A PIXAR Recruitment Story!

[gwenstacy]

Hi everyone! I have been on these forums for so long and I can’t believe I’m finally able to share my recruitment story. I wholeheartedly think this site helped me be confident in my process and helped me to find my forever home, so I’m so excited to possibly help out other PNMs too. <3

To change it up a bit, I’ll be disguising the chapter names as Pixar movies:
Toy Story
Monsters Inc
Finding Nemo
The Incredibles
Cars
WALL-E
Brave
Inside Out
The Good Dinosaur
Coco

I’m keeping my school a secret for now, but for a little background info, I rushed as a sophomore. I was unbelievably nervous about the process because it was so important to me, but I tried hard to go into it with an open mind, especially as a sophomore and knowing my options could be limited because of this.

Pre-recruitment, I had my eyes on Monsters Inc, WALL-E, and Inside Out, but I would have been happy to receive a bid to any chapter. Sorority life at my school is anything but unwelcoming, and each chapter is diverse and offers something for everyone, which made me really optimistic I would find my home.

Our first day was welcome rounds where I visited all 10 of our chapters.

First up was Monsters Inc. I was nervous going in, but I felt great as soon as I got to talking. I saw a girl I knew from high school, which was reassuring. I talked to two girls here, and while the first was a bit nervous, we bonded a lot over how we both danced when we were younger. I was happy I had this house first, as it was one of my favorites going in, but as the day went on, it seemed to slip into the back of my mind.

Next was Coco. I had heard a lot of things about this chapter, but I still went in with an open mind. With the first girl I talked to, we bonded over sharing the same internship last year, which was so cool, but I felt like the conversation was a bit forced. The last girl I talked to here I had a great conversation with and we were having a blast talking about all of our favorite YouTubers. I still wasn’t sure if I could see myself fitting in here, but I was grateful for the good conversations nonetheless.

After this, I made my way over to The Incredibles. To me, this chapter seemed very diverse, but gave off a sporty/tomboy-ish vibe, if that makes sense. I could tell the first girl I talked to I didn’t have much in common with, but the next girl I found myself being able to be totally confident with and I even felt comfortable enough with the last girl to share embarrassing stories, which we laughed so hard talking about. I felt really comfortable here.

Next was Brave. I didn’t know what to expect from this chapter at first. I had a recommendation for this house, but I tried not to let that determine my decision. I only talked to one girl here, and it was a good conversation, but it didn’t blow me away and I felt like I wouldn’t feel comfortable spending the next three years here. They seemed really focused and serious concerning school and involvement, which is important to me, but I’d feel so much pressure not to make mistakes! Haha.

Then came The Good Dinosaur. I couldn’t help but have preconceived notions about this chapter, as hard as I tried, but they seemed like the stereotypical sorority house to me. However, as you’ll notice how my story goes, I was proved so wrong. I had a really good conversation with the girls here and we even talked about the clubs we’re in that we’d recommend for each other, and she introduced me to other girls who had the same interests as well. I came out surprised that I loved the conversations here so much.

Next was Cars. Same as the last house, I tried not to let past thoughts of this chapter bother me. But wow, they blew me out of the water today! I felt such a strong connection with the girls I talked to and they seemed so interested in knowing who I was. One girl even complimented me on my confidence, which was really special to me because I’ve had to work hard on my confidence my whole life. I felt a really strong connection here.

Just over halfway done, I made my way over to Finding Nemo. I knew some girls here whose values didn’t quite match up with mine, but I liked what the house as a whole stood for. I had three good conversations, but they seemed more like they were going through the motions of recruitment instead of genuinely being invested in who I was and how I would fit into the house. I still liked the house as a whole, but I began to question if it was right for me.

Next was Inside Out. Prior to recruitment, I looooved Inside Out and could 100% see myself there. It helped that I had met a girl from Inside Out in one of my classes and we totally clicked. The first girl I talked to here had a ton in common with me and I liked how we could be serious, but not too much so. I was totally getting good vibes and good energy from the next girl, too. This house came out on top for me today.

