**My Rush Story & Why Girls Rushing Should Read It!**

[RushTaleAccount]

I made this account for the sole purpose of telling my recruitment story. I am going to be 100% honest with what I felt during each round. The reason I put in the title "Why Girls Should Read it!" is because many girls that are about to go through recruitment in the next few weeks probably will have the same thoughts as the ones I am going to be posting, and may feel like they want to drop out during the process if things aren't going ideal at times. This story will hopefully inspire girls to at least play out the process

And good luck in the next few weeks to all girls going through recruitment!

[RushTaleAccount]

Okay, so background information. My school is a large university with a rapidly growing but already big greek life with 14 PHC chapters. I was not a legacy to any chapter, and knew nothing about greek life. Recruitment was a week long. My code names are going to be different kinds of drinks. We had ALL of our parties in one day, 15 minutes each. This is my impression of the first day, but some of it is still a blur because we met so many people. I was soooo excited for recruitment and was in a great mood to meet the chapters!

Iced Tea - This was my first chapter I met of the day. From our recruitment brochure and national website, this was the chapter I had decided (before meeting any actives) that I wanted to join. I loved their house and location, I thought the girls seemed so cute, and I loved everything about their values. I had no clue what to expect, so when I was sat down quickly and girls were rotating around desks to meet us, I was a little overwhelmed. I still thought I had a pleasant conversation, looking back I know I didn't really stand out or show my personality due to my nerves

Sierra Mist - These girls were SO classy and I had only heard great things about them on campus. They were so nice and polite but yet fun. I could tell they were great examples of the Greek community because they were so earnest about their volunteer work. I immediately fell in love with them. My conversation with both girls went so well and I was glad recruitment was starting off well! I had a rec for this chapter.

Lemonade- I was confident about this chapter because "everyone from my high school joins this house". I kind of thought I was a shoe-in, but I didn't act like it at all. Sadly, the girl I talked to was SO RUDE. After introductions, I said (maybe too up front?) that I was excited to be talking to her chapter because of the friends I had a year above me. She made it very clear with her reaction that she didn't like them, and replied "Oh, those girls". It threw me off, and I tried to redirect the conversation but it was obvious I had hit a button. She was literally stone faced and not smiling, and I started to kind of panic, and I remember our conversation was dull and forced. I was so glad for time to be called, and I kind of knew leaving that round that my friends were going to have to vouch for me or I was not going to get in based on my conversation. I had a rec for this chapter.

Lemon Drop - I thought that these girls were very cute, but one of my high school friends had very publicly and angrily quit their chapter during spring. Being close to me, she vented off how awful and fake they were. Being a freshman that listened to bus chatter, I was nervous that they were that way. She had told me they also were suspended from any socials, and at the time it seemed like the cool University thing to do was have tons of themed parties with fun girls. I was under the impression that they could never do anything (not the case, they were limited but not completely restricted) but I had an okay conversation. The girl I talked to talked more about all the chapters than her own, and I wish I had gotten to know more about their specific chapter. She did tell me though she was a senior that never had recruited, so she was probably nervous.

Cherry Soda - I was excited for this chapter as soon as I walked in the room. They were wearing the cutest, brightest shirts and immediately I felt that the girl I was talking to was genuinely happy to be recruiting. I didn't have a rec for this house, but I was determined to make a good impression. We ended up having a same major interest, and talked mostly about academics. After leaving, I knew they weren't my favorite of the group, but that I could see myself being a sister there.

Sunkist - This was my absolute favorite chapter of all 14 that I visited. The girl I talked to was gorgeous and so easy to talk to. We had a really fun conversation and she actually told me a lot about her family right away. I felt like this girl was already one of my good friends and I had heard their sorority was well liked and respected on campus. After leaving this party, I remember writing YES YES YES in my booklet. I knew that many girls felt this way, but I was confident that my conversation with her had been stellar and that I would be back the next day.

Root Beer - I was nervous about this chapter because they had a "reputation" that girls were gossiping about before I walked in the room. However, the two girls I talked to were so sweet! I think that their reputation came from a national play on words, and I liked them a lot. I was very impressed by one girl who gushed about their philanthropy, and it made me happy to find girls with such a passion for their community work.

