|
A 10 year anniversary retro thread
Seeing as it will be the 10 year anniversary of when I went through Recruitment (yikes), and as there has been a sudden resurgence of retro Recruitment threads, I thought I'd post mine for anyone who's interested. As a bit of background, I have been on GC for a couple years and am writing under a different name so as not to give away the ending.
As a high school senior I didn't know much about sororities (except what I had seen on Beverly Hills 90210 or in the movie Dying to Belong – which was of course completely accurate), but I knew I wanted to join a sorority. I loved the social aspect, the ability to make a bunch of new friends, and the thought of being involved in a national organization. The school I attended had a Greek preview of sorts which I went to in the spring, and of course I fell in love with a particular house...as well as found a couple other houses I liked. Rush, as it was still called when I went through, took place a couple weeks before school began and you could either live in the dorms or commute from home. I wanted to live in the dorms, but my parents wouldn't pay for that and I couldn’t afford it on my own. I ended up staying with my aunt and uncle, where I could easily take the bus to the university. Now onto the good stuff - the schedule was a full week. Day 1 - Orientation Days 2 & 3 - Open House (visit 8 sororities each day, a total of 16 - each one performing a song during the party) Days 4 & 5 - House Tours (tour up to 5 sororities each day, a total of 10) Day 6 - Skit Day (visit up to 6 sororities and see a skit they presented) Day 7 - Preference (visit up to 3 sororities for their pref ceremonies) Day 8 - Bid Day The sororities on my campus were: Alpha Chi Omega Alpha Delta Pi Alpha Gamma Delta Alpha Phi Alpha Xi Delta Chi Omega Delta Delta Delta Delta Gamma Delta Zeta Gamma Phi Beta Kappa Alpha Theta Kappa Delta Kappa Kappa Gamma Pi Beta Phi Sigma Kappa Zeta Tau Alpha I'll name all the sororities after NFL teams Dolphins Rams Bengals Patriots Packers Bears Colts Ravens Raiders Cowboys Giants Eagles Jets Saints Titans Panthers I don't remember all of the details of every day, but I'll post as much as I do remember. |
I love the code names! Going for my favorite team, which is also my hometown team...GO PANTHERS!!!!
|
Yippee! Bring it on..
|
GO PATRIOTS! (But also go AXiD!)
|
DAAAA Bears!
|
Holy Pahellenic, Batman! That's a lot of sororities! I'll root for the Packers since the 49ers aren't on there. :p
|
I hope Sigma Kappa isn't the Ravens, Patriots or the Cowboys. Since my team is not on there, I'll cheer for the Giants.
|
I'm rooting for Theta of course, but since I don't know which one that is I'm going to have to go with my hometown team - the Eagles!
|
Quote:
Also, go Titans!!!!! |
Day 1 - Orientation
All the girls signed up for Rush (about 500 of us) met up in a big hall on campus and were addressed by the girls on Panhellenic. We were then divided into our rush groups, where we met our Rho Chi's (there were two per group). There were one or two girls in my group that I clicked with, but most of the girls I was weary of. They seemed in another league than me (in terms of the way they dressed, wore their hair and makeup, etc). I should say that I was totally clueless appearance wise. I didn't wear much makeup, I didn't know how to dress, and I didn't wax or pluck my eyebrows (which looking back now I desperately needed to). After orientation I was pretty nervous, but very excited. Next up...the first day of Recruitment! |
Oh this is exciting!
Let's go Cowboys! :D |
Let's go!!!
