A Lip Smackers Recruitment Story!

[sparklesxx]

Hi! I’ve been dying to share my recruitment story for this entire semester… finally, winter break is here and I had a little bit of down time to type it all up ☺ So here we go!

I went through recruitment this past August at a big university where I went in not knowing anyone. I am an out-of-stater, and while there are quite a few at my university, I knew that I’d still stick out like a sore thumb. I wanted to go somewhere very far away from home where I could kind of start fresh. I’ve always wanted to join a sorority (my grandmother was in one, as well as close family friends) and it became clear to me that joining a chapter would be very beneficial in helping me meet new people and make connections at a school so far from home.

Throughout my senior year and summer before moving to college, I spent hours online researching the Panhel sororities at my school. I read everything I could about them on their websites, their blogs, and I have to admit – I read a lot on Greek Rank (which I quickly realized is not an accurate representation of chapters, whatsoever!) and Greek Chat, of course! I felt like I went into rush with a pretty open mind, despite my research. I didn’t pick and choose chapters that I liked before coming in. However, I felt knowledgeable about every chapter when I went through rush, which made my decisions a bit easier when it came to preffing every night.

My school has 14 sororities and I have decided to code them with Lip Smackers names (hehe).

STRAWBERRY
WATERMELON
PINK LEMONADE
RED RASPBERRY
COTTON CANDY
BUBBLE GUM
STRAWBERRY BANANA
VANILLA
DR PEPPER
7UP
ORANGE CRUSH
A&W
PEPPERMINT
PINA COLADA

Move-in day came and went… my parents helped me settle in and then jetted back home. Luckily, the two girls next door to me were going through recruitment, so we got registered together, picked up our tee shirts and name tags, and met our Pi Chis. That night, there was a meeting with all 1,600+ PNMS. Seeing so many girls in one room was really intimidating, but I assured myself that I would find my place. I was so excited and nervous at the same time, I just couldn’t wait for the first Open House day to begin!

DAY 1:
The first day was a blur. I wasn’t used to the humidity…. I wore comfy jean shorts and the provided recruitment shirt, plus cute sandals, my lucky necklace, and bracelet my mom had given me. I wore the same accessories throughout the week because both are extremely special to me and I thought that if worst came to worst, I could always talk about my jewelry!

In the morning, I couldn’t eat anything because I was so excited. We had a meeting with our Pi Chis, who were hilarious. I loved their support and how excited they were for all of us, as well. They gave us the low-down. We’d be seeing 8 sororities today, and 6 the following. The last three days following the 2 open house days were Sisterhood day, Philanthropy day, and finally, Pref Day, followed by Bid Day.

We walked to Greek Town and began lining up at the first house of the day: 7UP. I was really anxious to go in, not only because it was my first house of recruitment, but because my Grandmother had been a 7Up. Although she passed away seven years ago, my mom still has my grandmother’s pin and some old sorority gear from the 1950s (can you even imagine?!). I had one recommendation for 7Up, and already I felt a special connection with it, just staring at the beautiful, gigantic house. I’d heard that 7Up was full of really cute girls who were involved and fun to be around…. Nothing but good things!

I made small talk with the girls in line next to me (whom I still am friends with today!) and learned that I wasn’t the only nervous one. Our PiChis told us to be quiet because the horn was about to blow.

And then it did.

The doors and windows swung open and girls were chanting at us. I couldn’t help but giggle and smile. It was an overwhelming feeling, but I knew right then that I was cut out to be in a sorority, because I could see myself chanting just a year from now, as a full-fledged member.

The girls of 7Up strutted out of the house as the chanting continued and I couldn’t help but stare. They were all so put-together and happy looking. I was paired with a cute, bubbly girl who automatically made me feel so at ease. We engaged in a great conversation, and talked all about my hometown (a very large city) and things that I thought would make her remember me. Another girl came up to me mid-conversation and we chatted about being a freshman, and she told me about her experience and what to expect. Another girl chimed in and we talked about my major and again, my hometown.

I left 7Up with a huge grin on my face. In my little booklet, I wrote down “I <3 7Up!” and recorded what the girls had been wearing and what kind of conversation I’d had with them. I had a good feeling about 7Up, but I knew that I’d have to check out all other 13 houses before I could make any decisions.

Next was Watermelon. I knew Watermelon was good at competitions and was highly regarded. The girl next to me in line was a double legacy at Watermelon, and she was so nervous. We calmed each other down, and as the horn blew, the same chanting procedure began again. This time, it wasn’t as exciting, and my nerves had worn off a little bit.

