Recruitment Story (Finally Sharing It) - Page 2

twinkle555 · #16 09-16-2009, 01:37 PM

Didnt see that coming!! Love your story

M.Pennybags · #17 09-16-2009, 05:21 PM

After an emotional start to the morning, I started getting for my two parties. While getting ready I had more time to think about the 5 sororities that hadn’t invited me back. I realized that I wasn’t too upset that Iron and Top Hat hadn’t invited me back because I knew the day before I wouldn’t have fit in to those chapters. I knew being part of Boot would have been really fun but the more I thought about it, I didn’t want to just join a sorority for the parties. Additionally, doing well academically was important to me and I knew balancing the party life and classes wouldn’t be easy for me. I was still bummed about Train and Race Car. I really saw myself fitting into those groups. I think the thing I was most frustrated about was that I was willing to give Race Car a second chance but they weren’t willing to give one to me. I still wasn’t sure if Greek life was for me, especially since 5 sororities didn’t think so, however I was going to stick with it for know and give it another shot. I decided to put all the negative thoughts behind me and stay positive for the parties I was going to that day. Out of the two groups I had left, Scottie Dog and Thimble, I wanted to be a Scottie Dog over a Thimble. Although I had good conversations at both, but the fact that Scottie Dog was a “better” sorority than Thimble made me want them more. I knew I would have to try very hard to impress Scottie Dog today. Once again I met up with my GRC to get my schedule of when during the day I would be attending my parties. I would attend Thimble first, would have a break and then would attend Scottie Dog. As bummed as I was about not having a full schedule, I was sort of relieved that I didn’t have to go to five parties. All the smiling and talking from the day before had been tiring.

Thimble- I didn’t feel nervous going into Thimble’s party, I wanted to be nice and polite but honestly wasn’t worried about being asked back or not. I know I talked to 2 maybe 3 sisters at this party but only remember one of the conversations. I don’t think the conversations were bad, just not memorable.The conversation I do remember was a great conversation. She had asked me about my winter break and I told her I spent most of my breaking working at a bookstore. This led us into a long conversation about our favorite books and authors. (Kind of a nerdy topic, but it was nice to have an intellectual conversation with someone). Day 2 of recruitment at Monopoly University was skit day, so part of the party was spent watching a skit. Unfortunately the skit was kind of lame. It was something like Real World-Thimble or Real World- Monopoly University. “This is the story of 6 Thimbles picked to live in a house….”. I think the message was something about how the sisters were all different but got a long or something. The only part I liked was that a Thimble I knew from club lacrosse was in a skit and she played this ditzy surfer thimble (which was pretty funny). To make matters worse a few Thimbles got up and sang the Jessica Simpson “Nothing but my t-shirt on” but changed the lyrics to “Nothing but my Jersey on”. I am not a big pop music fan, especially Jessica Simpson, I was not happy with this. Despite having a great conversation, the skit left me feeling not so good about the Thimbles.

Scottie Dog- I went to Scottie dog nervous about making the right impression, I so desperately wanted to be asked back here. I got picked up by a very friendly and cool sister. She was involved with the drama group on campus and was a theater and history major. I’m not big into acting but was involved with some backstage work my senior year of high school (making props, building sets, stuff like that) so we had a conversation about that. We talked about other stuff and the conversation seemed to flow really well. The sisters then guided all the PNMS to sit down together on the floor to watch their skit. I was curious to see if maybe skits were lame in general and it wasn’t Thimbles fault for having a bad skit. Nope, Thimble just had an awkward skit. Instead of acting Scottie Dog did a song and dance routine, I think the theme was MTV music video awards. A few sisters did these nicely choreographed dances while the other sisters sang lyrics to the songs, but they changed them to be about Scottie Dog. (I wasn’t a fan of pop music but they did it in a fun and interesting way, so I was ok with it). After the skit the sisters came and picked the PNMs up. PNMs all around me were getting picked up and I stood there awkwardly waiting for my sister, where was she, did she forget who she was talking to, I started to panic a little bit. Finally the sister I had been talking to pushed through the crowd and got me. She apologized saying she had a hard time getting through everyone. We talked for just a little bit longer and then another sister came to talk to me. This sister was not very social or talkative. I ended up asking her a ton of questions and didn’t get to talk about myself very much. I really didn’t know what to say and we had some awkward silence. I kept wishing another sister would come by or that the party would end. The party ended and I was so relieved to go. I left to party worried that my painful conversation with the second sister would ruin my chance of being invited back to Scottie Dog.

Overall the day was ok. I was enjoying getting to talk to people and the skits were interesting. However, I still wasn’t 100% sure what being in a sorority was all about and I still wasn’t convinced that being Greek was really for me. Especially because Go, Jail and Free Parking wouldn't be going Greek.

