MonogramBelle's Very Lilly Recruitment!

[monogrambelle]

Hi everyone! Before I went through recruitment, I would always go on here and read the great recruitment stories that everyone has posted so now that I've actually gone through, I thought I would share mine!

To start off, I am an upperclassman at a very competitive SEC school. I had never gone through recruitment before this year because I wasn't entirely sure if a sorority was something that I wanted to be part of, but after meeting so many wonderful women at my two years at my school, I thought it would be my one big regret in college if I never even tried. So here is my story!

At my school, there are 16 sororities:
Fan Dance
Bloomers
Sunkissed
Sparkle Glow
Spring Fling
High Beams
Tusk in Sun
Lush
May Flowers
Sweet Nothings
Scarlet Begonia
Pom Poms
Bait and Switch
Tickle the Ivories
Of Corsage
Get Hoppy

and we split Ice Water Teas over two different days, going to half the houses one day and half the other day.

[monogrambelle]

On the first day, I attended:

High Beams: This was the first house that I went to and boy was I blown away! Their door song was so loud! All of my friends had told me about the door songs and what to expect, but it was so much more than I could imagine. The girl that I talked to told me she was super nervous and it was good to know that it wasn't just me who was freaking out! I liked this house, but I didn't really feel like I connected.
Fan Dance: The girl I talked to at this house was from my hometown so we talked about a restaurant that we both loved from there! I also saw a three girls that I went to high school with who came and said hello to me. It was good to see a familiar face!
Get Hoppy: Although I had several friends in this house, the girls I talked to didn't impress me at all. It was downright awkward at one point as I was leaving the house and the girl I was paired with wasn't even talking to me. I tried to keep things from being awkward by trying to talk to her, but it was like talking to a brick wall. I decided that I would prefer not to go back to this house.
Sparkle Glow: I was really surprised by how much I loved this house! Their door song was so cute and upbeat and all the girls were wearing the cutest outfits. The girl that was paired with me and I had SO much in common and I loved how the things we talked about were not the trivial questions like, what's your major?, or something like that. I had the biggest smile on my face when I left the house! I definitely wanted to go back here.
Sunkissed: This house was nice, but it didn't really stand out to me. The girl that I talked to made me feel really comfortable, but I just didn't see myself in Sunkissed when I looked around the room. They have a great reputation and are a wonderful sorority and I felt like I'd be honored to be invited back, but I just didn't see myself fitting in here.
Scarlet Begonia: I'd had very high expectations for this house seeing as I had a really good friend in here, but I only talked to one girl and I felt very awkward during most of the conversation. She even asked me the same question twice! I still really liked this house, but I hadn't been super impressed.
Tusk in Sun: I have to admit that although I had tried to come into Recruitment with as open of a mind as possible, I already had quite a bias towards this sorority. A close family member is an active here, and a lot of my close friends are as well. Needless to say, I was really excited to go here, and they didn't let me down! Even though I had been paired with a girl that I didn't know already, I absolutely loved her! We had a lot in common and our conversation just flowed so well that I was sad to leave when the time came.
Tickle the Ivories: Being an upperclassmen, I already knew a lot of girls in this sorority, and I had a feeling I just wouldn't fit in here and I was right. Although the girl I was paired with was really funny and nice, we talked about things that I wasn't really looking for in a sorority. I did not want to go back to this house.
Lush: This was my last house of the day, and I and the rest of the girls in my Rho Chi group were so tired! But I was really excited to be ending at Lush because my roommate is in this house! This was the first house I had an opportunity talking to girls I already knew at, and I was so glad because I felt like I could really relax and be myself. I really liked Lush, but when I looked around the room, I felt like I just didn't live up to the beautiful actives. I did want to be invited back to this house.

[AZTheta]

sometimes I think we can't win. We're too beautiful/polished/perfect; or we're awkward/unimpressive/we don't connect with the pnms. Formal recruitment...sigh.

