StarGazer08's Spring '08 Recruitment thread
 

Hi! I am so excited to be finally able to start my own recruitment thread. I am currently a sophmore (transfer) at a school which has recruitment in the upcoming week. I transferred here from a school that didn't have a greek system and am so eager to get started! Since this is my first semester on campus I don't know any of the "reputations" of the sororities and am SO glad for that. I think that it's best for me to make my own decision. My mom and aunt are both members of an NPC sorority which is on this campus. However, neither really pushed or talked about greek life. Essentially, I've done my own research and decided that it would be a great opportunity to have. I'm not the best or most creative writer so you'll have to bear with me. Both my aunt and mom wrote me a rec for the legacy chapter. However, it doesn't seem like recs are so important here according to my talk with the greek life office.

Last week there was a "pre-rush" event where all the greek organizations on campus have tables. Rush apparently isn't that competitive here but still I want to look my best so I put on a nice pair of fitted (think like jeans) courderoys and a button down blouse with ballet flats. There are four NPC sororities on campus and since I work at Cold Stone I'll name them after my favorite creations:
Cookie Mintster
Birthday cake remix
Founder's favorite
Cheesecake fantasy

Cookie Mintster was the first organization I visited. The girls were all really warm and welcoming which put me at ease; I was so nervous. The table was really nicely decorated and they all seemed so genuine. All my questions were answered and they asked all the traditional (major, interests, etc) about me. I couldn't tell if they were interested in me or not but I definitely wanted to see more. A major plus for Cookie mintster is that I volunteered with an organization that falls in line with their philanthrophy.

Birthday cake remix, the first thing I noticed was how gorgeous the girls were. Like seriously model types with all Tiffany's jewelry and matching high heel shoes. I was intimidated by this but determined to get to know them before I make any judgments. They seemed nice and welcoming too. They all seem to have a lot of Birthday cake remix pride which is cool. I like the activities they do to celebrate their sisterhood. I love the fact that they're all so proud but I'm afraid I won't fit in well here.

Founder's favorite. The first thing I notice is this chapter is wearing tee shirts (all the other chapters were wearing jersey type things). The girl I first talk to is really nervous and seems a bit shy. She says it's her first semester as a sister though so I can understand. Another sister comes over soon after and joins us; she seems more confident. I like this group because all the girls seem different. Some mentioned that they were teaching majors, other spanish majors, and that all seem to have different interests. It seems like I'd fit in well here.

Cheesecake fantasy. This is my legacy chapter so I'm really excited to go here. Even though it doesn't seem like my mom and aunt care if I go here- I do, I think it'd be cool to fit in with the family tradition. I know the basics about this soroity (color, philanthropy, etc) because I did the research but not much else. All the girls are really sweet to me and said they got the recs. They mention that they were suprised to get two as people don't usually have any. I explain that I figured two is better than one and hope they mean surprised in a good way. I really like everything I hear and hope the sisters like me as well. I'm very eager to go back here.

I officially sign up for recruitment, and go home excited for recruitment!

There is another informal "meet and greet" on Wednesday. I don't know if going to this would be overkill. What do you all think? Then, Round Robin starts on Thursday. Round 1 on Friday, Round 2 on Saturday, Prefs are on Sunday, and Bid day is on Monday.

Thanks for the advice! Even though I have two family members who are greek I still feel like I'm kind of clueless about this so any advice helps :). In my day to day life I try not to pay attention to rumors of any sort and plan on paying no mind to those I hear during recruitment.

best of luck!!!

Sounds like youre off to a good start! Remember to be yourself, keep an open mind, and have fun!! lots of luck!!

I worked at Coldstone for almost 2 years, so I love your code names!! Cheesecake Fantasy is definitely my favorite.

I definently have to go with cheesecake fantasy as well it just sounds so enticing can't wait to hear more. :) And Good Luck with Recruitment!

Cheesecake Fantasy all the Way!!!

I'm cheering for Cookie Mintster, although Mint Mint Chocolate Chocolate Chip is my ideal Coldstone creation!!

