A senior's throwback recruitment story

[2ndSemesterSnr]

(To clarify, I'm not rushing as a senior. I rushed as a freshman.)

Its late on a saturday night and I can't sleep. I'm about to start my last semester of college and I've got millions of thoughts running through my head. I keep thinking back to my freshman year, when my life really began. I'm so sad that this amazing part of my life is about to be over. So instead of crying on my keyboard while I look through old facebook photo albums of my freshman year, and looking up sorority recruitment/bid day videos on youtube that aren't even from my chapter, I thought it might be a little bit more therapeutic to tell the story of how I ended up where I am right now.

If you had told my 18 year old self that I would eventually go on to join the most amazing organization of women I could possibly dream of, serve in several major leadership roles in my chapter, and have over 100 women that I truly feel I can call my friends, I would have just stared at you wide eyed and jaw dropped.

Before college, I was just the picture of average. I had an average gpa, average friends, average everything. But I was determined to be more. I somehow managed to secure recs to every single house on campus, though I wasn't a legacy to anywhere. I was about to head off for college across the country where I knew absolutely no one, and I was filled with a mix of excitement, anxiety, and nausea. I couldn't wait.

So I take you back to the fall of 2010 for formal recruitment.

There are 11 sororities at my school, and they will henceforth be known as:

Red Delicious
Gala
Honeycrisp
Braeburn
Golden Delicious
Granny Smith
Fuji
Pink Crisp
McIntosh
Ginger Gold
Ambrosia

Yes, apples. Don't ask why. Its the middle of the night (morning) and I'm sort of delirious.

To give you a little bit more of a backstory, like I said I had recs to every house. I had also spent an extensive amount of time on GreekChat learning the do's and don'ts of recruitment. I knew exactly what to expect. I knew what to say, and what not to say. I knew to keep my expectations low, my mind open, and my head high. Regrettably, I had spent quite a bit of time on college gossip/greek ranking websites, so I already knew the "tiers" and which houses were good and bad. But it was honestly just out of curiosity. I was fully prepared (and even expecting) for all of the "good" houses to drop me right away. Because why would all these extraordinary sororities want anything to do with an average nobody like me?

More to come ~

[2ndSemesterSnr]

The very first sorority I ever stepped into, which will always have a special place in my heart, was Red Delicious. I was so terrified I could have barfed right there on their sidewalk. I knew what to do, what to expect, but the social anxiety got the best of me. What if I couldn't hold the conversation? What if I said something dumb? What if they judged me? Before I walked in, I apparently gave my recruitment counselor a very terrified look. But when I walked out, she said I was all smiles. Well, it went great. It was so much easier than I expected. I was so worried that I would have to carry the conversation, something I wasn't very good at. But I of course didn't have to at all. We chatted and laughed, and before I knew it, the time was up.

The second house was Gala. Another house full of beautiful women. I felt so frumpy compared to these dolled up girls. Now, I'm not an ugly or frumpy girl by any means. But seeing these girls who looked literally flawless to me was very intimidating. Thankfully, the conversations weren't that stellar, otherwise I would have been completely overwhelmed by how amazing they were.

Next was Honeycrisp, a house I was so excited to go to. A women who wrote me a rec for this house got me very excited about it. And they definitely lived up to the hype. They were gorgeous (obviously) but I had some decent down to earth conversations as well.I left the house feeling pretty damn good.

Braeburn was the next house. I knew this was one of the "bottom" houses, so I finally felt like I could relax and not "put on a show" as I was doing at the other houses. Not that I wasn't being genuine, but after awhile its hard to force a smile and feign interest and excitement for the same questions over and over. I knew Braeburn wouldn't be judging me as much as the other houses were, so I just let loose a little bit. And to be honest, the conversations flowed more naturally. They weren't as exciting and peppy, but it felt like an actual realistic conversation with a person I just met.

The next house, Golden Delicious, was another house I was extremely excited about. Another women who wrote me a rec for this house gave me some amazing advice about recruitment in general, and she got me really excited but also more relaxed about the process. So I was really looking forward to visiting her house. And it was awesome. I also loved their philanthropy. The girls were drop dead gorgeous and seemed down to earth as well. They really knew how to carry a conversation and make it fun as well. It was easily one of my favorite houses. I left this house feeling dazzled.