Dr Pepper - I had a rec from someone who worked with this chapters region, so I was excited to meet them because she was an old family friend and was very actively pushing for me to join their chapter. The first girl I talked to was from the same high school one of my best guy friends was from, and we ended up realizing we knew a lot of the same people. She openly stated at one point that she thought I was "so easy to talk to" and that she hoped I liked their chapter. I was bursting with happiness when I left the room because the second girl was so nice too. I had been so nervous about recruitment, but it was truly after this room that I knew how badly I wanted to be in a sorority.

Sprite - These girls had a GINORMOUS house on campus and I had drove by it on our way to my dorm on the first day of moving in. The girls were nice, but I didn't really feel that connection to many of them. They were polite but seemed a little more nervous than me, and each girl was so different that I felt like maybe there wasn't as much of a uniting personality as some of the other chapters had. They weren't my favorite and wrote "Maybe" in my booklet but wanted to see them again in their house where they may feel more comfortable.

Grape Soda - I don't really remember this chapter that much because they were starting to blur together. We didn't have any sort of long break, and I was starting to get incredibly hungry. The girl I talked to though was a total sweetheart and all the girls was down to earth. They reminded me of my actual sister, who is a little reserved at first but has an amazing personality once she reveals it. I felt like they were a "hidden gem" as people weren't talking about them at all, and I knew I wanted to talk to them more.

Coke - I promised at the beginning of my introduction I would be honest, so keep that in mind. I HATED this chapter at the time of recruitment. They were a chapter with no house, and had somewhere around 20 girls in the chapter. I was in mental pain talking to the girl because she was so nervous and awkward that there were moments where neither of us said anything and she would look out the window. I would ask her open ended questions, and sometimes she would taper off quietly to herself... and then stop talking. I knew I did not want to go back to their chapter, but I was horrified at how some of the girls were acting. When we left the room, the door didn't even close before one girl said how she was obviously cutting them, and I know their member heard her. I didn't want to go back, but I stayed silent because for all I knew someone in my rush group liked them

Pepsi - This was another chapter I didn't enjoy talking to, right after Coke. They were really awkward and I didn't feel that they dressed up much for recruitment. I had heard girls talking beforehand about how they were a struggling chapter, and I think that had tainted my perception because I noticed it right away and assumed any gossip I heard to be true. I was nice to them, and they were nice, but I didn't feel a spark and knew that I had to cut some chapters anyway.

Water- I had a rec for this chapter, and I really liked them. I felt like, though, me and the recruiter were kind of like passing ships. We got along but I could tell that where we may have been friends, there wasn't a super spark where I was in love with the chapter. The second girl I talked to was really bubbly and knew my roommate really well, so we had a good conversation. She showed me their tri-fold and they had so many cute pictures and I was happy to see a lot of ones of them at ice rinks/movies/their house because I wanted a strong sisterhood and most of the tri-folds focused on socials. I liked this chapter a lot.

Mountain Dew - This chapter had the same reputation as Pepsi and girls were being rude before we went into the room. The first girl I talked to was gave me some anxiety because I felt like I was being interrogated. She also smirked after I said anything, including what dorm I lived in. She was bumped, and the girl who sat down told me that she liked my shirt. I told her that I worked for the company and she freaked out because she did too in a different city. That company has a lot of inside jokes and we were talking about how our stores did similar things and how funny all the similarities were. She was so easy to talk to, and was very cute and normal. I had my best conversation of the day with her, but looking at the tri fold that they had displayed, it didn't have much on it. I was worried they weren't very involved.
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We could rank 10 chapters, and it didn't matter what order we put them in. What DID matter was where we ranked 2,3, 4, and 5. My preference for that went as follows:
2. Lemon Drop
3. Mountain Dew
4. Pepsi
5. Coke



MORE TOMORROW

[Benzgirl]

Can you put the names in bold? Some, like Lemon Drop, are very difficult to read.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by RushTaleAccount

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We could rank 10 chapters, and it didn't matter what order we put them in. What DID matter was where we ranked 2,3, 4, and 5 (the chapters we cut). My preference for that went as follows:
2. [/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR]Lemon Drop
3. Mountain Dew
4. Pepsi
5. Coke



MORE TOMORROW

You already have a reason in here why rushees SHOULDN'T read it - misleading terminology. Rushees don't "cut" chapters, they RANK them. If you are invited back to, say, 12 when you can only go back to 9, the ones you RANKED lowest will drop off your list.

