My (live) Recruitment Story!

[typeakid]

LOL, isn't it ironic, dontcha think?

[izzygirl]

removed

[ree-Xi]

Originally Posted by izzygirl

So, I survived day one! I had a ton of fun. For those of you who were wondering what I ended up choosing for an outfit, I wore a cute flowery cotton sundress from Target. Comfy but cute. Mission accomplished. The day was insane... so much clapping, dancing, and cheering! I didn't know I would hear so much screaming when I went in! My poor eardrums.

Here's the rundown:

Humpback: This is the first house we went to, bright and early. I didn't know what to expect. It was my mother's house, and so I was excited. I walked in and had two excellent conversations with two of their sisters. Then we watched them sing and dance. They did a really cute little routine. I loved this house, and they are definitely in my top three favorites.
Otter: I went in expecting to love this house. This is the house where my roommates belong, and I know many of the sisters here. However, when I walked in, all three of the girls I talked to seemed really disinterested in me and weren't very polite. And, after only about five minutes of conversation, we watched the chapter dance for 15 minutes. Their dance was cute, but I wish they had had more socializing time. I felt like I didn't make any good connections, which made me sad because I had hoped I would fit in well here. I left feeling conflicted.
Shark: This is the only house today that I definitely did not like, which was somewhat of a relief to me. I am now in the position of figuring out which two houses are my least favorites, and if I didn't have strong negative feelings about at least one, I wouldn't know where to begin. The girls were friendly enough, but were kind of vapid and promiscuous. Their chanting and dancing was a migrane inducing nightmare. Lots of people loved this chapter, and I was truly happy for them. They seemed like kind girls but definitely not the ones for me.
Fish : I was in the middle on this house. They had the most informative and engaging presentation, but the acoustics in their house made it impossible to have good conversations when we were all chatting because we kept having to ask each other to repeat things. I enjoyed the house, but I don't think I will be invited back, which is okay with me.
Sting Ray: Okay, so people think this is the "dorky house," but they seemed cool to me! I was one of the first ones in just because of where I happened to be standing, so I got to talk to like five girls, including the VP of the chapter. They were all so so sweet to me. I had great conversations with them, especially about their philanthropy, which is a cause very near to my heart. All of them were enthusiastic and wonderful.
Jellyfish: This house is the smallest on campus, and as soon as I walked in I could tell how much they all cared for each other. I had two meaningful conversations with sisters here, and their little song and dance was so cute. They were all very drama free and happy. I could definitely feel at home here.
Squid: So I walked in expecting to HATE this chapter, but surprise! I didn't. The girls I talked to were very friendly and kind. I don't have any strong positive feelings about this chapter, but I would like to go back and see more!
Beluga: Love. Great conversations and great entertainment portion. Only complaint is that I was matched up as two PNMs to one sister here, and I felt like I had to fight for her attention. I didn't want to be too aggressive though, because I liked the PNM I was sharing the conversation with. I think I would have gotten to wow them more if it had been 1:1, but I really really hope I get invited back. I really liked it here.
Turtle Similar to some of the ones mentioned above, this one falls somewhere in the middle. Good conversations and everything. Not sure if I could be a sister here though.
Dolphin: More love. Had the best conversation of the day here with a girl who I think might be a potential big if I end up getting a bid here. Absolutely loved these sisters. This house is top three, along with Beluga and Humpback.

So I know I am definitely putting Shark in my bottom two, but I am torn for the other one between Squid, Otter, and Fish. I feel like I should give Otter another chance, because even though I had a bad experience today, I know their sisterhood is strong and I love many of the girls in this house. However, if I had no preconceptions, I'd drop Otter in a heartbeat. I just feel like it deserves another shot. Also, I would feel bad if I dropped my best friend's house first. Now I know it's 100% my choice and nobody elses and I should listen to my heart, so I don't need you all to tell me that! However, would YOU wanna tell your BFF you dropped her beloved house on the first day of rush in order to leave room for a house you professed to hate only the day before? I'm thinking I will drop Fish though, because they are notorious for not asking very many people back and I only kind of liked them.

Thoughts? Make em quick, I have to go rank in an hour!

[amIblue?]

Originally Posted by izzygirl

The girls were friendly enough, but were kind of vapid and promiscuous.

Good luck to you, but I hope for your sake that you are more careful with the things you say when you're at the parties. I think you may suffer from what too many people do: foot-in-mouth-itis, also known as no filter disorder.