[monogrambelle]

After much needed sleep, I started Day 2 of Recruitment refreshed! And I went to:

Bloomers: I did not know much about this house before Recruitment, but I really liked them! The two girls that I talked to on the first day felt so genuine and sweet that it was refreshing to not just be drilled with questions, but to actually have a great conversation with someone! I loved how tight this sisterhood seemed and I really wanted to go back so I could learn more about this group!

Spring Fling: My mom was a Spring Fling at this chapter back in the 70's. Even though my mom had not pressured me to join her sorority, I had always thought it would be so cool to have that special bond with my mom. Luckily for me, I loved this house, and the girl that rushed me even had the same major as me so we talked about the classes that we were taking. I did really want to go back to this house!

May Flowers: One of my friends is the Recruitment Chair at this chapter so I was really excited when she rushed me! She told me how excited she was to have me at her house and she introduced me to a couple of other girls, one of which was from my hometown and knew my best friend! Even though this house was considered one of the "lower-tier" groups, I didn't care and no one had really been nicer to me than these girls!

Sweet Nothings: This was a girl I had heard a lot about just because they are so beautiful. They are known as the pageant house and they sure lived up to their name! I had really good conversation at this house with the three girls I talked to, but I was convinced I would never be invited back to this house because I didn't think I could live up to their reputation. However, I did wish to be invited back.

Of Corsage: A lot of girls from my high school were Of Corsages so I was really happy to be greeted by so many girls I knew at this house! I loved how all of their outfits matched--even down to their coordinated Jack Rogers. I really connected to their philanthropy because I had already been involved in a similar organization so I really wanted to be invited back to go to their Philanthropy Day!

Bait and Switch: Everyone in my Rho Chi group was really looking forward to going to this house, as was I, but the entire time I was there, I just felt like they were waiting for me to leave. The girl that rushed me was very nice, but I didn't feel a connection with her. Although this is a really great house, I just didn't feel like it was the one for me.

Pom poms: Everyone was so excited about this house because it was our last one of Day 2 of Ice Water Teas! Pom poms is a very old house at my school and they have a great reputation. The girl I talked to was really funny and we talked about our serious shopping addictions. I wanted to be invited back to this house, but I didn't think I would be too upset if I didn't get invited back here.

On Philanthropy Days, a PNM can be invited back to 12 houses. With all that in mind, at the end of the day we had to rank our bottom 4 and our top 12 in any order.

My bottom 4 were:
1.High Beams
2.Tickle the Ivories
3.Sunkissed
4. Get Hoppy

[ASUADPi]

Hoping for a good outcome!

[DG Illinois]

Looking forward to hearing your next round!

[DG Illinois]

Sorry I double posted

[WestcoastWonder]

Tusk In The Sun is my favorite Lilly print and one of the few i'll actually buy and i'm glad you really like them lol


Looking forward to hearing the rest!

[monogrambelle]

After Ice Water Tea days, my school has two philanthropy days where you can attend up to 12 houses. I had been really worried about cuts after the first round because I had been told that this is where they would be the worst for me because I am an upperclassman. Even though my school does use an Upperclassmen quota, I knew that did not mean I was guaranteed a bid by any sorority. So I had prepared myself for the worst--just hoping that I could at least get back one group willing to give me a chance!

I was happily surprised when I received invitations back to 8 out of 12 houses! I knew that having 12 parties was really rare and some girls in my Rho Chi group only had 3 or 4 so I was really happy!

The parties I was invited back to were:
Sparkle Glow
Tusk in Sun
Scarlet Begonia
Bloomers
Spring Fling
May Flowers
Sweet Nothings
Of Corsage

Since our Philanthropy days were divided into two different days I only had one party on the first day and the other seven on the next day. I will put the two together just to make the post shorter!

May Flowers: I had a great time at this house on Philanthropy day! The girl that rushed me and I had several good friends in common (including my friend who was the Recruitment Chair at this house) and I felt like I was talking to someone I could actually be really good friends with. I even got to talk to the president here and she was very sweet! I liked their philanthropy a lot and I could tell that they all really cared about it.

