Small School Recruitment
 

Anyone interested in a small school recruitment story, circa Spring '04?

yes

Drumroll, please...
 

lol, I hope your "yes" is going to be echoed by others! Since I have free time at the moment and I love the Recruitment Stories forum (I usually go by another screen name that reveals my affiliation), here we go!

First, my ground rules:
1.) I will NOT reveal the geographic location of my school because it will make the school VERY obvious for anyone in the know.
2.) If you figure out the school (and by deduction who I am), congrats, but please don't post it here.
3.) At the end of the thread, I will PM anyone who is interested the code and school name and location.
4.) I'm going to refer to the school as Small School.
5.) Small School's NPC sororities:
Maybelline--a very "girl next door" image
Revlon--definitely the pearls and twinsets image
Stila--the fun-loving, stylish image
Small School also has one NPHC sorority with its own recruitment.

Ok, let's roll!
I graduated from high school in 2003 but already had a year of college under my belt at the same time (I took university courses for high school credit). So, I came to Small School as a freshman with sophomore credit standing. I had a very high GPA, was very active in extracurriculars, and volunteering in high school, but I was never the "popular girl". I was always more of a wallflower. I come from a family with NO Greek life connections (except for a grandmother who desperately wanted to be a member of a certain GLO, but was barred from doing so because she lived off-campus--this was the Midwest in the '40's) and I was basically clueless about Greek life and recruitment.

I LOVED Small School. It was the perfect opportunity for me to open up and step out of my shell. For the first time in my life, I had a slew of friends, a social schedule that was hectic to say the least, and a very *exciting* dating life. One of my new close friends, I'm going to call her Coco (for Coco Chanel :-)) and I became fast friends with several affiliated girls and guys--three in the same sorority, one from another, and most of the guys from the same fraternity. Coco's sister was in a sorority at another school, but Small School did not have that GLO.

Small School has formal recruitment in the Spring (well, January actually). In late November, they held a Greek Life open house and Coco and I decided to go. Despite receiving admonishment from my family for even considering going Greek (my mom is an alum of one of the big schools in Florida from the '70s and she had very negative experiences/perceptions of sororities. She was definitely GDI all the way!), I decided to give it a whirl. Coco; however, did not. Her boyfriend at the time was opposed to her pledging and for whatever reason she decided not to go through recruitment (don't worry, you'll hear more about Coco later ;-)). I paid my money and went home for Winter break.

All break, my family teased me about even thinking of pledging, but I did my homework. I was very impressed by the number of Greek women in Congress, on the Supreme Court, in high positions in every company and field. I was nervous that, while it might be right for me, no sorority would want geeky ol' me. Finally, I returned from break (early for recruitment).

Night 1:
 

The first night was the meet up with our RX's and dispensing of crucial information. We were also split into our "basic" recruitment groups. I was surprised to see how FEW girls I actually knew going through recruitment. Small School is VERY small--I thought I knew everyone. lol, I guess not.

As I said, Coco decided to not go through. Two older girls I kind of knew through extracurriculars ended up in my group (sigh of relief). Let's call them L'Oreal and Burts Bees. A girl I was friends with, Wet'n'Wild, was going through...or, thought she was...Turned out her grades were just not going to make the minimum GPA for recruitment. :-( My roommate, CoverGirl, was going through (yay!), but we weren't really friends. A few other acquaintances and friends were going through, including Avon.

After the meeting, I went back to my dorm and tried to chill out. I was SO nervous. CoverGirl (I think she was more confident than I was) and I kept going back and forth on outfit choices for the next night. Clothes settled, I spent the rest of the evening freaking out in my boyfriend's dorm (he wasn't going Greek, though I still think he would have been perfect for any house). Coco and I ended up hanging out a bit, since she was also over at her boy's dorm. I could tell she was really sad that she wasn't going through, though. :-(

Night 1 Wrap Up
 

At this point in the game, my (mental) rankings were:

Maybelline and Revlon were tied.
I was pretty sure I was not a future Stila.

hmm, who knows? *eyebrow waggle* and evil laugh.

i love your code names.

Night 2:
 

The next night was Ice Water Night and we were told to wear our Recruitment shirts (thankfully they were long-sleeve!) and khakis. I don't remember much about my outfits for the other nights, actually.

At Small School, recruitment isn't held at Houses, instead the sororities rotate rooms in different parts of campus each night, until Pref which is held off-campus (usually). Earlier that day, I had to go to my mailbox to get my invites, of which, of course there were three--except for grades, no one can be cut before Round 1. That evening, I met up with my recruitment group and we lined up for our mystery tour of campus. I'm not 100% on the order I went to each GLO, but I'll do my best.

Revlon: I knew several of these girls and they had the most adorable songs! I felt very comfortable talking with them and seeing them helped calm my nerves, just a bit. :-) They were great to talk to and a lot of their questions had to do with school.

Stila: I hardly knew any of these girls. Thinking back, I'm not sure I really gave them a fair chance, but they were the girls who seemed most in sync with each other, if that makes sense?

Maybelline: I also knew several of these girls. Their entrance (which would definitely give the sorority away, sorry) was memorable but also slightly scary at the time--all that clapping! I think I talked to the most girls at this one and they were very interested in my volunteering.

