A Full Recruitment Story

lilmissgreek10 · #1 10-23-2008, 01:14 PM

So, after seeing all the other Recruitment stories on here I wanted to share mine! I went through recruitment in Spring of 2007, so here's the full story... no need to wait for updates

My University is pretty small. We only have four Panhellenic sororities! There are also four local sororities, but they're not well-known around campus and they're really small. None of the sororities have houses, so all the recruitment events are held in rooms around campus.

I'll call the four Panhellenic groups Spades, Hearts, Diamonds and Clubs.

Clubs is the oldest and largest on our campus. They're known as the hottest girls on campus, but also, to be honest, the meanest. I heard they haze their pledges and have been on probation a lot.

Diamonds is the second oldest at the school and third largest. They're known as the party girls! I'm not into that too much, so I was worried they were too "wild" for me.

Spades is the third oldest and second largest. They're known as the down-to-earth girls, but their sisterhood isn't very close and a lot of them don't know each other.

Hearts is the youngest chapter and by the smallest. For a long time they were known as the "nerdy" sorority, but the sweetest girls who are all close friends. They have probably the best national rep of all the groups, though.

Going into recruitment, I didn't know much about the sororities on campus besides what I had heard from other freshmen. Greek Life isn't really big at my school - only about 20% of students go Greek and it wasn't really on my radar. All I knew was that my RA was in Spades and she was a really fun girl, so when I registered (at the last minute!) I thought Spades was my first choice.

The first night of Recruitment, my first party was Hearts. As we went in, they seemed really excited to see us and were cheering and singing. I had a great time - though the girls weren't the hottest girls on campus, they seemed really sweet and fun and it was obvious that they were really friends. All the girls I talked to were super excited and I really liked their shirts. As I was leaving the party, though, other PNMs were saying bad things about Hearts - that they were the "worst" chapter on campus. Though I liked Hearts, I was worried by what the other girls said.

My next party was Spades, and I was amazed by how big their chapter was! They were much bigger than Hearts - at Hearts there were two freshmen to a sister, but at Spades there were two sisters to a freshman. The girls were upbeat, but the sister I talked to was a senior who didn't seem like she liked me very much. She was kind of a hippie and didn't seem "into" the whole recruitment thing. Nonetheless, I tried to impress her by being really sweet and upbeat, and admittedly name-dropped my RA. I never got "bumped", which I thought was odd.

After Spades, I went to Diamonds. The Diamonds seemed nice, but aloof. I liked them, but nothing stood out to me. They all seemed very pretty and glamorous, so I was a little intimidated!

My last party of the night was Clubs. The Clubs were all very blonde, very tanned and very pretty. Unlike the Diamonds, though, they seemed very interested in me and sweet. Nonetheless, I was still stuck on the stories I had heard about them being fake and bitchy, and I was cautious.

After the first night we didn't rank officially, but I still liked Spades the best (even though I didn't have a great experience in the recruitment room). I liked Diamonds, too, but didn't really feel a connection with them. I felt really comfortable and happy with Hearts, but was hung up on what the other PNMs had said. I was pretty intimidated by Clubs and what I had heard before about them being bitchy.

lilmissgreek10 · #2 10-23-2008, 01:24 PM

The next night I went to all four sororities again - nobody is cut until after the second round, which is Philanthropy.

The Hearts were really friendly and I was so impressed by their theme! The decorations were amazing! The sisters had cute shirts with the sorority on the front and a sweet quote about sisterhood on the back: "From the outside, you can never understand it; from the inside, you could never explain it". Their craft was cute, too.

At the Spades party, I was really disappointed to be paired with the same senior again. She seemed really disinterested, but the other sisters seemed to be having a really good time and I still really wanted to be Spades. Their craft was kind of boring.

At the Diamonds party, I had a terrible time. The theme was cute, but the sisters were acting crazy - a bunch of them were running around the room screaming and throwing decorations at each other, and the sister I was supposed to talk to left me to go chat with her friends. I was horrified. A bunch of PNMs were standing alone by the wall, and the sisters only seemed to be talking to PNMs they knew from before Recruitment.

