Short and sweet story..
 

I have been lurking for a while and have decided that this would be a great time to post my recruitment story since we are about to start the Fall season. It will be short and sweet because this is a retro thread and my memory is not so good. I will not reveal my campus but I may call some of the sororities out by name when there is a strong memory of something outstanding that they did. It has been long enough that I don't think that there will be any issues with that, it will be all positive!

First let me tell you a little bit about myself. I grew up in Anchorage, Alaska. From the time I was 1 month old until I left for college I was an Alaskan. We would leave the state ('go outside' as we called it) once a year for vacation which was usually on the west coast. So I did have some exposure to life in the lower 48, but not a lot. My high school had roughly 1500 students, which I consider to be a medium size school. I was very active in sports, cheerleading and student council so I did not consider myself socially awkward by any means. Some of my favorite pastimes were skiing, 4 wheeling, camping, fishing and hiking. Doesn't sound too out of the ordinary, right?

In my senior year of high school I became very tired of being with the same people at school day in and day out, year after year. I decided to buck the trend of attending a west coast school and go to a place where I didn't think that I would ever run into anybody from home and headed to a big SEC school! I didn't know a single soul and had never even been in the eastern half of the US in my entire life, but I was one for adventure. When my acceptance packet arrived at my house there was some information about Greek life included in it. I didn't know what a sorority was, never met anyone who was in one, but it sounded like a fun club (I really thought this!) to be in so I filled out my rush registration and started making plans.
Packing was tough. I only had about 2 pairs of shorts because most of the year I wore jeans in Alaska. I definitely didn't have designer clothes or cute sun dresses, there just was never a need for it. So my mom bought me a couple of things that we thought appropriate and all told my belongings amounted to two suitcases and one medium box. That's it. Neither of my parents had been to college so we were clueless about what I was stepping into.
The flight was over twelve hours long. My mom and I arrived at the airport and made our way to campus where we managed to navigate the campus with lots of help from strangers. I never attended an orientation because I lived too far away and we couldn't afford it. We found my dorm and made our way to my room and met my roommate. She was so nice and easy to speak with that she just put me at ease right away. It took us maybe 20 minutes to unpack all of my luggage and set up my room. I noticed many other girls looked like they were moving their entire house into their room because they had so much stuff with them! One thing that is notable about Alaska is that the people tend to be very non-materialistic. Alaskans don't care about what you drive or what you wear or any other status symbols. It is hard to tell a lawyer or doctor from a clerk, they dress the same and drive the same vehicles. They know that all people freeze to death at the same rate no matter how much money they have, so there are better attributes to use when judging someone. For instance, does their truck have a wench? Is their long underwear silk or cotton/poly blend? Is this a person I could depend on if my heat goes out and it's 30 below?
I noticed that most of the girls seemed to know someone else in the dorm who was rushing and were pairing off. I didn't know anyone so I hung back and just observed....hmmm, it was starting to sink in that things were very different down here in the south. I still didn't really know what rush was (thank God) so I was not stressed out one bit and just didn't understand why so many girls had so much anxiety! Then it was time to meet our Rho Chi and get down to this business called rush......

I now regret that we look like eskimos when I joke about dressing for football games in the north.

I am loving this story. I cannot imagine the culture shock. I would love to hear about your college experience in general. Please tell more.

This is going to be interesting! Thanks for posting your story!

After culture shock of just living in Idaho and having Alaska experiences, and knowing about Rush at UGA, I find your adventurous spirit amazing. You seriously can't always tell the richest people from the poorest people when you're on the Last Frontier.

Hey Benzgirl, she could be one of us for all we know, since we've got a chapter at UGA. I'm not regretting the comment I made in the Greek Life forum in a thread about fratty southern clothing when I joked about women wearing Carhartts at rush, awkward1 will likely get the joke.

yay! go alaska! this pretty much sounds exactly like my rush experience...only juneau not anchorage :]

The awkwardness begins....
 