Round Robin
 

So yesterday was Round Roubin- the first official event of recruitment. I don't know how other schools do recruitment but this event was essentially the same as the informal open house I went to for all greek-letter organizations a couple of weeks ago. We were split into four groups with about 20 girls in each group. I think I'm the only sophmore and it makes me really nervous. The sororities don't have houses so we meet in different rooms with our in the student center. For such a non-competive rush (at least I thought it was) the rumors seem to be flying high. XYZ hazes their members while ABC will take everyone. It's driving me crazy! I'm not going to judge any sorority based on it but it's tough to not listen. A good thing about the night was that the fact that I'm a sophmore and transfer didn't seem to make eyes bat at any chapter. I put the chapters in the order I visited them. Also, today the campus is cancelled because we got a lot of snow. Round 1 is also cancelled and has been moved to tomorrow. I just got an e-mail that says Round 1 and Round 2 will both be tomorrow with a break in between.

Founder's favorite- I really wanted to like this chapter but I did not this time. Out of all their rooms there's was the least decorated but more importantly they had not that many sisters there. According to my rho gam all the chapters are about the same size so I was wondering where there all are. Most importantly though the conversations were really awkward. It seemed like I was leading the conversation- asking them about their chapter and how they liked to be Founder's favorites and they didn't seem so enthusiastic. Also, some sisters were looking around a lot- I don't know what it meant but it struck me in a weird way. I want to give them another chance but do not think I fit in well here.

Cookie Mintster was the third organization I visited of the night. I loved, loved, loved them again. The room was impeccably decorated with balloons (in Cookie Mintster colors), and a giant mascot.They just like Birthday Cake Remix had a table with books, photos and stuff. I got to talk to a lot of different girls and really connected with a bunch of them. We seem to have a bunch of the same interests and I this time I think I got the impression that they liked me too. A bunch of girls even remembered me from the open house! The only downside is that dues are a little high for me but I think I'd be able to manage. I hope to be invited back here for the next round.

Cheesecake fantasy- Finally! The last house of the night and I cannot wait to see the Cheesecake fantasies again. They impress me again- everything flows to my conversations with the sisters to the fact that I feel at home. It turns out that I know one of the sister's best friend- we studied abroad together! This made for a great conversation and I'm really glad I didn't do anything inappropriate on that trip. The girls also seem excited that I'm a legacy and just hope that they'll invite me back because they like me. Dues and time comittment all fit in track for what I want. Also, they tell me there are many oppertunities to get involved as an officer, something I would be interested in. According to my mom they have to invite me back for the next round so I anticipate this being on my list but don't know if this is actually true. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.

Birthday cake remix- Wow, going into this room was intense! It seems like everything Birthday cake remix was used to decorate it. From flowers to balloons to signs to letters to streamers were on the walls. Also, they had a table set up with even more paraphenalia. They obviously took a lot of effort in perfecting everything. I noticed though that everything seemed very on point. If I would have had a watch I think I could have timed it by the way different girls came to talk to me. I don't know if this is how they do things, if I was boring them, or something else. Conversations centered around shopping, tanning, going out, and nails. I like all these things but worry that I won't have time for much else if I join here. If I get invited back I will go but am not that interested.

We are told to rank the chapters in the order that we like them. Apparently, we can be invited up to all four groups so I don't understand why we have to rank. I have lots of difficultly deciding but decide that I have to go with my heart.

Anyway, here are my rankings

1) Cheesecake fantasy
2) Cookie Mintster
3) Birthday cake remix
4) Founder's favorite

This just made me chuckle.

Even at a "noncompetitive" rush there will be rumors flying - it might be noncompetitive for you the rushee, but it NEVER is for the sororities! It seems like you're doing a good job of ignoring the rumors though, so keep it up!

re: chapter having to invite a legacy back. this is true if there is more than one invitational party before the pref. party, but if there is only one invitational round before prefs, the situation becomes more gray-it will depend on the sorority and the campus. however, it sounds like everything went well at your legacy chapter, so it doesn't sound like you have anything to worry about.

as to the chapter where everything seemed "on point", it may sound ridiculous, but they may have been working with a watch and a schedule to maximize the number of sisters who would be able to meet the pnms. they may have been filtering sisters in and out of the room, so that it does not become too crowded, and so it does not seem that the sisters are lurking around the perimeter of the room staring(and talking about) at pnms-which they usually aren't, but can seem that way to nervous pnms!

tomorrow sounds very tiring for both the pnms and the sisters. good luck to you-hope you get all the invitations you are hoping for.