|
Considering my Giants won the Superbowl this year, I'm rooting for them to win over the OP, too! =)
BTW, I can't imagine going through recruitment with 16 chapters! I thought having a Round Robin with 4 (small) sororities in one giant room was overwhelming. |
Hmm... not sure if I can participate without a Steelers sorority! :p
|
Days 2 & 3 - Open House
I don't remember much about which houses I visited on which day, but I do remember bits and pieces about conversations from most houses. I'll do my best. We met in our rush groups and our Rho Chi's took us to our first house. They grouped us together in a certain spot in front of the Ravens and they had us count down from ten to the beginning of the first party. We were just about to "1" and all of a sudden there was a bunch of screaming coming from down the street. I looked that way and then my head snapped straight forward as there was also screaming and chanting coming from the Ravens. I was completely taken aback and it took me a couple seconds to realize they were doing a song of sorts (I seriously wonder who thought up door chants and if they realized how scary and intimidating they are to people who have no idea what’s going on). When they were done they invited us in and our Rho Chi's had to urge us to go up to the house. A chapter member picked me up at the door and took me to a place in their living room. We talked about how we both had younger brothers and all the crazy things they put us through. Then about ten or so minutes into our conversation another girl came over and the first girl left. I was somewhat prepared for the bumping due to attending the Greek preview in the spring, so it didn’t seem too strange. I talked to one or two other girls, then there was a ding on the piano and some girls came out and performed a little song. After that it was time to leave. The girls started singing as we exited the house and shouted a song once all of us were out. Then the door closed and our Rho Chi's took us to the next house. Here is what I remember from each house (where door chants and a song were performed at each chapter): Dolphins - The girls I talked to were very friendly, and they had a fun song that was a take-off of an ABBA song, but I didn't feel like I really clicked with anyone. Bengals - This was the house I feel in love with during the Greek preview. I loved the girls I spoke with – they seemed very down to earth and super relaxed, but well put together at the same time. For their song a bunch of girls got up and went into a kind of choir formation and sung a fun song with lots of harmonies. I was really impressed – I had always wanted to do choir in high school, but it conflicted with other classes I was taking. I felt like I really belonged here and left feeling very happy. Colts - I had visited this chapter from Greek preview as well and I didn't click at all with the girls. They were nice, but very different than I was. I was also asked what my parents did for a living at this chapter, which at the time I didn't think was weird at all, but looking back it seems a little shady. (My mom was a postal worker and my dad was a vice principal - I'm sure that was impressive). However the conversation with the girl who asked me that was strained so she could have just been stretching to find something to talk about. Raiders - I really liked the girls in this house. I spoke with one girl most of the time and others floated in and out. I remember having a conversation about the Spice Girls at this house as my high school friends and I had a Spice Girls party and dressed up as our own spices (a little weird, I know). One of the girls who floated in was very into the Spice Girls as well and we bonded over that. I felt really good about this house. Cowboys - This house was nice, but these girls were in a different league than me. All very pretty and well put together. I remember sitting near the piano - actually, we were kind of sitting under it as the room was so crowded. It was a bit uncomfortable, as was the conversation. I spoke with the same girl the whole time and while she seemed nice, she was a little too breezy and (what came off as) fake-giggly for me and I didn't click with her. Giants - some of these girls were friendly and quite classy, but the girl who picked me up at the door was pretty quiet and kind of hard to talk to. Again, didn't really click. Eagles - Here I was picked up by a girl who I totally clicked with. We talked about NKOTB and a bunch of other random things. At one point I was so into the conversation I didn't realize how loud I was getting and I laughed really loudly (I am a naturally loud person and have been told I have a “hearty” laugh – just what every girl wants to hear, that she sounds “hearty”). The rush party got very quiet and I noticed a bunch of girls looking at me - whoops! I quieted down and went back to the conversation I was having with this great girl. I met a couple other girls I enjoyed talking to. I really liked the Eagles. Jets – The only things that stick out about this chapter are how tired I was and how difficult it was for me to carry on a conversation here (due to