Remembering Spring '11 Recruitment

[aab225]

more more more!

[beebee21]

So I just tried to post about Day 3, but GC logged me out and I forgot to save it first. SHOOT! I'll do it tomorrow. Sorry guys!

[anchorlove]

I can't wait to read it! I'm so excited for you!

[beebee21]

Day 3 was our last all day round. Classes would be resuming the next day. This was a dressy day, somewhere between a job interview and a cocktail party. I went with a white blouse kind of tank top with a black skirt, black cardigan and patterned tights. The tights were a big conversation piece and a little taste of my personal style. Why am I giving you all this detail? Well, for the PNMs reading, use this as a small piece of advice. Dress appropriately, of course, but be sure to add that little flare of your personality and style. If you feel cute and confident in what you're wearing, the girls are going to be drawn to you!

On to the story...

I got a call from my orientation/RC group friend saying she had been told by our RC not to come in until 12. She was a little freaked out and sure that she had been cut from multiple chapters. I nervously waited for my phone to ring too, but it didn't. So, I braved the cold on my own and went to the hotel. When I arrived, I saw lots of sad looking girls, especially in my RC group. The girl I sat next to was looking at her schedule and shaking her head. "I'm dropping," I heard her say. PNMs, DON'T DO THIS! Trust the system! At least finish recruitment and give the chapters a fair chance.

I opened up my schedule and found I had been asked to five (the max for the day)!
Blueberry
Blackberry
Kiwi
Apple
Raspberry

I had been asked back to the chapters I kept from the day before! I was thrilled, but I tried to contain my excitement in hopes of not further upsetting the girl next to me.

First party was Blueberry. When I walked in, I was greeted by a girl I had talked to briefly before. She told me she was so happy to see me back, and I felt bad for not remembering her name. We were seated and talked about school and our majors and then the conversation kind of delved into the social aspects of the chapter. I knew these were girls who loved to party, but consistently kept it classy and had a very high chapter GPA. These were my kind of ladies! All very impressive, the types of women you know are going to be important in the future. We watched a cute video about their sisterhood. I talked to quite a few girls that day and I left feeling like I could see myself there, still.

Next was Blackberry. These girls had on what I still consider the cutest outfits of the entire recruitment. They were all wearing short dresses in their sorority's color (can't tell you which color for obvious reasons), navy cardigans with their letters, brown boots and a brown belt. I was in love! They all looked so adorable and collegiate and they seemed so confident in their outfits. Their theme was really cute and the video went along perfectly. It was so amazing how they had formed such a strong sisterhood in only a semester. They had pictures from past events that looked really fun, and everyone seemed so proud of the video. The girl I talked to the majority of the time is a girl I knew I wanted to stay in touch with no matter what happened. She was one of the greatest girls I met in recruitment. We clicked instantly, and she really made me want to be a Blackberry. I left really loving the chapter, and feeling like I was going to have a really tough decision to make that night.

The third party was Kiwi. Because it was now half-way through recruitment, all of the chapters switched rooms so that everyone got a chance to use the bigger ballrooms. Kiwi had moved to a really large room for this day, and their theme was amazing. The way everything was decorated was truly impressive. I don't remember the video we watched very clearly, I just remember that it was brief. The girl I talked to wasn't a great recruiter. She was nice enough, but we really had nothing in common. She made it clear she took her religion very seriously, too, and while that doesn't bother me, it's not really something I am interested in or invested in, and I didn't think it was a very appropriate recruitment topic. She also talked a lot about her boyfriend. All in all, it was awkward. I talked to another girl after her who was kind of sassy. At first I liked that about her, but it got old and I found it rude by the end. I left unimpressed by the chapter, and a little disappointed, since I had had a pretty good time the first two days.

I was thrilled that Raspberry was next. It was just what I needed to get that bad taste from Kiwi out of my mouth (no pun intended :P). The room was set up with chairs in the front facing a screen, and tables to stand at in the back. I had heard earlier that day from some girls in my RC group that the Raspberries were seating the girls they were planning on inviting to pref night in the chairs and escorting the girls they were likely going to cut to the tables in the back. I wasn't sure how much truth there was behind this, but I remember being so relieved when I was seated for the video. I was greeted by the girl from the day before's little, and I was happy to see her. The video was really cute, a mix between a slide show and bits of video from events the year before. It made all of us laugh, and I liked that they hadn't gone the sappy route. After the video, I was escorted to the back tables and I got very nervous. A group of seniors came to talk to me, and I discovered that one of them knew my cousins, and I felt better once the connection had been made. Again, it was so easy to talk to these girls. We all laughed and carried on like we were old friends, and I knew I belonged. I was sad to leave the party after the 45 minutes flew by.