We met our Rho chi groups in the evening and I was really excited to start meeting people. After I ate dinner I went back to my room to wait until it was time, and to get ready for the meeting. At the meeting we sat in a circle and our Rho Chi asked us to say our names and where we were from. When my turn came, I gave my name and said I was from Anchorage. Everyone stared at me like I was from outer space. But then when you are from Alaska you get used to that type of response and brace yourself for the questions to follow. " Is it cold there all the time?" "Is it really dark all day?" and so on. I always answer politely knowing that most people will never be able to travel to Alaska and experience it first hand. The girls were friendly though and I left the meeting with a really good feeling about my decision to go way south to college and to rush.

RUSH DAY 1: I dressed in my cutest outfit : a skirt that fell about mid thigh and a cute top and a pair of shoes that I absolutely loved! My roommate and I headed out for the big day, confident and exuberant. And then we exited the building and I was hit by the thickest air ever! The heat and humidity combined to make me feel like I was breathing underwater. I immediately began to sweat profusely....not a good sign. We went to our respective groups and made our way to the first party. I truly could not believe what lay before me when we walked up to the first house, Delta Gamma. The house was beautiful beyond anything I ever imagined. The lawn (actual grass not tundra) was immaculate, the house looked like it belonged in a movie. I looked at the other girls nervously...was I the only person who had never seen anything like this? I noticed giant plywood anchors in the front yard...why? Then the front doors flew open and out came a big group of enthusiastic girls clapping and singing and performing their hearts out. Whoa...I hope they don't ask me to join in I thought...what was going on here and what was going to happen next? As suddenly as it all started it stopped and the girls walked forward and started leading PNM's into the house one by one. I couldn't move, I was frozen in place and really overwhelmed by what all just happened. The DG girls weren't just enthusiastic, but they were the most beautiful girls I had ever seen in my entire life! They all had good hair, make up and they were all so pretty! And then it was my turn. It took a little coaxing to get my feet to move but I followed my DG inside and my jaw dropped at the beauty of the inside of the house. I quickly regained a semblance of composure and managed to answer the first question...'where are you from?' I was never so thankful to be able to say I was from Alaska because the uniqueness made conversation easy. I apologized for not coming into the house right away and explained that I had just never seen a house like this before and I really loved it! The party went by fast and on to the second house. Same thing at the next house, the prettiest girls ever, good conversation about Alaska, beautiful house. And so the day went until the last house. I was tired and overwhelmed by the heat at this point and ready for the day to end. I remember vividly stepping into the DDD house and thinking to myself 'how do these girls just know how to pull themselves together and be so perfect?' . This was the first house where I felt totally out of place. They talked about spring break cruises and designer handbags...I knew I could never keep up with them. But they were so friendly that I was a little sad knowing that I couldn't fit in here. They probably didn't want me anyways I thought.

My roommate and I had a late dinner that night. I took a look outside my window before we left and saw that it was dark outside so I immediately grabbed a jacket, put it on and headed out. When I stepped outside I realized what a dork I was. Just because it is dark outside does not mean it is cold out! DOH! It took me weeks to break that habit!

The next morning I dawdled around and told my roommate to go on ahead. I was overwhelmed, jet lagged, and realizing that I was in way over my head. I took a good look at my clothes...my skirt that I had worn was corduroy which I didn't think twice about at first but realized soon enough that corduroy is not the fabric of choice when it is 95 degrees out. My cute shirt had sleeves, my shoes were leather. Hot, hot, hot. Maybe for the Fall but not a southern summer. My hair was blonde, or it would have been blonde if it weren't for our Alaskan well water. I now knew that my hair had a somewhat orange tint to it from all of the minerals in our water and it was dry from our harsh winters. My clothes were wrong, my hair was wrong, even my makeup (or lack thereof) was wrong! I decided then and there not to continue with Rush. I laid down on my bed and cried. It wasn't too long before there was a knock at the door. I answered. There were two Rho Chi's who were sent to find out where I was and make sure everything was OK. They noticed my puffy eyes despite my best efforts to act non chalant. They were really sweet to me and consoled and me and managed to talk me into continuing. I got ready and joined my rush group, only missing four parties. Today was more of the same and I tried to be as happy as I could be even though I was dying inside.

DAY THREE: The opening of the envelopes.....

This story is breaking my heart.