Granny Smith was the next house. They were known as the "smart girls" who supposedly cut anyone who didn't have at least a 3.5 gpa. And with my very average 3.0 gpa, I assumed I would not be a contender. Nonetheless, I let myself have a great time and we had some easy, fun conversations. It was a lot like Braeburn in the sense that I felt like I didn't feel like I really needed to put my best foot forward in this house.

Fuji was another house similar to Granny Smith and Braeburn. I really loved this house. When I was inside, I felt like I was standing amongst girls who were just like me. I really felt like I belonged. The conversations were easy and I had something in common with every girl I talked to. To top it off, the girls were cute and their door song was stuck in my head the rest of the day.

Pink Crisp was a "top" house with a bad reputation, according to the girl standing next to me in line. I didn't let her comment get to me though, and I had a decent time inside. I remember the girl telling me a little bit about her recruitment experience, which was a bit different from mine because she was a legacy, and also knew many active sisters in several of the houses at the time. It made me nervous because I felt like I needed to have more connections than I already had.

Next was McIntosh, and holy cow were they loud. They were by far the loudest and peppiest girls of the bunch. And my recruitment group and so many other PNMs were absolutely obsessed with them. To be honest, I don't remember understanding what the big fuss was. It didn't seem genuine at all. Yes the girls were gorgeous. They were all tan, blonde and skinny. The house was stunning. The song was catchy. Their smiles were blindingly white, and everything looked adorable. But the conversations were completely forced and not fun at all. I didn't see what other people saw in this house other than superficial things.

Ginger Gold was the next house. I tried really hard to like them but I just didn't. I remember one of the girls who talked to me was 50% awkward and 50% rude. I don't exactly remember why, but I do remember that. They definitely weren't a house I was interested in going back to, even though I really wanted to like them.

My last house was Ambrosia. They were a lot like McIntosh except I actually enjoyed my conversation. One of the girls I talked to was so tall that I felt very intimidated. It was a good time though. I really like their house. It was adorable and definitely my style. The girls seemed nice, and were pretty without a doubt but it wasn't as memorable as some of the others.

And that was it! I was so exhausted, I couldn't wait to rank my choices and get back to my dorm. Unfortunately I encountered a lot of tent talk. We had to stand around a table and rank our houses and there were hundreds of girls chatting everywhere.

This is how I ranked them:
Top 8 (in no particular order):
Fuji
Golden Delicious
Braeburn
Honeycrisp
Red Delicious
Ambrosia
Gala
McIntosh

Bottom 3:
Ginger Gold
Granny Smith
Pink Crisp

Originally I had McIntosh and Pink Crisp switched. But some girl saw that I was ranking McIntosh in my bottom 3 and literally gasped. Then another girl asked me why I would rank them in my bottom when I "totally looked like a McIntosh girl" and the other girl agreed that she could totally picture me in that house.

So at the last minute I switched McIntosh and Pink Crisp. A big mistake, but will it affect my schedule the next day?

[carnation]

This former horticulture professor loves your apple groups!

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Love it! Thanks for sharing!

[2ndSemesterSnr]

The next day I was more scared and queasy than I had ever been. Waiting for my schedule was making me want to vomit. I just knew I was about to get dropped from almost every house. Why would I even want to rush? Of course these houses wouldn't want me. I'm just a nobody. I looked around at the other girls in my recruitment group. Those were the girls meant to be in a sorority. Not me.

But then my name was called. My recruitment counselor took one look and me and smiled. She handed me my schedule and laughed.

I had 7/8 houses. I started to laugh/cry and it was really embarrassing. I practically skipped back to the other girls standing around in my group. Some of them were crying. Only one girl got a full schedule. One was saying she was going to drop out because she "only" got five houses. The girl with the full schedule said something like, "Just be glad you don't have to go back to Braeburn or Ginger Gold. They were awful" Then they said some really snide remarks about a bunch of other houses. I tried to tune them out. But I still remember this conversation pretty well.

