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A long but DIFFERENT kind of story (I promise!)
Well first off, let me say that I was already a member of GC before creating this name, but if I posted under that name it would give away my ending!
Second, I just wanted say that I PROMISE I will post my story about my story at least once a day. I have it almost completely written out and saved to Word, so it’s easy for me to copy and paste. In fact, I might even post 2 or 3 times a day… I’m just so excited to finally tell my story! So ON WITH THE STORY!!! I have a very unique recruitment story, and I would really like to share my story. I promise it is far from ordinary, and you will NOT see these twists coming! (Well maybe, but I think it’s still good…lol) I would like to warn you thought that it’s a bit lengthy. You see, I love to write, and I want to make sure you know all the little details involved so you can try to understand everything I felt. A little about my school: I go to a large public school in the Midwest. Rush here is competitive (well competitive for the Midwest ;) ), and Greek life is very popular here. I hope I’m not giving too much away but I am POSITIVE that there are going to be some of you who figure out the school (and probably right away too!) So if you know what school I’m from, please keep it to yourself! Since this is not a live thread I’m not tooooo concerned if people figure out the school, but I just want to keep it fun for others, so if you know, don’t say anything! J Anywho, my freshmen year there were 19 chapters on my campus, however one did not participate in formal recruitment. Now,I know I’ve seen these codenames from someone else, but I LOVE baseball so I really wanted to use MLB teams for my codenames. The names I’ll be using are… Yankees Mets Red Sox Angels Astros A’s Rockies Cubs Tigers Twins Royals Indians Braves Reds Diamondbacks Devil Rays Nationals Giants And even thought chapter number #19 doesn’t make much of an appearance because they do not participate formal recruitment, I thought I would mention them anyways… they will be known as the Phillies. A little bit about me: It was fall 2006, and I had just graduated from an all girls high school, so I really wasn’t considering rushing. Although I loved my school, I had enough of girls! lol! And like many clueless freshmen, I assumed you had to be a girly girl, something that I’m not, to be cut out for sorority life. Still my cousin had graduated from my college a year before I arrived there. She was in Mets at my school, and absolutely loved it! She told me that she was very skeptical about going through recruitment when she was a sophomore (she had transferred from another school), but was very glad she did. She really recommended that I at least try it out, that if I didn’t like it, I didn’t have to pledge or anything. Plus, even if I were to drop out, its still a great way to meet people. Still, I really wasn’t sure of what to do—you see, I’m a bit more anxiety prone than others, and I had a lot going on in my life. The transition into college life wasn’t going as smoothly as I would have hoped. I mean, I was liking school but there were other things going on. On top of getting used to being away from home and my family, I had just broken up with a boyfriend of three years, and worst of all, my dad was admitted to the hospital about 2 days after I moved in. Needless to say I had some other things I my mind, so because of this, I wasn’t sure if taking on recruitment would be a good idea. I didn’t want to get too overwhelmed, because I literally make myself sick when I worry too much. But after talking with girls I had met around school, I decided to go for it. Worst case scenario, if I was too overwhelmed I could drop out. But I figured I should try because I didn’t want to have any regrets. So a few nights before recruitment started, I signed up! Day One We had our little informational meeting about recruitment where we split into our Gamma Chi groups, met our Gamma Chi’s, and did some fun ice breaker games. The Gamma Chi’s told us all about what to expect, what not to do, and all that good stuff, and I have to say although I was hesitant at first, this meeting put my mind at ease and got me a bit excited about starting recruitment! |
This sounds like it's going to be a great story- I can't imagine rushing 19 chaptes! I can't wait to hear where you wind up.
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I'm looking forward to hearing your story!
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No Orioles? I guess I'll root for the Nats! (even though they suck!)
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Go A's!
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Yay Cubs!
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And I'm too excited to wait til tomorrow to post...so here's some more!