Don't worry about the high dues of Cookie Monster. If it's meant to be, the higher dues means nothing. And, in the end, sometimes higher dues cover more than lower dues.

a couple of things:

* Dues -- Dues may be more at one chapter than at another because it may include things like t-shirts/party favors/etc that a chapter with lower dues does not. Also, it might just be that the one-time fees for initiation are higher and the semesterly dues are the same or close to it.

* Timing -- You mentioned at Birthday Cake Remix that everything seemed on "point" and that you could probably find a pattern if you had a watch. I wouldn't be worried if I were you. My chapter used to time everything, and everyone knew who they were "bumping" so you could get to know another sister and so on. I don't think it has absolutely anything to do with you, so I would not take it as a bad sign... it's just how that chapter practiced recruitment and the rotations for each round. Some chapters are more coordinated than others when it comes to that. (And that's not to say other chapters are less organized or anything, so please don't take it that way either! Maybe that chapter you spoke with just had a system in place so they could get to know as many pnms as possible and the pnms could meet many sisters :) )

* Founder's Favorite -- it is definitely understandable ifyou didn't feel a connection there. Believe it or not, the "Rushers" are just as nervous as you (which might have explained the nervous wandering eyes or lack of conversation)! The ones you spoke with may have been really nervous... maybe it was their first time on the "sister" side of recuitment? Maybe they just really can't carry on small talk? Who knows. If you end up having to go back again, keep that in mind :)

If she can't pay the dues, then she shouldn't join the chapter! I'm sure every chapter of every NPC has had members who had to withdraw for financial reasons. With that said, you should ask questions and explore all of your options before ruling out a chapter for the dues.

1. Does the chapter offer a payment plan?
2. Are there chapter or campus Panhellenic scholarships to help with dues for members with financial need?
3. What do the dues include? What costs extra?
4. Are you paying for all of your sorority financial obligations or are your parents helping you out?
5. Are you working? If not, an on-campus job might be a good way to be able to pay your dues.

Sometimes the opposite can be true if a chapter is good at managing its money or is in debt. My chapter had among the lowest dues and was very inclusive, and I know of other chapters who had higher dues that were much less inclusive and had fewer socials.

The OP never said that she couldn't pay the dues, she commented they were a little high. I'm sure her mother and aunt have already informed her of the basics of sorority dues and finances, even though they are not pushing her to pledge their sorority.

During recruitment, what sister would say, "Oh, our dues are higher because our Treasurer isn't good at managing the books". You would never know that until you pledged. Also, knowing from her post that they don't have houses, it couldn't be for that large sunroom addition to the chapter house

My point is that she shouldn't outrule a chapter based solely on their dues.

Did you finish recruitment yet Stargazer? ;)

Round 1 and 2
 

I apologize for not posting in forever but I got sick Sunday night when I got home and ended up in the emergency room with difficultly breathing (I have asthma). Anyway, it turns out it’s bronchitis and it’s totally wiped me out. However, I’ve been to all the new member events so this story does have a very happy ending! I will try to continue the writing if it is that day and I just came back from the parties. Since round 1 and 2 were in one day I will write those both in one post and then save pref for tomorrow and bid day for Tuesday in order to maintain the suspenseful nature.

Here is the rest of the story:

So if you remember due to a snow day round 1 and round 2 were smooshed into one day (Saturday). We went from about 4-10 with only about a ½ hour break in between. Needless to say it was intense! Also, I don’t know why they had us rank because we didn’t end up doing that again until Sunday night after pref. It turned out the sororities could cut us anytime they liked after round 1. If a sorority invites us back though we have to attend and cannot receive a bid if we don’t. I hear it was very different in previous years so apparently this is a new system to all involved.