So without further ado, here is the schedule I had:

Honeycrisp
Golden Delicious
Braeburn
Ambrosia
Fuji
Red Delicious
Gala

Turns out the issue with Pink Crisp and McIntosh wasn't an issue at all, because I didn't get invited back to them. But I couldn't care less. I was walking on clouds. I was the happiest girl in all of the 1000 girls who were rushing. I was someone that these sororities might want. I was someone who could be their sister. I was someone.

[2ndSemesterSnr]

Honeycrisp- I really wanted to have a good time at this house because of how much I had liked it the day before, but it just wasn't as fun. Their song was cute and the girl was nice, but it just wasn't very fun. I enjoyed it, but not as much as I did before.

Golden Delicious- I was SO happy to be going back to this house. I was ready to be swept off my feet again. I loved it the day before and I loved it again. I had a great time and they were so nice. The girls who talked to me really made me feel special. I talked to a girl I had met the day before, and it was really nice not to have the same forced conversations over and over again.

Braeburn- I was completely fine with going back to this house, but it seemed like no one else was. I was so confused, if everyone hated this house so much then how do they even have members? It literally seemed like every girl hated them and wanted to stay as far away from this house as possible. However I wasn't as negative. I had a decent time the day before and I was determined to do so again. They were by no means my favorite house, but at least I had an opportunity to just relax and have a normal conversation with a girl who I wasn't intimidated by. Even in the houses I loved, the girls were so drop dead gorgeous that I couldn't help but be intimidated. But braeburn was known for having, um, not so drop dead gorgeous girls. So I just felt like I was having a conversation with a normal person.

Ambrosia- I was SO EXCITED to be going back to them! And to be honest, I let it get to my head a little bit. I couldn't believe a top house like them actually invited me back for another round. Once again they were completely gorgeous and fun. Their outfits were so cute and it was something I could really see myself wearing. As I was walking into this house, I pictured myself walking into it as I was walking home from class, and it just felt right. But at the same time, I was so nervous of them dropping me because of how great they are. Why me? There were so many other girls who seemed so much better than me who got dropped by them. It didn't make sense that I was being invited back. I had a great time here once again but I felt like I had to be on my toes. They could drop me at any time. I would be so lucky to be invited back.

Fuji- Once again I felt totally at home here. It was a lot like Ambrosia except the girls didn't look as intimidating. They really truly seemed like the girls next door. I did have one girl who rushed me that was a little bit rude, but I didn't let it affect how I saw this house. I really liked them a lot, and I met a girl who was basically my twin. We had so much in common. I really just wanted to be her best friend. I hoped I would be invited back again so I could talk to her more. I absolutely adored this house.

Red Delicious- This was definitely my favorite house of the day. They had the good looks of Ambrosia combined with the down to earthness of Fuji. Except it was waaaay more fun. We were hysterically laughing the whole time and cracking jokes and just having the best time ever. I talked to a girl I had talked to the day before and she seemed so happy to see me back. I absolutely loved them so much. They weren't a "top" house by the tent talk standards, but I thought they were the best girls in the world. And obviously I could fit in with them because we were having such an amazing time. I really felt like they saw something in me.

Gala- This house I just didn't understand. The tent talk was telling me that this house was one of the best, but I just wasn't feeling it. Yes, the girls were pretty, but the conversations were blah. I just couldn't get into it.

At the end of the day, my top 5 were (in no particular order)

Red Delicious
Fuji
Ambrosia
Braeburn
Golden Delicious


And bottom 2, in the order of most preferred:
1. Honeycrisp
2. Gala

[TriDeltaSallie]

Reading and enjoying!

[Phigirl04]

Loving the honesty in the story. Can't wait to hear where you ended up!

[2ndSemesterSnr]

It was house tours day. And I got it in my head that I was about to receive some heavy cuts. I had rec letters to every chapter, so maybe they were just keeping me for the required amount of time before they could drop me. (Something I knew from a sorority woman who helped me prepare for recruitment.) What if they didn't really love me as much as I thought? But when I didn't get the call from my recruitment counselor saying I had been dropped, I knew at least one house wanted to see me again. And even though I had an extremely open mind about recruitment, I was still worried that it would only be a "bottom" house that wanted me back. The thrill and validation I got when I was invited back to the "top" houses was unlike any compliment I had received before.

