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Fall 2008 Recruitment Story!
i love reading everyone else's recruitment stories, so i decided to share mine! and i'm about to get initiated so i'm not going to leave you hanging, i'll just do one great big post:
I’m going to refer to each sorority as candies for the sake of not bashing or biasing opinions regarding those chapters.
First you should know that all summer, I listened to most of my best friends talk and contemplate about rushing once they got to their schools. Some were going to schools where Greek Life was extremely important and key to having a social life, and very exclusive, and some were going to schools where Greek Life didn’t really matter. Overall, they were all over the place. The school I was going to had a small Greek population, but a very involved one. I registered to rush for the heck of it, but once I got to school, I was so homesick and unsure of if I could even handle staying there that I dropped the idea of rushing entirely. Then I got and email from my rho-gamma, because I didn’t actually contact anyone to unregister me, and I started thinking about it. Then one of my roommates asked if I was rushing, because she was thinking about rushing too, and after an hour conversation, I called my rho-gamma and asked if I could still rush even though I didn’t go to info night. She said of course, and an hour later, I was wearing my rush t-shirt, having absolutely no clue what I was in store for. As I said before, my school had a pretty small greek population, and because of a ludicrous Boston law stating that 6 or more women living in one house was to be considered a brothel, there were no sorority houses. So rush took place in the student center, with different rooms acting as “houses.”
Night 1—we were required to go to all 6 chapters’ 20-minute-long parties, and there was no pressure of being invited back because the next night we would go to all 6 again. I went to…
Snickers: As I stood outside with my fellow rushees, we heard an enthusiastic chant start from behind the door. The door opened, and in we went. I was overwhelmed, but so excited, and I could feel the spirit from the sisters, who were all proudly wearing their letters—the room was also adorned in everything Snickers. I met one girl and had a fantastic conversation about my major (Poli-Sci) and my home-state (California), and then I was introduced to another girl, and another, and another. Then it turned out that the third girl I met was the VP of recruitment, who made me feel extremely special when, as I walked out the door, she put her hand on my shoulder and said, “it was so good to meet you, Nicole.”
Milky Way: When I entered the room and found that Milky Way, too, was proudly displaying their colors and letters, I felt for some reason more comfortable. Then, the first girl I met also happened to be from San Diego. We played an icebreaker, which was a little weird because it was set up like beer pong, and when you got the ball into a cup, it had a question waiting in it instead of alcohol. But we played and had fun, and I left really liking Milky Way. The only thing that I questioned was their VP Recruitment. She just seemed like someone who had a strong capability of doing evil, evil things to her pledges. But I tried not to think that.
Reeses: Reeses was the first candy to not be wearing letters/colors and to have not decorated the room with Reeses pride. The girls were all wearing cocktail dresses, and the group was…let’s just say, diverse. Some girls screamed sorority girl, and some girls absolutely did not. I met some nice girls, though, but I didn’t leave wanting to be a Reeses.
Babe Ruth: The Babe Ruth girls were quiet, and didn’t look like your typical sorority girl. They also, unlike the other candies, set the party up so that one sister talked to two potential new members at a time. I was paired with a girl in my Rho Gamma group who I, to say the least, didn’t get a good vibe from—I’ll call her Almonds. Our sister was from Long Island, and so was Almonds. So they hit things off wonderfully, talking about Long Island and things that girls from Long Island talk about (sorry to stereotype), while my Southern California-self stood there with nothing to say. Then we were handed off to another girl who, go figure, happened to also be from Long Island. She pointed out that a little over half of the girls were also from Long Island, and she sat there talking to Almonds and I stood by awkwardly as before. I left wanting nothing more than to NOT be a Babe Ruth.
Twix: The Twix girls, like the Reeses girls, weren’t wearing their letters or displaying them in any way. The room had a garden party theme, and all the girls had on garden party dresses. To me, it was a little tacky, but I tried not to judge. The girls I met were wonderful, so by the time I left, I had pushed the whole garden party thing to the back of my mind.
MMs: The MMs were all adorable in their colors, with the room proudly displaying collages of things they had done, their philanthropies, and paddles. I met girls who were so excited to be an MM, and who truly loved their sisters. I wanted to be an MM.