On the home stretch, next came WALL-E. I was so excited for this chapter, and I think a little of that excitement went to my head. I felt like I was trying really hard for them to like me. The girls I talked to were genuine and you could tell they all really loved being around each other, but I couldn’t read them too well. I couldn’t tell if this was my home, but I would be grateful if they were to invite me back.

Last up was Toy Story. I was so exhausted by this point, but I knew this house was liked by a lot of PNMs, so I wanted to make a good impression. The room I was in was decorated beautifully and definitely gave me a good impression. The first girl I talked to, I swear we were twins. The next girl I talked to was really open and kind, but I could tell we were both pretty tired from the long day. I came out of this house feeling so-so, but I really wanted them to give me another chance because of how exhausted I was!

At the end of the first day, I didn’t have too many strong feelings yet. I didn’t know the houses well enough to say if I got “the feeling” just yet, but I had hope that I would soon enough. I was starting to really love the process and talking to people, and I felt like I put my best foot forward.

I didn’t feel comfortable ranking all the houses in order, but it was pretty easy for me to rank the ones I did like and which ones I would feel comfortable in or the ones I wanted to give me another shot. Now that I’m done with the process, here’s a rough estimate of what an actual ranking would have looked like:

1. Inside Out
1. Cars
1. The Incredibles
1. The Good Dinosaur
1. Toy Story
1. Monsters Inc
1. WALL-E
8. Finding Nemo
9. Coco
10. Brave

I’m sure it’s too early for predictions, but if anyone has any, feel free to comment below!

[UVASquirrel]

I love the Pixar theme!!! Can't wait to read more

[gwenstacy]

DAY 2

There’s no lie when I say I was really nervous going into Day 2. I was new to the school so I had no idea how competitive it was or how I compared to everyone else there. I was already preparing myself for what I was going to feel if I only got one or two chapters back. Nevertheless, I went in confidently to receive my schedule and it listed:

Inside Out
Monsters Inc
The Good Dinosaur
The Incredibles
Cars
Toy Story
WALL-E

A full schedule?! I have literally never been more on top of the world!! I was so incredibly blessed to have gotten a second chance at some houses and confirmation from others that they liked me enough to see me again. I didn’t have strong opinions yet, but I hoped that after today, I would have a better idea of which houses could be my forever home.

I was really excited for Inside Out to be my first chapter of the day. I was matched again with the girl I connected so well with the day before, but I only talked to her for the entire round. We did have another good conversation, but I was really looking forward to meeting other girls from the house. I didn’t connect too much with their philanthropy, but they were still my favorite house from yesterday, so I would have to see how the rest of the day went before deciding where they would go in my lineup.

Next on my list was Monsters Inc. The girls I talked to here were so genuinely sweet and I loved their philanthropy. I asked about their hands-on activities they did for their philo, and they didn’t have much, which was a bit of a let down, but the conversations went well nonetheless. I came out of this house happy, but not sure if I could see myself really fitting in here.

Next was The Good Dinosaur. I was so happy to be invited back here. The conversations in this house were amazing today, and I was surprised by them once again. The convos exemplified everything I was looking for in a house and I was surprised at how much I felt like I related to them and their philanthropy.

After that was The Incredibles. I had so much in common with the first girl here and we talked a lot about family, which is super important to me. The two girls I talked to after I didn’t connect with as much, but I felt so strong about my conversation with the first girl and I was happy I had this house as a potential opportunity. I didn't feel a strong connection with their philanthropy, but I got such a comfortable vibe being in this house.

Next was Cars. I was surprised to be invited back here too, as I heard a lot of girls who loved this house got released by them. I was definitely grateful for my invite. Again, I had a ton in common with the first girl I talked to, and the conversation flowed so well. She even said I gave her chills talking about my passion for one of the clubs I’m involved in! I adored their philanthropy and felt a really strong connection to it. However, I was kind of torn about this house because I had great conversations here both days, but I wasn’t sure if I would fit in here or if I was exactly who they were looking for.

My second to last house of the day was Toy Story. I went into this house not exactly knowing what to expect, but I was so surprised here. I felt instantly comfortable in their environment and I loved talking with the first girl about leadership, which was very important to me. The next two girls I talked to were so open and kind and genuinely wanted to know more about me, which was really cool. I left wishing the round were a lot longer so I could have kept talking to them.