We could return to a maximum of 5 houses for house tours day. And I got 4/5!

Golden Delicious
Braeburn
Fuji
Ambrosia

But where the hell was Red Delicious?! There had to be some mistake. I KNEW they liked me. You can't fake that kind of laughter. We had such a fun time together. They couldn't have dropped me. Why would they?

But I looked at my schedule again and it looked okay. Those were all some of my favorites even from day 1.

A girl glanced over at my schedule and comforted me. She told me it would be okay, at least I still had 2 good houses on my schedule. I immediately got defensive and asked what she was talking about. She asked me why I would ever want to join Braeburn or Fuji, because those were obviously horrible chapters. I told her I had a good time at them and I wasn't disappointed whatsoever to see them on my schedule. But she told me that I would be better off joining Ambrosia or Golden Delicious. I told her I would make up my own mind. And I will never forget what she responded with- "Suit yourself. But don't come crying to me when you end up in the fat and weird house."

It still stung that Red Delicious had dropped me. But I had 4 amazing houses that liked me and I liked them. And that made it a little bit better.


I set off to go visit my 4 houses. The houses at my school are all so beautiful and unique so I was excited to finally get a tour of them.

The first was Golden Delicious. Their house was perfect. Exactly where I could see myself living. It was almost exactly how I would decorate my own house. And once again the girls were amazing. They were hilarious and down to earth and gorgeous. They really impressed me a lot and I had an amazing time. They kept telling me how much the other girls were talking about me and how they couldn't wait to meet me. They all even knew about the experience I had working with a philanthropy that was very similar to theirs. They seemed so impressed by me, and I was impressed by them. I had such a great time. They always left me wanting more.

Next was Braeburn. Throughout the week, I had been looking at this house as an opportunity to relax. I was never nervous before I went inside, because like I said on the first day, they weren't a house that I felt would be judging me. I never really got bored at Braeburn, but it just wasn't exciting. Their songs weren't as catchy and the girls weren't as smiley and peppy as the others. They didn't seem excited, so why should I? I was completely underwhelmed. Plus their house was old and kind of dark and dingy.

Fuji was the next house. Another house where I didn't feel like I needed to really impress them. But they were a little bit more fun and their physical house was much prettier. The girls were funny and down to earth and I was starting to really feel like home here. Something just clicked with these girls. It felt like I was surrounded by equals.

Lastly, I went to Ambrosia. After going to Braeburn and Fuji in a row, I was not looking forward to having to bring my A-game again. I could really relax in Braeburn and Fuji and I knew I couldn't in Ambrosia. I was so tired. I couldn't smile and laugh and sit up straight anymore. I just wanted to go home. But nonetheless, Ambrosia still dazzled me as usual. But I just wasn't sure if I could keep up with them anymore, let alone keep up with them for the next 4 years of my life.


The next day was preference, and we could return to a maximum of 2 houses. I came to a harsh realization that Ambrosia might not be the best fit for me. Yes they were gorgeous and ambitious and all around amazing- something I aspired to be, but I just didn't fit in with them. Being in their house, I felt like the awkward little sister who was just tagging along with the cool older girls. And that just wasn't a feeling I wanted to experience for the next 4 years.

But what about Golden Delicious, Braeburn and Fuji? My head was telling me to drop Braeburn but my heart was telling me to keep them. And unfortunately I went with my head.

1. Golden Delicious
2. Fuji

Bottom 2:
1. Braeburn
2. Ambrosia

[AOIILisa]

Waiting for the next installment!

[2ndSemesterSnr]

It was pref day. And I awoke with the worst feeling in the pit of my stomach. Something told me that I had been dropped from recruitment. I couldn't wait for my recruitment counselor to call me. I needed to hear it right now. So without even giving it a second thought or looking at the time, I called my recruitment counselor.

"Just tell me." I said. "I've been cut, haven't I?"

"No." She responded groggily. I had clearly just woken her up. "We got your schedules last night. You're fine."

"THANK YOU! SORRY! SEE YOU LATER" I screamed. I was almost there. I was going to preference.