Day Two The first day was just your typical open house round where each chapter does a little song, dance, skit, etc, and you meet with a few members. The first day of open house we visited 8 chapters, and the following day we would be visiting the remaining 10. Now, I don’t remember the EXACT order I visited the houses in, but I guess that doesn’t matter…So there I stood in my recruitment tee, capris and flip flops, in front of the first house, excited, nervous and not knowing what to expect… but I was about to see what it was all about very soon! Yankees – I definitely remember that Yankees was the first chapter I visited. From the outside I remember thinking they had a very cute house! Nothing to fancy, but very warm and welcoming looking, even from the outside! The doors opened and they began to sing—I remember walking in trying to keep a smile on my face, but I probably looked terrified! I know that you all know that no matter how much those Gamma Chi’s warn you, rush is NOTHING like anything you’ve ever experienced! J Anyways, the Yankees put on a really good dance. They were loud, energetic, and they seemed like they were a very fun bunch of girls. I had very easy conversation with two different sisters from everything to baseball (I told you I love it!), to majors, (I was undeclared, but one of the girls was in the major I was interested in, so it was great talking to her to see what that major was all about). Overall my experience here was great. The girls were friendly, easy to talk to and definitely put me at ease. I left thinking to myself, if this is how all these sororities are, I’m going to have a REALLY hard time making decisions. Tigers – The Tigers were next. Waiting outside I couldn’t help but notice how different their house was compared to others. It was very pretty! I really liked the uniqueness of the house, and I was hoping I would like Tigers too. Unfortunately, I cannot say I really remember my experience at Tigers. They just didn’t stand out to me. They were nice, but there was just no “WOW” factor. I left thinking that this was a house I could probably pass on. Braves – My experience at Braves was similar to my experience at Tigers. However, I do know that they did have a bit more energy and spirit for their little skit, which I liked to see. They were proud to be Braves and you could tell that the sisters were very genuine and close with one another. Again, I didn’t have a strong, memorable connection, but I did like the fact that they seemed so real. I thought that they weren’t my favorite, but I wouldn’t mind coming back to see more. Astros – Astros were a chapter I had heard about before recruitment started. I had heard that they were a little on the “Barbie doll” side. But I tried to just keep as open of a mind as possible…I mean how can EVERY GIRL in a house be the same? I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with Astros! (Definitely proof that you should NOT listed to tent talk!) I had great conversation with the first girl I talked to. The second girl, however, was nice, but I didn’t felt compatible with her. This left me a bit skeptical, so I left with a good, but not great feeling about Astros. But again, I thought it would be great to get invited back so I could get a better feel for the house! So recruitment was going along just fine, and even thought I was having a nice time at these parties, in the back of my head I was still just not feeling my best. All my worries kept popping up, and it eventually started to take its toll…headaches, nausea, dizziness. I kept telling myself, ok, just a few more houses, then straight to bed to get some sleep. So I tried my best to stick out the rest of the night… Rockies – Unfortunately I missed Rockies little song or dance, I had to pee SO BADLY, (Took too many drinks from the other houses lol). So after I ran from an open classroom building to the house, I was led to a little group of PNM’s and sisters, already mid conversation. I had a decent time at Rockies. Our conversation was very much restricted to small talk—I mean we didn’t have awkward pauses or anything, but it just didn’t feel natural. But they still seem liked nice girls who really liked to have fun. I know it sounds weird but I was hoping to get invited back just because I had missed their skit! But since I came late I thought the odds would be against me, and if that was the case, I wasn’t going to be too hurt. Cubs – The Cubs had a cute, upbeat skit. You could tell that they were very bubbly, fun loving girls! I talked with two sisters who happened to be roommates. I definitely got a vibe that these girls really had fun with each other. One of the girls was VERY funny, but also just a bit loud, and tended to take over the conversation. It was almost intimidating. At the end, I had liked that the Cubs seemed like a fun group of girls, but I wasn’t sure if they were 100% for me. Still, I was interested. Reds – The Reds had a very pretty house, and I liked the location! I was eager to get inside, but upon going I was pretty quickly disappointed. The Reds were not as impressive as some of the other houses. I just wasn’t drawn in by their skit. When we met with the sisters, they seemed like nice girls, but again, I wasn’t blown away. There was no connection. Again, this is another house where I barely can remember my time there. I left not wanting to revisit the Reds. The night was almost over, and I was still feeling like crap. It was getting hard to concentrate, which was probably hurting my chances with the last house of the night, the Royals. Royals – Such a pretty house they had! We were led in and they had the cutest set up! It was almost like a little café with iced coffee drinks and other sweets. They definitely won the award for cutest theme… well so far. Still I was very much out of it at this point. The girls were soooo sweet, and we had good conversation (well just about as good as I could have had given how I was feeling). I was hoping they would invite me back, but I was nervous because of how sluggish I was at their event. So at the end of the night, I felt like I had liked how things were going. Granted I wasn’t in love with it, but I liked it more than I thought I would. But this anxious feeling was really hitting me hard. I was not feeling well at all. I went back to my dorm, talked with my roommate for a bit about my day (she was loving rush by the way) and tried to go to sleep. But I could just not fall asleep. I was too worried about my dad, missing my family and missing my ex-boyfriend. Not to mention I was worrying about how sick I was feeling, and how I was ever going to make it through the long day I had coming, especially since I was feeling the way I was. Finally, after a few hours, I was able to fall asleep. |
Go Astros!
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Ooh, your story sounds so interesting!
Of course, go, Red Sox!!! <3 |
Ooooh I love this thread already. And I am HUGE baseball fan as well. Even though it's my job in the summer, I still love it! But I am a little sad you don't have my men on there... no Cardinals? :(
I'm going to have to go with my 2nd team though... let's go Yankees! |
Go Indians! :)
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When I first started to read your code names, I said "Well, where are the PHILLIES???" Then I read the rest of it so now I'm ok.
Good story! |
WOOO HOOOO! Large Midwest School = my favorite kind!