At the end of the night, our Rho Gamma had us “practice” ranking the candies. I ranked them as follows: MMs, Snickers, Milky Way, Twix, Reeses, Babe Ruth.
Night 2—This was philanthropy night. The point was to learn about their philanthropy and do some craft that would go toward the cause. We were required to go to all 6 candies again, this time for 30 minutes each. We would rank them at the end of the night, and then they would start weeding us out. I had gone back to my dorm and called one of my best friends and a true Greek expert, and asked her what she knew about the different candies. My bad opinion of Babe Ruth was worsened when she told me some things she’d heard, which I wont repeat because spreading rumors is bad, and she also confused me when she told me it was historically a Jewish sorority.
Snickers: The Snickers girls were just as enthusiastic as the first night, and the VP Recruitment, who we’ll call Peanuts, smiled and waved specifically at me as I walked in. I had more great conversations with girls, and I left knowing that Snickers had to be for me. Nothing special stood out, I just had a feeling.
MMs: I walked into the room with the previous night’s memories strong in my mind. I didn’t have any standout conversation and didn’t make any super connection, but I still really liked the overall image (I know that sounds bad) and idea of being an MM, so I kept them high on my list.
Milky Way: Again, when the VP of Recruitment addressed us, I just got a weird feeling from her. All the girls stood up and introduced themselves, and told us what their position was if they had any. It seemed very showy and very rehearsed, but like MMs, I knew they were a top sorority, so I tried to not let things worsen my opinion of them. Do NOT do that!
Twix: The Twix girls were wearing their letters, and I felt a bit more like I was in the presence of a real sorority. While I met some nice girls and had some good conversations, I kind of picked up on them being a bunch of party girls, which isn’t why I wanted to be in a sorority. So Twix wasn’t going to be at the top of my list, but I knew I would take it over Babe Ruth.
Reeses: The Reeses girls, like the Twix girls, wore their letters and presented their colors and stuff about their candy, so I liked it more already. I met some very sweet girls, and I learned about how extremely involved they are with their philanthropy. I wasn’t getting an extreme sense of sisterhood because the candy was very large, and I kind of figured out that they weren’t necessarily exclusive, but I don’t think exclusivity is a justifiable reason to rule out a candy.
Babe Ruth: This night was much better. But I only talked to one girl. While we had a very stimulating conversation and I felt like we could be great friends or sisters—and I didn’t do the craft, just like I didn’t do any craft because of conversation J--the night before left me with such a sour taste in my mouth. I asked my Rho Gamma if they were really Jewish, and she said they were founded as a Jewish sorority, but they weren’t Jewish anymore. Either way, I still wasn’t convinced.
My rankings were: Snickers, MMs, Milky Way, Reeses, Twix, Babe Ruth.
Night 3, Skit Night—our Rho Gamma told us originally that no news was good news, and no phone call meant to come back because we had invites, but we all told her we wanted a call either way. So all day, I waited, and when she finally called, all she told me was that I had been invited back. So I showed up, and got my schedule: Reeses (which I was a little surprised by), Snickers (which I was elated by), Twix (which I was REALLY surprised by), and…MMs! So I got two of my tops, and I was a little burned because of the rejection from Milky Way, but oh well. I was just glad I didn’t have Babe Ruth to sit through.
Reeses: I walked into Reeses to find a room full of girls dressed in their letters, with pictures covering the walls of all the fun things they’ve done in the past. I talked with one girl for a while, and had one of the most incredible conversations of the entire recruitment process. It was random, talking about Southern California, Disneyland, bats, mice—yes, it was that random—but it flowed and I felt so comfortable. Then the skit started. Reeses was, like I said before, very passionate about their philanthropies. They have an annual event which is a little bit…shall we say, unconventional? And that’s what their skit was based around. They went over all of their favorite activities of Greek Week, and then it was over. I left feeling completely differently about Reeses.
