So the next morning came, along with the wishy-washy weather. The hundreds of girls met once again in the huge auditorium to anxiously listen to more speakers. Today we were all decked out in pretty sundresses and our "comfortable" shoes, which were proving to be not all that comfortable.
My nerves were killing me as they began passing out the slips of paper. I almost couldn't even look as I was handed my sliver. I opened it, however... A full schedule. Phew! But no Hickory, and no Cedar
I thought I had strong conversations at both and I thought my stellar GPA would get me an invite back to Hickory. Oh well, I was still happy as the two chapters I would have to return to were two that I did like originally.
Day 3: Skit Day
Ginkgo: They had a great walkout, which included many of the skitters. It was fun trying to figure out just what their skit would be about. I was picked up by a member and quickly taken downstairs for the production. The basement was decorated so nicely, just like a movie theater (a lot more glitter and sparkle, though). Their skit was a play on a popular MTV dating show and the girls in the skit were great actresses. It was easy to see that each had really worked hard to perfect their role and it made for a very funny skit. We were taken upstairs to talk for a short time. This conversation was limited and not very memorable after such an awesome skit.
Hawthorn: This chapter had a very original skit, which did not play off famous shows, like many of the others. However, it was one of the least memorable. It had funny moments from obviously hilarious members, but overall I was not as impressed as Ginkgo's skit. However, the girl I talked with here more than made up for the lacking skit. She stood out in my mind for having braces, which I feel is uncommon in college, especially after freshman year. However, she also stood out for her sweet, soft-spoken character. Although she was timid, we had a very good conversation. I left with mixed feelings as it was still early in this very long day.
Pine: I felt so sorry for the girls as they walked out because their walk out path was right through the muddy grass left over from the rain the day before. They had the cutest little 50's-inspired outfits on and I knew their
Grease themed skit would be very cute. First we talked to our member for a short time and a friend of my friend in Dogwood chapter, came and introduced herself. She said she had heard a lot of great things about me and a short time later we were taken downstairs for the skit. It was well done, not as much humor as the first of the day, but still great. I went back upstairs to talk more with my member and my friend from the chapter also came to say hello. I left still loving the chapter and once again the president gave a friendly wink as I left their home.
Oak: This chapter walked out wearing long black dresses with sashes and it quickly became clear that their skit had something to do with pageants. A member from a small community near mine made eye contact and said hello during the walkout and I was picked up by a member who really only stood out because of her crazy curly hair and heavy makeup. We quickly went to watch the skit. It was very funny and starred my Oak rush crush, which made me enjoy it all the more. After the skit, the member I was talking to said we would be joining in conversation with another member and her PNM. This did not go so well as the other member seemed to have a lot more in common with the two members. I tried to keep in the conversation, but I had never been skiing and this was the main topic. I walked out with the other member and she said she needed to remember my name. I loved the skit, but hoped the lacking conversation hadn't ruined my chances.
Dogwood: The walkout here left me questioning what the skit would be about as the ladies came out in simple black dresses. Here we talked with our members for a while before heading downstairs to watch the skit. Oddly enough, I was seated close to where my two friends from high school were standing. Before it began, the chapter played very new popular songs, which really stood out to me. This skit was quite clever as a spinoff from
The Price Is Right and all the characters had a really great sense of humor. This house also had amazing dancers with crazy costumes, unlike the other chapters I had visited thus far. I left the house with the same member and was still very sold on the chapter.
Ash: Ash also walked out in simple black dresses, but each had a green or pink scarf to spice up the simple outfit. Going inside after being picked up, we quickly were taken downstairs for the skit. Gossip Girl was the theme for the skit. Here there was a combination of very good and some not so great acting, but it was clear that they had put a lot of effort into making the skit great with such a popular show to portray. Afterwards, we went upstairs and my member and I talked in a group with three or four other PNMs and their Ash member. It was a very comfortable setting, but it did not make a really strong impression.
Walnut: After being taken inside, we spoke with the member for a while before walking down for the skit. My conversation was pretty general, but I was excited for the skit as it was a combination of viral YouTube videos. Though it did not seem very well rehearsed, the girls clearly had a lot of fun with it, which made it very funny. They had strong dancers, which included my dance team member from the previous day. They also gave a brief house tour on this day, which was interesting. I left the house knowing that I just hadn't really made the connection.
Maple: Another day of super cute outfits came from the Maple chapter and an amazing skit, which was Sex and the City themed. While I had to stand as seating was limited, it did not bother me as the skit was great. All the characters were really well portrayed by the members of the house. The dances were also amazingly done as this chapter is home to many of the school's dance team members. I was very impressed after their skit and I talked to a really nice member and was visited by a few of the skitters during our conversation. I left there with a good feeling about the chapter.
Redwood: Here, the PNMs were taken inside and talked for a short time before going to watch the skit. While this conversation was limited in time and does not really stand out in my mind, the skit definitely did. It was a very original skit, with several members dressed as men and doing very good impressions considering the fact that they were such pretty young ladies. The humor was for a college-aged crowd and I really enjoyed it overall. This was another chapter I left feeling great about.
Locust: This last social had taken us into the evening hours and in fact, it was quite dark outside when it began. I soon figured out the skit was Disney themed as several members came out in amazing costumes. I was picked up by a member who led me straight to the basement for the skit. While it did have funny moments, I had a hard time understanding what was being said and I felt like it was hard to make a humorous skit from famous children's movies. After the skit was over, I was taken to a craft room in the basement to talk with the member and while she had a great personality and really loved her house, I just did not really feel the connection.
After this, I had to wait in what seemed to be a never ending line for around an hour after dark in a dress. I was definitely exhausted. Once in the door, however, I knew what I was going to do. Here we were to circle our top six, and rank our bottom four. I circled Ginkgo, Pine, Oak, Dogwood, Maple, and Redwood. Then I ranked 1. Hawthorn 2. Walnut 3. Ash 4. Locust.
I went back to my dorm and prepared for a comfortable outfit day and the fun that comes with Philanthropy/ House Tour Day.