[MayBeth]

Getting ready this morning passed in a blur. I was thankful for the simple tasks and fleeting moments that gave me something to do because if I stood still for too long, the panic would start to creep back in. I was also glad that I had decided to keep a mini fan with me because I could feel myself starting to sweat as soon as I stepped out the door!

Mint Chocolate Chip: What felt like seconds passed, and suddenly I was standing outside of my very first house of recruitment. I was grateful for the fact that I had been expecting the door chant, but I knew that that hadn’t been the case for everyone else (the girl in front of me let out a soft “what?” as soon as it started, so it was a little hard not to giggle.) The way they led us into the house was incredibly strange (I’ve since wondered if this is normal for other schools/sororities?) and left me feeling a little uneasy to be honest. Thankfully, I was paired with a girl that made talking easy. We chatted about my dorm and our majors for a few minutes before a second girl came and joined the conversation. Unfortunately, she seemed like she would rather have been anywhere else at that point. She seemed annoyed when I would ask her questions and dismissed herself quickly. The round passed in a matter of minutes, and before I knew it we were walking to the next house. An interesting start to my day to say the least!
Watermelon Popsicle: I remember thinking about how much I loved the unique architecture of this house. It didn’t necessarily scream sorority house, and that piqued my interest. The main girl that I talked to seemed nice, and we had been involved in the same extracurricular in high school, but I wasn’t sure that our personalities clicked. She appeared to be running through a predetermined list of questions in her head and would try to quickly get back on track if I asked a question that she hadn’t originally planned on talking about. Another sister of this house came by a little bit later, and we ended up talking about the food truck scene in Austin. I felt a little disappointed with how my conversations as a whole had gone at this house but was hoping they’d give me another chance.
Lemon Pound Cake: This was a beautiful house, and I had their door chant stuck in my head for most of the day. The first sister that I talked to in this house was impossible to talk to in a way that I hadn’t really expected. I did everything that I could think of to get her to talk to me, but she just did not seem to be in the mood for recruitment. I genuinely felt like I was the active because getting any kind of response out of her was like pulling teeth! She actually ended up getting sick while we were talking (I felt so bad for her), so another sister came to talk to me instead. I absolutely ADORED her! She was hilarious and so easy to talk to. Another sister ended up coming by and we got along just as well. Despite my first conversation being a little lackluster (poor sick sister), this house had jumped to the top of my list thanks to the second and third sisters that I met.
Cinnamon Sugar Donut: One of the first things that I noticed about this house was how incredibly dark it was when we walked in. I talked to one girl the entire time, and while she was funny and seemed pretty easy going, she really loved to talk about herself. She told me all about how she had never had a boyfriend but was trying to find one, her sisters boyfriends, her friends in frats. Everything was about boys! It was honestly a little strange, but only because she talked about it for most of the round.
Blueberry Cobbler: This was another house that I really appreciated the nontraditional aspects of. Both the exterior of the house and the inside were so unique, I remember thinking about how cool it would be to just get to explore this sorority’s house alone. I immediately clicked with the goofy personality of the first girl that I talked to, and I felt so comfortable with her that I ended up accidentally sharing an embarrassing story about myself. Thankfully, she thought it was hilarious. The second and third sisters that I talked to got along just as well with me, and one even ended up complimenting me in a really sweet way. I liked the feeling of genuineness that I got from this house, but I knew it was too early for me to be certain about any of my first impressions.
Raspberry Rose Macaron: For whatever reason, this house was one that I had had high hopes for before recruitment even began. I talked to three girls here and loved each and every one of them. This was definitely one of the louder houses, as two of the sisters I talked to had already lost their voices! The way that a comment was worded by one of the sisters as I was leaving though made me think I probably wouldn’t be invited back here.
Snickerdoodle Sundae: I was a little worried about going into this house because I absolutely did not fit the look that they seemed to go for. I ended up being pleasantly surprised with my conversations here anyway. All three of the sisters that I talked to were a little silly and didn’t seem to take themselves too seriously, and that was something that I really appreciated. I was still wary of liking this house, but they had definitely made a good impression on me.
Key Lime Pie: The main active I was paired with was one of the few I met that didn’t seem to be putting on a facade. Don’t get me wrong, practically every girl I met was obnoxiously wonderful, but I know that for situations like recruitment we all want to put our best faces forward: myself included. This active, however, seemed unapologetically confident with who she was, what she was saying, and how she was feeling. I found this extremely refreshing, although the house as a whole was a little unmemorable for me.
Mango Peach Lemonade: I already knew a few of the sisters in this house and had visited with them in the springtime, so I was really excited about talking to them during recruitment. I liked every single sister that I talked to in this house, and they seemed to be genuinely having fun with recruitment. I left feeling like I could truly belong here, and I hoped I’d receive an invitation back for the next round.

There was nothing that could’ve prepared me for the amount of walking that we did on this day. The houses at Texas aren't on a street or two in a typical "sorority row" style, but spread over an entire area that we refer to as West Campus. By the time I got back to my dorm room I was thoroughly exhausted, and a dull soreness had started to settle into my throat. I had one of those moments where you look into the mirror once you get home after a long day and your first thought is “…yikes.” All I wanted was to decompress with a hot shower, a clean face, and a nice cup of honey lemon tea, and I was on a high from the excitement I felt knowing I would (hopefully ~ fingers crossed) find my home by the end of the week. The prospect of new sisters and a fresh start for the next day lulled me into a quick and restful sleep.