You didn't cut anyone.

[AZTheta]

You've already completed recruitment and stated that you believe your message is uber-valuable to PNMS who are currently going through (my words, my perception of your message).

So, don't drag out the thread. Recruitment has STARTED. Post your story. Thank you.

And while you're at it, kindly use the correct terminology as 33girl has pointed out.

[RushTaleAccount]

Originally Posted by 33girl

You already have a reason in here why rushees SHOULDN'T read it - misleading terminology. Rushees don't "cut" chapters, they RANK them. If you are invited back to, say, 12 when you can only go back to 9, the ones you RANKED lowest will drop off your list.

You didn't cut anyone.

Okay, I'm sorry! I'll use the term rank, a lot of girls would say "cut" but it isn't the right terminology just like houses/chapters, rush/recruitment.

And I am going to post the rest of all the story today, I just got tired last night!

[RushTaleAccount]

The night after the first day of recruitment, I had felt really confident about the chapters I had ranked as my top 10. My roommate and I were both going through recruitment (we were also already close friends from the summer), and we went online and looked at the local websites for our favorite chapters. We had liked a lot of the same ones, and both went to bed with butterflies.

The next morning, we got bright and early to get ready for welcome back day! We went to our recruitment group's meeting spot where our Rho Gamma had all our lists. I remember her saying that some people would have "breaks" in their schedule, meaning that they didn't get invited back to ten chapters. With shaky hands I took my schedule, and waited for my roommate to get hers too. Excitedly we both opened ours at the same time. My stomach completely dropped. Before I even could read what chapters had invited me back, I just remember seeing two "Break" spaces. I calmed myself down and looked back at it to see which chapters I had been invited back to though. I had been dropped by Iced Tea, Lemonade (changed font to see), Lemon Drop , Cherry Soda, Sunkist and Water. I was devastated by being dropped by Sunkist and Iced Tea, and I was also a little confused that Lemonade had dropped me when I had a few high school friends in it. I was in shock that so many chapters I like had dropped me and I felt really defeated about the process right away. I still put my chin up and tried to get in a good mood. I had a party, and then a break which I was grateful for because I could call my mom and talk to her. I was grateful to be back to eight chapters, and decided to keep an entirely open mind to all the chapters.

The first one I went to that day was Dr Pepper. Their house was really pretty and we all lined up to go in. I was still kind of shaken up because only fifteen minutes had passed between me getting my list and walking into this chapters house. I had been holding back a few tears, but really liked this chapter. I know though that I wasn't much fun to talk to. I was trying hard to smile and be happy, but was coming across as forced. I remember when I left the chapter, I predicted I would be dropped because I hadn't been myself.

During break I called my mom, finally able to cry, and told her how I had been dropped from 5 of the chapters that I had ranked in my top ten, and how I felt that my first party of the day went badly. My mom listened to me cry for a bit, but then talked to me about how I wanted a sisterhood and that there were still 7 more chapters I got to visit that saw me as a part of theirs. I knew this, but there is nothing like someone in your family to truly pump you up for the rest of the chapters. When I went to touch up my makeup, I saw two girls from my recruitment group hanging out with their door open. I popped in to talk, and they revealed they had dropped the process because they had only wanted certain chapters.

The next chapter was Sierra Mist which I was excited for. Once again, these ladies wore super cute, trendy outfits and their house was absolutely precious. I talked to so many girls during this party! The president bumped in and talked to me, which I perceived as a good sign. At the end of the party, the girls took us all into their living room where they all burst out into a cute song. I left with such happiness that was the polar opposite of how I had felt just two short hours before.

Mountain Dew- This chapter was next, and I got to talk to the girl I had the day before that I loved so much. Once again, we were talking so easily to one another, and I was truly being myself in the chapter. However, the girl that bumped her was really awkward. I would ask her questions and she would answer softly, staring down at the ground. Anything I would say she would just respond with "Oh! That's cool" and I would have to keep the conversation rolling. I did like the first girl again, but I wasn't sure about the chapter overall.

Root Beer- The girls in this chapter were sweet and nice, but their bump pattern somewhat overwhelmed me. I think I talked to about 6 girls in 30 minutes, and "floaters" would just stop and say hi in the middle of those conversations! I felt like I would introduce myself and before I knew it was introducing myself again! Because of that I felt like what I was saying (my major, hometown, stuff I did this summer) got repetitive. These girls also did a fun song, and the last two girls I talked to I clicked with.

