[Ag_Sis]

The second round of recruitment at A&M is Philanthropy, and I was really excited to get to learn more about each of the houses and what kind of public events they would hold. I got back my schedule and I was pleased to see that I was invited back to Milk Tea, Barbacoa, Clafoutis, Ginger Snaps, Cioppino, Ramen, Osso Bucco, Green Juice, and Pot Pie. A full schedule! I was really excited to start the day and see where I would end up. Philanthropy days at A&M this year are spread over two days.

Barbacoa I don't want to use the cliche "their philanthropy hit home," but honestly, I would be lying if I said I didn't tear up a little during their presentation. The girls here were really knowledgeable about their cause, and I was really impressed that they had a lot of events held on-campus dedicated to their philanthropy beyond the typical one-event-a-semester that a lot of the other sororities had. I got the feeling that their diligence towards the cause of their philanthropy was a good indicator of diligence in other areas as well. Maybe because I was so emotionally touched by their philanthropy, but I felt as if the girls of this sorority were true sisters who could definitely rely on each other. I would say maybe top 3 in sisterhood vibes? (if that's a thing). I also started really liking this house a lot more.

Clafoutis didn't have a super emotional presentation, but I was still impressed with the dedication that this house put in for their philanthropy. A lot of the girls that I talked to put in extra of their personal time to volunteer just because they wanted to, not because the sorority made them. I thought that was really neat. I was able to have the most comfortable conversation here too, and I was able to talk to one of my passions (travel) and even connect it to the philanthropy, which was nice. I left here also feeling really good about my time here.

Ginger Snaps I had the same good feelings leaving this house after Round 2 as I did after leaving Round 1. I thought that their philanthropy events were really neat and conveyed their message well. I got to see more interaction between the actives, and everyone seemed to be able to joke around with each other and I could definitely feel the sisterhood bond here. This house started standing out to me a little more because of its relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

Milk Tea So at the house before this one, the horror of horrors happened and I started my period. I was able to run to a restroom and take care of business, but silly me didn't pack any ibuprofen. I didn't have time to get some from the other girls in my group or Rho Gamma before the door chants began, and I thought that I'd be alright but... ouch. I didn't want to be known as that girl who hid in a bathroom the entire time so I tried to tough it out. I don't remember much about this house, but I remember thinking that they were "just fine."

Cioppino was really fun, and I think that they did a really good job of making their philanthropy really fun and easy for people to participate in. Similarly to Round 1, I got the feeling that the girls were pretty, chill, and had a certain polish and fun vibe. I smiled and laughed a lot here, and I would have been glad to go back.

Ramen was a little more awkward for me. The girl I was talking to about their philanthropy seemed to have memorized this huge speech about it, which put me off a little. Granted, their philanthropy is a little more "out there" and a lot of girls may not be very knowledgeable about it so it necessitates some explanation, but still, I remember standing still and trying to keep an awkward smile on my face for seemed like forever. Thankfully, I had an internship in high school that dealt really closely with their philanthropy, so I had something to talk about, but on the whole it felt like I was dealing with word throw-up.

Osso Bucco was the same on this day as they were during Go Greek days. They were very polished and very beautiful. They also had an "emotional" philanthropy, and they had a pretty unique philanthropy event that I've actually attended before, and I know first-hand that it was a great event. However, I found them to be very controlled, and instead of getting into deeper topics, found my conversations here to be very surface-level and very neutral and small-talk-ish. I felt as if things were kept on a simple level, and there wasn't anything particularly compelling that stood out.

Green Juice The girls of this house also had a very emotional presentation, and their fundraiser event raised a ton of money for their philanthropy. I knew by talking to other PNMs really were looking forward to this philanthropy event, and it certainly did seem pretty "cool." The conversations and connections I had with these girls though was a little lacking. I recalled the "no boys, booze, bible" rules of conversation, but I got 2/3 at this house, though I don't think it was done maliciously. The first girl I talked to had just gotten engaged (actually us PNMs brought it up because we saw an engagement ring on her finger) and she was really excited and gushed about her fiance. I was being polite and acted interested, but I think my rusher took that as a sign to talk more about him and how they met, what their future plans were, etc. I thought it was over but then she called over another active who was also recently engaged, and then she launched into her story too. If it was just 1 on 1 I think I could have steered the convo towards philanthropy, sisterhood, etc. but at this point there was kind of a larger group with 3+ PNMs and it was kind of difficult to move on, and I didn't want to seem rude, so I just listened to engagement stories for 10 minutes until the end.

Pot Pie was a house where I had previously attended one of their philanthropy fundraisers before. I happened to be in town on that weekend, and one of my older friends invited me and my friends to attend, and I remember it being a really neat event. It was really nice being able to see what it was like to plan their philanthropy event and the deeper meaning of what their philanthropy actually was. I had a really easy, chill time here at this house, talking to the girls and really feeling at ease here. I really enjoyed the personalities of the girls that I talked to here, and I would not mind coming back at all.

Time to rank! At this point, I had a group of favorites, namely, Clafoutis, Barbacoa, Cioppino, Pot Pie, and Ginger Snaps.

Our top 6 were all of the same rank, and I ranked my bottom like this:

7. Ramen
8. Osso Bucco
9. Green Juice

Later when I told the other girls in my hall how I ranked, they said I was crazy because 2/3 of those in my bottom were extremely sought after, but I simply did not see myself fitting in there. They were all undeniably polished, sweet, and accomplished, but I always felt like I was acting when I visited, and I didn't have very deep conversations either. It simply would not be a personality fit. Furthermore, there was a little bit too much "Jesus-talk" at all three of these houses too which made me a little uncomfortable. Having attended a Christian private school for 10 years, I'm used to being around devout people, but when joining a sisterhood, I didn't want to feel pressured or expected to conform. I didn't want to feel judged because I don't take part in Bible study or go to Church on Sundays either. Besides that, I figured if I "dropped" two sought-after houses I would allow myself space on my schedule to give a longer look at other houses that I liked. I felt lucky that I was able to keep my 5 favorites and I was looking forward to seeing more from them the next day.