Retro Recruitment

[dgdramadawg]

We just got our invites for round three (house tours). I have only been invited to four out of the possible six:

Dolly Levi
Janet Weiss
Kate Monster
Cora Hooper

I'm back at the dorm right now because I don't have a party first thing this morning. I'm really surprised and upset that I was cut by my top three houses (Margo Channing, Magnolia Hawkins, and Babe Williams). It makes me really nervous about what my pref schedule will look like because I only have two houses left that I would consider pledging and I'm not even totally sure yet about them. Today I am going to be putting my best foot forward with Dolly Levi and Janet Weiss so I can really get a feel for whether I will be happy in either (or both) of those houses.

I wonder who is going back to Margo Channing and Magnolia Hawkins instead of me. I hope they are happy there.

[violetpretty]

Oh no! Well sometimes it's the chapters that you initially feel so-so about that you really end up liking in the end.

[IvySpice]

So which houses are out of the running at this point?

[FSUZeta]

please......give us a break and post some more.

[dgdramadawg]

Sorry to keep you in suspense... I'm not going to reveal who is out of the running yet because there are so few chapters left. "Tomorrow" is prefs, though, so recruitment is almost over!

JANET WEISS: Their house is big and pretty, but the conversation was more and more awkward today. I just don't know that I am a fit here. The girls are nice and I could see myself being friends with a few of them, but I just don't feel like I fit in with the majority of the girls. I think I would have to change myself to be happy in this house and I don't think it is worth it just to be in a "popular" sorority. The girls on my hall and in my rho chi group insist that this is the "best" house I have left, but the more I see of it, the more I think it is just not for me.

DOLLY LEVI: The house was really, really pretty (definitely the prettiest I saw today!) and I really liked the girl who took me on the tour. I could be happy here... I don't feel a connection as strong as what I felt at Margo Channing or Magnolia Hawkins, but I feel like this is a place where I could be me. I also think I have met enough girls to know that if the rumors I heard during round one are true, they are indicative of a very small group of sisters.

KATE MONSTER: I just don't think I would be happy here. The whole tour, I just kept thinking that it seemed okay for other people but not for me. Two of my good friends from high school are 100% sure that this is the only house for them, but the girl who took me on the tour today mentioned the house's religious leanings multiple times and she didn't seem happy when I asked how it worked for sisters who were not part of that religion.

CORA HOOPER: One girl talked to three of us again and it is just so hard to get to know people like that. The house was smaller than the others, it seemed, but they also have less girls in the chapter than the other houses I visited today, so it makes sense not to have a giant house. It's just not right for me.

ROUND THREE RANKINGS:
1. Dolly Levi
2. Janet Weiss
3. Kate Monster
4. Cora Hooper

One of my friends dropped out today because Magnolia Hawkins cut her and I am starting to worry that I will get cut by everyone. All the houses seem so picky and girls who are so beautiful and nice in my rush group are dropping out because they are getting cut by houses they like and there is a rumor that a lot of girls have been cut by every single house at this point. The only girls I know of who had full schedules today are not interested in the same houses as me at ALL. My friend in the dorm tells me that it is not important to think about how many parties I have on my schedule as long as I have parties that I want on her schedule... but it's easy for her to say when she visited her six top choices today.

[susan314]

I'm glad we know in advance that you have a happy ending...otherwise, I'd be starting to get nervous for you!

Go Dolly Levi!

[UGAalum94]

I can't wait to hear the rest of the story. You are doing a great job!

[violetpretty]

Well Hello, Dolly!

[dgdramadawg]

PLOT TWIST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Did I mention that my Mom is a member of Dolly Levi? Well, she got "the call" that I'm sure every alum dreads last night... Dolly Levi called her to let her know that they were cutting me and that I would not be attending prefs with them. She called me as soon as she could to let me know because she knew that Dolly Levi was really the only house I was interested in that I had left.

I thought about it for a while and decided to call Caroline early this morning, before the rest of my rush group met her. I told her that I had decided to drop out of recruitment because Dolly Levi had cut me. She seemed very surprised and told me that she didn't see why I wanted to drop out when I had two pref parties on my schedule for today (Janet Weiss and Cora Hooper). I told her that I knew I was not going to fit in with either of the houses, so I didn't see the point in going to prefs. Caroline asked me if I wanted to COB and I told her I just didn't care anymore. I am so angry and upset that this did not work out for me because I feel like I did nothing wrong and was punished for it. (But of course I have to wonder if I would have found my "home" during formal if I had already dropped 20 lbs like I ended up doing my freshman year, not worn a homemade dress to round one, and gotten recs for every house. Hey, I was naive.)