Sweet Nothings: I was really surprised to be invited back to this house, but I was happy about it! Sweet Nothings philanthropy is one that I think everyone connects with, and it was really touching when a sister got up and talked about her experience with it. However, I still did not feel a connection with this house like I did with some others.

Of Corsage: Since I already knew a little bit about their philanthropy, I was excited to be invited back to Of Corsage! However, I was rushed by my boyfriend's ex-girlfriend, which made things feel very awkward. Although she was really sweet to, it kind of ruined the experience for me at this house since she and my boyfriend aren't on the best of terms. I just thought it would be awkward to bring my boyfriend around to date parties with her there.

Sparkle Glow: I was SO happy to go back to Sparkle Glow! Their party was by far my favorite because they did a cute little rap to talk about their philanthropy! They were just so upbeat and peppy--which I loved! I also found their philanthropy to be really cool and interesting. I had so much in common with the girl who rushed me this day. We loved the same books and TV shows! I really wanted to come back to this house on Skit Day.

Scarlet Begonia: I was happy to be invited back to Scarlet Begonia because of my good friend who was a member, but once again, they did not impress me. Their rap they did just fell kind of lackluster compared to some of the other houses, and the girl who rushed me didn't seem to be very interested in their philanthropy. However, I did want to give this house another chance!

Tusk in Sun: Tusk in Sun just left everyone in the dust! Once again, I was rushed by a girl I didn't know, but a couple of my friends came up and greeted me! I was introduced to the president here as well and she was really sweet. I loved how they kept the party upbeat even though their philanthropy was really sad. They all seemed to care a lot about their philanthropy and it really showed! I loved this house!

Bloomers: I really connected with Bloomers' philanthropy because my family had been affected with it. I found it really touching when the girl who was rushing me told me a story about another active who had also been affected by it. The story was so sad that I almost cried, but I was so moved by how close their sisterhood was! That was something I was really looking for in a sorority. I really wanted to be invited back here.

Spring Fling: Since this was my legacy house, I was really excited to be invited back here! The girls were really sweet and they did the cutest dance and song! I loved how fun their sisterhood was. I really wanted to be invited back to this house again so I could get to know more of these girls.

After Philanthropy Days, you can be invited back to up to 8 houses for Skit Days. Since I already had 8 houses I did not have to rank my bottom four. I was a little less nervous about cuts after this round, but I knew the week was not over yet! I just hoped I could keep my favorite houses around!

[WestcoastWonder]

Originally Posted by monogrambelle

After Ice Water Tea days, my school has two philanthropy days where you can attend up to 12 houses. I had been really worried about cuts after the first round because I had been told that this is where they would be the worst for me because I am an upperclassman. Even though my school does use an Upperclassmen quota, I knew that did not mean I was guaranteed a bid by any sorority. So I had prepared myself for the worst--just hoping that I could at least get back one group willing to give me a chance!

I was happily surprised when I received invitations back to 8 out of 12 houses! I knew that having 12 parties was really rare and some girls in my Rho Chi group only had 3 or 4 so I was really happy!

The parties I was invited back to were:
Sparkle Glow
Tusk in Sun
Scarlet Begonia
Bloomers
Spring Fling
May Flowers
Sweet Nothings
Of Corsage

Since our Philanthropy days were divided into two different days I only had one party on the first day and the other seven on the next day. I will put the two together just to make the post shorter!

May Flowers: I had a great time at this house on Philanthropy day! The girl that rushed me and I had several good friends in common (including my friend who was the Recruitment Chair at this house) and I felt like I was talking to someone I could actually be really good friends with. I even got to talk to the president here and she was very sweet! I liked their philanthropy a lot and I could tell that they all really cared about it.

Sweet Nothings: I was really surprised to be invited back to this house, but I was happy about it! Sweet Nothings philanthropy is one that I think everyone connects with, and it was really touching when a sister got up and talked about her experience with it. However, I still did not feel a connection with this house like I did with some others.

