A VERY Retro Recruitment!

[1964Alum]

Willa and I once again walked over to the auditorium the next evening to pick up our envelopes which contained either a Regret or an invitation(s) for Preference. As before, we got into our respective lines and met up afterwards to walk back to our dorm.

We both had full dance cards! But still didn't tell each other whom we had preffed or what invitations we had received. I had told only my friends at the other end of our dorm hall about the "Pregnancy Dress". Willa knew nothing about it. I found invitations to:

Bianca
Beatrice
Portia

Yes! Portia had invited me to their Preferential Party! I didn't know of course where I stood vis a vis other rushees and wasn't nearly as confident with them as I was with Bianca. And of course I was also very interested in Beatrice. I felt confident that I would be a good fit with any of the three. But we had to respond on the spot to the invitations we had received. After some quick thinking and consulting with what I felt in my gut I accepted the invitations to

Bianca
Portia

Both Preferential parties were held on the next evening. I was to go to Bianca first followed by Portia.

By the time the invitations for the Preferential parties came out, the pool of rushees had dwindled substantially, either from cuts or self-removal. So we were really getting down to the wire.

I'm sure that many young women were heartbroken about either not getting any invitations to preference or being cut from their favorites. But there was no public crying back then. For sure many likely went back to their dorm rooms, closed the door, and cried there. Rush back then was every bit as emotional as it is now but emotions kept in check in public.