Break - Called my mom to tell her I was in a better mood and my grandma was there and wished me good luck!

Sprite- I was excited to see this chapter because everyone raved about how their house was just amazing. And they were right! It was HUGE but lovely both on the outside and inside. When we walked in, all the girls were in bright sundresses on a spiraling staircase. The first girl I talked to was an absolute doll. She had the cutest laugh and was so funny. She complimented my outfit and made me feel right at home. I talked to another nice girl, but the third girl who bumped in was frowning before she even met me! I told her how I was excited for recruitment, and all she said back was "I am excited for it to be over". But I didn't let one sour apple ruin the bunch and just assumed she was having a bad day anyway.

Coke - This was my least favorite chapter from the day before, but I figured I may as well open my mind to the idea of them! We lined up outside of a big university room (their "house" they explained was a cluster of apartments but it wasn't University officially affiliated so we couldn't visit it). When we went in the room, they had big circle tables and two girls sitting at each, and each got about 5-6 of us PNMs per table. Even though I was pretty sure I didn't want to join this chapter, they were really nice. They asked us some basic questions about our majors and activities, but after everyone kind of went around the circle and answered them, EVERY PNM I was sitting with crossed their arms and looked around the room. One girl whipped out her cell phone and started texting right at the table. I could tell the two members felt really awkward, and I literally was the only one at the table asking them questions. All of a sudden, one girl shot her hand up and snapped "I have a question, if you don't have a real house then how are you like a real sorority? Like what's the point?". Both members mouths dropped open and I looked at the ground because it was so tense. Both members kind of awkwardly answered her, and thankfully time was called right after that. When we left the room, some girls were saying that they wanted to be mean to them so they wouldn't be invited back. I was glad that even though I hadn't liked them I had been polite.

Grape Soda- This was another chapter that had a great house location. I chatted with a girl that was super spunky about the most random topics. Even though we didn't talk a ton about her chapter, we had a good conversation. The second girl I talked to was really nice too, but we talked more about the chapter. She was telling me how they were really laid-back and how they did more sisterhood stuff than anything else. I got a really genuine vibe from this chapter upon leaving.

Pepsi - This chapter's house was right next to Grape Soda, so great location and gorgeous inside. The first girl I talked to casually mentioned how she had been on the coasts working for an entertainment firm. I asked her what she had been doing, and she mentioned how she worked for this random, obscure show she loved that happened to be one of my favorite shows too. We really clicked and I liked her a lot. The second and third girls who talked to me were nice, but I didn't really click with them as much. I didn't really know how I felt about this chapter yet.
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We ranked our top 5. I ranked my top 5 (didn't matter the order) and then:
2. Mountain Dew
3. Pepsi
4. Coke

I loved Sierra Mist and was excited for the next day because I heard we got to see videos of the chapter and the main focus would be about the sisterhood experiences they each have!

[RushTaleAccount]

So it's day three, and it's SISTERHOOD DAY I was so excited for this day because my favorite outfit had been planned for "sundress day" as it is informally called. My roommate and I got ready and I felt butterflies all the way to our recruitment group's meeting spot. We were allowed back to up to five chapters that day.

I noticed right away that our group had shrunk a little. We had four girls drop out of recruitment from our group, but the rest of us were really excited to be there and all looking forward to (hopefully) five 45 minute parties. I got my list back and opened it up. After reading it, I excused myself to go to the bathroom. I had been dropped from Sierra Mist, Dr Pepper, Root Beer, and Sprite. I didn't want to cry in front of the other girls. I got into the bathroom, and my roommate was right behind me, already in tears. She had only been invited back to two parties, and one of the chapters she really knew wasn't for her. We talked to each other and both decided that we at least each had one chapter on our list we knew we could see ourselves in. I was excited about Grape Soda and was open to seeing if I would like Mountain Dew and Pepsi. We left the bathroom, touched up our makeup, and went to our parties. My break was at the end so I had four in a row.