Looking at this year's recruitment website for UGa:

Tuesday, August 12 – Potential New Members move in, Recruitment Orientation
Wednesday, August 13 – Round One (Open House)
Thursday, August 14 – Round One (Open House)
Friday, August 15 – Round Two (House Tours)
Saturday, August 16 – Round Three (Philanthropy)
Sunday, August 17 – Preferential Round
Monday, August 18 – First day of UGA class, New Member Bid Day

You aren't kidding that it would be hot. Can I tell you how many girls showed up for recruitment in August in long sleeve Fair Isle Sweaters? I even remember a girl wearing leather boots.

I would have hoped the booklet had explained the dress for each round, but it sounds like it wasn't clear. Kudos for not dropping out.

I have faith in her tenacity.

Your sensitivity just makes you more awesome 'Shid.

Oh, man, I love this thread. I am so rooting for you!!!!

Did I say UGA?? Don't be so sure : )

The following morning we met our Rho Chi's to get out party list for the day. She gave us a pep talk and also a warning that we may not have a full slate of parties. She advised us that no matter what we find when we open the envelope to continue to rush and keep an open mind. She distributed the envelopes and the girls anxiously opened them. I waited out of fear that I might have a blank card. Some girls were happy and some were not. With hands shaking I opened my envelope and saw that I not only had a full day of parties but that both DG and DDD had invited me back. Maybe my awkwardness wasn't as apparent as I thought it was.

I don't remember much about the rest of rush except a few of the house tours. I had gotten past the Wow factor and was now just enjoying every minute of the experience. At almost every house I was greeted with 'So your the girl from Alaska!' I didn't know if I was a celebrity or a freak, so I decided on celebrity and rolled with it.
Again, the sorority girls were perfectly poised, immaculately dressed and coiffed. I knew I didn't quite fit the mold but somehow I had a full day of parties. My roommate wasn't so lucky, she only had two parties and decided to drop out of rush. She actually dropped out of school before the month was up.

The following day I also had a full slate of parties. I didn't really care who they were with because I was just so happy that any sororities would have me back. I had no idea what was top tier or who was less desirable, I just rode the wave so to speak. The southern girls continued to impress me. They were so graceful and charming. When we took a seat they just about floated down onto the chair, I just plopped down. I wondered if southern belles were born this way and if maybe there was a chance that I could be like them now that I was in the south. There is a not so funny saying about Alaskan women " Alaska, where men are men and women are men too." I used to laugh at this when I lived in Alaska but now I could kind of see the point. I was a little rough around the edges in comparison to these graceful ladies. I chopped wood with my dad, 4 wheeled in the mud with the guys, knew how to change a tire and jump start a car, and I shoveled snow like a pro. I tried to be graceful, really I tried hard. But while trying to walk gracefully I tripped and fell and skinned my knee. What a dork! I decided to just be myself shortly afterward and let whatever happens happens.

The morning of pref day I awoke with a feeling of confidence. Things had been going really well, except for that fall, so it never occurred to me that I might not get any parties at all. We met our Rho Chi's and she handed out the envelopes, explaining the process and giving us another pep talk. She gave me my envelope last and also gave me what i thought was the briefest look of sympathy. I looked at my card and my heart stopped beating...I only had one pref party! I wasn't as devastated as I was embarrassed. I felt like a loser and I didn't want any of the girls in my group to know that I only had one party to go to. So I put on a smile and walked in the general direction of a sorority and then ducked into the first store I came by. I had to get a grip on my emotions and quick. My first two parties were empty and so I didn't have to be at my one pref party until the third round which gave me time to get my head in order. At least I had one party, and a good one at that. Instead of being upset, I decided that I was really lucky to have this one party and I would go and make the best of it.

UGA was just a guess as an Alpha Gam. The only other places in the SEC we have chapters is UK, Auburn, and Bama. I know more about UGA Rush due to a particular GC sister from there speaking of her experiences than the other three since there aren't active posters.

My personal favorite of Alaska quote about men and women (in reference to men): "The odds are good, but the goods are odd."

Snaps, girl, snaps!
 

I'm so proud of you for sticking it through! I can't wait to find out where you went. My fingers are crossed for DG, but maybe Phi Mu?
Did you go to Auburn?

I neglected to mention that DG and DDD ended up cutting me before prefs.:(

I am really enjoying this story! It's very heart felt.

Sorry...
 