Round 1 (game/getting to know you round)
Cookie Mintster- They had the absolute cutest set-up ever!!! They were all wearing matching Barbie girl shirts that said: Cookie Mintster Barbie: who wouldn’t want to be one. We talked for the most part and it was great. All these girls love to have a good time and love one another. I talked about so many things with so many different sisters here. From conversation about music to boys to hanging out to school everything flowed well. Another fact I learned is that the chapter is one of the very first chapters of the organization. I think they really like me!! They seem to be pretty elite though and I’m kind of wondering if I fit their mold (so to speak). I would LOVE to come back here!!

Founder’s Favorite- I like this chapter a lot better this time. They had a cute theme as well and really seemed to put a lot of effort into it. There were really cute decorations and it seemed as if many more sisters were there as opposed to during Round Robin. One game involved candy and questions and was a great way to get to know the sisters and other PNM’s at my table. If you got a certain color candy (I forget which) you had to say an embarrassing moment and I’m afraid I shared when that was too embarrassing. I hope it doesn’t count against me. I was quite surprised that I liked this chapter though as I didn’t really like it before. I wonder if it’ll make a continued comeback in round 2.

Birthday cake remix- Again, I know this sorority is not for me so going back is strange but my mother always taught me to be polite so that’s what I’ll do. I find one sister who is in one of my classes and end up talking to her for most the time. I do attempt to talk to a handful of other sisters and the conversation never seems to get off the ground. They all are nice girls though I know I don’t fit in here. This doesn’t stop me from wondering though what’s wrong with me as I seem to be doing so well at the other chapters and feel bad as if I didn’t try hard enough but I just have a feeling you know. What’s funny enough is that the tent talk is people who like Cookie Mintster usually also like Birthday cake remix and people who like Founder’s Favorite also like Cheesecake Fantasy. That just shows to me to never listen to tent talk lol.

Cheesecake Fantasy- Wow! Again I’m impressed with this chapter. I love love love these girls and can only hope they feel the same way. It’s very difficult so far for me to decide between the Cheesecake Fantasies and the Cookie Mintsters. I wonder if the fact that I’m a legacy here influences the way I feel about them. However, I realize there hasn’t been any cutting round yet so I could be getting my hopes up for nothing. Maybe they don’t even like me. Anyway, this round was great- we played some fun getting to know you games and all the girls seemed to nod at my answers. I also talked with the girl again whose friend I had studied abroad with. She said she was very happy to see me again. I hope this is a good sign! If invited back I will go back in and instant!!!

So that’s it for round 1. We are told we have a half an hour until the next ones start to get food or whatever. I can’t believe we have to come back so quickly. I take the time to freshen up my make-up and forgo the bite to eat. I’m so nervous about my invites that I can’t.

I’m invited back to every chapter and wonder why BCR invited me back. The rumor is (I find out later on) that the sororities only cut really if they really hated you or due to grades. Apparently pref party seems to be the most important cut. I am thrilled with all three and relieved I don’t have to go back to BCR. I feel a little guilty about this thoughl




Cheesecake Fantasy- I am love, love loving the Cheesecake Fantasies AGAIN! From the cutest theme (KISS tee shirts that said “KISS the competition goodbye). All the girls are really sweet, outgoing, and make an effort to get to know me while I learn about Cheesecake Fantasy’s philanthropy. While it’s an extremely worthy cause it’s not something I have a personal connection with (something that all the other ones have) I’d still love to raise money for this. However, I find out they only do one big philanthropy activity a year. The girls seem to enjoy the one they do do but don’t seem to have a passion for it. Perhaps I’m wrong for saying so (and if I offend anyone I apologize) but this bothers me a bit.

Birthday cake Remix- I walk into the room and we break off for groups to learn more about the philanthropy. It’s a cause that I hold dear to my heart so now looking back on it I’m glad I got invited back. During the craft I talk about how much their philanthropy means to me and how much I would love to contribute to it. The girls seem to be off put my excitement about it though and prefer to talk about other topics. *An after thought: I was very excited because I do love their philanthropy as it has something to do with what I want to be when I grow up and maybe I scared them*. They tend to do more casual events to raise money all throughout the year and don’t have an annual type philanthropy event set-up yet. While I love the philanthropy I still don’t feel at home here. I hope to not be invited back for pref.