Fast forward a few hours, we met up with our groups and our recruitment counselors. I apologized to mine again and she just laughed at me. She told me how funny I was and that she couldn't believe how nervous I have been. She pulled me aside to calm me down. I'm pretty sure she wasn't allowed to say this, but she did. She looked me in the eyes and said, "2ndsemestersnr, you're going to be in a sorority tomorrow. Don't worry."

I didn't believe her. But she handed me my schedule for pref and I was about to get the biggest wake up call of my life. It read:

1. Fuji
2. Braeburn

WHAT??? Golden Delicious dropped me?? But why?! They loved me! I know it! It was just like Red Delicious all over again. Why was this happening? I had two underwhelming houses to go to today. No more dazzling smiles and catchy songs and beautiful girls.

Now you have to understand this, before recruitment, I never even dreamed of being in the "top" house on campus. I had always assumed I would be in a "bottom" house, fit for an average girl like me. But recruitment played with my head. I started to believe I was something I wasn't. People told me how gorgeous I was, and that I would be a shoe-in for any sorority I wanted. And that made me want to be something I wasn't. It was confusing and overwhelming and in that one week, I lost almost all sense of who I was. But I think it was truly necessary, because that was when I started to figure out who I was. I was capable of being an extraordinary beautiful women, but I didn't want to force myself to be one in order to fit in with others. I realized that "top" houses didn't mean the girls weren't down to earth. And "bottom" houses didn't mean the girls weren't beautiful. There was something in every house to offer and I would end up where I was meant to be.

And so with that 30 second life changing dialogue in my head, I was fully okay with the fact that my home would be either Fuji or Braeburn. (Hopefully…)

My first preference ceremony was Fuji. The one I was more excited about. And it was amazing. The girl I fell in love with was the one who preffed me. The one who I thought was basically my twin. We had everything in common and she was truly an amazing girl. I got so excited when I saw her standing at the door waiting for me. She had the biggest smile on her face and I knew I was welcome in their home. She told me how much she would love to have me as a sister. She shared with me some of the other things girls had said about me throughout the week. We talked about what I was looking for in a sorority. She told me about her recruitment experience. She said Fuji had everything she was looking for and more. She told me she knew it would be a great fit for me. She asked me what other house I was visiting and how I felt about them. She helped clear up some questions I had. She explained how preference voting would work and how it would be a little different than the rest of the week. She told me about suiciding which I only briefly knew about. She told me that she and many other sisters had been in my exact position with the same 2 houses, and they all suicided for Fuji. At this point in the conversation I was sure I was going to be a Fuji. She clearly wanted me to be one. She told me that as long as I wanted to be a Fuji, there would be a bid waiting for me with my name on it. This was about to be my home. We spent the rest of the conversation talking about how fun bid day would be and what activities they had planned for us. She also told me what fraternity we would be going to homecoming with. And that was the first moment I felt like I was actually in a sorority. And it was amazing. I walked out of Fuji feeling amazing. I didn't want to leave. I wanted it to be tomorrow so I could run back to my home and be with my sisters. It couldn't come faster.

My next house was Braeburn. But my mind was closed. I had already made up my mind. I was going to be a Fuji girl. Braeburn's preference ceremony didn't even compare. The girl who picked me up at the door was just a random girl who I talked to earlier in the week. I had only vaguely remembered her, and she even asked me "Did we talk earlier this week?" It didn't make me feel special at all. It just felt kind of lame. But it didn't matter because Fuji said they wanted me and I wanted them.

Needless to say I ranked them like this:
1. Fuji
2. Braeburn

The rest of the day/the next morning was torture. I couldn't wait for bid day.

[clemsongirl]

Oh my goodness, with all that foreshadowing about Fuji I'm afraid to find out what will happen!

[sigmagirl2000]

Originally Posted by 2ndSemesterSnr

It was pref day. And I awoke with the worst feeling in the pit of my stomach. Something told me that I had been dropped from recruitment. I couldn't wait for my recruitment counselor to call me. I needed to hear it right now. So without even giving it a second thought or looking at the time, I called my recruitment counselor.

"Just tell me." I said. "I've been cut, haven't I?"

"No." She responded groggily. I had clearly just woken her up. "We got your schedules last night. You're fine."

"THANK YOU! SORRY! SEE YOU LATER" I screamed. I was almost there. I was going to preference.

