Ok, I'm going to assume I can use the real names here since I've long since graduated. Moderator, go ahead and edit if you have to, but I promise not to say anything mean (I'll keep it "Panhel").
I rushed Fall 2001, first semester of my sophomore year. I had thought about it Freshman year but neither my roommate or my boyfriend at the time thought it was a good idea. But, my sophomore year I broke up with the boyfriend and was assigned new roommates - one of which was a Chi-O, and things changed. I talked to her about recruitment and she suggested going through Formal so that I'd have a basic picture of everyone since I didn't know anything about Greeks. I took her advice, signed up and paid my $30.
The rest of the roommates in the suite were slightly anti-Greek, though one dated a Kappa Sigma. But, they were supportive and helped me pick out outfits and such. So, Day 1 was information day (on a Thursday evening) and that's where you picked up your schedules and had your Rho Chi group photo taken. Lots of girls asked questions about what to wear and what to bring.
Day 2 was when you met everyone. The sororities at my school were:
Alpha Omicron Pi
Alpha Phi
Alpha Xi Delta
Chi Omega
Gamma Phi Beta
Zeta Tau Alpha
We didn't have houses, so everyone was in different rooms scattered around campus. For the first day, I wore jeans and a yellow long sleeve polo with my hair up and I think some white Tommy Hilfiger sneakers (I also wore glasses then - told you I was a nerd!) I met AOPi first and the impression I had of them was a mixed one. I was kinda nerdy in college and didn't feel like I fit in with them at all. Thankfully, I knew a girl in that sorority so I talked to her for a bit which made me feel a little better about being there. I liked the colors and how big they were and I remember thinking I'd never get a bid to them but that I'd be ok with that. Second, I went to AXiD and at the time, they were a smaller group and fairly new on our campus. I liked them immediately. I loved their theme, their colors and symbols, and everyone I met there was really nice with easy conversation. I loved the fact that they were a smaller group once I thought about it because they all seemed really close and they all kept saying how they could tell you a bunch of stuff about each of their sisters and that really impressed me. I left thinking I wanted to be an AXiD. Third was Gamma Phi Beta, and I liked their theme too (I think it was Candyland) and the girls seemed nice but I remember thinking they didn't seem very genuine towards me. Again, I knew some girls in that chapter so I talked to them for a bit. I just wanted to leave pretty much, it was almost lunch time and my stomach was growling and the punch just wasn't doin' it. After lunch, I went to Chi Omega and I knew I liked them after talking to my roommate's friend so I was excited to visit this chapter. They were a very large chapter but had the reputation for having a high GPA and academics were important to me. I met some really nice girls and their decorations were really nice (white christmas lights with lots of toole, very pretty). I was worried about how big they were but still held onto the rationale that if so many girls were in that org then it must be good. Then, I went to ZTA and the group was small but seemed tight-knit and very down to earth. The girls weren't all models, they just seemed normal, and that made me feel really comfortable there. I thought the philanthropy was great and the dues were pretty low compratively (another concern of mine). I ended the day with Alpha Phi, which I really liked and added to my top picks. They had won a lot of awards, were a large chapter, and just seemed really nice. I also really liked their songs
Day 3 was Philanthropy Day. Out of 6 sororities, we were to cut two and I had decided the night before to cut AOPi and ZTA. I had ranked the remaining groups:
Chi Omega
Alpha Xi Delta
Alpha Phi
Gamma Phi Beta
I wanted to cut AOPi because I didn't feel like I belonged and ZTA because they were the smallest and I had heard the least popular of the 6 on campus (this coming from girls in my Rho Chi group who were Freshman and thought they knew everything). As it turned out, I didn't have to cut any, I was only invited back to 4: Alpha Phi, Chi Omega, Gamma Phi Beta, and Zeta Tau Alpha. I was disappointed that AXiD had not invited me back and I had heard their Philanthropy round was really nice so I was a little bummed I didn't get to go. I think I wore khaki pants and a button up shirt the second day with some black shoes. Again, not my best outfit... I started out at Gamma Phi Beta and I remember thinking that I liked them more the second day than I had the first. I had some easy conversation and I remember thinking the craft was creative (I should have kept a journal!). Then, I went to Zeta and their craft was making these little pink pills with inspirational messages in them to give to