[megzamillion88]

Thanks for your patience! Friday was the first round of recruitment. I was extremely excited to visit each chapter and had spent the vast majority of the summer preparing for this moment. We had to make our own nametags, so my friends (let's call them Christina and Sarah) and I went to the craft store to get scrapbooking supplies, rhinestones, and glitter of course I spent a good two hours working on my nametag to get it just right and I was very proud of the final product. On the day of the first round, I headed over to my meeting place to meet with my Rho Chis and the rest of my rush group. There were two other sophomores in my group of about twenty; the rest were freshmen. We visited 5 houses for 20 minutes each, then had a one hour dinner break, and then visited the remaining 5 houses for a grand total of 7 hours! I just hoped that I would be able to keep my energy up throughout the whole thing.

Since I ride horses, I have decided to use horse breeds as the code names. I have chosen some pretty original ones to keep it interesting :-P In no particular order, the ten houses on campus were:
Hanoverian
Selle Francais
Dutch Warmblood
Appaloosa
Quarter Horse
Clydesdale
Holsteiner
Westphalian
Paso Fino
Lipizzaner

Selle Francais- I was not expecting the loud screaming and banging on the windows and was caught by surprise, but these girls were very energetic and welcoming. I treated this round like a practice round and had some good conversations with the girls here. Overall, I left with a good impression, but neither liked nor hated it.
Holsteiner- This house was beautiful, the landscaping was very nice and once again we were greeted by loud chants. Their theme was very creative and I had some good conversations as well. The girls here were very cute and nice. I liked this one better than the first one I had been to. I had an information-only reference letter here.
Lipazanner- This group had a very cute theme that complemented their name. Most of the girls I spoke with here seemed disinterested in what I had to say. There was one awkward silence that I tried desperately to fix, but I just couldn’t think of anything to say or ask. I mentally checked this house off my list, considering that I didn’t leave a very good impression here.
Paso Fino- I was very excited about this house because my mom’s best friend that has known me since I was born was a Paso Fino. She wrote me a very nice reference letter. I really liked the girls here. They were down to earth and very real and spoke to me about their big/little program and I was very much intrigued by it. One girl had come up to me and said that she just wanted to check on things since she had heard so many good things about me. This made me feel so special and welcome, and I mentally placed this house at the top of my list so far.
Hanoverian- The first girl I spoke to here was very nice and I liked her very much. Conversation flowed easily until she was bumped and I spoke with a new girl. Each subsequent rusher just didn’t click with me. It was slightly awkward at times, so I moved this house toward the bottom of my list. I had a reference from a friend to this house.
Dinner Break!! Finally, some much needed time to refuel and freshen up before the second set of houses. The tent talk here was incessant, but I tried to remain focused on my own goals and thoughts.
Appaloosa- I was the most excited about this house and desperately wanted to make a good impression on these girls. The girl who walked me in was very nice and it turns out that we have a class together. The next girl that I talked to rides horses as well and had been to my old school for horse shows. The last girl I had was extremely nice and down to earth and asked for my last name before walking me out. Conversation went beyond the surface small talk in this house. I absolutely fell in love with this house and could picture myself there. I had two references to this house.
Westphalian- The girls in this house just seemed awkward all around. They were nice, but tried to insert facts about their sorority into every tidbit of conversation, which almost came across as being desperate. I just didn’t feel like I belonged here. I’m sure every girl in that sorority feels at home where they are, but I absolutely did not get that feeling. This house went straight to the bottom of my list.
Dutch Warmblood- This house was absolutely gorgeous and very large. The girls resembled the Stepford Wives because they were all stunningly beautiful and every move was choreographed to perfection. The girls that I spoke to here were very nice and we talked about things beyond small talk. Some of them came across as slightly dim, but they seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say. I had a reference to this house from my boyfriend’s older sister.
Clydesdale- The girls here were very nice, but I felt slightly awkward with one of them. The inside of their house was beautiful. A member of this group lives in my hall. I’d like to give this group another chance.

Quarter Horse- I talked to a couple of girls here who were very relaxed and nice. One of them rode horses as well, and one of them was a transfer student as well. I felt comfortable here and placed this house near the top of my list.

Ranking After Round One:

Top 7
- Appaloosa
- Paso Fino
- Dutch Warmblood
- Quarter Horse
- Holsteiner
- Clydesdale
- Selle Francais
Bottom 3 (Ranked)
1. Lipizzaner
2. Hanoverian
3. Westphalian