[DoodleK'Noodle]

The day before recruitment began we had a big convocation/presentation by Panhellenic. They went over rules, did some skits and then we broke off into our groups and talked for a little bit. All the Pi Chis kept telling us that it was normal to be nervous, but that we should enjoy recruitment because its lots of fun. The night before first round me and half my hall were studying everything about the chapters online, checking facebook, going over our outfits for the hundredth time and generally stressing.

The morning of first round was rainy and miserable. I met my Pi Chi group early and we waited for recruitment to officially start. We were mixed with another group or two and forced to stand outside our first house in alphabetical order. There was definetly an air of nervousness and stress. The two girls in front of me (we’ll call them Frick and Frack) didn’t help the situation – they were going on and on about how recruitment was so dumb because they already knew that they were going to be Daffodils!

Then the banging and singing and cheering started all over our greek row. Myself and the girl standing behind me began laughing. What had we gotten ourselves into? The banging and singing quieted Frick and Frack. The Pi Chis did a countdown and the door to the first house swung open. Recruitment had officially begun!

To be honest, first round was really a blur! So here are just some things that stood out:

Daffodil – I had heard mixed things about Daffodil all fall semester. I had a rec here, but I didn’t know if I could be a Daffodil. They were known for being beautiful and elite. There had been a rumor that they had already picked their new member class before recruitment began so most girls didn’t stand a chance. I honestly knew nothing about Daffodil’s sorority or their sisterhood. The Daffodil that met me first was very sweet and perfectly put together. She asked me a million questions – like where I was from, where I lived on campus, what my major was. I was then passed off to a few other girls and before I knew it the party was over. I left feeling overwhelmed by Daffodils.

Next was Cherry Blossom. Frick and Frack got in line in front of me again and would not stop talking about how much they looovvveeeddd Daffodil and didn’t think they should have to go anywhere else.

Cherry Blossom – I also had a rec here. I didn’t know anything about Cherry Blossom on my campus. One of my friends from high school is a Cherry Blossom at her school and she absolutely adores it so I wanted to learn more about them! Upon entering I was immediately grabbed by this girl Betty. Betty was awesome she was friendly, outgoing and had great things to ask me about myself and told me great things about Cherry Blossom. I was then given to another girl to talk to who had been in one of my fall classes, so we talked about class and we shared the same major. She then introduced me to some of the other girls in Cherry Blossom. I enjoyed talking to everyone at Cherry Blossom and got a sense that they really like each other.

I bounced out of Cherry Blossom. They were really great girls and I could totally see myself there. Our group then walked over to Lillac. Frick and Frack were holding court with other PNMs about Cherry Blossom and Lillac. Frick and Frack said that Lillac was a good back-up to Daffodil in their opinion. The Lillacs were classy girls and the sorority was really up and coming. A Pi Chi came over and dismissed the group that had formed and warned Frick and Frack about gossiping.

Lillac – Two girls in my winter term class were Lillacs. They were always friendly towards me and towards other greeks in my class and seemed to get along with everyone. I didn’t have a rec here, but was hoping that I would make a good impression. The first Lillac that picked me up was from my winter term class. She told me how excited she was that I was there. She told me all about the Lillacs and asked me a ton of questions and we talked about our winter term class. After that I was passed off to another Lillac who said she had heard great things about me. Frack overheard this and made a face. I felt really welcome at the Lillac’s house!

Next was Sunflower, while waiting in line Frick and Frack were whispering and the girl who stood behind me and I were becoming fast friends by commenting on how a Pi Chi strategically placed herself next to Frick and Frack.

Sunflower – The Sunflowers were loud and could hear them singing over everyone else in that area. I had a rec here too. The Sunflowers were very visable on campus, they were also the newest sorority on campus, so they hadn’t formed their “identity”. During the fall, I had had a bad encounter with a Sunflower, that kind of left a bad taste in my mouth. We went in the house and I was picked up by a sophomore who had joined in the fall. She said she didn’t go through formal recruitment so this was all new to her too. There was a lot of dead air between us and she seemed relieved when someone else came and got me. The second girl was very bubbly and was very into Sunflower. She talked quite a bit about how great Sunflower was and asked me the same questions that were asked at the other houses. I did see the Sunflower who had given me a bad impression of them while I was there, but I never spoke with her. By the time the party was over, I was left feeling better about Sunflower than before I had went in the house, but it wasn’t a comfortable place for me.