While my dormmates, what's left of my rush group, and my friends from high school are enjoying bid day tomorrow, I will be going to an audition for my first mainstage university play. I am glad that I won't be missing auditions for bid day. I always thought I would go Greek, but I guess sorority life just isn't for me.

[CZAXOTerp]

OK- you CAN'T leave us hanging on this one- you have to continue!

also did you get the part in the play?

[violetpretty]

At least we know you're not done and your story has a happy ending or else I'd be sad! Where did your friends end up pledging?

[mystikchick]

Originally Posted by dgdramadawg

While my dormmates, what's left of my rush group, and my friends from high school are enjoying bid day tomorrow, I will be going to an audition for my first mainstage university play. I am glad that I won't be missing auditions for bid day. I always thought I would go Greek, but I guess sorority life just isn't for me.

oh no! like jess said, i'm so glad we already know this has a happy ending or this would be truly sad! but how interesting that both you and susan wind up with similar experiences thus far (being cut, dropping out, yet ultimately finding your home )

[susan314]

Yeah, I'm definitely glad that we already know you have a happy ending. Otherwise, I'd be struggling to figure out the right thing to say - we all know that a woman can have a perfectly wonderful college experience even if sorority life isn't in the cards for her, but its hard for a bunch of sorority women to try to convey that online without sounding insincere!

I'd imagine it must have been heartbreaking to get down to the end, have only your mom's house left as one that you really feel strongly about, and then get dropped. But I'm thinking happy thoughts, and I'm curious to hear how the story ends!


P.S. I figured out which chapter Babe Williams is. You made a recent post in another thread that gave it away.

[violetpretty]

I did kind of know it was coming since she did mention that she pledged as a sophomore in some other random post that I stumbled upon...but I thought I'd play along anyway. I think I know which one is DG and I definitely knew it was coming when I saw the round 3 invite list.

[dgdramadawg]

Well, I could keep going day by day, but it would take way too long, so here's the summary of events between prefs my freshman year and my decision to rush again.

I tried out for the fall plays, got callbacks for two of them, and was cast in the show I really wanted a part in (a small speaking part, but by comparison only two other freshman girls were cast in any of the shows and neither of them had lines). On my hall, a lot of the girls pledged Marian Paroo and Carrie Pipperidge. My friend on my hall who really guided me through the process pledged Eliza Doolittle. Two of my friends from high school pledged Kate Monster, two pledged Magnolia Hawkins, one pledged Eliza Doolittle, and one pledged Roxie Hart.

Time passed that fall and spring as I performed in that first college play, assistant directed another, and did another show that summer (not at the university). I met a girl who was an alum of the Anne Egerman chapter who was also in my show. She was really surprised to hear that I had dropped out of recruitment and encouraged me to go through recruitment again in the fall. I told her that I really didn't want to deal with the cuts again, and she noted that my involvement on campus might make it easier for me this time. However, I was already slated to direct a show, produce two others, and take 18 credits in the fall. I decided too much was on my plate to pledge, anyway. I was happy without Greek life (even though I secretly wished I could do both).

However, I kept in mind what the Anne Egerman alum had said and happened to run into my Roxie Hart friend in the late fall of my sophomore year, right before finals. She told me all about how happy she was as a member of Roxie Hart and how surprised she was that I had not joined a sorority. I told her a little bit about my story (and about the favorites who dropped me during recruitment). She suggested that I go through recruitment in January because it was low-pressure, I wouldn't have to attend parties for chapters I was not interested in, and several of my favorites from freshman year would be participating.

I really thought about it over winter break and when I came back, I stopped by Greek Life in between classes the first week of spring semester and filled out the form to go through spring recruitment. I was told that the houses participating would be:
Magnolia Hawkins
Margo Channing
Cora Hooper
Dolly Levi
Babe Williams
Kate Monster

Alright, now you're caught up. I'm now going into 19-year-old me voice.

I am supposed to get invitations to events within the next couple of days. Let's cross our fingers that I get a second chance with Magnolia, Margo, or Babe!