Coke- We were back at their room in a University building. They had their round tables again, but this time covered in beads and I learned we would be talking while making bracelets for kids. We had one member and about 7 PNMs surrounding her and I felt so bad because it was obvious she was nervous. She asked the table if anyone knew what they were majoring in. Literally no one responded for a good twenty seconds (I was literally squinting down my string to make a knot, I'm awful at crafts and was trying to focus on not letting beads fly everywhere). I looked up and realized that only two other girls were making the bracelets and everyone else was just staring down the member. I answered that I was Pre-Law and she and I chatted for a little. She then asked the table if they had any questions for her. One girl asked if she liked their sororities mascot. The member had sort of an eccentric answer (can't say it without revealing the house), and the girl who asked the question went "that's strange". It was a painful round, I made small talk with the member but I focused on my bracelet to avoid the tension of the member basically talking at other girls in the circle. They had no video.

Pepsi - This chapter came out and started singing right away when we got to the house. We were quickly hurried indoors because it started to rain. This chapter also had a craft activity planned. We were creating gift bags for the chapters philanthropy and basically got markers and stickers to decorate them. I sat down with one of the girls and we made small talk, but she was very shy and quite nervous. She started absent mindedly making a bag herself, so I started to draw on mine. I realized we hadn't said much for a minute, and I looked up and she was leaned in kind of hovering over me. It doesn't sound awkward perhaps but it was really uncomfortable and I just started drawing stars all over the bag. Eventually, we were bumped and I talked to a girl while we walked into a large room with a TV set up. They turned on a video, which was showcasing a lot of pictures but about a minute in, I realized half of the pictures weren't of their members. What was strange was I didn't get the vibe that it was a video their nationals had sent them, as they had pictures of their members. Maybe there was a reason for it, but since they didn't explain it came off as a little odd to me. I did like the second girl I talked to though

Grape Soda - I was so excited to be back at this chapter, because honestly at the time it was what was pushing me through. The girls were all on their grand staircase and sang to us as we walked in. It was really cute and their decorations were adorable. I talked to one of the girls I had the day before, and she talked a lot about her boyfriend but more how her sisters had been supportive of the relationship, so it tied into their house. I talked to a second girl who was a little less fun, but while she was more serious we still got along well. Their video made me fall in LOVE with the chapter. They had a few social pictures, but what I loved was that they highlighted their sisterhoods. Their big/little pictures had photos of girls with huge smiles on their faces, and I could tell it was a group of genuine girls. They also talked about their philanthropy, and the event they did sounded like a lot of fun. After the video was done, I returned to talking to that second girl for a bit and I asked her about their volunteer work. She said they did a lot together as a chapter with the animal shelter and with kids, both of which I love to do as well. She told me every chapter on campus requires service hours but rather than just having people do them, their chapter organizes monthly events for the sisters to fulfill them together so they can bond. She also said a lot of girls did more than the requirement, which I liked. I left loving that house.

Mountain Dew- This was the last chapter I went to. At this point the rain had turned into a pour but the girls couldn't let us in their house until the party's start time had been reached. A girl next to me started yelling at their house stuff like "No one wants to even join this chapter, just let us in!". I was surprised to see a lot of girls agreeing and kind of joining in. The girl on my left shook her head and just said "That's so rude, a girl from my recruitment girl is standing in this line and she actually likes this chapter a lot". I'm not going to lie, having so many girls being so rude about it clouded my "open mind" a little, I started to worry about if I should consider them or not. I tried to remain confident in having an open mind, and once again I talked to the girl who I had talked to the last two days. I loved talking to her, but I was kind of surprised I had only met three members at this point. Either way, I had my best conversation of the day again with her. She told me all about her sisterhood, and looking around the room she said "I'm about to tell you something that's probably taboo". She then told me how glad she was to see me everyday and that she thought our conversations were so real. She told me how her boyfriend of freshman year had broken up with her at a date party and stormed out of it. She was so upset to the point of getting sick, but her sisters called her a cab and one left with her (and brought her date) back to the house. She told me how when the other girls got back from the date party, they got in their cars and came back with her favorite ice cream and two horror films (Nothing with romance! she joked). I could tell it had meant a lot to her. I was bumped and the second girl I talked to had that very open personality you love or hate, and I loved it. She was super outgoing and anything you asked she would be very honest about. It was time for the video, and where I could tell that this chapter wasn't as social as some of the ones I had met the day before, they seemed to have some socials. I left with my heart torn. During recruitment, I'll admit I had some shallow thoughts, and one was that I was scared if I joined an "unpopular" sorority that I'd regret it or something
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We ranked three chapters. I only had to rank one chapter as 2 and it was Coke

[RushTaleAccount]

It's PREFERENCE I was SO excited because it was the last day of recruitment and hopefully the next day I would be in a chapter! I wanted to call my mom but my phone wasn't working at all as of the morning of day two, which was making me crazy because I couldn't text or call anyone! I prepared myself for the worst, which would have been being rejected from Grape Soda. I remembered that the last two days, my schedule hadn't been ideal so I needed to know there was a chance I had been dropped from them. These parties were each an hour long.