Peony – There were so many random rumors about Peony during fall semester, that you knew that they had to be made up. In contrast to all the other houses, the Peonies were not singing loudly or cheering when we walked in. They were singing this very pretty song and then all of a sudden they yelled the end of it. I had heard that they did this, but was completely startled! A Peony that I had worked with on a class project in the fall picked me up. She was nice and told me that she was excited to see me going through recruitment. We talked for almost the whole party about our major, our families, our dogs back home. I vaguely remember meeting a few other Peony’s and all of them seemed friendly. By the time I left I knew for sure that the rumors could not have possibly been true!

Tulip –In contrast to the Daffodils, there were the Tulips. I had had heard mixed things about Tulips. I had seen them on campus and they seemed nice, they had a great philanthropy that I could get into, but they always seemed stand-offish or uncomfortable around people who weren’t Tulips. I entered the house and I was picked up by someone who kept telling me how Tulip was different from all the other sororities on campus. I felt like she was pushing Tulip on me. I was then passed on to another member who asked me the standard recruitment questions. And then the party was over. I left feeling uncomfortable with the Tulips.

When we walked out of Tulip, the skies opened up and it began downpouring on us. The kind of rain that is in complete sheets. The Pi Chis ushered us into the empty fraternity houses that were being used as break stations and we were told that that we were going to try and wait out the passing thunderstorm. In the break house, the air of nervousness seemed to let up. PNMs were talking and laughing and comparing notes with Pi Chis hovering nearby.

When the rain began to let up a bit, we were ushered down to Orchid and stood in line. That’s when the craziness started. I had heard that Orchid was louder than any other sorority. They were so loud singing and cheering and banging that it was almost if the entire house was shaking. It was scary but kind of fun all at the same time. The girl standing behind me in line commented that she couldn’t believe that they had this much energy still. Frick and Frack commented that these girls must be on speed or something.

Orchid – The Orchids had this “all American girl” feel about them. Some people said that they were complete overachievers too. The doors swung open to a very catchy opening song that had hand motions and stomping and I couldn’t get over how completely choreographed they were. The first Orchid that picked me up told me that she was loosing her voice, but she wanted to get to know me. So she asked me some questions and turned out she had lived on my floor her freshman year and she told me a funny story about something that had happened. Another Orchid came and picked me up and she too was loosing her voice. She said that all the cheering did this, but that they have so much fun being loud together that it was totally worth it. She also mentioned that contrary to campus belief, they have some quiet girls too that balance out the chapter, which was nice to hear. The third sister that picked me up was tired, and you could tell she was dragging. She asked me the same standard questions and we kind of had a dead conversation. I saw one of the Orchids that had been in my winter term class and she waved at me and smiled which gave me a good feeling. The Orchids then broke out into song again and ushered us back outside into the rain!

The last party was Hyacinth. Frick and Frack were chatting it up about a rumor about Hyacinth, but that Hyacinth was still a very good chapter to be apart of. Second of course to Daffodil. By now, I was exhausted, getting a sore throat, and my hair was completely a frizzy mess because of the rain. The Hyacinths also sang and cheered, but even when you were at Hyacinth, you could hear the Orchids loudly and more clearly. Our Pi Chis tried to get all of us motivated by doing their own cheers and trying to make us laugh, but it seemed like all the PNMs were done for the day.

Hyacinths– The Hyacinths were singing a cute song when we entered and the Hyacinth who picked me up told me that she was excited to meet me because she had heard so much about me (from who? I thought). We chatted about the standard recruitment things. I really don’t remember much about this party. I think I was in a tired daze. I left feeling ok about Hyacinth, but not really a connection.

After all the parties, our Pi Chi group marched over to our student center and we had to rank all 8 groups:

1. Lillac
2. Peony
3. Orchid
4. Cherry Blossom
5. Daffodil
6. Hyacinth
7. Sunflower
8. Tulip

Ranking was kind of hard to do. Lillac was definetly number 1. But Peony, Orchid and Cherry Blossom were all tied. I liked those 3 for different reasons. I had a hard time with Daffodil and Hyacinth -- I felt like I was too out of it at Hyacinth and that maybe I was overwhelmed by the process, not just the Daffodils themselves. And while I liked the people I had met at Sunflower, my past experience with the one specific Sunflower colored my perception of them. I was really on the fence with putting Sunflower or Tulip last.