And since I've been saying it all week, GO TWINS! :D |
Day Three
The next morning my alarm went off, and I didn’t want to move. My roommate quickly got up and jumped in the shower. When she came back I told her I was going to drop out. She was a little surprised and asked why. I told her I just felt like crap, which I really did. And since I felt so bad, I didn’t want to make myself sicker, I thought it would best to rest. I had liked rush, but my heart wasn’t 100% there, so at the time it was easy for me to give up. But thinking back on it, I was actually just making myself sick. I really didn’t have anything to worry about, well except about my dad being sick, but I let everything get to me and I was just so overwhelmed, so I quit. So by now, I bet some of you thinking, “Well is that it? That’s a crappy ending…” Let me just say that this is far from the ending… |
aww well my thread isn't as lively as i hoped it would be...i guess i'll give a few days worth of updates :)
Later my freshman year… Soon after formal recruitment, the Phillies sent me invitations for informal recruitment. At that point, I was really not interested, so I declined all invites. My roommate finished formal recruitment and she accepted a bid from Nationals. All through the year, I could see just how much she loved her sorority, and how much fun he was having. This made me start to regret my decision to drop out so soon. Well, I thought, there’s nothing I can do about this now. I mean, it wasn’t the end of the world: I was loving the time I was having at my school, I made some good friends, my dad was making a full recovery, and I was WAY over the ex, especially thanks to a new boy ;) But I still I had felt as though something was missing… Fall 2007, Sophomore year Sophomore year came quickly, and I was happy to be back at school. Over the summer, I had been toying with the idea of rushing again. I mean just because I would be a sophomore didn’t mean I couldn’t rush, right? I mean I knew that being a sophomore would hurt, (like I said, rush is competitive here!) and my GPA wasn’t fantastic, (that first stressed out semester of college left me with a 2.5 GPA after first semester and 2.9 after the first full year…so sophomore year I KNEW I had to bring it up!). But I thought to myself that if I didn’t try, I would always regret it, not knowing what could have been. I had to go for it, and a few days before rush, I signed up… Day 1 (again…) So there I was, at the orientation again. I felt a little out of place because I didn’t see any familiar faces. I could tell most of the girls near me were freshmen by their conversations. The little presentation at the orientation was basically the same… there was a slide show running about all of the chapters, and then someone from Panhellenic spoke, then we would split into our groups and meet our Gamma Chis… you know, that whole thing! However, one thing caught my attention during this years orientation. They announced that starting Fall ’08 there would be a new chapter, the White Sox, colonizing on campus. Wow, 20 chapters?! This made me really want to be a part of my school’s huge Greek system! We split into our Gamma Chi groups once more, and I was so excited to see a girl I knew! She was a friend of a friend, who I had met once or twice, but she’s a really nice girl, so I was so happy to find out she was going to be in my group! I left the meeting super anxious to get started with recruitment! I told myself, that no matter what, this time just stick it out to the end. maybe i'll post later again... i'm just really excited to tell my story!! lol ps....i realize some of these details will very much give away the story... again i dont really mind TOO much if you figure it out, but just keep it to yourself til i'm done! gracias! |
yes please! keep going!
The Phillies are my favorite team, so I'm hoping maybe there's still a chance for them! :-) |
Just because we're not posting doesn't mean we're not reading! ;)
Keep going! |
yea for more updates!
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I'm never able to figure out most of the schools anyway...unless I had too much time on my hands and wanted to do some research. And go Cubs!
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I'm reading... and waiting!
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I am reading!!! Post away!
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Keep posting! We're reading! :)
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ok so one more post for the night! :) AND ill post both days of the first round.... like i said im excited to share!! haha
Day 2 (again…) So here I was again… standing in front of a sorority, anxiously awaiting to go in. This time though, I was going to be prepared for the one of a kind experience that is sorority recruitment… Red Sox – Standing in front of Red Sox’s house was kind of like déjà vu. Just like last year with the Yankees, I thought they’re house was just so pretty from the outside! It made me want to come on in and make myself at home! I just couldn’t wait for them to open up the doors. Now the bad thing about rushing as a sophomore was that I had become familiar with the campus reputations of certain houses. But I knew I just had to ignore them (after all I witnessed a false stereotype first hand last year when I visited the Astros!) A GOOD thing about being a sophomore is I had heard how intense and loud Red Sox’s chant was. Needless to say, I was prepared and didn’t almost have a heart attack like the poor freshman next to me when the girls started cheering. I loved Red Sox’s energy! They were so upbeat and as soon as they started cheering, I was so happy I had chosen to go through recruitment again! After their little performance I talked with one sister for the rest of the time. Although I wish I would have gotten to meet a few more sisters, I loved the girl I talked with! I have to say I was a little intimidated at first, because Red Sox have a very good reputation on campus, but this girl made me feel so comfortable. Conversation was easy and I really enjoyed talking with her. Before I knew it, time was up and it was time for the next house! I really liked the Red Sox and wanted to come back for more! Devil Rays – I had a friend who was in Devil Rays. She was a very energetic, fun loving girl, so that is what I expected to find at Devil Rays. While they weren’t as peppy as I thought they would be, they had a cute skit, which I really enjoyed. The sisters I talked to seemed down to earth and real, which I really liked. I mean they didn’t seem to be trying to hard to be overly friendly. They were just being themselves which made me feel like they were sincere, and I really liked that. The only problem I had with the Devil Rays was that our conversation was a bit forced towards the end of it—kind of ran out of things to say. Still, I would have liked to come back for more! Royals – Ah, a house I had visited (and liked) last year! Again, when we arrived at