so the girls recruiting us did not even go to school at Miami. They were sisters from a “stronger” chapter helping out. I was impressed with their outfits, but I didn’t really have any great conversations. I just remember one girl asking me my favorite kind of ice cream. I answered cookie dough, and then I was really nervous this was the wrong answer. Sapphire – The girls here were very nice, but I don’t remember the chapter that vividly. I remember talking about scrapbooking and not much more. Silver – This chapter was very pretty, and the girls were pretty easy to talk to. However, the only thing I talked to anyone about was pop culture. All we talked about were celebrities and the latest television shows. I liked the chapter, but they definitely weren’t at the top of my list. Topaz – My aunt went to school at Miami, and she was a Topaz. So, she had written me a letter of recommendation and had really talked up the chapter. Every girl I spoke to looked like a model, and I was completely in awe of them. I don’t remember any conversations specifically, but I know I was very impressed by the chapter, and the girls in it. Turquoise – This chapter had very laid back girls, but I remember being completely turned off because they were all wearing tennis shoes. I know that was very snobby, but at the time I couldn’t help but fixate on it. They were the only chapter that wore them! However, the girls were nice, and I knew the president, so she came over and talked to me for a while. After three days and hours and hours of preparation, I was done with Open House! They was our ranking worked was completely one sided (at the time). Basically, the chapters submitted their invitation list, and then your Greek Life Guide (same thing as rho chi or gamma chi) showed you your list. If you had more than 10 chapters invite you back, you could release chapters. However, if you had less than 10 invite you back, you had to go to all of the parties. All we could do now was just sit and wait . . . |
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My day is shot too. Glad it's Friday and I can anticipate the next rounds
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I generally don't read posts that are over a paragraph or two. I just don't. |
Yay, Ohio recruitment! I'm an Otterbein alumna :).
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I can pretty easily guess most of the chapters :)
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Can we hear the rest of the story???
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come on...whats going on ?
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Is there a happy ending to this story?
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Sorry everyone! I've had a CRAZY last week... here goes!
So the way our recruitment worked, the sororities ranked us, but we had no say in the ranking process. So, for the first round of recruitment, I was going invited back to... Sapphire Diamond Amythyst Turquoise Emerald Pearl Garnet Peridot Aquamarine Amber Bronze Since we were only able to go back to ten sororities, I decided to drop Bronze. I just had no connection there. While I was disappointed I was not invited back to Gold (since all my friends were in it back home), I was really excited because I still had Garnet and Pearl. I had really loved those houses! Now on to first round. Sapphire - I knew some older girls in this house, but I didn’t really feel a great connection. We watched the skit, which was a “Now and Then” theme. Overall, I had okay conversations, but nothing absolutely stellar. I wouldn’t be upset to be invited back, but I still wasn’t over the top excited. Diamond – Diamond was growing on me. The same girl that had picked me up during open house picked me again. She was extremely talkative and energetic. During this round, the president came over and talked to me. I thought that was pretty cool, and I like the sisters I was talking to. Still, this house was not at the top of my list. Amythyst – The girls I talked to at this house again seemed very disinterested. We watched the video for the chapter, and several girls gave testimonials on the video. One of the women mentioned the house that they lived in on campus. My aunt had lived in that house when she was a student here, and I mentioned that to the girl I was speaking with. She got really excited, and told all the Amythyst’s next to her that my aunt lived in the house that was considered an “Amythyst pass down” (aka, only senior Amythyst’s lived in the house). One of the girls asked if my aunt was an Amythyst. When I said no, she got really quiet, and said that only Amythyst’s lived in that house. I said well, it was 25 years ago, so I’m sure things have changed. The girl continued to argue with me about how ONLY Amythyst’s lived in that house. I stopped arguing, but I was pretty sure that I was not going to be invited back to that house. Turquoise – I honestly don’t remember this house at all, but I remember not being a huge fan. Emerald – Again, I knew a few of the women in this house. I liked it to a certain extent, but it was a little overwhelming. Everyone was sooo loud, and I could not concentrate. However, the skit was hysterical. It was a Singled Out theme, and it was one of the funnier ones I saw. Pearl – I had absolutely LOVED this house going through recruitment originally. However, the skit we saw wasn’t that funny, and I didn’t have as great of conversations as I had had on the first day. The girls were still nice, but it wasn’t as great as my initial impression. Garnet – I was still in LOVE with this house due to my interaction with all of the seniors in the house. The skit was a Grease theme, and I loved everything. My conversations weren’t fabulous, but I knew so many girls in this house, and I wanted this house very badly. It was definitely my number one! Peridot - I spoke with a really great girl during this party, but the rest of the house did not impress me. The video we watched was very boring, but I did enjoy the one girl I spoke with. She was an art education major and was really fun to talk to. Aquamarine – I knew this house was one that everyone was supposed to love, but I really didn’t feel it. We did our craft during this round, and I spoke with a few girls. They were really nice, but I just couldn’t see myself in this house. Amber – I really loved some of the women I talked to in this house. As a political science major, I spoke to a few women who had interned in Washington D.C. We made crafts, and I had a great time learning about their philanthropy. I felt like these women had a great relationship, and I really wanted to get to know them better. After visiting all those houses, I could only wait! I could only go back to up to six houses. So, I just had to wait and see what happened. |
yay-glad you came back. post on!