Last of the long day was Apple. The girl who greeted me at the door was really sweet and fun to talk to. However, we quickly ran out of topics to discuss, as it became clear we had very little in common. The president came over again to say hello, which I thought showed a lot of interest on their part, which I appreciated. We watched their video and it was sweet and sappy, but really showed how important this chapter was to all of its members. These girls were not afraid to show just how much they adored their sorority, and they wanted everyone else to feel that way too. I knew a lot of girls were liking this sorority, but I just wasn't feeling any kind of connection to it. When the party was over, I knew most of the decision making would be easy, but there was one little bump that I was going to have to figure out.

Pref night required us to drop from 5 to 2. I already knew Raspberry made that list of two, and that Apple and Kiwi did not. It came down to Blueberry and Blackberry. I had grown to really love both of them, and wasn't sure how to decide who to choose. In the end, I decided on Blueberry because while the idea of being the Beta class had its appeal, I knew I wanted more history and stability in a chapter.

The top two were unranked, but you know how I felt.
Raspberry
Blueberry

Then we ranked our bottom three.
1. Blackberry
2. Apple
3. Kiwi


That night I was happy to find my roommate was back. She was excited to hear all about how recruitment was going, and because I had not heard of GreekChat at the time, she served as my diary for all of this.

I also found out that my friend who had gotten the call not to come in until noon did still have five chapters, she just had all late parties.

The next night was pref, and I couldn't believe I would have to wait so long to find out. I already knew there was no way I was going to be able to concentrate the next day.

[Lady Pi]

Please post the rest!

[BadRomance]

Please do! I can't wait to hear about pref night!

[victoriana]

Your outfit sounds really cute! What kind of pattern was on the tights? I can't wait to hear the rest

[cirquedudream]

awwwwwwwwwwwwwww =/ i hate when that happens!

[beebee21]

The tights had like a rose pattern on them. I'm kind of obsessed <3 They're from Urban Outfitters I believe... they make the best patterned tights every winter!

[beebee21]

The day of Pref Night was crazy! I tried really hard to focus since it was the first day of the semester, but my mind was completely preoccupied with what was potentially going to happen that night. I felt good about Raspberry and Blueberry, but I knew nothing in recruitment was sure. I tried not to get my hopes up, but it was so hard not to! I knew I'd still be happy if Blackberry was on my schedule tonight, too, so I felt like my odds were good.

Finally, it was 7:30 PM and I could go to the hotel! My first party started at 8, but I wanted to be a little bit early so I would have time to gussy up and calm my nerves before pref night officially began.

Walking to my seat that night was the most nerve-wracking walk of all. There were only going to be 1 or 2 chapters on my schedule, and hopefully one of those was going to be my new home in less than 24 hours.

I took a deep breath as I stood in front of my chair, fishing the schedule out of my name tag. It wasn't there. My heart sank.

I looked around nervously for my RC, but I couldn't find her. Had this all been a mistake? Was she supposed to call me and let me know all 5 chapters had decided to drop me? What had I done?

Finally, I spotted her and told her what was going on. She told me they hadn't handed out the pref schedules yet, I suspected just to make all of us panic a little bit longer. She handed mine to me and smiled.

Raspberry
Blueberry

I was so excited! I quickly rushed to the PNM bathroom with some friends and we re-applied our make up and checked our dresses. It was cocktail attire that night, and all of the sisters were dressed so beautifully in black dresses. Everyone looked like a supermodel, and while it was intimidating, I was starting to feel like pretty soon I was going to get to be a part of the glamour and the sisterhood! The pref parties would be an hour each, and Blueberry was up first.

Because each chapter shares a ritual at pref night, I will not go in to much detail about what happened at these parties because these rituals are sacred and I respect that very much. I will, however, tell you about how incredible the sisterhood of both chapters was that night, and how I felt more emotional that night than I had since my high school graduation.

Blueberry was decorated absolutely beautifully. I was preffed by a girl I had not talked to before, and I felt a little disappointed it wasn't someone I had built a relationship with already. She told me all the wonderful things she had heard about me, and how excited she was to pref me. They handed us each four notes. Two of mine were written by girls I had gotten to know, and two were written by girls I hadn't had the pleasure of meeting, but who were eager to have me in their sisterhood anyway. We were all presented by name to the chapter, and I couldn't help feeling like it was so natural for my name to be with theirs. I looked around realizing some of these girls might be in my pledge class. A sister got up and told a funny and tearful story about what the sisterhood had meant to her. The girls laughed through their tears, and the genuine emotion I saw was extremely compelling. I felt so comfortable in this group, and when the party was over, I felt like I was already a part of it. I left feeling extremely emotional, because I had felt so sure of who I was going to choose as my number one before the party, but now I knew I would really have to think seriously about it.

