[ROWDYsister]

I rushed last year, my freshman year. I was homeless for the first night b/c my apartment didn't allow me to move in yet so I stayed with my best guy friend from high school. Just as I was settling into his apartment and recharging my cell, my old roomie called. She sounded so tired, b/c the week we had off she spent at ROTC orientation camp. She was in tears and said that she couldn't juggle recruitment and sorority life and her ROTC duties. I told her to sleep on it, that she was just tired, but the next day she dropped.

UF had 15 sororities last year and my first party was with Chi Omega. I thought the house was beautiful, the girls were awesome, I loved everything about it. I got invited back to 13 parties for the next round and made my cuts. So for Rd. 2 I went to 10 parties. My other old floormate dropped out by the 3rd round b/c "her major was too hard" and she had only gotten invited back to three sororities. Round 3 I was invited back to 9 and went to 6 parties.

I preffed at Pi Beta Phi, Chi Omega, and Kappa Kappa Gamma. I liked them all and planned on joining one of them. Chi O was my favorite the whole week until Prefs. When I went to Pi Phi, everything changed. I walked into the house and it was like a lightbulb went off in my head...I just felt like that was the house for me. The girl who rushed me and I hit it off so well. I could just see myself being friends with her and belonging to that house.

After the parties all the PNMs walked back to Normal Hall for final rankings and wondered if I should go with my original decision and just pick Chi-O or pick Pi Phi which had made such an impression on me at the last minute. I had a feeling whoever I chose, I would get.

I had the card in front of me and I knew I was going to pick Pi Phi so I was one of the first to turn it in. The next day, Bid Day, I tried to tell myself that if I didn't get Pi Phi I would still be okay. I saw the huge Pi Phis This Way sign hanging on the parking garage across the field and I couldn't bear to look at it. Then when I finally got my bid card I opened it up and it said, "Congratulations! You are invited to become a member of Pi Beta Phi!" I actually turned the card around and read it all the way through because my paranoid mind told me it was saying the house I COULDN'T join.

Anyway, I realized it did say I got Pi Phi and the girl in my rush group who said she wanted it, too, and I gave each other crushing hugs and ran to Pi Phi. It was a great day. And towards the end of my pledgeship the girl who rushed me and was my Bid Day buddy became my big sister! I told her she was the reason I joined Pi Phi.

And it was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I couldn't see myself anywhere else now.