Keep on keepin' on: my semester-long quest for a bid

[UGAgirl93]

Hey, everyone! I'm so happy to FINALLY be able to share my recruitment story! Warning: it might be super long and boring. Stay with me! It has a happy ending.

As you can see from my username, I'm a student at a large, SEC school, which we know means a competitive formal recruitment. I didn't start to learn about greek life until the end of my senior year of high school. The only greek person in my family went greek at a very small college with a small greek community and a very relaxed rush. At her school, you really, really did not have to get your own recs. Many people decided to rush as on a whim and because the number of girls rushing was relatively manageable, the sororities would just flip through a book of alumnae and call up someone to write a recommendation. Needless to say, the information I got from her about recs and recruitment was not really applicable to UGA, where recruitment is much less casual. Fortunately, my friend's older sister was able to guide me in the right direction during the summer and I did (eventually) find out that recs are essential and I was able to round up a few. I think in total I had at least one rec for 11 out of 17 sororities, including some multiples. If I had started earlier, I probably could have gotten at least one for every chapter and a couple of extras. I wasn't worried about it, though.

On the first two days of recruitment, I had a blast. We saw all 17 sororities during round one. I won't go into detail about every sorority because, to be honest, some of the parties run together and what I thought of most of the rest of them didn't end up mattering in the end. I will name a few that are relevant to my story in no particular order. We'll go with designer brands for aliases.

Michael Kors: This sorority was my first of round one. I did not have a rec for this house, but I had a great time here. I felt like I really impressed the main girl I talked to (at one point she even said she was very impressed and intrigued by something I said). I thought it very likely that I would go back even though I didn't have a rec and that thought made me happy.

Coach: I really loved this sorority during FR. After round one they were one of my top two. I had one rec for Coach. A girl my friend's sister (we'll call this sister S) knew was a senior in Coach and she had told her to look out for me. While I was talking to one of the sisters, she ran up and said, "Hey, L! Welcome to Coach! S has told me so much about you! I hope you go Coach!" I felt good leaving this house and felt good about coming back.

**Sidebar: my initial isn't really L.

Louis Vuitton: This house was super chill and relaxed. The sister I talked to said she wanted to make me feel at home and comfortable, which I really liked. Many girls from my HS have gone Louis. I can think of 6 off of the top of my head who are currently active at UGA alone. I had a rec for Louis.

Lilly Pulitzer
This was a surprise favorite. I didn't know any Lilly girls or alumnae. I had never heard of Lilly and didn't have a rec. The girl I spoke with was very sweet and funny. I fell in love with this house and they became my number one choice.

Tory Burch: I did have a rec for this house. When I first arrived, I was intrigued by the house, which was just SO gorgeous and had the most amazing front porch. The girl I met here seemed really nice, but the conversation didn't flow so well and I thought that I hadn't impressed her. I wanted to return to this house, but I didn't think I would.

I won't go into detail about how I ranked because none of these sororities were in the bottom 5, which are the only ones you really rank after the first round.

The morning of round two (house tours), we got our schedules on little strips of paper. When I unfolded mine, I was shocked. Out of a possible 12, I had 3 invites. My stomach dropped. I quickly searched for Lilly Pulitzer and found it still on my list, along with Louis Vuitton and, to my surprise, Tory Burch. I was panicking inside but I tried not to let it show. I went in the bathroom, hid in a stall and kept myself from crying. I walked out and immediately regretted my plain outfit. The light blue recruitment shirt, classic white shorts from Gap, a white watch with rose gold accents and plain, pale gold metallic sandals. My hair was just straightened and already starting to frizz. My makeup was understated. I started to second guess everything about myself.

I kicked back into recruitment mode while standing outside of Louis Vuitton, waiting for the first party to start. I met a new girl and she showed me around the house. The conversation felt kind of forced and I felt like the girl didn't like me too much. We kept running into a girl from my HS who had graduated a year before me. She said "Hi" to me each time and it made me feel a little better.

I had a two or three party break between my first party and the next, which was at Lilly Pulitzer
. I went ahead to the house and stood around under the little tent on the front lawn, which had adorable snacks and cookies in the shape of the sorority's symbol. I talked to other PNMs as they showed up for their tour until it was my turn to go in, even confiding in one of them about my schedule who assured me that everything would work out and not to fret. She was super sweet and I wish I knew who she was today so I could thank her for being so kind to me when she didn't even know me.

I had an awesome time once again at Lilly. One girl showed me the house, which was beautiful. She had been specifically assigned to me, which I know because she said, "So, L, I heard from M (the girl who rushed me round one) that you're really into art and photography. So am I!" We had a lot in common and talked about things other than the usual questions. I was then bumped to a girl who showed me pictures from their sisterhood retreats, formals, socials and the most recent big/little reveal. I felt like I really clicked with this girl as well. We talked about travel and she asked me about trips to Europe I took in HS. She asked me if the leaning tower of Pisa was really as big as it seems in pictures and for some reason I really liked that question (because it really isn't as tall as it seems). It intrigued me because it seemed genuine; it wasn't planned or scripted and it was kind of funny. As she walked me out she said, "It was great talking to you and I really hope to see you tomorrow!"

I didn't know how to take this comment. I knew she wasn't supposed to say that. It seemed like a good sign and a bad omen at the same time. I later found out that one of my rush buddies had been told the same thing as she was leaving that house.

Either way, I was even more in love with Lilly and I desperately wanted to return.

I had a huge break between Lilly and Tory Burch, so I went home and changed into some cuter shorts and redid my hair and makeup.

Standing outside of the Tory house, I began to think about how glad I was to be back. Besides its beauty, I knew the house had a rich and interesting history. I was excited for a second chance. The girl who rushed me was a very sweet sophomore who knew a lot about the house. The inside was just as gorgeous as the outside. As we went from room to room, I started to think about how fun it must be to live in the house and bond with your sisters. It seemed like a slumber party every night with a ton of your best friends. I learned about this house's philanthropy and it made me like this house even more. A second girl walked me out the door and to the sidewalk and we talked briefly before it was time to leave.

I hoped that I wouldn't get the dreaded call, but somehow I knew it would come. I woke up that night to a 1 AM phone call from my Gamma Chi, who told me I had been released. I was too tired to be sad and I went back to my uneasy sleep. The next morning, after my roommate left for round 3, I sobbed and sobbed. I felt hurt, rejected, and slightly humiliated, because I knew the other girls from my HS would end up with bids and I would be the only one without. I didn't feel like I was good enough for greek life and it ate me up inside.

To be continued...