Day 3 tomorrow…

twinkle555 · #18 09-17-2009, 12:03 AM

So hooked

M.Pennybags · #19 09-17-2009, 08:19 PM

Luckily, for Day 3 we didn’t have to wake up nearly as early to meet with our GRC. I anxiously walked to our meeting spot to see what sororities had invited me back. My GRC showed me my list and it read-

Thimble

I was disappointed to see that things once again hadn’t turned out they way I wanted. However, I wasn’t nearly as shocked or upset as I had been the previous day. This time I had emotionally prepared myself in case Scottie Dog had released me. Now I had a decision to make, should I drop out of recruitment or should I continue with the process? I decided that I was going to give it one last shot today. If I wasn’t convinced that Greek life and Thimble were for me then I would drop out and that would be the end of it.

I returned back to my dorm to get ready for my one party. Go to Jail had a full party schedule that day, she had been invited back to Boot, Thimble and Train.

Thimble- Day 3 of recruitment was the slide show day. I really loved the theme Thimble had for their slide show day; it was a 50’s drive thru theme. When we watched the slide they even gave us root beer floats. I finally got to see my RA this day, I didn't talk to her for a long time but she came by gave me a hug and said Hi while I was talking to another sister. She told me she was sorry she hadn't talked to me yet this week. She told me she was so happy I was back at Thimble! During the party,I talked to two sisters and enjoyed talking to both of them. We actually got beyond the small talk and the sisters talked about their experience in Thimble and how much they loved being a Thimble. Both these sisters seemed so genuine and honest about their feelings towards Thimble, I was touched to see how important Thimble was to them. I really loved watching the slide show; it showed me how many fun socials and sisterhood events Thimble had. The sister that sat with my during the slide show, explained the photos to me and see talked to excitedly about the different events. At the end of the slide show she told me that she loved all the events Thimble had but the most important thing to her was the friendships she had formed with her sisters, she said her sisters were always there for her when she needed and they accepted her for who she was. Watching the slide show and listening to this Thimble it finally hit me, I wanted be part of this, I wanted to go to theme parties, I wanted to go to sisterhood events, I wanted to have these friendships and I wanted to find a place where I belonged. I wanted to be Greek; I wanted to be a Thimble! When it was time to leave the Thimbles sang their chant, it was very catchy and one of the lines had something about wanting to be a Thimble. I left the room with the song stuck in my head and a smile on my face.

LucyKKG · #20 09-17-2009, 08:45 PM

Aww yay! Good for you for giving it another shot!

jentopianfir · #21 09-17-2009, 08:50 PM

I love this story! I can't wait to see how it ends.

twinkle555 · #22 09-18-2009, 01:19 AM

aww yay! Cant wait for the endinnnnnggg

pearlbubbles · #23 09-18-2009, 02:58 PM

I'm happy to hear that you've stuck it out and are excited about Thimble! Can't wait for the ending!

M.Pennybags · #24 09-19-2009, 11:42 AM

When I got back to my dorm my excitement for Thimble hadn’t faded. In fact the more I thought about Thimble to more I wanted to be a Thimble. I realized that in high school I was never one to worry about popularity, I surrounded myself with great people and because of that I had formed true and lasting friendships. I knew Thimble would be a lot like this, so what if their stereotype was the “fat girls”, it was only a stereotype and it wasn’t really true. They seemed like great girls and somewhere I would form great friendships.

The next day was pref night. We would get our party invites in the afternoon and then go to our parties in the evening. For the first time during recruitment I was nervous and worried that I would not get an invite from Thimble. Things had not gone my way the first two days, what would make today different. I met up with my GRC and….

Thimble invited me back to pref!

I was so happy to see Thimble still wanted me back. I knew during pref I needed to let the sisters know that I was interested in being a Thimble.
Go to Jail had been invited back to Boot and Thimble. She told me the Thimbles had been so nice to her the whole week and could see me being a Thimble. However, she really wanted to be a Boot. Go to Jail and I got dressed up in our cocktail dresses. Free parking even curled my hair for me and did my makeup. Go and Free Parking decided they wanted to dress up too, so they got dressed up and went to a fancy steak house together.

Thimble Pref- All the other groups on campus wore black for pref night. Thimble instead wore all different dresses in their color. It made the room so cherry and bright and showed the uniqueness of the chapter. Going to pref at Thimble only reinforced my feelings for this chapter. I talked to one of the sisters and another sister I hadn’t talked to during the week. They told me stories about their experience in Thimble and told me that I would make a great Thimble. I told the sister I had talk to earlier in the week how much I enjoyed being at their parties this week and could tell the girls in the chapter were very genuine. A few sisters got up in front of everyone and told their stories, their words were very touching. Last there was a very nice ceremony and I left the party with good feelings about Thimble. Right after the party I walked to the auditory where I signed my pref card. I hoped that the next day I would be a Thimble.

OPhiAGinger · #25 09-19-2009, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by M.Pennybags

Free parking even curled my hair for me and did my makeup. Go and Free Parking decided they wanted to dress up too, so they got dressed up and went to a fancy steak house together.