Fast forward a few hours, we met up with our groups and our recruitment counselors. I apologized to mine again and she just laughed at me. She told me how funny I was and that she couldn't believe how nervous I have been. She pulled me aside to calm me down. I'm pretty sure she wasn't allowed to say this, but she did. She looked me in the eyes and said, "2ndsemestersnr, you're going to be in a sorority tomorrow. Don't worry."

I didn't believe her. But she handed me my schedule for pref and I was about to get the biggest wake up call of my life. It read:

1. Fuji
2. Braeburn

WHAT??? Golden Delicious dropped me?? But why?! They loved me! I know it! It was just like Red Delicious all over again. Why was this happening? I had two underwhelming houses to go to today. No more dazzling smiles and catchy songs and beautiful girls.

Now you have to understand this, before recruitment, I never even dreamed of being in the "top" house on campus. I had always assumed I would be in a "bottom" house, fit for an average girl like me. But recruitment played with my head. I started to believe I was something I wasn't. People told me how gorgeous I was, and that I would be a shoe-in for any sorority I wanted. And that made me want to be something I wasn't. It was confusing and overwhelming and in that one week, I lost almost all sense of who I was. But I think it was truly necessary, because that was when I started to figure out who I was. I was capable of being an extraordinary beautiful women, but I didn't want to force myself to be one in order to fit in with others. I realized that "top" houses didn't mean the girls weren't down to earth. And "bottom" houses didn't mean the girls weren't beautiful. There was something in every house to offer and I would end up where I was meant to be.

And so with that 30 second life changing dialogue in my head, I was fully okay with the fact that my home would be either Fuji or Braeburn. (Hopefully…)

My first preference ceremony was Fuji. The one I was more excited about. And it was amazing. The girl I fell in love with was the one who preffed me. The one who I thought was basically my twin. We had everything in common and she was truly an amazing girl. I got so excited when I saw her standing at the door waiting for me. She had the biggest smile on her face and I knew I was welcome in their home. She told me how much she would love to have me as a sister. She shared with me some of the other things girls had said about me throughout the week. We talked about what I was looking for in a sorority. She told me about her recruitment experience. She said Fuji had everything she was looking for and more. She told me she knew it would be a great fit for me. She asked me what other house I was visiting and how I felt about them. She helped clear up some questions I had. She explained how preference voting would work and how it would be a little different than the rest of the week. She told me about suiciding which I only briefly knew about. She told me that she and many other sisters had been in my exact position with the same 2 houses, and they all suicided for Fuji. At this point in the conversation I was sure I was going to be a Fuji. She clearly wanted me to be one. She told me that as long as I wanted to be a Fuji, there would be a bid waiting for me with my name on it. This was about to be my home. We spent the rest of the conversation talking about how fun bid day would be and what activities they had planned for us. She also told me what fraternity we would be going to homecoming with. And that was the first moment I felt like I was actually in a sorority. And it was amazing. I walked out of Fuji feeling amazing. I didn't want to leave. I wanted it to be tomorrow so I could run back to my home and be with my sisters. It couldn't come faster.

My next house was Braeburn. But my mind was closed. I had already made up my mind. I was going to be a Fuji girl. Braeburn's preference ceremony didn't even compare. The girl who picked me up at the door was just a random girl who I talked to earlier in the week. I had only vaguely remembered her, and she even asked me "Did we talk earlier this week?" It didn't make me feel special at all. It just felt kind of lame. But it didn't matter because Fuji said they wanted me and I wanted them.

Needless to say I ranked them like this:
1. Fuji
2. Braeburn

The rest of the day/the next morning was torture. I couldn't wait for bid day.

Holy dirty rushing/ Bid promising/ recruitment infractions/ etc.

[chi-o_cat]

Originally Posted by 2ndSemesterSnr

1. Golden Delicious
2. Fuji

Bottom 2:
1. Braeburn
2. Ambrosia

I can't help but wonder what might have happened if you'd switched the order of Braeburn and Ambrosia there...well, that's neither here nor there at this point. Looking forward to the end of your story!

[amIblue?]

1. I am dying to know the end. (even though I know she has a happy ending.)

2. Bad dirty rusher, Fuji! Bad dirty rusher!