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Like I said earlier, Open House was spread out over the course of three days. So, we arrived back to school on a Tuesday, and we began recruitment that next Wednesday. Everyone going through recruitment comes back about 6 days before classes start in the winter. My friends and I were all going through recruitment, and we were really excited! We spent the entire night trying on clothes, and picking out the perfect outfit. Our recommended wear was very casual, just jeans and a shirt. So after careful consideration, I wore my nicest jeans and a green sweater. It’s been a while, and I don’t remember the exact order of my day, but I’ll talk about all the houses I went to!
Crystal – This was the very first house I went to. You could tell the girls seemed pretty nervous, and I know this was also their first party of the day. I talked to a few different girls, but nothing really jumped out at me. There wasn’t much energy in the room, and all I talked about with one girl was swimming. She swam in high school, and I had as well, so we talked about that for a while. Every girl I talked to after went back to that same conversation. Needless to say, after that house, I needed to take a break from the swimming conversation.
Amber – Here the girls seemed very down to earth, but nothing really popped out at me. At this point in recruitment, I was being very superficial, and to be honest, I just didn’t think this house was that trendy or “popular”.
Amythyst – At Amythyst, I was a legacy by my mother. This house was very prominent on campus, and everyone had been talking about them as the day went on. I knew I was supposed to like them, but they could not have seemed more disinterested in me. Even though I was a legacy, no one came over to say anything (I didn’t speak with their president, or anyone from their recruitment team). The one girl I spoke with had a lot of similarities as I did, but she did not appear to care about that at all. We were from neighboring towns outside Chicago, and we knew a lot of the same people. Still, she seemed very disinterested. I knew this house was popular, but after leaving, I simply was not feeling it.
Aquamarine – This house had a lot of energy, and I really liked the first girl I spoke with. The second one I spoke with was from my same area, so I tried to talk to her about the new mall that had just been built by us. She said, oh yeah, my dad was the developer. I later recognized her last name, as her dad was probably one of the leading developers in the entire state! Furthermore, our similarities ended right there, after she started talking about the private school she attended, and kept asking me if I knew anyone who went there. I know about two people, so needless to say, our conversation sort of stalled after that. I got the feeling this was the “rich” sorority, and I felt a little out of place. I liked most of the girls I spoke with, but I didn’t know if I would fit in.
Bronze – Sixteen of the seventeen sororities on our campus are very strong in the sense that they always make quota and are at or above total. Bronze is the only chapter that is noticeably struggling, so girls had been talking about it all day. I tried to go in with an open mind, but the conversations I had were very strained. There were not enough women in the chapter, so there were two PNMs to every active. Our conversation did not really progress, and I knew I definitely did not want to be in this chapter. Also, I was still being pretty superficial at this point.
Diamond – At the time of recruitment, I was dating a guy whose sister was in this chapter. I didn’t know much about the chapter at all, but I was a little nervous to go due to this sister situation. The girls seemed pretty laid back, but they didn’t make a lasting impression. However, I did speak with one girl who spoke a mile a minute, but she was so genuine. I was a little intimidated at first, but I really liked her honesty. Walking out, I liked the girls, but I didn’t think the chapter was the right fit.
Emerald – I also knew a girl in this chapter through one of the clubs I was involved with on campus. I was really excited to see the chapter, but their recruitment chair freaked me out! She was VERY loud and peppy, and kept showing off her light up ring. The girls in the chapter were dying laughing, but the PNMs were just looking at each other. I spoke with one girl who had the same major as me, which as a public administration major, made me really excited because NO ONE has my major. I was so surprised by the randomness of the event, because of course at this point I thought everything was so random! I had mixed feelings, but I did like the energy and all the girls with similar interests as mine.
Garnet – Like I said earlier, I REALLY wanted to be a Garnet. I was so excited to go to this sorority, and I really enjoyed my time there. I knew a lot of the women in the house, and I wanted this sorority so badly. I didn’t have the most amazing conversations, but I still knew so many women, and I knew it was a perfect fit. I didn’t really look at this house objectively, because I was dead set on being a Garnet.
Gold – My two best friends from high school were Golds, and a friend of the family had written me a letter of recommendation. Gold was THE chapter on campus at the time, so I was really excited to see it. All my friends that had already visited were so excited about Gold, and I was very excited. I went in and spoke with several girls, and I had a great time. However, nothing really stood out about the chapter. The girls were beautiful, and they were imbeccibly dressed. But, they must have been staring at me, since looking back I don’t know what I was thinking in regards to my outfit! Even though I did not have great conversations, I really wanted to be in the same chapter as my best friends.
Opal – This house was really fun, and I had a really great time talking to some of the women. They were all very unique and real. I really liked this house after I left. My conversations were about old television shows we watched when we were kids, and it all seemed very natural and friendly!
Pearl – I LOVED this house when I went through! The recruitment chair was so enthusiastic, and she was dancing all over the place! I loved the energy and enthusiasm, and the women seemed so interested as though they really wanted to get to know me. All of the girls I talked to seemed so interested and friendly, and I had some really great conversations. I was really excited about this house after I left.
Peridot – I didn’t remember much about this house, but it didn’t really stick out to me. I had a really great conversation with a senior, but other than that it was sort of mediocre.
Ruby – All of the girls in this chapter were wearing all black outfits, but they were wearing brightly colored pumps (pink, green, etc.), and had “flair” that matched the color of the pumps. I didn’t know it at the time, but this chapter was also struggling, so the girls recruiting us did not even go to school at Miami. They were sisters from a “stronger” chapter helping out. I was impressed with their outfits, but I didn’t really have any great conversations. I just remember one girl asking me my favorite kind of ice cream. I answered cookie dough, and then I was really nervous this was the wrong answer.
Sapphire – The girls here were very nice, but I don’t remember the chapter that vividly. I remember talking about scrapbooking and not much more.
Silver – This chapter was very pretty, and the girls were pretty easy to talk to. However, the only thing I talked to anyone about was pop culture. All we talked about were celebrities and the latest television shows. I liked the chapter, but they definitely weren’t at the top of my list.
Topaz – My aunt went to school at Miami, and she was a Topaz. So, she had written me a letter of recommendation and had really talked up the chapter. Every girl I spoke to looked like a model, and I was completely in awe of them. I don’t remember any conversations specifically, but I know I was very impressed by the chapter, and the girls in it.
Turquoise – This chapter had very laid back girls, but I remember being completely turned off because they were all wearing tennis shoes. I know that was very snobby, but at the time I couldn’t help but fixate on it. They were the only chapter that wore them! However, the girls were nice, and I knew the president, so she came over and talked to me for a while.
After three days and hours and hours of preparation, I was done with Open House! They was our ranking worked was completely one sided (at the time). Basically, the chapters submitted their invitation list, and then your Greek Life Guide (same thing as rho chi or gamma chi) showed you your list. If you had more than 10 chapters invite you back, you could release chapters. However, if you had less than 10 invite you back, you had to go to all of the parties. All we could do now was just sit and wait . . .
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Hybrid Mode