I love these girls. I just love the way they bounced back from their own disappointments, supported M.Pennybags as she got ready for pref, and then went off to have a great time themselves.

Go, Thimble! And, assuming M.Pennybags is a healthy weight herself, she can help break this nasty fat-girl stereotype when she becomes a Thimble.

M.Pennybags · #26 09-19-2009, 09:45 PM

On Bid Day we would receive a call on our room phone from our GRC. She would let us know whether we got a bid or not. They wouldn’t tell us where the bid was from, but because I only had gone to one pref, I would know. It was a funny sight on my hall; girls would jump sky high when any phone rang. Finally my phone rang, I ran inside my room to pick it up.…

I answered the phone, “Hello this is M. Pennybags”

“This is your GRC, I wanted to let you know you received a bid. All the girls that have gotten bids will meet at 4 in Park Place building where the bids will be handed out. See you then”

I got a bid! I got a bid! I ran out in the hall to tell my friends. I knew the bid had to be from Thimble. I wanted bid day activities to start right away but I would have to wait a few hours. Go to Jail got a call too, she had attended two pref parties and had ranked both sororities so she didn’t know if she was a Boot or a Thimble. When it was time we walked to Park Place building to get our bids. Everyone was handed their envelopes by their GRC but we were not allowed to open them. We had to sit on them while our GRCs revealed what chapter they were in. My GRC was a Top Hat. Then it was time on the count of three everyone would open their envelopes….

One…

Two…

Three…

I opened mine and it said
“The sisters of Thimble cordially invite Miss M. Pennybags to join our sisterhood”

I was ecstatic! Thimble liked me for who I was and wanted me to be part of their sisterhood.
There was tons of excitement, screaming, yelling and hugging going on in the room after the envelopes were opened, I looked around and saw some girls crying too. I was glad I had gotten through my tears earlier in the week. After envelopes were open girls started leaving the room and heading outside of the building where sisters from each sorority were waiting outside with balloons and signs. Once I spotted the Thimbles I ran towards them where I was greeted with tons of hugs. They lead us up to the quad where the rest of the sisters were waiting with t-shirts for all of us new members. My RA spotted me and screamed, “I knew you would be a Thimble!” (Side note my RA eventually became by Big Sister). The rest of bid day was wonderful. We hung out in Thimble’s housing, got to learn cheers and had our first pledge meeting. Then we all went roller-skating. I got to meet fellow pledges and sisters that were just as goofy as me. By the end of the night I was worn out but as happy as could be. Thimble’s bid day theme was Wizard of OZ and the slogan on our bid day shirt was “There’s no place like home”. The slogan couldn’t have been more fitting because I truly had found my home at Monopoly University.

My friends- Go to Jail received a bid to Boot. Free Parking received a call on Bid Day from her GRC to let her know that Race Car wanted to offer her a Snap Bid, Free Parking declined; she said she didn’t want a bid from a sorority that cut after 1 day. Free Parking had made up her mind and never joined a sorority. I remained good friends with Free Parking my 4 years at Monopoly University. I think the groups on campus missed out on having a beautiful, fun and confident women as one of their members. My roommate Go worked hard to improve her grades and rushed as a sophomore. She attended Train and Boot on pref night. She had a very hard time deciding between the two but joined Boot because she already knew a lot of girls in Boot. Jail wanted to rush again as a sophomore but once again didn’t have the GPA to rush. I didn’t really stay friends with Jail, she partied too much and didn’t care about school. I don’t know if she even graduated.

Stay tunned for some parting word of advice and little bit more about my experience as a Thimble.

thetygerlily · #27 09-19-2009, 09:54 PM

Sounds like a fantastic bid day! I'm looking forward to hearing the rest of your experience, not to mention identifying the GLO!

M.Pennybags · #28 09-19-2009, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OPhiAGinger

Go, Thimble! And, assuming M.Pennybags is a healthy weight herself, she can help break this nasty fat-girl stereotype when she becomes a Thimble.

M. Pennybags was and is a fit and healthy weight. She loves running and playing sports.

twinkle555 · #29 09-20-2009, 12:50 AM

Yay for Thimble!!! Now..just who IS Thimble?!

CougarGrad · #30 09-20-2009, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by M.Pennybags

I was so happy to see Thimble still wanted me back. I knew during pref I needed to let the sisters know that I was interested in being a Thimble.
Go to Jail had been invited back to Boot and Thimble. She told me the Thimbles had been so nice to her the whole week and could see me being a Thimble. However, she really wanted to be a Boot. Go to Jail and I got dressed up in our cocktail dresses. Free parking even curled my hair for me and did my makeup. Go and Free Parking decided they wanted to dress up too, so they got dressed up and went to a fancy steak house together.

This is such a great paragraph. I love how Free Parking and Go weren't letting their disappointments get them down- their friends were getting dressed up, so they helped and got dressed up and made a night of it, too.

Hooray for you and Thimble!! Can't wait to hear the epilogue!