BUT HOORAY! Grape Soda was on my list! I was so excited and my roommate still had her favorite on her list too. We pumped each other up and got ready for the parties. I had been invited back to Pepsi and Mountain Dew as well, thankfully I wasn't going back to Coke because I couldn't handle the anxiety of how girls were acting at that chapter. Our recruitment group had basically been cut in half. A lot of girls had dropped the night before from our group, but two more quit on the spot of looking at their lists. They wouldn't even listen to my Rho Gamma when she told them to give the chapters a chance.

Pepsi- We went into the chapter house and into a large room where everyone was given a pretty flower. The girls circled around all the PNMs (we were sitting in chairs) and started to sing a really pretty song. Then after it was done many of the girls started saying things like "My sisterhood is..." and said memories or feelings. The president and another member talked in the front of the room about what it meant to be a member of their chapter. They sang again, and we went back upstairs. We had cookies upstairs and I talked to a girl I had talked to on day 2. It was the girl who had worked at the entertainment firm. We had a good conversation, but I was with another PNM the whole time I talked to her. I didn't feel that it was very personal, but even a one-on-one wouldn't have probably changed my mind: I just knew this wasn't the chapter for me. I had an open mind but I could tell that I liked these girls but couldn't see myself lounging around all Sunday morning with them in the house. I enjoyed our conversation though.

Mountain Dew- On the way to this chapter, a girl on the bus wouldn't stop talking about how awful she thought Mountain Dew was. She kept saying things like "It's the worst house on campus" and someone asked why. She basically announced to the bus how her sister was a current member of Sunkist and that her sister had told her what houses were "worth joining". Funny how I realized on the bus that if that girl was going to be in Sunkist, which had been my favorite day 1, that it was probably a good thing I had been dropped. We got to the house and the members came out singing a song. Each member called out a name and we walked with them up to the house. For the fourth day in a row, I got called by the girl I was always having great conversations with. Even though we had great conversations, I was a little annoyed because I wanted to get to know more people in the chapter. I talked to her the entire time, and we had another good conversation. I kind of opened up to her and said where I liked her chapter, I couldn't make a decision based off of meeting four people total (and really only talking to three because I talked to the girl on day 1 for five minutes). She told me that she understood why that was a concern and that a lot of the girls were similar to her. She told me that she had a lot of friends in the chapter, and that she wished I could meet her pledge class because she said they were "turning around the chapter" because it had been in a recruitment slump. The fact that she said that though made just-graduated-high-school me a little nervous. I kind of wanted a strong chapter, not an up and comer. I also knew that this girl really wanted me to join and was worried she was just saying other chapter members were like her. They took us into their basement for a ceremony where each girl was given Wishing Rock that looked like a diamond cut in the shape of one of their symbols. We were to wish on it, and the chapter president said even if it wasn't their chapter that it would hopefully bring us what we wanted. It was sweet.

Grape Soda- HOORAY! I was so excited for this preference! We came into the house and everyone looked fantastic. I talked to two girls, the same two as the day before. I was having so much fun talking to the first girl. We had great conversations and she asked if I was going to have a tough decision. I told her that I had three parties that day, and asked her if I could be honest with her. She told me yes, and I told her that I had had my favorite parties with them and that I was so grateful to be back that day. I told her that I thought they were really genuine and that their sisterhood seemed really strong. She said that it was the nicest thing she heard all day. The second girl I talked to was the more serious one again, and our conversation went okay. We went to a large room for their ceremony. Their members that were seniors cried and I really hoped that I would get into their chapter as I knew they were my favorite.
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This day it DID matter what order we ranked the chapters in. I knew I wanted Grape Soda but didn't want to join Pepsi. I wasn't sure about Mountain Dew and wanted to talk to Rho Gamma and I also talked to my mom using my friends phone. My Rho Gamma told me that if I really couldn't see myself at a chapter to not put them down, but that if I did "suicide bid" or didn't max out my options, I wasn't guaranteed a bid. If I did max out, I was going to get a bid. I knew though that I couldn't max out my options because I wouldn't want to be in Pepsi. I decided that since I had only truly talked to one girl in Mountain Dew that it wouldn't be fair to myself to join. But if I'm being honest with myself in hindsight, a main reason I didn't put them as second was because I was scared people would judge me if I joined since many judged the chapter.

