A Fall 2009 Story

[carynie13]

Okay, I hope you all are still interested in reading! I'll continue to Day Four, which was House Tour and Philanthropy Day.

It was obvious that many girls had already dropped out of the recruitment process, as the huge auditorium seemed to contain much less girls than previous days. Once the speakers were done talking about another important aspect of Greek life, the Pi Chis began passing out the slips.

I was so nervous when I opened mine... Once again a full schedule of six houses. I was slightly relieved. However, no Oak. I was so upset. This was the first house that cut me that I really thought I could see myself in. I quickly pulled myself together and began the walk to Greek town.

Hawthorn: This was the one house I had to return to that I was not completely sold on from the day before, but I went in with an open mind, as I could easily change my mind. After walking inside, we went into the kitchen and watched a very well put together slide show, which explained their philanthropy and their participation in other philanthropy events. The slide show also included many photos of some of the fun aspects of being a Hawthorn. Then it was time for house tours and already seeing the outside beauty of the home, I was very impressed by also the outside beauty. I then talked with the member I had been paired with, but I just did not feel that connection for another day. I left unsure about the chapter as, once again, I visited the chapter early in the day.

Pine: At this chapter, the first order of business was a tour of the home. It was beautiful and had some great decorations, but I was very put off by the triple bunked beds in each rooms. However, I still felt very strongly about the chapter, especially after watching the slide show they had put together. I really liked their philanthropy and could see that they had a very strong sisterhood through their photos from socials. Also, I talked to a senior here who made me feel very comfortable and at home. Once again, I left with a wink from the President and although there was some issue with the bedding situation, I knew I wanted to return here for the last day of recruitment.

Gingko: Once we were picked up, we were taken downstairs for a slideshow and a few short speeches about the philanthropy of this chapter. It was clear that they were very passionate about their charity and also had a great sisterhood. We were then split into groups for the house tours and I was very impressed by some of the rooms I saw, including the study room. However, my conversation with the member was just not very strong. At this stage I felt like there should have been deeper conversation, which was not the case here. I was really torn about the situation and knew that my decision would rely on impressions at the other houses.

Redwood: This chapter had some of the cutest walkouts all week and this day was no exception. The member we were paired with came and announced that they had a ticket for (PNM's name) to take a ride on their train. It was so cute and the house tour made me love the chapter even more. It was very home-y feeling, which I loved and after watching their very touching philanthropy video I was sold. Then we were shown pictures from their sisterhood events along with another member and PNM. The other PNM was very loud and outgoing and I worried that I was not being talkative enough. I hoped that my conversation with the member before was strong enough to bring me back on preference day, as I knew I was very interested in Redwood.

Dogwood: As soon as the Dogwood girls began walking out, I immediately noticed their adorable outfits, which tied in with their symbol. The did a very fun little dance before pairing up with the PNMs. Once inside I was taken in for the house tour. The house was also decked out in the theme that related to the chapter symbol. Although I had already seen the house before during the past year, I was still so impressed with the beauty of the home. Then we went back downstairs to watch a really well done slideshow. They had a great philanthropy and fun event to support the charity. They obviously had a great sisterhood and after a funny rendition of a popular Taylor Swift song, I talked with the member, who I absolutely loved. She was so bubbly and seemed so interested in my understanding of what Dogwood stood for. I left this chapter so happy.

Maple: By the end of the day, I was very exhausted. Also, after visiting two chapters I loved right in a row, it was hard to put forth a great effort. Here, after being picked up we split from the member and went on the house tour. It was pretty, especially the bathrooms, but I wasn't in love. Then we went back to the main floor to learn about the philanthropy and their event to promote it. While it was a very fun event, I had struggled conversation with the member, which was partly my fault, but I knew she did not feel the connection, either. We watched a slideshow play while standing in a living room area and after a few moments here, it was time to leave and go pref for the last day. While I had liked this chapter so much the day before, this day showed me that I could not see myself as a member of Maple.

I groggily walked to pref and had to wait in a long line once again. This was the most difficult day in choosing as I was torn between Redwood and Gingko. However, I ended up circling Pine, Dogwood, and Redwood, as I wanted to return there on the last day. I then ranked 1. Ginkgo 2. Hawthorn 3. Maple.

I faced another restless night as I began to worry if all the chapters might drop me at once, since I really had not had too many cuts thus far in the week. I was so exhausted and feeling ready for the process to just be over, as I began to feel anxious about where I would end up if anywhere at all.