exhaustion). They performed their song early on in the party and during the song one of the girls fake tripped, which I thought was real but then realized it wasn’t. After the song ended I kept saying how funny it was that the girl faked tripped because I could not think of a single other thing to talk about. I'm sure I came off as a complete moron. Overall these girls were friendly, but I just didn’t feel at home in this house. Bears - At this house two of us were picked up by one member. The conversation was for the most part very awkward. We did speak with one girl who was super bubbly and friendly that I sort of clicked with – she ended up being in the entertainment though and I didn’t get to talk to her for very long. This house was okay, but I didn't like having to share a conversation with another rushee. I remember after this party the girl who was in my conversation trio kept saying "that was weird, I totally didn't like that house." I just kind of nodded, even though I wasn’t sure if I agreed. I was still in a sort of shell shock from the whole process. Titans - I liked this house a lot. I met a woman who had a small nose piercing (a tiny pearl stud) and I thought it looked so cool. I spoke with two girls I really liked and felt comfortable with. They seemed very classy and genuinely nice. Panthers - I had heard this house was kind of a party house (stupid, stupid tent talk). I was a little worried about this as I was not a partier at all, but when I met the girls I really clicked with them. They were very friendly and seemed down to earth. I was surprised that I liked this house as much as I did. Patriots & Packers- I had visited both of these houses at Greek preview and liked them okay. The girls seemed nice enough. Nothing stood out to me though. Saints - This was the very last house I visited on the second day of the first round. The girl that picked me up hardly said two words to me. I think she may have just been really tired, but it was very strange and a little offensive. I would not have been sad to not go back to this house. After the last party we regrouped with our Rho Chi's who told us to be there early the next morning to get our invitations. We would then accept as many invitations as we could and would come back later in the day to attend our parties. Home to my aunt and uncle’s house I went to try and get some sleep after an exhausting first two days. |
Quote:
|
I can hardly keep them all straight, but I was looking for an update on the Rams and missed it. Am I having reading comprehension issues? ;)
|
Quote:
|
Quote:
More to come a bit later... |
Invites for Days 4 & 5 - I went to campus early in the morning and met with my Rho Chi group. We would get a list of all the sororities that invited us back and could either Accept, Regret, or Regret with Interest (which basically meant "I have too many invites but if my party schedule isn't full later I'd like to visit your chapter again"). The maximum number of invites we could accept was ten. I was invited back to... Rams Bengals Patriots Packers Bears Raiders Ravens Eagles Panthers I had a nearly full party schedule and was pretty happy about it, though kind of disappointed to not see the Titans on my schedule. I did notice though that a lot of the girls in my group got invited back to all of the houses and got to choose which ones to drop. For a second I questioned why I hadn’t also gotten invited back to all the houses, but I let it go. I accepted all the invites and headed home again. |
keep it coming
|
More please!
|
Days 4 & 5 - House Tours
I don't remember much about this round, except that all the chapters seemed nice. I still really liked the Bengals and the Eagles, but wasn't thrilled about the Bears. However I was so focused on the chapters I did like I wasn't worried about it. The specifics I remember are: Eagles - I was picked up by a girl I didn't really click with and I remember thinking I hope I didn't screw over my chances with the Eagles. This day I noticed that a girl who went to my high school was in this chapter. She lived in my neighborhood but we never really hung out or talked or anything. She was nice and I liked her, but I wasn’t sure if she liked me or not. On the house tour I saw the NKOTB girl I clicked with before and she seemed really happy to see me, so that got me excited. We toured through the computer room at this chapter and I thought it was really cool because no other chapter had one (that I saw, at least). Packers - Their house was confusing to me - there were all these twists and turns. And I remember thinking one of their sleeping porches looked like it was out of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The girl who took me on the house tour was super chatty - I couldn't tell if it was a nervous talk or if she was just naturally that way. She was nice, and the other girls I met were nice, but nothing special stood out about this house. Patriots - They had a huge house and I felt totally lost, but in a good way. In this chapter most of the girls slept on the sleeping porches and kept their things in other rooms - and there were a lot of rooms! I clicked somewhat with the