After all three, we returned to our meeting spot and information about where to meet for the next night and when to expect our invites was disseminated.

I spent that evening fretting about getting cut. Somehow, in my mind, I think I thought no one would want me and I would open my mailbox to find no invites.

Night 2 Wrap Up
 

At this point in the game, my ranking hadn't really changed:

Revlon and Maybelline were still tied
Stila

My friends and I decided not tell each other which ones we liked and didn't like until after Pref, so I (and I'm sure they) tried to guess who would go where:

Avon, either Revlon or Stilla
L'Oreal, maybe Revlon or Maybelline
Burts Bees, probably Maybelline
CoverGirl, could've gone to any of them, really

PS: Just curious, anyone think they know which way I will go?

Hmmm...my guess is Stila!

More please!

Night 3:
 

After the second night, I was, as I said very nervous and really thought I wouldn't get a single invite back. So, when I opened my mailbox the next night, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I was invited back to all three. Definitely a sigh of relief was had!

I scurried back to my dorm and tried to put together a decent outfit (I don't know about anyone else, but I think I really used my clothing as the focus of my nerves). Satisfied that I looked cute, I went to the designated meetup spot and I got in line for our trek across campus. Again, in no particular order:

Stila: This was the least impressive of the three. I think their philanthropy is great, but it didn't really speak to me and, I don't know why, I just didn't feel like I fit in here. I tried to give them the benefit of the doubt, but I'm not sure I gave them my all.

Maybelline: For the first time during recruitment, I was matched with a girl I knew very well. We did an easy craft and talked a lot. The only one of the three without a video. I really enjoyed this night.

Revlon: They were so peppy! I really enjoyed talking to the girl I was matched with and their philanthropy was interesting.

I was, of course, more nervous than ever by the end of this night!

Night 3 Wrap Up
 

Going into the 4th night, it looked like this:

Revlon
Maybelline
Stila (still holding at third)

One is going to drop me for Skit Night, which one?

I'm going to guess you go back to Stila and Revlon for skit night and end up in Revlon

my guess is
 

Ditto with jayneelizabeth

Maybe it's Maybelline... (can't get that lil jingle out of my head while reading this one)

Night 4:
 

Wait and see, ladies, wait and see! btw, the jingle is NOW in my head too, whoops!

The fourth night was Skit Night and I remember wearing a very cute skirt with a sweater. When I got to my mailbox, I found out that I was invited back to two parties:

Revlon
Maybelline

Frankly, I wasn't really sad Stila had cut me. I just was never going to be a Stila. I was happy, though, that my two favorites were still on slate.

We lined up and went tromping around campus for the parties.

Maybelline: Wow! Can I say energy?!? These girls put on a great show with a ton of singing, dancing, and more of that clapping from before.I was matched with a girl I knew, which was nice. This was the first time all week I was tapped on the shoulder as we were leaving with the, "I really hope to see you at Pref".

Revlon: Their skit was adorable! Honestly, best skit I've ever seen and I survived a decade of spending the whole summer at Girl Scout camp! This time I was paired with a girl I knew very well. At one point she asked me (kow I know this was a MAJOR no-no) how strongly I felt about Revlon. I got the impression she was trying to say I had a bid if I wanted one, but if I didn't, to let her know. I felt uncomfortable to say the least, so I remember mumbling something like, "oh, wow, you ladies are all so great! I think I will be happy no matter what happens." hmmm, yeah, probably not the smartest response there, but I could honestly not think of a way to answer with out it coming off bad.

I didn't head straight back to my dorm, because I was WIRED! Goodness, I'm sure I drove my boyfriend insane that week!

Night 4 Wrap Up
 

Ok, before I go into my rankings, I need to give you guys a bit of relevant information about Pref Night and getting bids at Small School.
1.) You can only Pref two houses.
2.) Any house you Pref is basically a guaranteed Bid (note, I said BASICALLY).
3.) You don't have to Pref a house to receive a Bid on Bid Day if you attended all the rounds.
4.) Snap Bidding and COB also occur after Bid Day with the standard regulations.

After the 4th night, I knew who I wanted. Or, at least, thought I did.
So, the setup looked like this:
Maybelline
Revlon

I was only invited to one Pref. Which one?

I think Revlon cut you due to the uncomfortable exchange about your feelings.:(

Keep it coming.

I'll say you go to Revlon, just for the sake of being different! And because maybe you mentioned the uncomfortable conversation to throw us off ;)

Also, and I'm sorry this is a little off-topic, I'm thinking from your username that you volunteer at a greyhound rescue kennel?! I have volunteered with Greyhound Pets of America since 2002, and my family currently has 2 adorable greys (we adopted my first for my 12th birthday, but she passed away summer 06)! They are such sweet, silly, and loyal dogs!

Sorry, not the BIG update...
 

I don't have time for a full update, but I did want to add that, yes, I work with a greyhound group. Funny, I've come across some other Greeks with greys recently. Very neat! I've had my pup for a little over a year now and she is so sweet.