At the Clubs party, the girls were really sweet and attentive again. There were two sisters talking to me and I felt a little intimidated. They seemed like they were rushing me really hard. At one point during the night, they took me over to the chocolate fondue fountain on the food table and said: "If you can't think of any other reason to go Clubs, I mean, we have an ****ing chocolate fountain!" That really turned me off to the sorority - they seemed really ditzy.

After the second night, I ranked Spades first. I ranked Hearts second, and I was torn between what do do about Diamonds and Clubs. In the end, I ranked Clubs last (eliminating them from my schedule). I was really concerned about their hazing problems in the past and was turned off by the sisters who rushed me.

Senusret I · #3 10-23-2008, 01:30 PM

What was your rationale for ranking Spades first after philanthropy?

lilmissgreek10 · #4 10-23-2008, 01:48 PM

I still really liked the other girls I knew in the group, especially my RA.

lilmissgreek10 · #5 10-23-2008, 01:52 PM

When I returned the third night, I received my invitation card and was devastated. I had been cut from Clubs, Diamonds, and, most importantly, Spades.

I was invited back to Hearts, but as I began to talk to the other freshmen, it seemed a lot of girls had been invited back to Hearts.

Since my party at Hearts wasn't for an hour, I sat in a corner and cried. A lot of other girls were crying, too. Many of them decided to drop out of Recruitment right then, and I was considering it. I didn't understand what I had done wrong - I knew girls in Spades, and I felt like they had betrayed me. Even though I didn't like Diamonds that much, I also didn't understand why I wasn't good enough. I later found out that Clubs wanted to invite me back, but since I had cut them, I didn't receive an invitation.

As I sat on the floor, one of the Rho Gammas came over to comfort me. She encouraged me to give Hearts a try - even though they weren't my first choice, I had nothing to lose by going to their party. I knew she was right - and I had ranked them second the night before. I went to the party and though I wasn't impressed with their theme, I had a good time. The sisters were really upbeat and outgoing, and I had a great conversation. Nonetheless, walking home that night, I felt crushed. For a week I had put my heart into this and had agonized over my clothes, done my hair and makeup meticulously, chatted and smiled unrtil my face hurt - why didn't any of these girls want me? To make matters worse, three girls on my floor had been invited back to Spades and said their party was amazing. I cried myself to sleep that night.

AZ-AlphaXi · #6 10-23-2008, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilmissgreek10

I later found out that Clubs wanted to invite me back, but since I had cut them, I didn't receive an invitation.

That doesn't sound right to me .. if you didn't have a full schedule .. why wouldn't they be allowed to invite you and you to accept their invitation? Just because you ranked them last, doesn't mean you "cut" them .. it just means that they were your last preference in order of acceptance for your invitations.

lilmissgreek10 · #7 10-23-2008, 02:10 PM

The final night of Recruitment was Preference. In the day since the disappointment of second theme, I had rallied and was determined to give Hearts my all. I had counted on getting a bid from Spades for so long that I hadn't really considered the other groups (stupid, I know!), but I really wanted to be in a sorority and I did like the Hearts. I had received an invitation to Hearts' Pref and went into the party with an open mind.

I'm so glad I did. Their Pref party was magical. The decorations were beautiful, and each freshman's place had a plate with her name written on it in chocolate, surrounded by chocolate strawberries. The sister who preffed me was so sweet and genuine. We talked about philanthropy and what it felt like to be a sister. The night ended in a beautiful ceremony with flowers and poems. I felt that I really belonged there.

The next morning, I waited nervously in the line to see if I had received a Bid. The girl in front of me kept saying over and over that if she didn't get a bid from Clubs, she was never joining a sorority. A few girls ahead of us went into the room and came out crying. They had both received bids from Hearts and declined. Around us, there were girls everywhere cheering or crying. Lot of girls had face books of all the sisters in the sorority they had received a bid for, and were flipping through them excitedly. Some girls who had rushed with their friends stood awkwardly, clutching their books, as their friends cried, book-less.