I wrote in my booklet after going to Watermelon, “Pretty good.” All I remember was that the room I was in was so loud, I could barely hear the girls talk to me. I talked to three girls, just like at 7Up, but I didn’t enjoy my conversations as much. One girl I talked to had just transferred from a different school/chapter of Watermelon, and didn’t know anything about this chapter’s sisterhood! I didn’t feel the connection I had with 7Up, but I knew I had to keep an open mind.

After Watermelon came Red Raspberry. I knew this was another stellar chapter that did well in competitions and also, took a lot of out of state girls (aka girls like me). Again, the house was super loud inside, but I liked how fun the atmosphere was. The president even came in and introduced herself and welcomed all the PNMs, something that I thought was very special. The girls I talked to were all very nice and we talked a lot about my interests and what I did in high school. I liked Red Raspberry a lot, and wrote down afterward “I like their spunk and peppiness.”

The next chapter I went to was Bubble Gum. This one scared me a bit, because I had heard the girls were all drop dead gorgeous (and they had the nicest looking house!) I was pleasantly surprised to see that all the girls were very pretty (I’m talking beauty queen status), but they didn’t all look identical! I talked to three girls as I had with every other chapter, and they were all nice, but it all felt a little superficial to me. I really liked their philanthropy and connected with it on a very personal level, because someone in my family is effected by what their philanthropy works on combatting. I mentioned this to one of the girls, because I was really moved by the cause.

I wrote in my booklet “Great Philanthropy.” I liked the house more than I thought I would, but I wasn’t sure if I was beautiful enough to be invited back, or if it was the right place for me in general. (I know that itself sounds superficial, but that’s just how I felt!)

Next up was Pink Lemonade. I loved their website when I had looked at it, but I knew very little about the sorority itself. However, when the doors opened and the girls came out, I felt at home. The girls were all so happy to see us and I noted that they had really cute outfits and accessories on. All three girls I talked to were so sweet and kind, and I felt extremely welcomed. All the girls were interested in learning about me as well as telling me about their sisterhood, rather than just talking about how cute my bracelet was or what kind of brands I liked. I wanted to be invited back really badly, because I felt a real connection at Pink Lemonade.

After Pink Lemonade came Orange Crush. I had heard some very positive things about Orange Crush regarding their sisterhood, but I knew that it wasn’t as highly regarded as other chapters. Despite the things I’d heard from other PNMS and online, I went in with an open mind. The girls were all so nice to me and very genuine. However, the first girl I talked to was extremely awkward and I couldn’t get over how hard it was to get through our conversation. The second one was very enthusiastic and had so much to say, so I was glad that our convo made up for the first one I’d had. I noted how nice and new their house was, and decided that I didn’t have anything against this house like some girls did!

Pina Colada was up next. This is the house I will never forget for all the wrong reasons! The girls were all very presentable but I just knew I wasn’t supposed to be in Pina Colada….the girl that rushed me first was a complete air-head. She asked me the most ridiculous questions that made her sound extremely uneducated, and I almost felt like laughing because after a day of stellar girls rushing me, this girl was a joke. The girl that took her place mid-social was no better… our conversation ended on a very awkward note and I told myself that I just couldn’t bear to be invited back. Surprisingly, a lot of girls LOVED this chapter, which made me feel like I might’ve just been rushed by the wrong girls.

The last chapter of the day was Dr. Pepper. I knew this was a top chapter at my school, if not THE top chapter. This is what I texted to my mom after visiting the house:

“Everyone at Dr. Pepper was insanely gorgeous, and I had greatly convos. I’m scared I talked too much about myself and not enough about their sorority, though. They were so classy, mom!!!”

A really close family friend of ours was a Dr. Pepper, and she had written me a rec that she claimed was “stellar,” but she wouldn’t let me see it until after recruitment. My entire senior year, she had pushed Dr. Pepper onto me, and I seriously thought that maybe I’d end up in that chapter. After the first day, I already knew these girls meant business. I really liked the chapter and wanted to see how far I could get with it. I knew they known to be very selective, so part of me just wanted to see how far I could get… but I also wanted to get to know the girls better. Maybe this could be my future home!

After the day was over, I chatted with my hallmates about which houses we loved and loathed. I was OBSESSED with recruitment even after such a hot, long and tiring day. I could barely go to sleep that night, dreaming about what letters I’d be wearing come Bid Day!