breas cancer patients and then putting a little group of them in some pink mesh for each person. Not exactly crafty but something to do with your hands. We watched a video and many sisters laughed when they saw certain pics. I thought their shirts were cute: black short sleeved t-shirts with a pink ribbon stitched in the middle and under it in white was stitched Zeta Tau Alpha. Also, on the second day I met a girl who had grown up on the street my parents now lived on and we immedately hit it off. We had a great conversation and I honestly was sad to leave. Then, it was Chi Omega and I honestly don't remember much about it. I was excited to go back but I didn't like them as much as I did on the first day. Finally, it was on to Alpha Phi. Their video made me cry and I took this as a sign that that was where I was meant to be. I liked their songs that day too and the room was very dark and intimate, very cozy. I ended the day very excited and thought for sure I was going to be an A-Phi. My rankings after Philanthropy Day were:
Alpha Phi
Zeta Tau Alpha
Chi Omega
Gamma Phi Beta
Last day was preference day and You could only go to two. I had chosen the night before to put down Alpha Phi and Zeta Tau Alpha - two very different groups at Mason. When I went to pick up my invites the next morning, I only had one to go to: ZTA. I was very disappointed at the time and cried when I got back to my dorm. My roommates tried to console me and told me that I should go anyway and give them a chance, it may be fate, how did I know? So, I got dressed later that evening and decided to at least give them a chance and see. I wore some simple little dress and heels, hair down (still with the glasses) and attended my one pref party. It was really beautiful, not what I expected. It was dark, candle-lit and very solemn. They told me this was the time to decide if I wanted to commit myself to an organization for the rest of my life and to fully realize how important the decision was. I was really impress with it all and walked out feeling very thoughtful. I still wasn't 100% sure but I was definitely glad I had gone and not dropped out. All night I thought about what I would do if I got a bid. I finally decided that if I got one, I'd accept it. The next morning we had to fill out our bid cards and I had to suicide Zeta since no one else had invited me to Pref. The Rho Chi's said they would call if we didn't receive a bid, otherwise, to show up there at 4p later that day. So, I waited and waited and finally it got to 3 and I hadn't heard anything, so I got dressed (jeans and t-shirt was the dress code for bid day) and I went down to the office with all the other girls. I noticed a couple missing from my Rho Chi group and knew that they either hadn't gotten bids or dropped out. So we all waited and our Rho Chi came with several envelopes, all different colors (that I later found out corresponded to the sorority - Chi-O had chosen ivory, as did A-Phi, AOPi was red of course, and ZTA was white, as was AXiD, Gamma Phi being pink). I received a white envelope as I had expected by then (I suicided and hadn't gotten a call from my Rho Chi) so my bid was slightly anti-climactic. Many girls were excited and hugging each other - they had gotten into the same chapter. A few girls here and there looked disappointed and at the time I wasn't sure why - they had gotten bids, hadn't they? I searched for other girls holding white envelopes so to find who would become my pledge sisters and we slowly formed into one group, just as others had done. I quickly realized our group was rather small compared to the others but by then I didn't care. I was excited to be going where I was and I finally realized that size didn't matter. True, Zeta was small at my school, but like that AXiD said, I eventually could tell you loads of things about each of my sisters and I wouldn't have had it any other way. When I walked into that room, with the Zetas cheering on every new member that walked through, handing us tote bags full of Zeta goodies and our bid day t-shirts (I still wear mine!), it was a great feeling. The girl I had connected with quickly ran out and gave me a hug and told me she had been worried that I might not come back to bid day. It was a very exciting time indeed!
I later took two littles who in turn took littles, served on EC, as did my littles, lived with my first little my senior year, and attended my first little's wedding last year; I will be attending my second little's wedding next year. Zeta has become a big part of my life and I'm very glad I chose who I did and that they chose me.
It just goes to show you that all throughout formal recruitment, you just never know where you're going to end up and you can't make snap judgments about certain chapters because they may just be the one for you. I now realize no other chapter there would have felt like home to me.
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