When I entered the room, the Panhellenic president told me that I had received a bid and I had to either accept or decline it before 4 pm that day. When I opened the envelope, I had received a bid to Hearts!!! I was so excited, but in the back of my head I kept hearing the other freshmen, who had told me Hearts was the worst. I told the President I wanted to think about it, and got up to leave. I know, I was a silly freshman...

Then, just as suddenly, I turned around and accepted my bid. I had had a really amazing Pref night with the sisters, and I wanted to know what the Hearts were all about.

Bid night with Hearts was incredible. My pledge class was small - only 12 while the other groups had 40 - but the other girls in my class were sweet, genuine and fun. The older sisters treated us like royalty and my big sister, who I had been paired with for first round, was amazing and so welcoming. I really felt like I belonged, and looking back now, I know I made the right choice. I'm currently holding an officer position and hope to be president. I absolutely love my sorority and all the opportunities it has afforded me. My sisters are the best! And my chapter has grown and improved so much in the last two years, much thanks to the girls in my pledge class, most of whom are now officers. I'm so happy that I am a...

KAPPA KAPPA GAMMA!!!

Morals of the story:

1. Don't get your heart set on just one group - there could be a few that are right for you and you don't want to be too disappointed if you're cut.

2. Don't listen to what everyone else says! Join the group that feels right to you. Give every sorority a chance to wow you.

3. The process works. I really was matched with the best group for me. How do I know? Well, here's how things turned out for the other three groups...

Spades would have been a terrible match. A lot of girls join and never get to know any sisters outside of their pledge class. My friends in Spades envy how close all the Hearts are.

Clubs lived up to its bad reputation - a few pledges dropped after just a few days because the older sisters were so mean to them. They're still the "hot" girls, but most Clubs I know say that the sorority is riddled with rivalries.

Diamonds went on probation soon after Recruitment for destroying a venue they had a date party at. I also learned from a friend who pledged that they have some other issues, which I won't discuss here.

lilmissgreek10 · #8 10-23-2008, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AZ-AlphaXi

That doesn't sound right to me .. if you didn't have a full schedule .. why wouldn't they be allowed to invite you and you to accept their invitation? Just because you ranked them last, doesn't mean you "cut" them .. it just means that they were your last preference in order of acceptance for your invitations.

Recruitment is really strange at my school... basically, you were allowed to accept invitations from any of your top three choices, but you had to choose one group to eliminate and you cannot receive any more invitations from them. They've since changed the system so it makes more sense.

gee_ess · #9 10-23-2008, 02:56 PM

Congratulations on Kappa! What a good choice, if I do say so myself!

Can you tell us where you go to school or PM me.

HoosierGirl89 · #10 10-23-2008, 03:44 PM

I LOVE how you just posted all of this at once. YAY that's how retro threads should be!

kappa_dancer · #11 10-23-2008, 03:56 PM

Congrats!! I love getting a Kappa ending!

Kansas City · #12 10-23-2008, 05:00 PM

Congratulations and great story. I appreciate the brevity of your thread.

Benzgirl · #13 10-23-2008, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AZ-AlphaXi

That doesn't sound right to me .. if you didn't have a full schedule .. why wouldn't they be allowed to invite you and you to accept their invitation? Just because you ranked them last, doesn't mean you "cut" them .. it just means that they were your last preference in order of acceptance for your invitations.

Plus, how would the PNM ever know that for sure.

lilmissgreek10 · #14 10-23-2008, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Benzgirl

Plus, how would the PNM ever know that for sure.

Well, I obviously can't say with 100% certainty, but that's what some of the older sisters in Clubs told me after Recruitment

Just interested · #15 10-23-2008, 07:26 PM

Congratulations. I do have a panhellenic issue. It is not appropriate to say a group's national is "lousy" compared to any other group and discussion of a chapter's "drug problem" is nothing more than gossip. Be careful not to give your chapter a bad name by being "so-so" as a new member. All 26 PHC groups have a lot to offer.