girl who took me on a house tour, which I hadn't clicked with anyone in the Patriots up until that point. I was starting to like this house more. Panthers - I remember the Panther girls wore black and white this day, in whatever combo they wanted (print dress, black top/white bottom, etc) - they looked really well put together. It stuck out to me because at all the other chapters the members wore the exact same outfit (as in each house had a different outfit, but the members all wore the same thing). I thought their outfits made each girl's personality stand out, in a good way. I had a really good time on their house tour and again was surprised given my (false) preconceived notions about this house. Raiders - This house had an annex connected to the main house, which made the whole structure seem really large. The Spice Girls chick from the day before came up and said hi to me, which made me feel welcomed. That's pretty much all I remember, although I know I liked the girls in this house. Rams - I remember this house seemed kind of old. There was this 70s-era spiral staircase that was hard to walk up and down. (I know, a spiral staircase in a sorority house – shocking!) Other than that, I can't remember much about this house. Bengals - I talked to a girl at this house who loved A-Rod (and ten years later people are still talking about him!), which I remember telling her one of my best friends in high school's nickname was A-Rod and somehow we bonded over that. I really liked her. Everyone I spoke with here I loved - I wanted to be a Bengal so badly! I don’t remember much about the Ravens or the Bears. I don’t think either was particularly good or bad, it’s just nothing sticks out in my head. It has been ten years! I headed home after the last party, happy, tired, and nervous. During the days I was fine – talkative and having a good time. It was in the evenings where worry crept into my stomach and I became anxious that I might get dropped by every house. |
Quote:
|
Quote:
And BWAH at the A Rod reference. |
I would say, GO PACK GO, but you don't seem to like them too much. So go Bengals, I guess. You have so many NPC options! LOVE that you could talk about the Spice Girls and NKOTB. Then again, they're both touring NOW again, aren't they? I wonder if they'll come up in any of this year's rush threads. Ha ha ha.
|
GO BENGALS!!! (Since there's no Broncos)
|
I'll root for the Dolphins....
|
Invites for Day 6 -
Again we went back in the morning to fill out our invites. I could accept a max of six invites, and this round I was invited back to... Bengals Patriots Packers Bears Eagles I was a little disappointed to be dropped by the Panthers and the Raiders, but really happy to see the Bengals and Eagles on my list. I accepted all the invites and went home. |
Wow, I can't believe you remember so much from each individual party during rush!!
|
Quote:
On with the story... Day 6 - Skit Day Bengals - I was more and more in love with this chapter and thought their skit was so cute. It was Grease themed and I thought it very funny. I saw the A-Rod girl from the day before who seemed really happy to see me. I spoke with a senior at this chapter who was the first person I didn't click with as much, but I didn't dislike her. I remember being so tired when I came to the Bengal house, but I relaxed a bit because this place just felt like home. I had such a fun time and couldn't wait to come back for Preference. Patriots – Most other chapters did skits this round, but this chapter did a slideshow set to music. I really liked it because you could see all the activities this chapter had done the previous year, and how bonded the girls were. Again I clicked with the girl I talked to and thought "hey, I could really fit in here". Packers - this chapter's skit was cute. It was also sort of Grease themed and was funny, but I didn't feel a connection as much here as at the other chapters. They sang this Coke song that got stuck in my head though. Bears - This chapter was okay, but I still really wasn't clicking with the girls. Thought I don't remember what their skit was, I do remember not being that impressed with it. The girls seemed nice, but awkward. (I have to confess that some of my impressions from this chapter were a result of the tent talk that was going on, which looking back I’m disappointed that I listened to it as the girls were friendly and welcoming.) Eagles - I really liked this house, but I was picked up by the girl who I didn't click with from the prior round. I was surprised and hoped that things would go better today. The skit the girls presented was really funny and cute, but I wasn't sure if I had clicked enough with that girl and felt it would hurt my chances of becoming an Eagle. At this point I was really close with one of my Rho Chi's and would hang out with her when I had breaks. She asked me what my top three houses were, and I said Bengals, Eagles, and Patriots. She said she thought those were all good houses, which I was glad about. I secretly hoped I would end up in the same house as her because she was so fun and cool. Next up...invites for Preference. |
continue real soon please!
