What NOT to do--my Fall 07 story

[sarahsmilehawk]

So here's more about day 3.

Chunky Monkey: Today they sat us down and showed just the BEST video! It was so well made and I could tell the girls really loved being a part of Chunky Monkey. It really changed my attitude. It was philanthropy day, so we made cards. If I say any more about the craft, it will give away the philanthropy which would give away the chapter. This philanthropy did a lot for a friend of mine in elementary school, so I liked having a personal connection instead of just donating to some worthy but personally irrelevant cause.

Sidenote: I had done a little Wikipedia research beforehand and felt really strongly about Creme Brulee's philanthropy. That's another reason I had been so sure it was meant to be!

Neapolitan Dynamite: Again, I had to trek up a completely unreasonable hill. (I later found out there was an easier way to get to this house, but it wasn't convenient for the busses, grrr.) And again, the president said "Hi, I'm Chocolate. I'd like you to meet my sister Vanilla." Actually, Vanilla is a great name for this girl! She was very shy and we spent a lot of time in awkward silence. She pointed out that an advantage of being part of a smaller chapter is that you get to know everyone very well. She said she could sit down next to anyone at dinner and feel totally comfortable--no one was a stranger. That helped me see them in a better light. Honestly, ND was just BAD at recruitment compared to everyone else. But they seemed to really like me and that felt great after such a serious blow to my ego.

So I did my rankings, and it took all of about 30 seconds.
1. Chunky Monkey
2. Neapolitan Dynamite

I went home, half expecting to get a call telling me I'd been dropped from recruitment altogether. I may not have been 100% sold on either house, but I was 200% sold on going greek. I didn't get much sleep that night.

[KSUViolet06]

I applaud you for sticking with it. Alot of girls would've dropped out after seeing their schedule. I bet you're glad you stuck with it too now.

[AlphaXi_Husky]

This is a really great story - I hope a lot of PNMs are reading this, because it's such a good example of how to keep a positive attitude.

[srmom]

I agree, great threat, and you have an amazing attitude!

[baci]

waiting on you and congrats for being open/driven!

[sarahsmilehawk]

Day 4:

No one called to tell me I was dropped from recruitment, so I nervously got dressed and waited. The rho chis handed out schedules again and handed out schedules. We could visit a maximum of five chapters today.

1. No event
2. Chunky Monkey
3. Neapolitan Dynamite
4. No event
5. No event

It wasn't a thrilling schedule, but I was so happy that nobody cut me!

Chunky Monkey: Someone came out (the FFR chair, probably) and lined us up in the order they want. She goes inside and, while we're waiting, a bee stings me! It smarts for a second and then starts burning. Another girl had just been taken to the hospital for an allergic reaction just a few minutes before, so I freaked out. I started crying and another PNM pulled the stinger out. I only had a short time to get myself together, because the whole chapter was about to come outside and sing.

Once I got in the house, the girls did a cute skit to explain how much fun they have being Monkeys. Then it was time for house tours. I loved the interior. Every room was nicely decorated and I liked all the pictures people had (strategically) placed around the bedrooms. I definitely could see myself living there one day.

Another PNM was touring with me and talking to my guide. She was originally from some exotic country (somewhere in the middleast, I think) and had really interesting stories. She was also in a lot of activities at school and was very pretty. I felt so overshadowed! I did everything I could to contribute to conversation, but I could barely get a word in edgewise. It was a disappointing event.

Neapolitan Dynamite: By this time I was noticing that many girls outside ND didn't really want to be there and very few had ranked them in their top 8 or top 5. Some girls were being really snotty about it, which made me want to give Neapolitan Dynamite a chance before I wrote them off.

I climbed up the hill and the girls came out and sang. Their song was an old pop song with the lyrics changed to talk about their sorority and specifically the house. Honestly, I thought it was stupid. The president "Welcome back, sarahsmilehawk. I'd like you to meet my sister Strawberry." I don't know what it is, but that greeting just made me feel weird.

I sat down with Strawberry and we watched a skit where they ripped off "Grease." At the end, they did "You're the one that I want" and pointed at the audience, like we were the pledges we wanted. Chunky Monkey's skit hadn't been creative, but at least it was original. I hated to admit it, but the skit just turned me off further to Neapolitan Dynamite. But I was determined to make a connection.

After talking to Strawberry for a while, Vanilla shows up (from day 3) and we tour the house. It's smaller than Chunky Monkey and doesn't look as much like a traditional sorority house. But it's still livable and it's actually closer to campus than the other houses. Vanilla and I are friendly, but don't appear to have a lot in common. She was from St. Louis and came to college not knowing anyone. I transferred to my school already knowing a few hundred people. There just wasn't a connection.

It was easy to rank my choices.
1. Chunky Monkey
2. Neapolitan Dynamite

I was worried that Chunky Monkey would cut me and leave me with a tough decision. Could I see myself as a Neapolitan Dynamite, or would I rather not be in a sorority at all? I even toyed with the idea of dropping out of recruitment and doing COR with Creme Brulee or Phish Food. This, of course, would have been a bad plan since neither of these houses ever did COR.

The next day was the first day of school. All day I was distracted by the feeling that Chunky Monkey would drop me and break my heart.

The day after was pref night.

[FSUZeta]

ackkkkk....don't leave us dangling!!

[Thetagirl218]

I love this thread!!! More please!!!

The ice cream names are also making me hungry!

[sarahsmilehawk]

I should be doing my homework, but my notebook is missing. So I'll update.

People had told me that I probably received heavy cuts because of m grades. Before recruitment, I had no idea how important grades were in the process. But it didn't sting so much to know that they cut me based on numbers and not because they flat-out didn't like me. However, many girls with stats similar to mine attended events (and later pledged) at Magic Brownies. They cut me after the first round! Maybe I just didn't make an impression.

Day 4 was pref night. I remember being really nervous that I might be overdressed. It was SO hard to know what to wear, even with the guidelines they gave. Most girls wore black. I wore purple.

I was praying that Chunky Monkey wouldn't cut me. I really, really wanted to be a CM but after a not-so-stellar 2nd invitational, I wasn't feeling great. Even if I did get asked back, I had a decision to make. Should I suicide Chunky Monkey and risk going bidless? Should I rank both chapters and risk ending up in Neapolitan Dynamite? I still wasn't sure.

Instead of just meeting in our small recruitment groups, all of the PNMs met in a big auditorium at the student union. Things were more serious tonight. Before they handed out schedules, they warned us NOT to talk to anyone between rounds.

We could attend a maximum of 3 events, so even on the last day I wouldn't have a full schedule. My rho chi handed me a slip of paper. I held my breath.

There was only one event on my schedule. I read it over and over. Had Chunky Monkey cut me?

[tld221]

you HAVE to tell us now!

this is a good story. bring it on home!
(and i was rooting for Creme Brulee, darn. i am not familliar with your posts, so i dont know your school or affiliation.)

ETA: im guessing CM cut you and you decide to COB somewhere else. but im being adventurous here.

[SigKapSweetie]

MEAN!

[SigKapCoug]

I must know!

[AGDee]

<clearing throat> It has been more than 24 hours now <clearing throat>

[LucyKKG]

Originally Posted by AGDee

<clearing throat> It has been more than 24 hours now <clearing throat>

Ditto!

[BellaBerlee]

I third this!! I'm continually checking the site for updates and get excited when I see an update but not by Sarah...