We had about ten minutes between parties, but I didn't feel the need to primp before Raspberry. Not because I didn't care, but because I felt like it didn't matter to them if my make-up was perfect or if my hair was a little out of place. I had already started to feel like these girls were my sisters over the last few days, and I felt accepted by them. When I walked in, the girls were singing softly, and I was greeted by the girl from the second day, the one I had absolutely adored. I was so excited she was going to pref me! The theme was definitely different than the previous party, but was still beautiful and fun! A senior got up to tell a story about what the sisterhood meant to her, and her story was so incredibly touching that even I started to tear up, and I am not a crier. I didn't even know these girls, but her story was so amazing and showed so clearly how much love everyone had for each other, that it was hard not to be moved. She said something very profound that I have never forgotten. "When you're a Raspberry, you stop referring to each other as your sorority sisters, because there's no difference between the sisters your parents gave you and the sisters sitting in this room." They all nodded in agreement and clapped, and I knew this was it. I had known since day one and I was still sure of it that Raspberry was exactly where I wanted to be. I really did love Blueberry but I felt like I had to go with my instincts.

I thought about it carefully as I walked back to the PNM room and waited in line for a computer to open up. I was pretty sure I had made my decision, and was ready to rank. Since the next night was bid night, we ranked our remaining two sororities.

1. Raspberry
2. Blueberry

Because we were at the hotel so late, the public transportation had stopped running. Panhel had provided bus shuttles to take us from from the hotel back to the dorms. I sat next to my orientation/RC group friend. She had been to the same two pref parties as me that night, and we had ranked them the same. We were excited at the prospect of being sisters.

"You're going to be a Raspberry," she said. "I've been telling you that since day 1."

I just smiled. I hoped she would be right, but I knew either way, I was going to end up somewhere I loved, even if I loved Raspberry a little bit more passionately. I trusted the system, so far it had steered me in the right direction. We were giddy and chatty all the way home, and that night I slept better than I had in a long time.

[gaangel5]

OMG, you are killing me. Hurry up with bid day!!!

[crosscaravan]

Ahh! I just sat down and read all of this and -- oh my gosh. I can't wait to see how things turn out on Bid Day! You're a wonderful writer.

[BadRomance]

Omg! I want to know who you got a bid from!!!!

[pnmin2010]

My goodness I can't wait to hear about your sure to be happy ending!!

[beebee21]

Bid Day was EXCRUCIATING. It didn't start until 6 PM and I had only one class that day. The snow was really coming down outside, and after my class I went to my room and stared out the window, still mesmerized at the concept of snow. I was trying to think about anything else, but I couldn't. I decided my best option was to go to sleep until it was time to get up and get ready, because my thoughts were racing so much I couldn't stand being awake.

Of course I dreamt about bid night. I dreamt that I walked in to the ballroom and was immediately crowded by the Blueberries. They handed me my bid and excitedly welcomed me. I was happy, but not ecstatic. I knew I'd learn to love them the way I loved Raspberry, but I couldn't help feeling disappointed. When I woke up, I was completely disoriented. I had no idea if it had been a dream or not. When I checked my phone, it was 4:30, so I decided to get up and start getting ready.

I downloaded two backgrounds for my phone. One was Blueberry themed with their mascot, and one was Raspberry themed. I decided as soon as I got my bid, I would apply one and delete the other. My 21st century version of symbolism...

Bid Day was on campus. I walked with my orientation friend and two other girls from her floor. We talked about who we had preffed and found all four of us had preffed Raspberry number one. We arrived and sat in our RC groups. One of my RC's walked around the circle with a big smile, handing each of us an envelope with our name on it. She told us we had to sit on them until everyone in the room had their bid (all 600 of us). I couldn't take it. I felt like the bid was burning under me. I NEEDED to open it!!! After what felt like hours, the RC's announced we could open our bids.

I opened mine very carefully, knowing I would want to preserve the envelope with the bid card. I pulled the card out of the envelope and saw the crest in all its colorful splendor of.....


















you ready?






























RASPBERRY!!!!











aka













DELTA GAMMA!




I started screaming and looked over to see my orientation friend was holding the same bid card! We ran over to our group and put on our bid day shirts. I sat with my new sisters and watched the RC's do their reveal. Turned out, the one who gave me my bid card was also a DG! I was so excited! The girl from my high school that I took the cab with the night before recruitment started was there, as well as the two other girls I had walked over with. We were all beside ourselves knowing we were now new members of Delta Gamma. I was initiated in March and my sisters are extremely dear to me. I love my home in DG, and feel very lucky to have ended up in the sorority I loved from the start. I met my big on bid night. We had a party with pizza and cake, and I felt so at home.

Of course after recruitment was over I got extremely sick from the lack of sleep and food (and the weather probably didn't help either.) My new sisters brought me cupcakes in DG colors two days after bid day! I knew then that we really were brought together to be sisters at heart.

ITB to any Deegs reading. I LOVE DG! <3