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Round 2 – Philanthropy Round (6 houses)
We got back to our dorm and I had layed out my clothes for the next day, had a few friends check them out and we compared notes. The consensus among my friends were that Lilac, Orchid, Sunflower and Hyacinth were favorites. There were mixed opinions about the rest of the groups. Before going to bed I was concerned that I didn’t make a very good impression at Hyacinth because I was so tired and hoped I would get to go back! I ended up passing out I was so drained from the day.
On the morning of Philanthropy round, the sun was finally shinning! Again we made our way to our Pi Chi who informed us who we would be going back to. I looked at my sheet and I had been invited back to Lilac, Hyacinth, Orchid, Cherry Blossom, Daffodil and Sunflower. What? No Peony? I thought things had went really well! I was a little surprised that Daffodil invited me back and was very surprised that Sunflower had as well. I thought for sure the Sunflower sister that I did not care for would have had me cut.
Again we lined up in front of our first house. This time it was a mix of all the girls who were invited back and not our Pi Chi groups. Of course I got stuck with Frick (of Frick and Frack) in my first party – Orchid. Wow are those girls full of energy!! First party and first thing in the morning, they were singing at the top of their lungs, cheering, clapping, yelling and banging. Standing outside the house I wasn’t sure if I could ever be this excited this early in the morning. Frick seemed really excited to go to Orchid, which surprised me.
Orchid –Again, the door burst open to the Orchids singing a song and yet again another cute choreographed had movement thing. The sister in charge of Philanthropy spoke a little about what they did and I was impressed by the number of awards and community service hours they put in. They then showed a video of all the sisters of the chapter working doing Philanthropic projects. It seemed like the sisters were really into it. I was then picked up by an Orchid I had never met, she was so excited and funny – a bubbly kind of personality that I totally clicked with. She then introduced me to another sister who I worked on their craft with. Their craft was easy to do and really cute. While we were doing it, I asked some questions about their philanthropy and the sister told me some great things. She then asked what organizations I belonged to on campus and I told her that I wasn’t really involved because I wanted to get settled my first semester. Her face literally dropped. I had heard these girls were involved, almost over involved, and was surprised to get this kind of reaction. She rattled off how many great organizations there were on campus and that I should get involved in a matter-of-fact kind of way. I got a little rattled by this. The first Orchid who I had originally met came back to get me, and I guess she could tell I was a little upset. She asked if I was ok and I just told her that I was fine, just got a little overwhelmed with the process. She told me that she had a really hard time during recruitment and to try and just go with the flow and that its hard on everyone.
I really liked the girls I had met at Orchid, but I felt like I wasn’t what they were looking for. I got in line at Lilac, and tried to shake off my self-doubt. I was determined to have a better time at Lilac.
Lilac – We entered the house to the Lilacs singing and clapping this very catchy song. We were seated on the floor and they stood around us singing and clapping and then I noticed it – looking up at them, they all looked the same. The smiles that they were smiling didn’t seem too sincere either. After they stopped singing, the Lilac in charge of Philanthropy told us about what they did. I was picked up by a new Lilac that had I never met, she took me over to do their craft. We chatted for a little while and I thought their craft was a little disconnected from their philanthropy. I asked questions about their philanthropy, and the sister I was talking to kept would give me a short answer and then switch the subject. It seemed like she didn’t want to talk about it. Another Lilac came up and told me she had heard great things about me from the Lilac that had been in my winter term class. I met a couple more sisters but as I left Lilac, I felt a little disappointed.
I got in line for Sunflower next. I tried to clear my head, but a feeling of anxiety rushed over me and I began to get the “what-ifs”. My brother calls me “stress-girl” when I get anxious, and sure enough, Stress-girl was making her appearance. I really did not want to go into Sunflower. Part of me wanted to tell my Pi Chi to just withdraw and be done with the process. I took a few breaths, a Pi Chi came over and told me that I looked like I needed a hug and I told her I did. She gave me a big one and told me that everything would be ok and to relax.