Royals, I just gawked at house pretty their house was. We went in, and again they had a café like set up (no iced coffee though L) I wasn’t really surprised that I loved Royals like I did last year. The first girl I spoke with was awesome! We had great conversation—nothing was forced, and we didn’t run out of things to talk about. The second girl was great too. She seemed very outgoing, which I liked. Overall the girls just seemed really happy to be Royals, and it really made me want to be a Royal as well! I was REALLY hoping I would get invite back here! Twins – Out of all the sororities on campus, this was probably the one I had heard least about. This made me skeptical. Was there nothing good to say about the Twins? Or was it good that I didn’t hear much? Usually the things you hear around campus are bad stereotypes—so did that mean that since they’re not talked about they are likeable and respected? I just didn’t know what to think! The Twins had a really cute house too! I loved their cheer and they too seemed so proud of being Twins! The two girls I met with were so genuine! They were definitely just being themselves and I felt so comfortable. It actually turns out that one of the sisters I was speaking to had just studied abroad with a girl who was my best friend growing up, who lived next door to me back home. Small world! Again, this was another house that I just felt so comfortable at, and I wanted to be asked back. Diamondbacks – Again, this was a house I knew little about. I knew one girl in Diamondbacks and she seemed like a funny, outgoing girl. I didn’t care much for the appearance of the house, and just wanted to get inside to meet the girls. Their little skit was unfortunately unmemorable, because I’m having trouble recalling it, and the sister I met was not much better. The girl I talked to must have been nervous or something because it was so difficult to talk to her. We literally had nothing to talk about. She was very quiet, and conversation often stopped. I didn’t know what to think of Diamondbacks. On one hand I knew one sister who was very outgoing and easy to talk to, but on the other hand the sister I just met was not talkative. I left Diamondbacks not wanting to come back because of the experience. Angels – This was the other house on campus that had the reputation of being “Barbie dolls”. Still I had to remember how I witnessed the stereotypes being proven wrong at Astros! Two girls that I graduated with were members of Angels. I didn’t know High School Angel #1 very well, and even though she was nice to me in person, she just seemed a bit conceited. However, I got along great with High School Angel #2. We were on a sports team together one year, and she was always fun and easy to get along with. The outside of the house was sooo pretty and in an awesome location. I went in, I was a bit shocked to see that I was going to be paired with HSA #1. It was a bit awkward, but I just dealt with it because we were sitting in groups of four, 2 PNM’s and 2 sisters, anyways. I wasn’t comfortable here, because like I said, HSA #1 was nice enough, but I felt like she was silently looking down on me, if that makes any sense? Anyways, I just didn’t feel right… My negative feelings were soon confirmed when we were talking about working and I said that I worked at Cold Stone, and the other sister in our group said, “OMG How are you not fat?!” Now, any other time work was brought up at other chapters, I always got a reaction like, “Oh, I LOVE Birthday Cake Remix!” or “SWEET! Can you hook me up with some free ice cream?” or something else like that, you know something light and joking around. But the fact that she made a comment relating to body image just threw up a big red flag for me. I mean I’m not too self conscious about my body, but what if I was? I don’t know, that just left a bad taste in my mouth for Angels, and I did not want to come back. I do, however, have to say, that I loved they’re song they sang before we left…it seemed like it had been part of their history for a long time, and it was really pretty… I don’t know I’m just a sucker for things with a lot of tradition (which I know is strange, but its just one of the things that really appeals to me about Greek life lol) Mets – Finally, my cousin’s chapter! I was so excited to be making it to Mets! My cousin was sad when she found out that I dropped out before seeing her house last year, but she supported my decision. I was so eager to go inside Mets (another cute house in a great location) because I always looked up to my cousin growing up, so I thought these would be a great group of girls. They had a very cute skit, and you could tell that they just like to have fun and they don’t take themselves too seriously, which I liked. However, I didn’t have a good experience with the first sister I met. I had mentioned to her how excited I was to be at this chapter because my cousin was a member her, and she graduated a few years back. She kind of gave me a puzzled look and asked who. She didn’t know my cousin, because she had graduated before she was a member, but she still just seemed thrown off by the fact that I had mentioned my cousin. In retrospect, it might have been because I don’t think my cousin wrote me a rec that year—she had wrote me a rec the previous year, but I decided to rush kind of last minute and didn’t tell her until after rush had began, therefore causing me to go recless for Mets. Anyways, conversation with this girl wasn’t great either. She really just seemed disinterested in what I had to say. But the next two girls I met were great! They seemed like fun and they were easy to talk to. I could definitely see myself getting along with THESE two girls, but that first girl just left me puzzled about Mets. I left a bit disappointed because of my first run-in. Still because I really admire my cousin, and I truly did like the other girls I met, I wanted to come back and meet some more girls. Nationals – I had made it to my friend/roommates sorority! Now, I really didn’t know what to think of Nationals. Since my good friend was in it, I ended up meeting a lot of other Nationals over freshman year. Most Nationals I met were really fun and down to earth. But there were a handful that were on the, well, flakey side. It was weird, and made me a little wary of Nationals but I guess I would have to see for myself! The girl I was paired at in Nationals didn’t really WOW me. We had the basic small talk, and while conversation was easy, I just didn’t feel any connection. They’re skit was cute, and you could definitely feel their Nationals pride. I was honestly pretty confused about Nationals at this point, but I still really want to give them a chance. So that was day 2 of recruitment… day 3 we will be finishing up by seeing the last 10 houses, and then ranking our top 10 favorites. So far I loved it, and couldn’t wait to see where I could end up! Day 3 Yankees – Day 3 I returned to many of the houses I had seen as a freshman. I was