a reluctant PNM faces the music

[IrishLake]

Yeah, I'm sure the OP realized that the girls who may have gone to Violin first and Piano later may have thought the same bad things about Piano. That's the bad thing about not using completely original material.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by IrishLake

Yeah, I'm sure the OP realized that the girls who may have gone to Violin first and Piano later may have thought the same bad things about Piano. That's the bad thing about not using completely original material.

I guess that's why it surprises this outsider a little. If people with some recruitment experience know that the same poem tends to get used in many chapters, why risk that your PNM will hear it somewhere else and, at the least, do a double take? Why not have something that's yours? I can see liking to mix it up some from year to year, but there's something to be said for tradition, too.

/butting my curious nose out of things not my business to start with.


ETA: Congrats to you and Kappa, facethemusic. This music nerd who is married to a Kappa is happy for you!

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

I guess that's why it surprises this outsider a little. If people with some recruitment experience know that the same poem tends to get used in many chapters, why risk that your PNM will hear it somewhere else and, at the least, do a double take? Why not have something that's yours? I can see liking to mix it up some from year to year, but there's something to be said for tradition, too.

/butting my curious nose out of things not my business to start with.


ETA: Congrats to you and Kappa, facethemusic. This music nerd who is married to a Kappa is happy for you!

No idea. This has been passed around so much that I knew which poem it was without knowing anything about the OP's school. I see why it is very attractive to PNM's, but surely there is another way to capture these sentiments.

[facethemusic]

That night, when we'd submitted our preferences, our rush was officially over. It was as if every PNM on campus was collectively breathing a huge sigh of relief.....we were done. We'd made it. Now all we had to do was wait.

I, on the other hand, was a nervous wreck. I regretted what I'd put down on that card, and I'd psyched myself into thinking I was going to be dropped that night because of it. Time was dragging by impossibly slowly and I knew I wasn't going to get a wink of sleep that night...

Kat had preffed her houses like this:
1. Piano
2. Violin,
admitting she'd be disappointed if she ended up at Violin but would eventually be okay. I was happy for her, but it meant I couldn't explain to her why I was so nervous - it would've just made her feel worse about Violin, which I didn't want to do since there was a real possibility she'd end up there.

My Pi Chi group went out to dinner to celebrate the end of rush, and I seized the opportunity to talk to Amy, who I trusted. Her pref card had looked like this:
1. Flute
2. Piano
3. Trumpet,
and while she badly wanted Flute, she said she knew she'd be happy at any of the groups. I took a deep breath and admitted to her that....














































































I had suicided Piano.

I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW, suiciding is NEVER a good idea. I assure you that I'm a firm believer of that. Looking back, it was am extremely stupid decision that I'd made with my heart and not my head. Between the rusher who didn't have a clue who I was, the "stolen" poem, and the wild (and wrong) guess that I was "outgoing," my negative impression of Violin after Pref had been so strong that I managed to convince myself I'd rather not be in a sorority at all than and up here. NOT TRUE. I would've been a little disappointed if I'd seen these letters on my bid, but I would've eventually come to love it, I'm sure. Dumb, dumb, dumb. And it made that night one of the roughest nights of my life.

When I told Amy what I'd done, I broke down crying, suddenly deeply regretful of my decision and terrified that when morning came I would be bid-less. She thought I was a little crazy but reassured me it would be okay and prayed with me. My mom shared her sentiment when I called her after getting home from dinner. She was thrilled I'd fallen in love with Piano and convinced that that was where I was supposed to be, but wearied by my rash decision to suicide. But it was too late now, she said. She assured me that she'd be sending prayers my way for what was probably going to be a long night.

And it was. I turned off my light around midnight and tried to go to sleep, but all I could do was stare at my phone, convinced that it was going to ring any second. My Pi Chi had told us that we'd get a call from her either that night or the following morning if she had bad news to deliver. If we hadn't heard from her by 8:00, we were to head to the bid distribution location.

I gave up trying to sleep and quietly entertained myself all night. Kat slept soundly - good little PNM that she was, maximizing her preferences. I watched YouTube with my laptop and headphones, read a book, and every so often cracked open my Bible, telling God I was sorry for judging Violin so harshly and begging for a chance to don Piano's letters come morning time.

Once 6:00 am rolled around I really started getting scared. I could no longer focus on funny cat videos or my book. All I could do was alternate between staring at my phone, waiting for it to ring, and the clock, ticking by impossibly slowly. Tick tock, tick tock....

Then at precisely 8:00, a sudden noise made me jump a bazillion feet in the air....

[facethemusic]

I'm sorry, I'm sorry!

Piano is better known as......











































































































































































hoot hoot....







































































































































































































Kappa Kappa Gamma!!!!

[facethemusic]

....it was Kat's alarm clock going off. (Sorry, I had to!)

The noise petrified me because for a split second I'd thought it had been my phone ringing, but as Kat rolled over and turned off the alarm, we both realized what this meant, and we smiled at each other.