Of Corsage: Since I already knew a little bit about their philanthropy, I was excited to be invited back to Of Corsage! However, I was rushed by my boyfriend's ex-girlfriend, which made things feel very awkward. Although she was really sweet to, it kind of ruined the experience for me at this house since she and my boyfriend aren't on the best of terms. I just thought it would be awkward to bring my boyfriend around to date parties with her there.

Sparkle Glow: I was SO happy to go back to Sparkle Glow! Their party was by far my favorite because they did a cute little rap to talk about their philanthropy! They were just so upbeat and peppy--which I loved! I also found their philanthropy to be really cool and interesting. I had so much in common with the girl who rushed me this day. We loved the same books and TV shows! I really wanted to come back to this house on Skit Day.

Scarlet Begonia: I was happy to be invited back to Scarlet Begonia because of my good friend who was a member, but once again, they did not impress me. Their rap they did just fell kind of lackluster compared to some of the other houses, and the girl who rushed me didn't seem to be very interested in their philanthropy. However, I did want to give this house another chance!

Tusk in Sun: Tusk in Sun just left everyone in the dust! Once again, I was rushed by a girl I didn't know, but a couple of my friends came up and greeted me, including my cousin! I was introduced to the president here as well and she was really sweet. I loved how they kept the party upbeat even though their philanthropy was really sad. They all seemed to care a lot about their philanthropy and it really showed! I loved this house!

Bloomers: I really connected with Bloomers' philanthropy because my family had been affected with it. I found it really touching when the girl who was rushing me told me a story about another active who had also been affected by it. The story was so sad that I almost cried, but I was so moved by how close their sisterhood was! That was something I was really looking for in a sorority. I really wanted to be invited back here.

Spring Fling: Since this was my legacy house, I was really excited to be invited back here! The girls were really sweet and they did the cutest dance and song! I loved how fun their sisterhood was. I really wanted to be invited back to this house again so I could get to know more of these girls.

After Philanthropy Days, you can be invited back to up to 8 houses for Skit Days. Since I already had 8 houses I did not have to rank my bottom four. I was a little less nervous about cuts after this round, but I knew the week was not over yet! I just hoped I could keep my favorite houses around!

Wow! You must be a rockstar PNM! Depending on where you are, recruitment can be difficult if you're an upperclassmen, especially the SEC! But things seem to be going very well for you and i'm excited to see how this plays out. Good luck!

[monogrambelle]

I should have said this earlier, but I will tell you all about how I prepared for recruitment. Throughout my other two years at my school, I had made many great friends who had helped me realize that Greek life was something I definitely wanted to be a part of and I had earned decent grades and become involved in very prestigious clubs at my school. However, my decision to do recruitment was actually pretty last minute. I didn’t register for recruitment until the week before it started. That being said, I didn’t have any recs, but I did have a lot of connections and things that made my resume stand out compared to a freshman girl that didn’t have any recs. I’m no “special snowflake,” but I am really proud of all that I have become involved in since starting at my University!

Now we start skit days, which I had been looking forward to all week—not only because I loved my outfits for these days, but because I had been told these are the days when you really get to learn the personalities of each sorority. At my school, we spread Skit Day into two different days. You can imagine my surprise when I was invited back to 7 of 8 possible chapters! The ones I got back were:

May Flowers
Of Corsage
Sweet Nothings
Tusk in Sun
Scarlet Begonia
Sparkle Glow
Bloomers

I was a little bit upset to have lost Spring Fling (aka my legacy house), but I just felt really lucky to have 7 invites, including all of the ones I had really loved! At the beginning of the week I had been prepared for the worst and to only have one or two houses the majority of the time, but I was really happy and grateful for how things had been going!

For the sake of time, I will combine the two days together.

Sparkle Glow: I was really glad to go back to this house today, but the connection I had felt earlier in the week just wasn’t there anymore. Their skit was really funny, but I just felt like they were trying too hard to impress people and that just wasn’t me. I still liked Sparkle Glow and I would be more than happy to go back to pref here, but I felt more like I was just meant to be friends—not sisters-- with these girls.