[33girl]

I would put Otter in your bottom two, and here's why.

1) The other two you're thinking about putting there, you actually seemed to really like. It appears that the only reason you're thinking about putting them there is because of things you might have heard, rumors, or preconceptions. I know that you don't want to divulge what the nature of the hazing investigation entailed, but please know that "hazing" covers everything from relatively benign (the sorority had an extra fun event that wasn't in the national pledge program) to really bad (severe physical hazing). Unless the newspaper said exactly what the charges were, I wouldn't automatically assume the worst.

2) Even if you get along GREAT with your roomies, it doesn't mean you'll get along with the rest of their sisters. You actually might be helping your roommates out if you rank their chapter in your bottom two, because they might be painfully aware of this and not know how to tell you.

Go with your gut, not the rumor mill or your roommates' affiliation.

[shirley1929]

Originally Posted by 33girl

I would put Otter in your bottom two, and here's why.

1) The other two you're thinking about putting there, you actually seemed to really like. It appears that the only reason you're thinking about putting them there is because of things you might have heard, rumors, or preconceptions. I know that you don't want to divulge what the nature of the hazing investigation entailed, but please know that "hazing" covers everything from relatively benign (the sorority had an extra fun event that wasn't in the national pledge program) to really bad (severe physical hazing). Unless the newspaper said exactly what the charges were, I wouldn't automatically assume the worst.

Respectfully disagree with this part. If it's really being "seriously investigated" as she notes, its probably something more than just having an "extra fun event". I know some schools post online the groups that are being investigated or on probation and why. If she's found concrete evidence of a hazing incident, I would not encourage her to walk into that situation. It almost sounds like you're telling her "oh don't worry about a little hazing if you like the girls, I'm sure you'll be fine". I know that's not your point, but I feel like you're treading into a potentially dangerous area.

Originally Posted by 33girl

2) Even if you get along GREAT with your roomies, it doesn't mean you'll get along with the rest of their sisters. You actually might be helping your roommates out if you rank their chapter in your bottom two, because they might be painfully aware of this and not know how to tell you.

Go with your gut, not the rumor mill or your roommates' affiliation.

^^Agree with this.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by shirley1929

Respectfully disagree with this part. If it's really being "seriously investigated" as she notes, its probably something more than just having an "extra fun event". I know some schools post online the groups that are being investigated or on probation and why. If she's found concrete evidence of a hazing incident, I would not encourage her to walk into that situation. It almost sounds like you're telling her "oh don't worry about a little hazing if you like the girls, I'm sure you'll be fine". I know that's not your point, but I feel like you're treading into a potentially dangerous area.

She said this was in "recent years." What she considers recent, I don't know. If it was 5 years ago, all the girls that did it are gone. Even if it was 2 years ago, the girls responsible may have all been kicked out and the chapter as a whole completely rehabilitated.

Also, being investigated is far from the same thing as being found guilty. It also takes a lot less to tip the scale towards an investigation at some chapters than it does at others. (Sorry to be so cynical, but it's the truth.)

Of course, it's impossible to know this without her outing where she is. I was just pointing out that a school newspaper (and that's another factor, we know how anti-Greek some of them are) article saying that a group was investigated (not necessarily disciplined or found guilty) for "hazing" without getting into the particulars may not be as horrible as it sounds and not a valid reason to drop a chapter you really like. As we were mentioning in this thread, if it was something really horribly bad, she probably would have heard about it before rush.

[shirley1929]

Originally Posted by 33girl

She said this was in "recent years." What she considers recent, I don't know. If it was 5 years ago, all the girls that did it are gone. Even if it was 2 years ago, the girls responsible may have all been kicked out and the chapter as a whole completely rehabilitated.

Also, being investigated is far from the same thing as being found guilty. It also takes a lot less to tip the scale towards an investigation at some chapters than it does at others. (Sorry to be so cynical, but it's the truth.)

Of course, it's impossible to know this without her outing where she is. I was just pointing out that a school newspaper (and that's another factor, we know how anti-Greek some of them are) article saying that a group was investigated (not necessarily disciplined or found guilty) for "hazing" without getting into the particulars may not be as horrible as it sounds and not a valid reason to drop a chapter you really like. As we were mentioning in this thread, if it was something really horribly bad, she probably would have heard about it before rush.

Fair enough. I think I just needed you to clarify further. It can be serious business, and I didn't want the OP or others to think that it's not.