back at Yankees, a house I really liked last year. I was thinking I was still going to like them, but I did have one concern. Freshmen year, a girl across the hall from my dorm room was a Yankee. The first few weeks while everyone was introducing themselves and meeting each other, she was a bit rude to me and my roommate, for no real reason whatsoever. She just kinda always had this attitude like she thought she was better than us. She continued to be rude to me the whole year: for example, I’d give her a friendly wave or say hi if we were passing in the hall, and she would just BARELY look my way, give me a nod, and keep walking, nose turned up. I really don’t know what her problem was. She did however start talking to my roommate after she joined a sorority too. And wouldn’t you know it, the only thing she would talk to my roommate about was their sororities. Eh, whatever. Anyways, I was going to try to not let it bother me, especially since I had really liked Yankees the year before. So I went in, and they did a very similar skit to last years. They did a really cute dance (that my neighbor was in!) and they just had tons of energy and excitement! It made me happy to be visiting them again. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a great conversation with the sister who I talked to. We had found out we actually had some mutual friends, so we definitely did have things to talk about. But she was very…spazzy?.. lol I don’t know if that’s the right word but like I’d be talking and she’d be looking all over the room very quickly. I wouldn’t say she was acting like she was bored with me, but she was just too hyper, and I just didn’t know what to think. I left a bit disappointed, but because I really liked them last year…so I wanted to give them another chance. Astros – Back to Astros. My time there was pleasant once again, they had a really cute song and outfits! They were easy to talk to, however, I just didn’t feel the connection with any of the girls I talked to. They were just a bit too much on the girly side for me, and I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that, but that’s just definitely not me. I left thinking that I probably would not want to go back to Astros. Tigers – Tigers once again. I still really liked the house itself, but again I was unimpressed with them. The skit was nice, but nothing extra ordinary. Most of the girls I talked to were a bit shy, or we just didn’t seem to have much in common. There was one sister, however, who was very friendly and easy to talk to. Although I had a very good conversation with her, I just didn’t feel the connection once again, and left not wanting to go back. Braves – I was hoping I would like Braves more than I did last year. I mean last year I didn’t hate them or anything, but I just would have liked to feel a stronger connection. However, I wasn’t as impressed with their skit this time. I just didn’t see their pride and spirit about being Braves like I did last year! The girl I talked to was so nice, but she just seemed to be too reserved for my taste. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go back to Braves again. Reds – Again, I really hoped I would like Reds this time around, but my experience was way worse. The sister I was paired up with was very shy and difficult to speak with. We had quite a few awkward silences. I tried my best to come up with questions, but even when I did, she would answer them, and that was it. It was so hard to talk to her, and it just really left me with a bad impression of the Reds. So far, this had been one of the chapters I had liked the least. Rockies – So even though I had technically visited Rockies last year, I was just going to go into their house with a clean slate since I missed some of my visit there because of my bathroom break. They had a very cute skit, and while I wasn’t in love with the outside of the house, the inside was just beautiful! Maybe it had something to do with the time of day it was and the fact that the sun was shining in the room we were in but it was just so pretty! I did like the two sisters I spoke with—I had a funny conversation with them. They were lively and also seemed to not take themselves too seriously, which was what I liked about the Mets as well. I’m not sure if there was a strong connection, but I liked what I saw, and wanted to see more! Cubs – The Cubs had the exact same song and dance as last year which I found a little puzzling. I mean their spirit was great, but I thought they would change it up a little? I only talked to one sister, and although she was nice enough and easy to talk to I just didn’t feel a connection. Still I liked the energy and the general vibe of the house so I wouldn’t mind being invited back. And if I was cut, I wouldn’t be heartbroken. A’s – I had two impressions of the A’s right off the back. The first was that I thought I was going to really like them. My boyfriend is in a frat, and his pledge mom (my apologies in advance to whoever cringed at that, I know that the whole pledge mom thing is discouraged but its pretty big here still) was in A’s, and it was always a good time whenever she was around! My second thought was that I really disliked the outside of the house. In fact, it was probably my least favorite. Still, I went to find out for myself. The A’s gave us a house tour, which was different cause they were the first ones to do that on the first day. I was paired up with a girl was two years older than me, and had graduated from my grade school AND high school. So we knew each other, and immediately I was like…. Hey… you went to Generic Name High School, right? And she was like… oh yeah…you too… It was just immediately weird and uncomfortable between us. Luckily there was two sisters giving two PNM’s the tour at the same time, and I enjoyed talking with the other sister. I left not being crazy about the A’s. Again, I wouldn’t mind coming back, but I wouldn’t be too upset if I didn’t. Indians – The Indians’ house was the furthest from campus. It was weird cause it kinda in a residential neighborhood (I mean, imagine having a large sorority house next to my home! Lol!) Still the actual house was actually very pretty, but the inside felt so small! They girls did a skit and I have to say it was probably the first skit I flat out did not like. They seemed a bit into themselves if that makes sense? One of the sisters I talked to was nice and I did enjoy talking to her. However, the other was yet ANOTHER person from my grade school?! Luckily, our conversation did not get awkward. It was pleasant, but just no connection. I didn’t want to revisit the Indians. Giants – FINALLY the last house! I was tired, but still eager to see the sisters. I recognized a girl from a class when I walked in, which surprised me because I had no idea she was in Giants. They had a very energetic skit, which I was impressed that they still had energy! The girls seemed relaxed, and like they had a strong sisterhood, but for whatever reason I didn’t feel like I fit in with them. I left not wanting to revisit the Giants. SO I WAS FINALLY DONE WITH THAT LONG FIRST ROUND! WOO HOO!!! Now it was time to rank my favorites… Now I do not remember the EXACT order but I’ll do my best. We were allowed to rank 10 chapters as #1, then rank the remaining 8 from 11-18. (Remember, although there are 19 chapters on campus at this time, one of them doesn’t participate in formal recruitment!) 1. Royals 1. Red Sox 1. Mets 1. Twins 1. Rockies 1. Devil Rays 1. Nationals 1. Yankees 1. Cubs 1. A’s 11. Astros 12. Giants 13. Indians 14. Angels 15. Braves 16. Tigers 17. Diamondbacks 18. Reds By now it was Sunday, so this meant I had to wait a whole week to find out where I would be invited back to for the next week! Surprisingly, I wasn’t too nervous. I felt pretty confident I would be asked back to at least SOME of the chapters that I liked… |