Founder’s Favorite- Their room was decorated really well. Had balloons on the tables in the sorority colors and posters on the wall detailing different aspects of their philanthropy. First, the philanthropy chair speaks- she’s SO nervous and I feel so bad for her. She puts on a video afterwards that’s SO touching. I seriously tear up the entire time. We sit down and do our craft which involves coloring. Yay! I love coloring. My thing (I’m afraid I’ll give it away if I say) seems to turn out really well and some of the sisters and PNM’s comment on it. There is one sister however that seems to be writing things down and another that is going around the room just looking at us. This makes me really nervous. I like this chapter again but am afraid that there is too much diversity (it seems like cliques form) for such a small chapter and I’m afraid that will bother me. However, anywhere in life this can happen I suppose and try not to let that sway me. If I get invited back to pref I would go but am still on the fence and preferring Cheesecake Fantasy and Cookie Mintster.

Cookie Mintster- These girls and their room is seriously decked out. They obviously took lots of time to prepare for this. The philanthropy chair speaks and tells us all the different activities they do to raise money for their philanthropy. I like that they have two which relate to the ideals they were founded on. The philanthropy chair explains that many of the ways they raise money are also ways for the girls to have fun together (ie carwashes, auctions, etc). They also tell us about different annual events they’ve had for the college community which are fun but also benefit their philanthropy. I like that these girls know how to have fun and give back. They also are all well put together and put on a good, professional yet fun attitude. I really like them and hope to be invited back to pref.

We leave and are told to wait by our cell phones as later in the evening we will get a call with which sorority or sororities can invite us back to pref. We can go to as many as invite us back.

Even though we don’t have to, just to let you guys know where I’d stand I’d rank the chapters:

1) Cookie Mintster
2) Cheesecake Fantasy
3) Founder’s Favorite
4) Birthday Cake Remix

I wait practically all night until finally at like midnight or so I get a call… where do you think I got invited back to?

I'm loving your story!!!

ACK!! Let's not be a tease!!


FWIW, when I went through Recruitment, two sororities would "neglect" to tell the PNMs that their dues were for 12 months while all the rest charged for eight. Pretty sneaky, would you say?

How can dues be for a 12-month period? Don't those chapters have summer vacation? (Sorry if that's an ignorant question.)

Some chapters have dues that are due during the summer. I guess you slap a stamp on a check and send it to the chapter.

Honeychile's school has (or had) trimesters instead of semesters, so that may have something to do with it.

Preference Party
 

So I got invited back to: Cookie Mintster, Cheesecake Fantasy, and Founder’s Favorite! I was so excited but at the same time really worried because had to go shopping for a new dress and I’m kind of curvy. I ended up with a pretty printed wrap dress with cute turquoise heels to much the turquoise flowers in my dress. I wore the typical tiffany’s heart necklace and pearl studs in my ears.

Cheesecake Fantasy is first- I thought I knew what to except from reading other stories on here and my mother’s account but my school apparently does things differently. The PNM’s just stood outside and were let in when the time was for the party to start. It was so nice! Their ceremony came first and seemed well rehearsed and made me truly imagine myself (if I’m lucky enough) someday as a Cheesecake Fantasy. They sang some really sweet songs and it was really nice to get to see a different side of them. On a very superficial side I really like their badge though I’m of course NOT going to make my decision based on that. They had homemade little cupcakes with our names on it in frosting dyed the Cheesecake Fantasy’s colors. How cute! I talked to the girl whose friend I studied abroad with. She’s really sweet and said she heard a lot about me from her friend. However, I’m still wondering if I like Cheesecake Fantasy as much as I do because of my mom and aunt. Even though they didn’t mention a lot about their experience in Cheesecake Fantasy I still think it would be SO cool to be sisters with them and stuff.

