Flipping for Recruitment
 

I just went through recruitment at an SEC school this Fall and wanted to share my experience. I am a former competitive gymnast so I will name each sorority for a gymnastics move.

I will begin by telling you a little about myself. I am from a small town with few girls, or guys for that matter, who attend SEC schools, so I didn't have a group of girls from home on the inside pulling for me. I did, however, work during the summer with college age girls and guys from across the Southeast. I made great friends in a short amount of time with girls in a few sororities at my SEC school. I was very involved in various organizations and held leadership positions in my high school and volunteered in my community. My mom was not in a sorority, so we had to do a ton of research on greek chat and asked friends to help us prepare for recruitment.

After I decided to go through recruitment I had tons of people tell me what they had heard about the reputations of each of the sororities on my campus. Thankfully my mom's friend who was a very involved alumnae in her sorority explain that the best sorority is the one where YOU best fit and feel comfortable. I will always be thankful for her guidance through this whole process. She helped me to go into recruitment with a positive attitude and an open mind.

So, here is my story...
I will give each sorority a name that has something to do with gymnastics.
There are seventeen sororities on my campus.

Flip
Tuck
Salto
Kip
Twist
Layout
Handspring
Cast
Handstand
Cartwheel
Vault
Arabian
Flyaway
Dismount
Aerial
Leap
Spin


Day 1 and 2-- Ice Water Teas
Day 3 and 4 -- Philanthropy Days
Day 5 -- Skit Day
Day 6 -- Preference Day
Day 7 -- BID DAY

Fun, yay!

Double yay!

I forgot to say that we met with our PiChi group the afternoon before recruitment started. I immediately fell in love with my PiChi! She was amazing! I am also still good friends with several of the girls that were in my group.

Day 1-- Ice Water Teas
Flip: I was really nervous about this sorority. The one girl from my high school that attended an SEC school was a member here...we were friends in middle school and when we got to hs boys got in the way. I was not sure how she would respond to me...
Big smiles! She was super sweet and I loved all the girls here. It seemed that they paired me girls that I had tons in common with. Great conversations! I really wanted to get an invite to get to know them better. There are several ladies from our area who wrote recommendations (4) for this sorority.

Tuck: These girls were so sweet, but It was hard to be excited after my first party.
I had two recommendations for this sorority. I liked them and would be happy to have another chance to get to know them better.

Salto: I thought these girls were super sweet. They made me feel comfortable and glad that I was there. I had really good conversations with the girls. I would like to get an invitation to come back another day to meet more girls. I had three recommendations here.

Kip: I liked the girls that I met, but it was not a favorite. I would be happy to get an invitation for another day , but I really was not that excited about them. I didn't have a recommendation for this sorority.

Twist: This is my mom's friends sorority. (Another university) I immediately felt comfortable. I had such fun conversations with several girls. I have a friend in this sorority who came over as I was leaving and hugged my neck. I really hope to get invited for another day. SWEET! I had four recommendations to this sorority.

Layout: I liked these girls, but they didn't seem as excited about recruitment as some of the other sororities I had visited so far. Of course, they were all very nice, but I am looking for a sorority that is enthusiastic. It could have just been the girls I met this first day. I would be glad to meet others if they would have me back. I had two recommendations for this sorority...one was from one of my former teachers thatI so love! I am a little disappointed that I didn't feel more of a connection. I think the girls are really nice, though.

Handspring: Wow! Blown Away! I loved these girls!i had the most fun at this party. I had Sooo much in common with many of the girls. I have a friend here. They made me feel really special and that they were really interested in me. Several older girls came over and said they were really impressed with my résumé. I was really feeling special until I got outside and realized this was most everyone's experience here. These girls know how to recruit. I still loved them and really wanted to be invited back for another day! I hade four recommendations to this sorority.

Looks like you had a great start to recruitment! I love your enthusiasm. Thanks for sharing your story. Can't wait to read more.

Yay!!! A new story. Keep it coming!

I'm wondering if you are presenting these in the order you actually attended them. The reason I'm asking is because you were less than thrilled at your 5th party and I'm wondering if that wasn't either the last party before lunch or the first one after. Sometimes your impressions can really be based solely on time of day/hunger/fatigue on both your part and the part of the sisters you meet. Anyway, carry on!

Saluting...
 

Question:
When you land and finish with the flips as well as your recruitment story, will you salute the judges?
Like they do in competition?

Just askin'...

LOVE the gymnastics theme!

Thanks everyone! I am sorry this is taking so long to post. I keep getting timed out. I am almost finished with Ice Water Teas and I promise to post quicker.

DubaiSis, you may be right about being tired on both sides...myself and the girls rushing me. I know it is a stressful time for everyone.

Cast to hands: I had a very awkward moment with the girl rushing me here. She asked what I would be studying and when I told her she went on and on about how she didn't understand how anyone would want to chose that career, etc, etc, I know she was just nervous, but it really bothered me. I didn't have a recommendation for this sorority.

Handstand: This sorority was one that all the girls in my PiChi group talked about being a top sorority. I tried not to listen, but it is really hard to tune everything you hear out. I went in with high expectations. My rusher was really sweet, but she didn't seem very interested in me. We didn't have much in common and she looked around the room while we talked. I was a little disappointed. I really would like to go back to see if it was just the person that I didn't connect with. I had a ton of recommendations here. I just hoped that maybe she thought things went better than I did.