I'm ready to hear more..... anticipating and hoping there is more soon!:)
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i'm extrememly busy today so here's an update for now and i'll try to get one in later
Friday finally rolled around and we received our list of invites. I was sooooo nervous to actually read it. We could be invited back to a maximum of 10, but our Gamma Chi’s warned us that this was rare, and to not be hurt if you don’t have the full 10. Obviously, I hoped I had a good amount of chapters…you know, maybe 7 or 8? I really wanted to make sure I would be making the right decision! The rest of my invites looked like this (I’m including my original rankings to give you an idea of who asked me back). 1. Red Sox (Technically my number 2) 1. Twins (Technically number 4) 15. Braves 16. Tigers 18. Reds Ok so my honest feelings off the bat: only five?! At the time I was a bit disheartened to see that 3 of my 4 least favorites wanted me back. I knew I didn’t feel a connection there, so why did they want me back? My second thought: Where’s Royals?! I really felt so natural and comfortable there, I couldn’t help but wonder what went wrong… Third thought: Well I’m a sophomore. I knew this could potentially count against me during rush…(Little did I know at the time… that my not so hot GPA probably had MUCH more to do with it)…and finally after my initial shock, I snapped out of it, found my maturity again and started focusing on the positives: First of all, I really, really liked Twins and Red Sox so YAY!! I was going to be seeing them again! Red Sox was a very sought after house also, so I was so flattered that they liked me enough to want me to come back. And then I thought about the other three houses… okay there are girls who are more shy and nervous about rush in every house…hopefully I would go back and meet some great girls and my opinions would change! Oh and a side note… my friend who was in my Gamma Chi group… she got asked back to 10 chapters, including Angels and Astros, which many people on our campus consider to be “top” two houses, even thought she had cut them! I just thought that was pretty interesting… So on I went to Red Sox! Red Sox – They had the FUNNIEST skit that was put on by their sophomores. It was very clever and I could tell they put a lot of work into it. After the skit, we went into different rooms of the house to meet more sisters. I was in a room with 4 PNM’s and 4 sisters. However, we only each talked with one, and unfortunately I did not click with the girl I was paired with. She must have had one too many Red Bulls because she was going about 100 miles per hour. I kept trying to ask questions about the Red Sox and just get in some general conversation but she just kept talking and talking and talking!!! I left still really liking them because they seemed to have great, fun loving personalities and I had just such a great experience the week before but I did not get my hopes up… I just knew I wasn’t going to be asked back after today’s experience. Twins – Okay, so I still had a chance with another chapter I really liked. I was not as impressed with their skit as I was with Red Sox’s. I know these things a supposed to be goofy and fun, but it was just a bit too cheesy and predictable. I wasn’t too let down by this however. I was just eager to meet more sisters! I was led into a room with 3 PNM’s and two sisters. The two other PNM’s started the conversation and ran away with it. Again, I just could not get a word in. Finally, their philanthropy was brought up and I was really excited to learn it was something that I had already been working with! I knew I had my chance I jumped into the conversation for a little bit. *Phew* This might have saved me. After a few minutes of talking about the philanthropy, however, the focus was back on the other two. Still, I felt I had left a good impression, and thought I had a good shot of being invited back. Tigers – The Tigers were up next. They’re skit wasn’t outstanding either. However, there was one very talented, and funny girl, and if it wasn’t for her the skit might have been a flop! I give her a lot of credit! To be honest, I wish I would have gotten the chance to speak with her! 3 PNM’s talked with 3 sisters, and again, I did not have a great time there. I felt like they were almost trying to bribe us into wanting to come back. Okay, maybe bribe was not the right word but something felt off. They kept asking what our interests were, and if someone said, “Sports” for example they were like “OH!!! Well we do this intramural and that intramural!” I don’t know, they were trying to prove that they were worth coming back to. It was just off to me for some reason. Reds – I was not looking forward to going back into Reds after last week. Their skit was cute, I liked it’s originality…it did have a really annoying song, but I didn’t let that ruin my opinion of the skit, lol. My opinion of this house improved after meeting some more sisters. They were a lot more enthusiastic and eager to talk, which was great! They were very nice girls and it was very easy to talk to them. I definitely felt more comfortable this time around, but I just didn’t feel at home. I just didn’t know what to think of them. Braves – Braves was last of the day. As I walked in I saw that I would be paired with the same girl from yesterday. I guess she had really felt a connection with me because her face lit up when she saw me. Although she was a really nice girl, I was hoping to meet someone new. Oh well. They had a cute skit as well, and even though their Braves pride that I saw last year was missing from the first round, it was back this round! You could tell they loved their sisterhood, but I really just didn’t feel like I fit into that sisterhood. I had more pleasant conversation with the same girl from the last round, but still, just no connection for me. So at the end of the day we had to rank our top 6… since I only had 5 I had to rank them all lol! My opinions didn’t change much, except for my lesser favorite houses... 1. Red Sox 1. Twins 1. Reds 1. Braves 1. Tigers |
Yea Red Sox!