Scarlet Begonia: Once again, I was hoping that this house would really turn it around and impress me, but they didn’t. Although their skit was hilarious, I just felt no real connection with any of the girls that had rushed me all week. I love my friend that is a Scarlet Begonia and I was worried that she would be unhappy with me if I didn’t want to go back to this house.

Tusk in Sun: I honestly tried to go in to recruitment with as open of a mind as possible, but I was just head over heels in love with Tusk in Sun since before recruitment even started based on my large number of friends here. I just felt at home here. Their skit was much more my personality than Sparkle Glow, and I just felt so welcomed here. They were so laid back and relaxing that I didn’t feel like I was being judged. I felt like this was the house I could come in before my 8 am class with no make up on and still feel welcome and not judge. I didn’t want to leave Tusk in Sun!

Bloomers: Bloomers is such a fun house! Their skit was hilarious and it literally had everyone in the room doubled over with laughter. The girl who rushed me told me she had heard such great things about me from all the other girls I had talked to earlier in the week. I could really see myself being happy at Bloomers, too!

May Flowers: Let me preface this by saying that I don’t care at all about “tiers” or ranking or anything like that, but May Flowers is considered a bottom house at my school. I felt really bad for them because of how girls treated them so I always tried to be polite, respectful, and give them a fair chance. This group has a great sisterhood, and any girl should be honored to join them! However, I had the most awkward experience of my life here. My rusher, who was not only rude to me, actually walked off and left me. Like I was standing there alone by myself not knowing what to do until another active ran up to me and apologized profusely, but the damage had been done. I felt awkward and I did not want to go back for pref.

Of Corsage: I was apathetic about being invited back to Of Corsage for Skit Day, but I went in trying to enjoy myself! Luckily, my boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend didn’t rush me this time. Their skit was a little different than everyone else’s, but it was very sweet and showed how strong their sisterhood was. As nice as they were, I couldn’t really imagine myself being in their house.

Sweet Nothings: All week I had been SO surprised to be invited back to Sweet Nothings. This is the beauty queen house at my school and I just thought they would drop me and had never really given them a fair chance, but today I really loved them! The first girl who rushed me actually had so much in common with me, and their skit was the funniest one of the day! At the beginning of the week, this group had intimidated me, but now you could really see how genuine and great this group of girls was.

At the end of the day, we had to rank our top three in no particular order and our bottom five (or four in my case). I ranked mine like this:

1. Tusk in Sun
2. Bloomers
3. Sparkle Glow

And:
1. Sweet Nothings
2. Scarlet Begonia
3. Of Corsage
4. May Flowers

I never realized how hard it would be to rank my bottom four. I was sad to put Scarlet Begonia down there because of my friend, but I realized that a true friend wouldn’t care if we were in the same sorority or not. It had been really hard choosing between Sparkle Glow and Sweet Nothings for my third choice, but I had liked Sparkle Glow all week so I ranked them third. Of Corsage is a great group of girls, but I just really did not see myself there. I was upset about what had happened at May Flowers, but I did not want to go back there after what happened so I ranked them last.

I was really exited to see who I got back for pref, and I hoped for my top three! But I was no longer super nervous about cuts because I had realized that every sorority at my school is a great one, and I would be honored to be in any group that I still had left!

[etadrisophila]

Monogrambelle:

Best wishes with your recruitment!

Your GC name reminds me of "The Official Preppy Handbook" edited by Lisa Birnbach - the 1980 edition!

[CFLyellowrose]

I just joined greek chat and even though I was never in a sorority during my college days (wanted to join but I was only a part time student) I enjoy reading these stories. I do love my Beta Sigma Phi sisters though.

Im really rooting for Tusk in Sun! I hate the waiting to find out more, lol!

[honeychile]

Originally Posted by etadrisophila

Monogrambelle:

Best wishes with your recruitment!

Your GC name reminds me of "The Official Preppy Handbook" edited by Lisa Birnbach - the 1980 edition!

Tried to like this, but alas! No like button!


Best of luck, Monogrambelle!

[Low D Flat]

Can't wait to read more!