[justabostongirl]

Pref Night!

I was really excited, and also really nervous. The day off was so hard because I had been so eager to find out where I belonged and I didn't want to wait any longer than necessary!

Stars: So I didn't exactly have the best Rho Gamma ever! Our chapters are scattered all over campus, and stars happens to be one of the two with a house, and it was a 20minute walk between stars and stripes, so we left very early. Somehow, I was the only one in my group that was going to stars first, and we walked up to this large, beautiful white house, and my Rho Gam looks at me and says, "Ok well you're early, so they won't be ready for you yet. So sit on the stairs and in 20 minutes if no one else shows up, you can ring the door bell and they'll let you in! Good luck!" Uh! So I was terrified because I was all alone. So I timidly walked up to the stairs and sat down on them. The front door burst open, and a girl I had never met before poked her head out and said "Oh good you're here, we didn't know when you'd be here!" So I looked at her really confused, and then the girl realized that I wasn't the Rho Gamma that was supposed to be stationed outside of the house. She was irate that I had been sent to the house so early, and she came out and sat on the stairs with me. I now know that wasn't the best decision on her part, but we chatted for about 10 or 15 minutes about my classes and the like (nothing about recruitment!) until the Rho Gamma came (where she then told her that she wasn't impressed with the way the groups were being presented and that first thing she was talking to the head of Greek Life and VP Recruitment for Panhel). The party was wonderful! When I finally got to go inside, I got a tour of the house, and I really felt like I belonged there. The inside was beautiful, and it was tastefully decorated in this chapter's colors. The chapter did a beautful pref ceremony, and as the girls started to get choked up, I felt myself getting so as well. I felt so at home, and the girls were so friendly and so fun. We rounded out by playing this fun game about going to the moon and you ask her if you can go, and she says yes or no based on a set of criteria that only she knows and you have to guess. I didn't want to leave, it felt so natural to just be sitting in the living room hanging out and having a good time. Their house advisor made a point to talk to each of us before we left, and I thought that was really a neat touch. I left in love.

Lace We scurried across campus to get to lace in time. They had a very formal pref ceremony, and everyone was wearing black cocktail dresses. It was very nice, and I felt confused because I had fit in so well at stars, but I also fit in so well here. I sat down with this very nice girl, and we were talking and I was really enjoying it, and then she said to me, "Bid Day is kind of like waiting for Santa to come and bring you a present! What are you hoping to get?" And I was completely caught off guard by how forward the question was, and I sort of stammered a response about not being sure (which was true-I didn't know what I wanted!) and she smiled and said she understood, but I knew right then that I had blown it with lace.

Stripes: Their chapter room was very small, so it helped to make the party seem larger as there were so few sisters and PNMs (our rush was small to begin with, and many girls had dropped out). The ceremony was lovely, but not as touching as the previous two had been. When I was having some refreshments with the sisters, I remember feeling more concerned about not spilling on the white furnature/carpet than I was about what we were talking about. I tried to be extremely polite, but I just wasn't sure that this was where I belonged. I had a harder time talking to these girls, but I would have been happy with receiving a bid. I felt as though I could fit in with these girls, and maybe when I wasn't feeling quite so socially awkward, it would have been a better situation.


We had a few minutes after the last party before we had to sign our pref cards, so I grabbed some coffee with a few girls, and I told them my problem. They both knew they were going stripes, and I was jealous that they were so sure. One of the two was older, a non traditional student (in the sense that she was in her 20s), and she told me what I knew deep down inside...that I needed to go with my heart and everything would work out in the end.

I went into the room to sign my pref card, and I stared at it for a long time. I knew that stripes was going to be my third choice, but I didn't know about the other two. I started to write lace in one, but I then regretted it. I think stars would be a better choice. I stare for awhile longer, and then I get up and leave. I was nervous, and scared at the same time. But I knew, I would be happy with either of the two, and it would all work out in the end.

But did I make the right decision? That's the question that I was really unsure about. I don't think I slept a wink that night!

We were told to come to the GLO between 8am and 2pm to receive our bids, and bid day would begin at 4pm.

Stay tuned to find out where I ended up...hehe