Snickers: The instant I walked into the Snickers room, I felt at home, as I had every night before. I just knew this was where I belonged. I talked to a few girls at a time, all of whom were wonderful. Then I talked to a girl one-on-one, and we’ll call her Carmel, and it was a little…awkward. I felt like she wasn’t listening to me at all, like she was completely distracted. But I let it go. I talked to another girl after her, and was back to feeling great about Snickers. The skit was adorable, a spoof of VH1’s Best Week Ever. It was funny and creative, and then they taught us a cheer. I loved Snickers.
Twix: The Twix room was Monte Carlo-themed, and all the girls had on cocktail dresses. I had done some research, and really couldn’t find any information on whether Twix was a top of bottom candy. From what I gathered, they just kind of blended in, and I knew they liked to party. They didn’t do a skit, instead we played blackjack—partnered with a sister, and my sister was awesome. Then we played two truths and a lie. I did feel comfortable, and I liked the girls, but when I left, I just felt like I couldn’t see myself being happy as a Twix.
MMs: The MMs girls all looked, as usual, beautiful. The first girl I met, however, was a bit different. Come to find out, she was a transfer. Her breath reeked of cigarette smoke, and I didn’t really feel like she liked me. The feeling wasn’t totally mutual, but I certainly wasn’t as comfortable with her as I had been before. Then they switched, and I met another girl. She was friends with a girl I had talked to on the first night, so we hit it off instantly, and had a very easy, nice conversation. There was no skit, instead we watched a slideshow, but I talked to the sister instead of pay attention to it.
My rankings that night were: Snickers, MMs (status trumped comfort), Reeses, Twix.
Night 4—We could get invited back to two that night, it was pref night. I didn’t really know what pref night meant, but the parties were 60 minutes long. I got my schedule, and before I looked at it I told myself that whatever I got, I was going to be happy with—even if I got Twix. I got…Reeses and…Snickers! I was burned by the MMs rejection, but I have realized now that I probably liked them for the wrong reasons anyway. In reality, Reeses and Snickers were my top two, I just didn’t admit it until then.
Reeses: The room was dark and candlelit, and I was preffed by the first girl I sat with on philanthropy night. She was so sweet, and we sat on the floor and had somewhat of a heart-to-heart about school and me being homesick. Then we got in a circle with our sisters standing behind us. They took turns telling personal stories about how the Reeses sisterhood had come to their rescue time and time again, and how much they loved their sisters. We did a little wishing well ceremony that I wont disclose because it might give away the actual name of the chapter, but I left feeling like I could definitely be a happy Reeses girl.
Snickers: The Snickers room was Tiffany and Co. themed, and so cute. I was preffed by a girl I had also met on philanthropy night. I felt like I had made better connections with some of the other girls—and come to find out they had to fight for me J--but I was happy to spend the party with, let’s call her Milk Chocolate. We talked about random little things, some serious things, and then they formed a circle around us. They shared stories like Reeses did, sang a little song, and then let us make a wish, like Reeses, as we left the room. Now keep in mind that Snickers was a brand new sorority. It was colonized in the spring semester before the fall I rushed, so a lot of girls were concerned about that and turned off. But the recruitment was so organized and traditional and fun that I didn’t feel like they were a new sorority at all. I wasn’t going to let that influence my decision.
At the end of the night, I was completely torn. But then I realized that really, I would be happy with either one. But I knew that I would get a bid from Reeses (I know that sounds cocky, but I knew I would). I wasn’t too sure about whether or not I would get a bid from Snickers, and I REALLY wanted to be a Snickers from day one, so I decided to rank them like this: Snickers, Reeses.
The next day was nerve-wracking. No news was good news, so no phone call from our Rho Gamma meant that we got a bid, and we should show up. I nervously sat down with my group and got my envelope, and we opened them together. I took out an invitation to join…KAPPA DELTA!!!
I’m so happy being a KD. I know this is where I was supposed to end up. Also, remember Peanuts? Well she’s one of my big sisters now J and Carmel? I talked to her on Bid Night and she completley apoligized for being distant when we talked on skit night. She had a serious headache and, after the parties, she had to go to the hospital! Totally understandable. I couldn’t be a happier sorority girl, and I’m proud to say that, even though we’re new, we’re a force to be reckoned with.
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Nicoleeeeeoleeeewoleeeee
Last edited by nicolee103; 11-02-2008 at 08:44 PM.
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