I didn't mean to say that I was guaranteed but I had a lot of friends in this sorority from sports, classes and clubs. One girl actually cried when I didn't get invited to pref. party.
And I have really worked on my reputation. A month before recruitment I started dating a boy who I've fallen head over heels in love with. This is going to sound cheesy, but he's the one for me and I've been with him since. The reputation issues from recruitment were that I was a "promiscuous" PNM. Now, I'm pretty sure that cannot be brought up next year, especially when I am in a committed monogamous relationship.
To be honest, I don't know what wasn't "stellar" last recruitment. I've always been a social person and good at conversation, etc. At my school, appearance really isn't part of the greek system. The majority of our campus is in varsity or club athletics so lots of girls will go to recruitment in their practice clothes and all my teammates/athletic friends who went in their practice clothes (except me and one other girl who was sick for two of the four rounds) got into a sorority. So I think that rules out the being "put together" category. I don't know. I've spent a lot of time with my sorority friends this year regardless of the fact that I didn't get in. I know this is a little backwards, but my best friend from home is a texan sorority gal and I'm going to spend lots of time with her this summer and have her put me through recruitment boot camp. If she can get me ready for southern recruitment, I think I can handle anything.