So I put down only Grape Soda, hit submit, and waited.

[nolesgirl]

oh boy, can't wait to find out!!

[RushTaleAccount]

After preference, I could barely sleep I was so excited. I just wanted to know right then and to calm our nerves my roommate and I watched a movie. I then saw that I had a package slip from the front desk; it was a replacement cell phone and I activated it right away. We both went to bed, hoping the next day we would get to participate in bid day.

I woke up to my roommate shaking me and holding her cell phone, panic on her face. I looked at the number and it was our Rho Gamma's who said she said she would only call if a girl was not placed. She answered the phone and looked relieved, but then immediately her face fell and told me the call was for me. I realized that something must have been wrong with my phone... and that the call would be for me. My hand was shaking as I grabbed the phone and my worst fear came true; I wasn't accepted into Grape Soda. My Rho Gam told me she was on her way to my room and when she came she gave me a big hug and told me that it was going to be okay. She was being supportive, but I was upset and embarrassed and just wanted to be alone. I was really happy for my roommate, who I think didn't know if it was appropriate to celebrate that she had obviously gotten into Water. I needed to show her that I was happy and not make her feel awkward on her bid day, so I helped her pick out cute shorts and jewelry. I did feel jealous though, and was planning on hitting the gym which was far, far away from the greek houses.

Then my phone started to ring. I answered it and it was the University Greek Headquarters. They had been informed that my Rho Gamma had talked to me, and told me that I had been offered two bids still from Pepsi and Mountain Dew. I asked them about COB (No one in my family is Greek so I had no clue what it was) and they told me how since so many girls went through, there was no guarantee that any of the houses I had been dropped by would have spots. They told me that Mountain Dew had shown immense interest in giving me a bid despite me having chosen not to rank them. I told Greek HQ that I would think about it because it was a big decision. I told my roommate who got excited and told me how the day before she met a girl who had ranked Mountain Dew first and that I should go talk to her. My sweet sweet roommate walked me over to another dorm and knocked on this girls dorm room. I told this new girl how I had liked Mountain Dew but only truly talked to one girl so it was hard for me to to decide. Without hesitation, this girl whipped open her laptop and showed me the three girls she had talked to - ironically their profile pictures were with the girl I had talked to! These were probably the friends she had been referring to that were "like her" and they seemed like a group of fun, real girls. This girl that I was talking to in her dorm was super sweet and told me that she actually had suicide bid this house - since she hadn't gotten a call, she knew she was in. I told her I was going to talk to my mom quick but that I may see her at bid day. My mom, who brings out my logical and wise side when I panic, told me how every time I talked to her about my experience with Mountain Dew that I had said how real the girl was I talked to. She pointed out that by not joining I was potentially not going to be Greek and so I may as well take a leap of faith. I agreed that this was probably something I would look back at and say something like "God works in mysterious ways" or that "what is meant to happen will". I called the Greek HQ and accepted my bid to Mountain Dew and told them to tell Pepsi I appreciated their offer.

So off to bid day I ran, and became a member of Mountain Dew much to the delight of the girl I talked to every day!

[ThetaPrincess24]

Which sorority is Mountain Dew?

[RushTaleAccount]

Sooooo, that was my rush story, but what about the "Why girls Rushing should Read It" portion? This is my opinion, biased I suppose, that I hope will give inspiration to women who aren't finding themselves having a great time with recruitment.

Recruitment was awful in how it made me feel initially on bid day and after day one and two. There were so many times that I wanted to give up because the chapters I thought "I had to be in" had dropped me. A lot of the girls that dropped, though, never got to be in a chapter. There were some COB spots post-recruitment, but there were also over 300 girls that wanted them. Naturally, some girls had to wait for winter or the next fall. So my first lesson to women going through recruitment is stick it out until the end. You may think you like certain chapters more than others, but Grape Soda hadn't been my favorite but once I got closer to them I realized how much I felt that I could have fit in. That being said, I didn't get into Grape Soda. But by sticking it out to the end though, I got to know Mountain Dew even better and ended up joining that chapter. However, that leads me to lesson 2...