And Sox fans always cheer the loudest. It just makes sense that they'd be the most energetic chapter. :) |
Hey Veteran
I know how you feel about the thread not taking off, though that seems to be resolved now. Mine isn't getting that much of a response either. Oh! and go RED SOX |
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I know they're not doing so well in your rankings but go REDS!!
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in case you're reading this, stunnedgirl, i wont leave ya hanging! ha!
Next day was the third round, where we would be spending a longer time at each house, and doing philanthropy projects. Again, we could go back to a maximum of 6, and since I only had 5 at this point, I was hoping I would return to all 5. I was really nervous waiting to get my invites. I had loved Red Sox and Twins and knew I would accept a bid from either of the two (I was hoping that that this round and pref round would help me decide which one I would let better). As far as Reds, who were my new #3, I just didn’t feel at home. They had definitely improved in my opinion from the open house round, but there wasn’t anything special about it. I thought I wouldn’t mind learning more about them, but if I was cut, I was definitely not going to be disappointed. As for Braves and Tigers, I really felt that I knew my home was not going to be with either of them. They were nice girls, but I could tell they were not for me. There wasn’t that excitement I felt at Red Sox and Twins. I almost hoped I didn’t have to visit either of them again. So there I was waiting to get my invites…it was finally my turn, and I nervously read my invites… 1. Reds 1. Tigers 1. Braves Crap. Well I knew that things had not gone well at Red Sox the day before, so I had been preparing myself to get dropped by them, even though I really, really, REALLY hoped they wouldn’t. But I had felt good about Twins, and was sooooo upset not to see them on my list. I wanted to drop out right there, but I decided that since my parties were the last 3 parties of the day, I had about 3 hours to make my decision about what I wanted to do. (I mean if I decided that these houses weren’t for me, was I really going to waste my time going to their parties?) So after receiving my invites, I went home for a 3 hours break to weigh my options. Of the three I had left I knew that the only one I would consider giving another chance would be the Reds. Although I had a bad experience with them the first round, they had turned it around, and I had liked them a bit more. Still something was missing, so I did not have good feelings about them. As for Tigers and Braves, I just had never felt any kind of connection. They were all nice girls, but I didn’t feel like myself. I felt I had too almost, pull my personality back, because every girl I met seemed very reserved and shy. So although they were nice, what’s the point if I didn’t feel like myself when I was around them? None of the houses I had left even had my excited about recruitment. And since I felt my heart was no longer there, I decided to drop out. Now I know I’m making so many of you cringe by not giving them a chance until the very end. But like I said, I knew where my heart was...Although I still loved the idea of being in a sorority, I had just lost all excitment and passion for it...So I just decided that I would be one of those people that is just not fit for Greek life. So again, you’re thinking, “Well, that’s a crappy ending…” But still, this is far from the end… Oh and if you’re wondering about my friend from my Gamma Chi group—although she continued to have a full schedule and get asked back by her favorite houses, she ended up dropping out as well. She said it just wasn’t for her… |
That was what I was thinking.... I'm glad to hear it isn't the end.
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It sounds like the veteran in your name belongs there!
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Well this story has quite a lot of twists and turns. Continue please!
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Haha, yes, like I said before I have a different, real name on GC, but I needed to pick a temporary one for this, and I though VeteranPNM was quite appropriate!