|
Invites for Day 7 -
I came to meet up with my Rho Chi group and the lists were passed out. I was so excited to see where I would be going back for Preference. The Rho Chi’s starting passing out the lists and when the Rho Chi I had befriended got to my desk, she couldn't look at me. I soon found out why. My heart dropped when I saw the names of the houses on my schedule. The houses I would go to for Preference were... Packers Bears I was heartbroken – how could the Bengals drop me? I didn’t understand how I could have been so wrong about the connections I made there. Despite the way I was feeling, I still really wanted to be in a sorority and decided that I should suck it up and give the Packers and Bears another look. They saw something in me, so maybe I should take a closer look at them. Day 7 - Preference The Bears was the first chapter I visited. I was picked up by a girl I didn't know who told me there were quite a few girls in the house who were excited to have me back. I was still in such shock from earlier in the day I didn't really respond (how rude of me). We ate a little bit, then they did the preference ceremony. I could tell the members were really into it (some people were tearing up), but I did not feel like this chapter was my home. I left the party feeling uncomfortable and unsure if I would find the place for me. At the Packers party the really chatty girl that gave me a house tour picked me up. We grabbed some food and then sat down on a loveseat to chat. Luckily she was just as talkative as before, because I was still in shock and pretty quiet (which is unusual for me). We gathered in a circle for the ceremony and a couple members sang a really beautiful song where they harmonized with each other. It made me get a little teary, though I think some of that was due to the all the emotions from the week. I felt better about this chapter, but I still wasn't sure I wanted to be a Packer. After the party I went back to my Rho Chi group and had to rank the two sororities in order of which I wanted to be in. I knew I didn't feel comfortable at the Bears house, but I wasn't sure how I felt about the Packers. I was still thinking about being dropped from my favorite houses, and I found it tough to fill out my card. The thought never occurred to me to drop out of rush as I really wanted to be in a sorority. Eventually I filled out my preferences and ranked the houses like this: 1. Packers 2. Bears On the way home I had a knot in my stomach because I still wasn't sure I wanted to be a Packer, and I was pretty sure I didn’t want to be a Bear. I would just have to wait and see what bid day held. |
Please tell us before the weekend ... I can't wait!
|
I think we have all had a Bengal in our recruitment.
|
I am excited to hear the ending!
|
Day 8 - Bid Day
In the late morning I met up with my Rho Chi group for bids to be passed out. Each Rho Chi group met in a classroom in a hall on campus, as we had been doing all week to receive our schedules. First our Rho Chi's revealed what chapters they were in. I was surprised and a little sad to find out the Rho Chi I had bonded with was a Bengal (later she told me she felt really bad that her chapter dropped me - which eased a bit of the rejected feeling). After the reveal, they passed out the bid cards. At this point the thought crept into my head "please let it be the Packers". I guess I knew where I wanted to be more than I thought! We had to wait until exactly the right time to open the bids, and eventually we were given the green light. Everyone ripped into their envelopes. I pulled mine out to find a bid to... * ** *** **** ***** the Packers! otherwise known as... * ** *** Alpha Xi Delta! I was relieved to have gotten my first choice, though I was still in shock from all the rejection of the week. I hung around to give my Rho Chi a card I had bought for her, thanking her for being so great that week. She told me to hurry up and meet up with my sorority otherwise they might think I had dropped out. So out the door I went to where my group was meeting up. The girls were so excited and they had rented limos to drive us around and take us to the chapter house! It was a bit crazy, and very overwhelming, but great at the same time. Things were starting to look better. It took me a while to warm up, but by the end of the next week I did and now of course I love my organization. Looking back I definitely think I ended up in the best place for me as it was truly the chapter I felt the most like myself at, even though I didn't recognize it at the time. I feel lucky that the chapter members who were rushing me saw something they liked, despite that the feeling wasn't mutual during most of Rush week. When I went through Recruitment we were (obviously) using the old methodology, and my alma mater has since switched to the new Release Figures methodology. I think had the new method been used when I went through I probably would have been cut from houses a lot earlier and been more comfortable with the Packers and Bears earlier on. I’m so glad the new method is being used now as I really believe it gives PNMs a more realistic idea of where they will end up. Thanks for reading! |
Take it from someone who lives near Cincinnati, the Bengals always miss the good ones.:rolleyes: Thanks for sharing your story.
|
Quote:
:-) |
Woo hoo! Go Packers!! :)
|
| All times are GMT -4. The time now is 01:50 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, vBulletin Solutions Inc.