[LAblondeGPhi]

First Round
We attended all 11 houses that day, for about 30 minutes each.

Los Angeles – The first house of recruitment! I had very few pre-conceived notions about sororities, but I did have an (unfounded) negative opinion of this chapter from some things I’d heard in high school. In retrospect, my preconception was totally ridiculous, and had nothing to do with the strength of this chapter at all. Still, I was 18, and I let my prejudices get the better of me.

The first real impression of this house was from the president and recruitment chair who greeted us out front. The recruitment chair had possibly the most irritating voice imaginable – exceedingly high-pitched, like nails on a chalk board.

Inside, I was a little overwhelmed, because I didn’t quite know what to expect. We were seated in lines of tables and were told that we’d be doing a little craft. I don’t recall what I talked about with my rusher, but I do remember being bumped after what seemed like only a few minutes, and it seemed pretty abrupt. The whole thing seemed odd, and I wasn’t a fan.


Houston – Sarah was very excited to see this house. I believe she had met with her boyfriend’s cousin over the summer, and already had a very good impression of this house. I remember basically nothing from this house, so it was a pretty neutral experience.


Denver – I had a girlfriend who had just pledged this house at another school, and she really loved it. It was one of the few houses that I could remember or differentiate before coming through. I was sat outside on this lovely patio, and remember having a really lovely conversation with the first sister. I don’t recall what we discussed, but I probably mentioned my friend who just joined. At one point, another sister was bumping, and I recall being in a really great 2-on-1 conversation with both of them for several minutes. I liked the second girl just as much, and I left loving this house.


Dallas – I was excited to see this house because I had really loved the one sister during the Welcome BBQ. The president and recruitment chair came out and greeted us, and I remember that they were both tall, thin, and very pretty. They did house tours, and I thoroughly loved their house – it was big and beautiful and seemed to have lots of character. I recall the conversation not being spectacular, but I still really liked them. I kept an eye out for the girl I met at the BBQ, and finally found her pounding on a wall with the rest of the girls as we were all leaving the house. I tried to catch her eye, but she didn’t see me.


Washington, DC – I don’t remember a whole lot about this chapter, but I do remember the décor was very primary-color inspired. I can’t remember if we did house tours or a craft, but I left feeling kind of blah about this house.


New York City – This chapter did house tours and then walked us through a room with lots of poster boards showing off their accomplishments and activities, so the entire party was mostly standing. I was paired with a girl who was very into soccer, and seemed inordinately excited that I ran track and cross country in high school (she did, too!!). She immediately then launched into how athletic their chapter is and all of the sorority tournaments they’ve won. Normally, I would have been all about talking about my athletic prowess in high school, but the conversation was really, really dominated by all things sports, and quickly veered into soccer and volleyball, two sports I had no interest in at all. I remember very little of the second girl I talked to, but I think it was a continuation of athletics. I left unimpressed.