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Later that year…
I was initially very bummed about getting cut from Red Sox and Twins, I for sure thought they were going to fill that “missing” part of my life. I eventually got over it, and was still very happy with my decision to drop out of rush. I knew Reds, Tigers, and Braves, weren’t for me, so I was glad I took it as far as I did, because at least know I didn’t have any doubts or regrets. Phillies, the group that does not participate in formal recruitment, kept sending me invitations for COB, but I still had no interest. In order to fill that “missing” void in my life, I decided to get involved in other ways. I quit my job at Cold Stone (thank God), when I found a better paying, easier, more fun job, working for the University. I quickly found that the people I would be working with are awesome and what we do benefits our school, so I was really glad to be working there! In addition to that, I joined a club that’s related to my major, and signed up for some intramural teams with friends. College life was good, and I was feeling good about my decisions…for a while. Now of course I had my own friends I made at the dorms, and in other places, but we just weren’t as close as my high school friends. And while my job was fun, it was still a job, so it wasn’t exactly the best social environment. And while the club was a nice resume builder, it’s a large club, and hard to get involved with. I just wasn’t getting that sense of accomplishment that I thrive off of. And while intramurals were fun, they were short lived and I often had to miss them because of work. Something still felt missing. I just had to figure out what it was, so I thought back to my high school days, the last time I really felt complete. I had my group of friends who I had made through school. They’re an awesome group of girls and we have so much fun together. Then there was my golf team and softball team. We all became close through our seasons together, and they almost felt like family. We could always count on one anther. Being on the team made me feel like I had a sense of belonging. I was also team captain for golf my junior and senior year, and a captain for softball one year on the JV team. Finally, I was involved in a few clubs in school, one of which I held an officer position in during my senior year. So what did this all mean? When I “felt complete” I had an awesome group of girl friends who I always had fun with. I was also part of a group that felt like a second family, that made me happy to know that I always had someone to lean on. I also was a leader and involved, (I know that being a team captain isn’t a life changing experience, but it made me feel good to be have this kind of involvement). And then I remembered that this is why I wanted to rush my sophomore year again. I knew I could find all these things in a sorority, but now my chances were over. So I just had to remind myself that I gave it my best shot, and it just didn’t work out. I decided that I was just going to have to keep doing what I was doing. Though I may have felt like something was missing, but I was still happy and doing well… Twists, people, twists!!! |
Spring semester ’08…
One afternoon while checking my school email account I got a little email from the White Sox, the chapter that would be colonizing (re-colonizing actually). It was an invitation to come to the ice cream social that they were having, in order to help raise interest for the chapter. I read the invitation and was a bit intrigued. They were looking to re-colonize and would be recruiting an entire chapter in the fall, not just a pledge class consisting of mostly freshmen, and hence why they were getting the word out now. Interesting, I thought… I clicked out the email, but didn’t delete it, I would have to think about what I was going to do. After putting a little bit of thought into it, the idea of being a re-colonizing member of a sorority excited me. I mean, the way I saw it you have the potential to be a big factor in shaping your sorority. It seemed like a really awesome opportunity to get involved and to make friends at the same time. I decided it wouldn’t hurt to go to the ice cream social… So I changed my work schedule so that I could attend, got ready and made my way there. I was the second person to arrive, which surprised me…but I was even more surprised to see who was already there: a girl I worked with! Now I hadn’t talked to her much, but it was great to see a friendly face. (From now on she will be known as White Sox PNM 1) I grabbed a bowl of ice cream, and sat down with her and the rep from the White Sox. We chatted about us, our majors, all the typical small talk, and then about the White Sox, the organization, and how they would be recruiting and coming to campus next fall. While we were talking, a new girl, WSPNM 2, came in and joined us. She seemed a bit more reserved than me and WSPNM 1, but still nice, and it was very nice to meet her. The three of us, all sophomores at the time, had a nice time chatting for a bit. After about 45 min, I decided I was going to head out, especially because there were only 3 girls (including myself at the event L). I left kind of nervous that only so few people showed up. Then again, it was February, so I figured there would be more events to come. A month or so later the White Sox had a bowling night. I definitely want to go and see if more girls were going to be attending. When I got there I was first to arrive. I met the same White Sox rep from the ice cream social (I found out she is going to be the one mainly involved in helping the White Sox get colonized) and another White Sox rep. We waited for some more bowlers, but only two other girls showed up, WSPNM 2, and another girl I had never met (who apparently went to the ice cream social, but after I had left). So we bowled and talked, and of course asked our questions about the White Sox. We talked about involvement opportunities and one of the things that got me really excited was the idea that since we’re going to be upper classman, we are going to have a lot of opportunities to hold an office position within the chapter (if we’re invited to pledge of course!) Overall, it was a good night, even though there were only 3 of us. I really liked the other girls I had met, and I was really excited about the potential opportunities for me within White Sox. We had one more event before school ended which, finally, many girls showed up to. It was really interesting to see the girls who came out. There were freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, all with very different interests and backgrounds. There were some girls who seemed very shy, but like they always wanted to know what Greek life was about, but never had the nerve to go through recruitment. There were also girls who definitely gave me a bad vibe, like they’re only there because they want to wear letters. Their biggest concerns were primarily what the White Sox’s social calendar would look like (I’m not saying social calendars are a bad thing, because let’s face it, I’m definitely a social person, but it’s not my TOP concern…) But what made me happy is that there were a lot of girls that seemed like me: many of them had rushed but just could not find their home. They still wanted that involvement and that sisterhood that was missing, and like me, they were hoping that the White Sox was going to be right for them. I left this last event of the year with my mind made up that I would definitely be participating in White Sox’s recruitment process come fall. |
go white sox!!!!!!!!!!! I was hoping they'd make an appearance...as obviously they are the best. team. EVER.
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yeah ... go White Sox !! gotta love the twists that life sends you ..
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That's awesome! I kind of had a feeling White Sox would have a big role... can't wait to hear more!
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