Sunflower – The girls were singing and cheering as we entered the house. I was feeling unsure, but put a smile on my face. The Sunflowers showed us about their philanthropy. It was cute, but it was corporate, not like Orchids which showed the sisters in the chapters doing things. A new Sunflower met me and we went to do their craft which was easy to do and talk at the same time. This Sunflower made me feel really at ease. We stopped talking about the standard sorority conversations and talked about school and how we have meet really great people at our school. I felt really comfortable talking with her. She then introduced me to another sister and I don’t recall what we talked about, but I remember liking her very much. One of the Sunflowers I had met the day before waved and mouthed hello to me, which made me smile too. I left thinking that all of the Sunflowers that I met during recruitment had been really great. My only hesitation about Sunflower was the one that I had had a bad experience with in the fall, and maybe she had just been having a really bad day or something. Or maybe she had forgotten about the incident and I should too.
Next was Daffodil, and Frack was in my group. I tried to avoid her because she and a few other girls were talking and primping for Daffodil. Although after my surprise feelings about Sunflower, I decided that I would not let these girls dissuade me from Daffodil.
Daffodil – We entered the house to a cute, bouncy song. The Daffodils looked perfectly put together. We were again sat on the floor and watched another corporate video about their philanthropy. It was being played on a small tv so I didn’t get to see it very well. I was then picked up by a Daffodil that I had never met, she was sweet and very southern. She led me to a table to make their craft. I hardly made it because I was so into our conversation! We were both from similar town and had friends at the same school. This Daffodil then took me to meet some other Daffodils and I had a great time talking to them too. The party was over before I knew it. I left Daffodil feeling completely opposite of how I had the day before. I still worried that I might not look like a Daffodil, but I felt like I clicked with these girls!
By the time I got to Hyacinth, I was feeling much better. I got a chance to chat with some friends who were in line, we swapped notes about a few houses and then got excited for Hyacinth. I really wanted to give a better impression than I had before.
Hyacinth – The sisters were singing a cute song when we came in and we watched a video. This philanthropy brings tears to my eyes, especially to see how involved the national sorority is with this work. The Hyacinths had a few special events every year, and they seemed like a lot of fun. I was met by a Hyacinth and we chatted, she knew a lot about the Philanthropy and we worked on a cute craft. I was introduced to a few other Hyacinths and liked everyone I met. By the time the party was over, I was happy that they had given me a second chance!
Last was Cherry Blossom. I was hoping I would get to see Betty again and chat with her. I crossed my fingers and hoped Cherry Blossom would be live up to my expectations.
Cherry Blossom – The girls were cheering and singing as we entered the house. We sat on the floor and watched another corporate video. Again, this one was on a tv and not of very good quality, so it was hard to watch. I was picked up by a new Cherry Blossom that I had never met before. She seemed very enthusiastic about Cherry Blossom and their philanthropy. We did their craft which was totally relatable, but kind of hard to do a good job while trying to hold a conversation, so I didn’t get a chance to finish mine. I was introduced to a few other Cherry Blossoms and was asked the same standard recruitment questions. I found these girls to be really nice, but there wasn’t a “click” factor this day.
Again we went to the student center and again I felt a rush of anxiety. My Pi Chi came up to me and asked if I needed to talk. I told her I did. I went over with her how I felt like I didn’t measure up at Orchid, or how Lilac had let me down, if I would fit in at Daffodil, how my feelings had changed about Sunflower – but that I still had reservations, the Hyacinths seemed great and the fun I had at Cherry Blossom but that something felt out of place. It felt good to get this all out to someone who could understand. Her advice was to go with my gut, not to let one person change my mind about a whole group.
It took me a while to rank because I couldn’t quite put them in order. This day, they seemed more jumbled than the day before! I ended up ranking:
1. Hyacinth
2. Orchid
3. Daffodil
4. Sunflower
5. Cherry Blossom
6. Lilac
I left feeling overwhelmed and like the process was too complicated. The next day I would only have a chance to go back to 4 houses tops and was worried that I wouldn’t have a full schedule or that I wouldn’t be able to go back to the ones I wanted to.
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