To be blunt, ignore the rude girls and keep an open mind! Honestly, I think my perception and eventually my refusal to rank (after pref) Mountain Dew came from bus/outside the house gossip. A lot of PNMs will run into situations where they hear negative things about certain chapters, and especially when a group of girls join in on the conversation it is hard to think outside of the herd mentality. You obviously aren't required to, maybe it truly isn't a chapter for you. But don't allow panic and doubt to set in on a chapter that you like. It's hard, and I know the advice is all over GC but if you like a chapter, then keep having your open mind about them!

Third, a chapter that isn't as established doesn't mean it isn't great. The chapter I joined was an "up and comer" at the time. Since so many girls went through recruitment, the established chapters had 800 girls to pick from and obviously a lot of quality to hand pick. If you are going through recruitment and feel like you keep getting invited back to chapters that you are ranking low, it doesn't mean that other chapters hate you. Maybe they have a lot of members from a certain area, a requirement you didn't meet, needed rec letters, etc. And keep in mind that unless you know people beforehand in the chapter, your chances for the next round can rely on ONE OR TWO people that are meeting probably 40 people on day 1 alone! However, the chapters that traditionally can take more girls by default are going to be able to get more girls that 'slip through the cracks'. If you join a house that is 'up and coming' where you enjoy the girls, you can build up the chapter with new and old sisters And also, a little secret, every chapter regardless of 'tier' with the fraternities still socials with the fraternities. So hearing rumors about a chapter being 'unpopular' is probably just coming from a girl who wants to make the chapters she is going to sound far superior

Another lesson I learned is that going Greek was the best thing I've become involved in and that giving a chapter a chance is the best thing to do. I was on the fence, and I talked to someone that helped me realize I should go for it. I was being silly; I was allowing myself to be upset about a chapter that, realistically, didn't choose ME! I was pouting around, and granted it is upsetting, but there was another chapter that wanted to share those bonds of sisterhood. When I first joined, I was a little wary hoping I had made the right choice. But I gave it a fair chance and did stuff with my sisters and couldn't be happier today! I have gotten so much out of my chapter. I have made best friends, socialized with other chapters, gotten leadership positions, learned about other activities on campus, found volunteer passions, and academically expanded because of my chapter. I have grown through the ideals. I have had shoulders to cry on and friends to celebrate with. I can go to my house at any time and know that I can be myself there. With the positive attitude of our pledge class, we have truly made our chapter a competing force for recruitment and won a ton of stuff on campus over the last year.

So basically, you ask, what is really your final point? It is that recruitment is a super short time period where most girls feel rushed, judged, and stressed. It is a time where hundreds (or over a thousand!) women have to be selected within minutes over other women. It is a time that a lot of women give up on because they are stuck in their opinions or what they feel they deserve, yet 90% of girls are basing this off of high school where (most of schools) had definite cliques and usually everyone knew everyone. But in college, you will realize how people are (usually ) over drama. People want to go to the football games, skip their lectures occasionally and pull A's, have fun, and make lifelong friends. If you aren't accepted into your top chapters, I am living proof that sometimes "accepting what you can get" will actually give you the experience of a lifetime <3

Good luck to all going through recruitment now and in coming years

[RushTaleAccount]

Originally Posted by ThetaPrincess24

Which sorority is Mountain Dew?

I only don't want to say because if a PNM for some reason would pick up on what campus this is (or suspect its theirs) I don't want to reveal my story before they go through. But after recruitment 2011 is over, I'll probably post it. It's a PHC sorority!

[Eightisgreat]

I for one, love this story. First, it shows that even self confident women need to run stuff by their Mommas sometime. I enjoy this site, but sometimes Moms (even those that have a Greek home) are given a hard time for supporting their daughter's through this stressful time. It also shows that all young women 99% of the time have a really hard time shutting out the negative crap. This stuff can bring the strongest girl to their knees. So as we go through this recruitment season, realize emotions are running high and most people are here for the right reason....looking for support from other people going through the same thing (that means PNMs, Moms, and Actives)