It was 8:00. Neither of us had been called. We both had bids.

I should add that I knew exactly who my bid was from, but I still hadn't told Kat about my decision to suicide, so I kept my mouth shut as I silently began bursting with Piano pride. I'd made it. I was a Piano. It was over. I was struck with the realization that in a couple of hours, Kat and I would be sisters if she got her first choice. I was beyond excited.

We made our way to the bid distribution location and watched as our Pi Chis took off their bulky sweatshirts to reveal their letters underneath. My Pi Chi was a Violin. I felt another pang of regret for not listing them on my preferences, but it didn't matter much now. I was a Piano.

Unfortunately this moment won't be as climactic and intense as it is in most recruitment stories - sorry. I'll just tell it like it is - they handed us sealed bids and counted backwards from ten. When they reached one, high-pitched squeals began erupting all around me. I tore open my bid, saw the Piano letters I was expecting, and took off running in the direction of my new home.

When I got to the house, I stopped to catch my breath and heard my name being called simultaneously by two different voices coming from behind me. I turned around to see Kat and Amy standing there. We attacked each other in a massive three-way hug. We were Piano sisters.

Now, would anyone like to know Piano's secret identity.....??

[AOII Angel]

That's nice that you all pledged Piano. Congrats! Now finish up.

[FSUZeta]

hooray!!!!

please tell us which sorority Piano is.

[facethemusic]

I should add as a disclaimer that I would never ever EVER recommend suiciding to ANY pnm. I consider myself extremely blessed that in my case it worked out, because it usually leads to disappointment. On top of that, most schools (including my own) prevent a pnm from getting a "snap bid" or participating in COB if she didn't maximize her preferences. The cons FAR outweigh the pros. I know I probably sound hypocritical considering I did it myself, but....just don't do it.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by facethemusic

I should add as a disclaimer that I would never ever EVER recommend suiciding to ANY pnm. I consider myself extremely blessed that in my case it worked out, because it usually leads to disappointment. On top of that, most schools (including my own) prevent a pnm from getting a "snap bid" or participating in COB if she didn't maximize her preferences. The cons FAR outweigh the pros. I know I probably sound hypocritical considering I did it myself, but....just don't do it.

Good points. Glad it worked out for you and Kappa!

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Ah, yes, if it's the poem I think it is, I believe that it IS attributed to a Kappa. I really hate the poem, though, because the ultimate message is that the woman is happy once she lands a man.

[facethemusic]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

Ah, yes, if it's the poem I think it is, I believe that it IS attributed to a Kappa. I really hate the poem, though, because the ultimate message is that the woman is happy once she lands a man.

I've noticed that too. It's a little disappointing but I think the poem as a whole is still fabulous. Still makes me teary-eyed...

What is Kappa?
If it’s really anything at all,
Kappa Kappa Gamma is not:
a fleur-de-lis,
national conventions,
monogrammed rings,
worn-out songs,
by-laws,
membership standards,
or a golden key.
And it is not:
an institution,
a creed,
a legacy,
an obligation,
or a way of life.
And if you’re going to insist that it is something, Kappa is:
Moving in for the first time and slowly learning that the beautiful people have fat legs and use mouthwash, and wear last year’s coats.
Sitting next to an alumna you don’t particularly like and being nice to her because it means something to her.
Long, tired eternities of black coffee and exam snacks, when you still can’t remember the Renaissance architects or the mossy taproot system.
Borrowing a skirt from Dina, and a blouse from Kristyn, and shoes from Jen and a scarf from Heather and coat from Jackie, and passing it all off as your own.
Sitting on the back steps and listening with all your helplessness because she’s lost and she’s lonely, and it seems the whole world just fell into ugly pieces.
And it’s coming in very late one night and closing the door to tell someone who’s seen you through the hardest years of your life that you’re happy now and you’re getting married.
And Kappa is, I suppose, a kind of evolution.
You grow up inside these elegant walls.
And, perhaps you do learn more of this grizzly, ungraceful circus we call life than if you had lived somewhere else.
You learn that a football player is sometimes just shoulder pads, and that skinny arms sometimes hide a great man.
You learn that no matter where you came from, of who took you there, you’ve still got to find that one small place that belongs to you, by yourself.
You learn that there’s still a lot left to believe in and a whole lot more to hope for.
You learn that love has never been easy and that it’s a long time coming.
And if you’re smart, or very lucky, you learn that no matter how big or how messy the world becomes, what is precious and what is permanent is always the same.
And in the very end, Kappa can only be a better way to stumble down the back steps and out
the front door
”

[BraveMaroon]

So I'm curious - what was the really unusual pet? Or did I miss that reveal in and among all the cat loving/cat hating debate?

[AGDAlum]

Originally Posted by facethemusic

membership standards,
And in the very end, Kappa can only be a better way to stumble down the back steps and out
the front door
”

Hmmmm....this is an interesting feat of physics.

[MaryPoppins]

What were the other Chapters?