I'm sorry you were cut, I know how much that hurts at the time. But, it usually seems like we end up where we were meant to be :-)

Love this thread!!!

Crossing my fingers for you :)

(from someone who has been 15 degrees below the Arctic Circle and knows what the midnight sun looks like)

i know what you mean, being from alaska saved me. if conversations weren't really flowing or they got a little awkward i just ended up talking about alaska. people act like it's the other side of the globe...but then again a lot of people think we're tiny and next to hawaii because of how we're always shown on maps haha.

Things I ws asked during rush....
 

1. Did you need a passport to get here?
2. Do people live in igloo's?
3. Do you have a dog team?
4. Is it cold all year round?
5. Isn't Alaska by Australia?
6. Is Alaska an Island?
7. How long did it take to get here? 12 Hours! What, did you drive?
8. Does it take like, 2 days to drive home?
9. It must be cool to live so close to California.

How can so many people not know where Alaska is? I came to understand that because Alaska is always shown on maps as being an island floating in the Pacific somewhere that people really believe this to be true. Some maps show Alaska to be situated north of Washington, neglecting to show Canada so it looks like it is very close to Washington. I don't get these types of questions much anymore. I think it is the popularity of things like The Discovery Channel etc. give people glimpses into what life in Alaska is really like. But back in the day there just wasn't a lot of exposure to Alaska and what life is like there.

When my daughter was in 2nd grade, she had to chart the daily temperature in Anchorage and Boston (where we were living) for the month of February. I was very surprised to see that Boston actually had colder temperatures than Anchorage for about 1/2 of the days.

All my military friends who were stationed in Alaska LOVED it, even the non-outdoorsy types. Some did end up using those light boxes in the middle of winter.

I agree. I felt my throat swell and my eyes started to water up a little. It sounds like Ole Miss to me lol ... I love this story!

oh no... where is the rest of the story? I was really getting into this one

HAHAHAHAHAHA!
These 2 have got to be my favorite questions EVER!

update update update!!! i love this one!!!!!!!

This was my favorite line....



Great story... looking foward to more.

This is such a great story, thanks for sharing. I can't wait to hear the rest, and I would love to hear more about your college experience. I really want to go to Alaska. Last year one of my high school students on a US map quiz, wrote down Cuba in the space for Alaska. I still laugh about that one.

This story is bringing back so many memories for me. The big question I still get all the time is "Isn't it like dark there all winter and light all summer?"
During school my favorite question was "Do you have a pet moose?" because at least for that one I could say "Yes, we had a neighborhood moose. It made getting rid of our Halloween pumpkins so much easier."

I did have one especially ignorant person ask if it was strange for me to see all of the people with different cultural backgrounds in CA (not quite their words, I believe they used the word colors) Um, just because I am blond, blue eyed and Day-glo does not mean that I represent the make up of the entire state, moron. In fact, coming from my HS it was strange for me to not see as many different groups as I was used to.

Great story! I can't wait to see where you end up.

we want more!

People from New Mexico get a bunch of those questions and comments, so much so that New Mexico magazine has a running feature about it: http://www.nmmagazine.com/50missing.php

My favorite was that during the lead up to the 1996 Olympics, the folks handling ticket sales told people from New Mexico to call their embassy.

A woman I know from Alaska went through Rush and cut the top house because when she mentioned where she was from the two girls thought Alaska was an island between California and Hawaii. It offended her that they consistently had top grades and not one, but two of them had no idea where the 49th state was.

I guess that falls under "Funny reasons why you cut a chapter" though we probably all have at least one sister who says something that makes us stop and think "WTF?"

On "are you smarter than a 5th grader," the guy chose U.S. geography for like $200,000 and the question was What is the northern most state?

Both my mom, dad & the guy playing the game said "Maine." I was like WTF? Uhhhhh...its Alaska!

We always have girls on our campus who can't believe that Chicago isn't a state. :)

And Finally....
 

I last left you on pref day. My pref party was really enjoyable, it was sincere and even emotional. I really felt like this sorority wanted me to join them and were not just flattering me. I tried to stay relaxed and not look desperate, hoping that they didn't know I only had one party and it was either them or nothing.

