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My Guaranteed Authentic 2001 Retro Story
Here is my colorful retro recruitment story. I've been posting here for years and I'm not sure I want to reveal my affiliation, so I've created a new account to post this story. The number of chapters on the campus has been changed, as have some details about recruitment, to make the school harder to identify. If you do figure out the school, please keep in mind that this is from 2001 and that the reputations of many of these chapters have changed.
Going in, I knew nothing about greek life. I was kind of a geek in high school, and I didn't know anything about designer clothes or expensive purses. I'd never worn pearls in my life, and the only makeup I owned was a single compact from the drugstore. However, I played several sports, and many of my teammates were planning to rush when they went to college. I decided that I might as well give it a try. My parents were baffled but supportive, and when Panhellenic posted the dress code online, my mom and I went shopping so that I'd have new outfits to wear to rush. Looking back, it's a little embarrassing to realize how clueless I really was.
Our recruitment groups met the day before rush to go over the rules and introduce our Rho Gammas. I didn't know anyone in my rush group and was too overwhelmed to try and make new friends that day, so after the meeting I went back to my dorm alone and wondered if I was completely out of my mind to be doing this.
Round 1:
Orange: My first party. I was so nervous that I spent most of it trying not to hyperventilate or become ill. What if they didn't like me? What had I been thinking, signing up for this? I wasn't nearly as fashionable or as polished as these girls. I barely remember anything that was said at this party, but I left pretty sure that there was no way I'd be invited back here, and I was seriously questioning my decision to go through rush.
Indigo: I'd been lulled into a false sense of security by Orange, which didn't do any sort of door chant or song. When Indigo started theirs, I jumped in shock and looked over at the girl next to me. She was as startled as I was, and after a moment we both dissolved into laughter. Just like that, I had a new friend - her name was Jenna, and she wasn't any more sure about the whole rush thing than I was. We went into the Indigo house together. Rumor had it that if the Indigos wanted you, they took you into the living room, and if they didn't, they took you into the dining room. Jenna and I were both led into the dining room, so I wasn't confident about our chances. The sisters were all blonde and gorgeous, but the Indigo I talked to was really ditzy, and I remember being really bored during this party.
Green: These ladies seemed a little older and more elegant to me. All the ones I saw were very thin and dressed in what even I could tell were expensive designer outfits. Their philanthropy was something I'd done a lot of volunteering for, so I was thrilled to talk to them about it. In retrospect, I might have been a little single-minded; I think my rusher may have tried to change the topic, but I was up and running about their philanthropy and she couldn't stop me.
Yellow: These girls all tended toward the same hair color and physical type - they were all attractive, but none of them looked anything like me. Despite that, I had a good time at this house. The girl I talked to was an engineering major like me, and she was going into the same field as my father, so we talked about that most of the time.
Red: I wasn't sure what to make of this chapter. The girls didn't seem to have anything in common. I wanted diversity in my sorority, but I caught one girl shooting a dirty look at another and wondered if their sisterhood was as strong as the other chapters on campus.
Gray: Rumor was that this was the smallest chapter on campus, and several of the girls in my group declared that they were going to try to get cut. I couldn't understand that - wasn't the whole point of rush to give each chapter a chance? - but they seemed very against the idea of coming back to this chapter. I was double-rushed here by a sister who was the most gorgeous girl I'd seen all day. I could tell that they were indeed a small chapter; this was the only place where I was double-rushed, and the clothing and overall appearance of most of the sisters wasn't as polished as that of the other chapters. Despite that, I had a great conversation with the beautiful sister, and it was easy for me to shine since the girl I was being rushed with was one of the ones trying to get cut and she didn't speak more than three words the entire party. When I left this party, I felt bad for these girls, who clearly struggled more than the other chapters I'd seen.
Black: These girls were the tan, dark-haired counterparts of the blonde beauties at Indigo. The sister I talked to seemed very cool, the kind of girl I imagined would get invited to lots of college parties. I'd never been a party girl in high school, but if I were a sister here, maybe I'd get to try something new…
Violet: This chapter was also the victim of rumors, and had a particularly cruel nickname. The same girls who'd tried to be cut from Gray also wanted to be cut from Violet, saying that it was the 'fat girl house' and that they 'didn't want to be bottom tier'. I didn't have any idea what bottom tier meant, but I inferred that it wasn't a desirable thing to be. The sister that rushed me was a tad heavier than the sisters I'd seen at other houses, and that seemed to be the norm among the sisters here, but by no means would I consider them to be 'fat'. I had a good conversation here about my major and my volunteer work, and overall I liked this chapter.
White: This chapter had the most beautiful chapter house on campus. The girls were beautiful, too, although they didn't seem to fit any specific mold. To my delight, I saw a sister who'd been a year ahead of me in high school, and she managed to come over and chat for a minute during the party. Watching these girls, I could tell that they were diverse, but it didn't seem to me like they suffered from the questionable sisterhood of Red. I was really excited about this chapter.
Blue: These girls were drop dead gorgeous. The other chapters had worn a mix of shorts, skirts, and dresses, but the Blues all wore cute sundresses with perfectly straightened hair and expert makeup. I was sure that I was outclassed at this chapter, but the sister who talked to me was incredibly sweet. When she found out I was an engineering major, she called me 'just too adorable' and talked about how wonderful it was that I was aiming for such a difficult career. I really, really, really wanted to fit in here, but at the same time I was pretty sure I'd be the only one not trying to earn my Mrs. degree.
Rankings: We were asked to rank the chapters in numerical order. We could be invited back to a maximum of 7 for Round 2. My rankings were:
1. Blue
2. White
3. Black
4. Green
5. Yellow
6. Gray
7. Violet
8. Orange
9. Red
10. Indigo
I don't remember Jenna's entire ranking, but I do remember that she didn't want to go back to Gray or Violet. I thought it was a shame, since she had fun at both houses, but she was adamant that she wanted to get into 'a good sorority'. She also ranked Indigo pretty high, which I thought was a waste since we'd both been taken to the dining room, which according to the other girls in our group was the kiss of death.
It took much longer than I expected to type all this! I'll have the next round up as soon as I can.
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