Oh! I did want to leave a clue for everyone to chew on: All the information at Recruitment at Small School I gave in the last few posts is very important, but not necessarily for me...*evil laugh echoes*

Does Coco COB?? She must be relevant somehow because I don't think you would have mentioned her otherwise!

what happens! i wanna know! AH!!

Night 5:
 

Pref came around and I opened my mailbox to...1 invite. Was I sad? Maybe. Was I still surprised that I had gotten an invite at all? Definitely!

I remember wearing a very cute dress with a shrug and that it was COLD. Boarded the bus to take my group to the appointed destination and I stepped out, in heels of course, in front of a very nice home (an alumna's) with a limo out front. Yeah, you heard me right--there was a limo out front!

The girls of this GLO lined the porch (oh! wait, I might have just given away my locale), holding candles and singing a song I actually knew very well, despite word changes, because of my Girl Scouting days (I'm positive someone will have figured out what GLO I am talking about by that reference). We were led in and taken by the arm by the elegantly clad ladies lining the stairwell inside. I was paired with a girl I did not know, but who happened to be one of my friends in this organization's Big. We had a lovely conversation and the speeches were nice. Frankly, I was so nervous, I've blocked out much of the night! We were given a special item at the beginning of the night and we were asked to leave them behind for us to (hopefully) return to collect on Bid Day. I boarded the bus back to campus and spent the night fretting and freaking out. Would I get a bid? Would they want me? Was I good enough?

Night 5 Wrap Up
 

At the end of Pref, we of course had to do our rankings. At Small School, suiciding is (basically) not allowed, so my card listed both groups I went to for Skit Night.

Awww, man - you can't leave it like that! What happens?!?!

more more more!!

Bid Day & After
 

Bid Day dawned bright and early. My friends and I headed down to the oldest and dankest and, ugh, thank goodness it's been torn down, dorm to wait for our Bids. All of the girls (and me!) who had survived thus far, we crowded into one large room. We were called out in slow trickles. It felt like forever until I heard my name called.

I was led down the hall to another room where one of the RX's handed me an envelope. Hands shaking, I opened the envelope, pulled out the Bid, and started nodding and jumping up and down. Yes! Yes! Yes!

Two RX's ran me down the flights of stairs and outside into the waiting crowd of my new sisters! In this same group were L'Oreal, CoverGirl, and Burts Bees, as were countless other great girls! I was so excited when my Bid Day shirt was pulled on me and I was "lei'd" and showered with confetti. It was so exciting watching all the other girls run down the stairs and into this group and others. Avon ended up in the other of my two contenders, as did a few girls I knew from my honors classes.

After the festivities on the steps, one of my friends (an active) led me back to my dorm to pack a bag for an overnight. We raced to the designated spot and we all spent the night getting to know each other, singing, dancing, enjoying some ice cream, and having a great time.

That year none of the GLOs on campus reached quota. Well, one of them almost did; but, they were all looking to COB. During NM, we were asked to come up with a list of any girls we knew who were interested but didn't go through Recruitment. I knew just exactly who to put down, but I had to check with her first. That night, I went to my boyfriend's dorm with a mission. I hunted down Coco and said, "I know <boyfriend> doesn't want you pledging, but...Would you want to be one too?" She was ECSTATIC and the next night went to a COB party. Within days, Coco and several great girls nearly doubled the size of our class!







Now, what GLO did all these classy ladies decide to join?
















Have you figured it out yet?


















Are you sure?


















I, and my sisters, are





















Maybellines!!!!!!!!!! Also known as





















Delta Gammas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yayyy! A great, fun story!

Congrats! I must say I loved your story! It was simple (sometimes I just get so confused with the big schools) but fun to read! :)

Belated congratulations greyhoundrescue for joining Delta Gamma! I joined my GLO in Spring 04 as well.:) You totally threw me off when you said the opening chant was "scary"---I thought for sure that had to be Tri Sigma because I have heard they have a "scary" chant in other threads. But I knew Maybelline had to be DG when you said lei! Congrats again!

Thanks
 

Thanks for the congrats and props! I hope everyone is well-rested (or resting :-)) and gearing up for Recruitment '08! I can't wait to read the new stories!

Congratulations to Delta Gamma and to you greyhoundrescue! :) Hope you have an awesome time!

Congratulations, sister!
And pretty please...PM me what school? :D

Recap
 

I thought it would be interesting to add a few things. Right after my initiation, I found out what sorority my grandmother was so desperate to join over 60 years ago. You guessed it, Delta Gamma! (That was at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln) Also, since I've become a DG, my mom's views on Greek life have changed somewhat. At our family reunion this summer, my little cousin asked my mom (a big crafter) to make her flip flops with flowers on them. My mom asked her what colors she would like and Ashley replied, "pink and yellow and maybe blue". My mom smiled, laughed, and said "looks like someone's a future Delta Gamma!" :-)

Yay Delta Gamma! I love being able to figure it out from the little clues (like the pref ceremony with the "special item"). That was a very fun story.

AWWWW that was such a great story!! I really liked reading it and it was so cute! :) :)

I loved your story, Greyhoundrescue. Thank-you so much for sharing it!

Congratulations to you and Delta Gamma! :)