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Miami’s recruitment process is such that you come back from winter break a week early. During that week you go through open house and first round. But, then you have to wait an entire WEEK to know which houses you got invited back to for second round. So, on Friday my Greek Life Guide (similar to Rho Chi) brought my list back. Though you could go back to a maximum of six houses, I was invited back to these four:
Diamond Turquoise Peridot Amber I was pretty devastated when I received my list. I had liked Diamond and Amber, but Garnet was not on my list! I had gone through recruitment assuming I would be a Garnet. I burst into tears and wanted to drop out of recruitment. My Greek Life Guide was great at consoling me, and she encouraged me to just go back to the houses, check them out and give it another shot. I went back to the houses, and tried to be as open minded as possible. During second round, the houses either do a craft or a skit. Diamond – the skit was a Room Raiders type skit that was pretty funny. I still really liked the girl that continued to pick me up, and the other girls I spoke with were really down to earth and friendly. I was still very bummed out about Garnet, but I really started to like Diamond. I felt that I would fit in here since the girls seemed very real and friendly. Turquoise – I continued to increasingly dislike this house. They performed a skit, but if I describe it, it would totally give away what house it was. The skit was not funny, and the girls I kept talking to seemed disinterested and never had much to say. I kept feeling as though I had to carry the conversation along, and I was getting very frustrated. I was still upset about Garnet and going to this house was making it worse for me. I know I was being somewhat immature at the time, but I was still very upset. Peridot – Again, I talked to the one girl I really liked, but the rest of the sorority was not feeling right for me. I was also nervous because the girl I liked was a senior, and I hadn’t met any underclassmen that seemed similar to me. The skit was okay, but nothing out of this world. Amber – I really started to like Amber a lot more in this round. The skit was a Disney Princesses’ Musical. The girls sang and danced and were so funny. I really started to fall in love with this sorority! ….. Now it was just time for me to sit around and wait to see where I was invited back to for Preference Round. |
Oooooh, I know which chapter she joins...
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Glad your back. We missed you!
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After waiting for what seemed like DAYS, I finally got my list of sororities that I could go back to for preference round. We were allowed to go back to up to three sororities.
I was invited back to: Peridot Diamond I was disappointed that I was not going back to Amber, and that I had to go back to Peridot. But, as my mom told me, at the end of the day, I was only looking for one sorority. So, I was pretty excited to go back to Diamond. I went to the Peridot preference ceremony first . . . The girl that picked me up had never spoken to me before, but I was so impressed that she wrote me a letter. (At this point I was totally unaware that everyone did this, and it was probably a form letter). She went on and on about how she had heard such great things about me, and that she really wanted to get to know me. The ceremony was very beautiful, but I don’t remember that much from it. I do remember that we were all given white roses. I left the ceremony liking Peridot a lot better. I just felt really wanted. Then I went to the Diamond preference ceremony. . . The girl that picked me up was the same one that had been picking me up throughout recruitment. She had also written me a letter, but it was so personalized and seemed so much more sincere. She actually did know me, and I felt really, really wanted. The ceremony was beautiful, and each potential new member was given a different flower that represented their unique qualities. We listened to testimonials from the different women in the chapter, and everything went so smoothly. The president came over and spoke to me again, and I kept thinking that was just SO cool. The recruitment chair also stopped by to say hi. I was so incredibly moved by the entire event. I left knowing I HAD to be a Diamond! After preference I ranked my two choices. Without a doubt I put Diamond at the top, praying I would get Diamond. I knew if I did get Peridot, I would not accept the bid. I waited, and waited and waited . . . Finally, I received my bid .... |
you're killing me smalls!:p
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I received a bid to DIAMOND!!!!!!!!
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also known as . . .
ALPHA DELTA PI |
Yay for ADPi!
And note to PNMs - notice how she went from not thinking they would be the right fit to really feeling wanted and that she belonged. Don't write anyone off too soon! |
I really would like to commend my fabulous Greek Life Guide for continuing to encourage me to keep an open mind. I LOVED my experience in ADPi, and I went on to become Formal Recruitment Chair and Vice President of Recruitment! I wouldn't change it for anything, so definitely - be open minded!
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Aww, thanks for feeding my retro recruitment addiction. Even though I knew the outcome, I still heart these!
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So which chapter was your Greek Life Guide in? I always love this part of the story.:)
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