Founder’s Favorite- Wow! A lot of girls got invited to this party. I’m not quite sure what this means but it was interesting to go from Cheesecake Fantasy to here. I feel so bad for the girls because they apparently didn’t realize when they party was starting and as we were let in you saw some people scrambling to their spots. Also some PNM’s came in late and it amazed me how many heads (both PNM’s and sisters) went to the door when this happened. Although their ceremony didn’t seem well rehearsed they did seem to have a lot of emotion behind it and even spoke one line that stood out to me. After the ceremony was over all the PNM’s went to go get drinks (the sisters poured for us) which was cute and baked goods (cupcakes shaped like Founder’s Favorite letters AND dyed their colors among assorted brownies and cookies). Due to the large amount of PNM’s here (there was about double PNM’s to sisters) not everyone got to talk to sisters. It was sad as some PNM’s were being rude. So, I made a point to talk to the sisters. Even though I’m not quite sure where I fit in here I still like the girls as people a lot and could see myself as friends with all of them. I left here having a good experience but not wanting to be a sister. Does that make any sense?

Cookie Mintster- I was really excited to be coming back here but ended up slightly disappointed. The ceremony wasn’t anything like the others (which of course, should be expected as all sororities are different) but it didn’t seem like they put much feeling into it. All throughout the week it seemed like they have a lot of love for Cookie Mintster so I cannot fathom why the ceremony fell so flat. However, the talking afterwards was very good and reminded me again how well I fit in here. I hope the Cookie Mintsters feel the same way.

After the parties have ended we meet again in our groups and have time to rank them. I keep on going back and forth in my mind between putting Cookie Mintster and Cheesecake Fantasy first. You should have seen me, I was practically going crazy! It came down to the fact that I had to see if I really fit in well at Cheesecake Fantasy or did I just think that because I was a legacy I should go there. Also, is Cookie Mintster me or just because I share the same interests as the girls could I be a sister. If this sounds weird and stressed it’s because that’s how I felt during ranking. I was SO afraid I made the wrong choice up until the last moment. Eventually, I ranked:

1) Cookie Mintster
2) Cheesecake Fantasy
3) Founder’s Favorite


I went to sleep so scared! What if I didn't get any bids? What if something happens? What if I made the mistake? Seriously... a girl can drive herself crazy with all these questions! My mother told me her own story about when she rushed (FINALLY!) and I think it really helped. It left me understanding that I will end up where I'm meant to be. I finally calmed down enough to go to relax and go to sleep.

Oh and for the questions people were asking:
1) I understand dues and have worked out with my mother a way to balance them. Since she's knows the benefit of being in a sorority she has said she'll pay 1/2 and I pay the rest. This is really sweet of her and I'm so lucky!
2) On my campus (based on what I know) the sororities dues are due every semester. So no 12 month dues here LoL. I can imagine how tough that would be.

Since most of the sororities are in the one dorm, and two weren't, the ones in a house would justify it by saying that "there are still expenses during the summer", which, of course, is true. It's just that it really should have been figured into the same 8-month formula as the other GLOs.

And yes, the trimester bit. Lots of times, the sororities & the fraternities with independent houses would rent out in the summer to make some extra money. Living in one of those during the summer was part of the whole experience.

Ooooh I'm so excited to hear where you end up!!

For some reason, I think there will be a twist and the OP will end up at Cheesecake Factory.

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.

I was, too. Can't wait to hear!

Bid Day (YAY!!)

So- we went to the UC about 1/2 hour before revealing (and bid day activities started) and I am proud to say I am a new member of:
















Cookie Mintster!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


better known as


























































































ALPHA EPSILON PHI

Whoo hooo. Congrats to you and AEPhi!

Congratulations to you and AEPhi!

Congratulations to you and your new Alpha Epsilon Phi sisters!

Thanks so much!! I am so excited to be a new member!

Congratulations!

congrats to you and AEPhi!! Im glad your enjoying ur new member period!!

AwW! Congrats to you and Alpha Epsilon Phi!
Do you mind revealing the other code names? I love rush stories!

Congrats!!