I remember not sleeping well that night. In a matter of days I had gone from not knowing anything about sororities to desperately wanting to be a part of one. The morning of bid day is not a vivid memory, I think I was too tense to register much. I remember holding my envelope and praying that it wasn't blank. I held my breath and opened my envelope and could not believe that I had actually received a bid from Chi Omega!! I can't begin to describe the feeling that came over me at that moment. The next thing I remember is being at the house and getting hugs from sisters who had rushed me and actually crying because I could not believe that I had done it! The following moments were a blur as we received out t-shirts and had lots of pictures taken. I couldn't wait to share the news with my family back home in Alaska, but not having a cell phone meant that would have to wait. During a quiet moment I had to ask one of my new sisters why they picked me because I didn't exactly fit the mold. She said they liked that I was brave enough to travel so far on my own, I was funny and outgoing. In other words, I wasn't exactly like everyone else but I was exactly what they were looking for. Who knew?

The phone call home was a little anti-climatic. My mom tried to be enthusiastic because she knew this was important to me, but she really had no idea what being in a sorority meant. I told her about the real live House Mother, the Parlor in the house, the Dining Room, How boys were not allowed anywhere but the parlor, about the t-shirts and on and on.

Classes started soon afterwards and so did my new member education. I went to my first SEC football game and still remember it like it was yesterday. I could not believe that I was sitting in a stadium filled with so many people who all knew cheers, chants and songs by heart. And the cheerleaders were amazing, I watched them more than I watched the game. I didn't have a sundress to wear so for the first game I wore shorts and no one really seemed to care. Afterwards I ended up borrowing clothes from friends for games and socials and everyone was happy to oblige me. While my friends back in Alaska were staring winter in the face, I was laying in the sun between classes. And yes, I wore shorts to class. That was so cool!

The moral of my story is this...Be yourself during rush and keep an open mind. The day I tried to pretend I was a graceful southern girl was the day I was cut. Also, don't dwell on who cut you but rather on who wants you. You may not be exactly like the rest of the girls but you may be exactly what they are looking for, so just be yourself. I can't say it enough!

HOW MY ADVENTURE ENDED.....
Unfortunately my mother was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer not long after I started college. I had to make a decision, stay at a school I had completely fallen in love with or go home and be with my mom. I chose to go home, it was an easy decision. I never ended up getting initiated because I knew that I would be leaving in December. I'm not a member of Chi-O but Chi-O will always be a part of me. I enrolled at the University of Alaska - Fairbanks (go Nanooks!) where I ended up graduating. While I ached to be back at my southern school, life didn't cooperate with me and my mom passed away the summer before my junior year.

I'm back in the south now with two children who are greek at SEC schools. It didn't work out for me but I do get to experience a little bit of it through my children. We are not an old south family with deep connections but my two kids did well with their rush and are very happy. I'm not revealing where I went to school because I don't want to give the impression that the students there are idiots at geography because of the not well thought out remarks of a few. Sorry, but I can't do that to a school that I am so fond of! I hope this thread is read by some of the girls currently, or soon to be rushing. Maybe it will encourage them to sit back and enjoy the ride and maybe find themselves on a path they never imagine taking!

Wow, that was a great story and a major lesson for all.

Wow. What a wonderful story, thank you so much for sharing it with us. I'm glad that you got to experience being a part of greek life and my heart breaks for you that it did not have an even happier ending and that you had to make such a tough decision at such a young age. I'm pretty sure that the Chi O's that I know would be proud to call you their sister -I know I would!

Wow. Thank you for sharing your story with us. And I completely cosign with the moral of your story :)

wow. thanks for sharing. im sure you would make Chi-O proud!

This is sort of off the subject but I think ok to share. I love this story. I have a KD alumna friend who pledge KD at Vanderbilt in the late 60's. For whatever reason she came home to Texas to finish up her degree at UT where we did not have a chapter at the time and was never initiated (this was when initiation occured in the the 2nd semester of the pledge period) Fast forward 20+ years. KD was colonizing at W&L and this woman's daughter was going to school there and became a member of the colonizing chapter. Well, a happy ending. To make a long story short, they were initiated together in that colonization.

Does Chi O allow alumna initiates? I know we, do but in limited circumstances. It is certainly not the norm but....