Last up was WALL-E. I was shocked I got this house back but so thankful I got another chance to show who I was. The first girl I talked to had the same major as me, which was really special because it’s a fairly uncommon major. She was really bubbly and our conversation flowed really well between us. She introduced me to other girls in her house and kept saying how sweet I was, which was really flattering. (It’s always nice to get some positive compliments, right?) I could tell they were all really comfortable with each other here, which was really important to me. I came out really liking this house and felt like I didn’t have to impress them as much I did with them the day before. (But I was beginning to see why so many PNMs liked this house so much!)

At the end of the day, I had a LOT of trouble ranking my bottom two, but I finally came to a decision:

1. Toy Story
1. WALL-E
1. Cars
1. The Incredibles
1. The Good Dinosaur
6. Inside Out
7. Monsters Inc

Any guesses? Or am I making it too obvious which one came out on top?

[ChioLu]

Don’t know the campus, but interesting that you have an open mind. Going from Inside Out and Monsters Inc (along with Wall-e) being your pre-recruitment top 3 to only ranking Wall-E in your top 5. Some PNMs are “ride or die” with their pre-chosen few and not willing to find the chapter that fits them.

[gwenstacy]

Originally Posted by ChioLu

Don’t know the campus, but interesting that you have an open mind. Going from Inside Out and Monsters Inc (along with Wall-e) being your pre-recruitment top 3 to only ranking Wall-E in your top 5. Some PNMs are “ride or die” with their pre-chosen few and not willing to find the chapter that fits them.

I think that's interesting, too! I was definitely worried about being too attached to a certain few and subconsciously "ignoring" others during the process. But you'll read soon ~spoiler alert~ that my predictions were totally proved false! (in a good way, of course

[naraht]

Nice to hear moderately good things about even the chapters you ranked *last*...

[clemsongirl]

I'm rooting for the Incredibles since it's my favorite movie of all time.

[GirlinSpace]

I'm rooting for The Incredibles since it sounds like it could be a good home

[gwenstacy]

Is it possible that I was more nervous going into today than I was any other day, even preference? I predicted that today would be the day I would get to know who I really clicked with, so while I was definitely excited, I was pretty anxious to see which names I got back. I had really clicked the day before with Toy Story and WALL-E, but I was really trying not to get attached in fear of feeling devastated if I was dropped by them. I thought over every possible scenario, took a few deep breaths, opened my list, and received:

Toy Story
WALL-E
Monsters, Inc
The Good Dinosaur
Inside Out

I’ll be honest and say that I was really sad that I didn’t see Cars on my list. But then I remembered that I still had my top two favorite houses on my list as well as another full schedule of great houses to go to. It didn’t take me long to remember that I was beginning to get the feeling I wasn’t going to fit in at Cars, anyway.

It also took me a minute to realize that The Incredibles wasn’t on my list, and I really wondered what went wrong with our conversations. I worried that whatever "mistake" I made in my conversations with them I might repeat with one of the other houses that I liked. I learned later that it's never a "mistake" on either side of the equation and what is meant to be, will be.

The good thing was, I was too happy about the rest of the houses that invited me back to dwell on The Incredibles for too long. All of the houses on my list saw something great in me, and I was so excited to be one step closer to finding my home!

I was hoping Toy Story would go well during the very first slot of the day because I liked them so much the day before. The room was decorated gorgeously as always, and as soon as I walked in, I instantly felt so comfortable. I had three really good conversations in this house, but the middle conversation was really special. I felt like we were talking like we had been friends for years! This house made me feel like I was genuinely wanted and loved by them and I wasn’t just a number going through the process. I was learning this was really important to me and was helping to set certain houses apart from one another.

I was a little surprised to see WALL-E on my list again because I knew how well liked they were by everyone (and not everyone can get an invite back.) I could tell my values matched up well here and the girls I had talked to before all came up to me and said they were really glad to see me back! I felt like my conversations were genuine, and I remembered how much they seemed to like me, but I still couldn’t shake that feeling from day 1 that there was a little too much pressure to impress them. However, I really loved their vibe and the closeness they had with each other, and I wanted to be able to be a part of that.

Monsters Inc was a house that I wasn’t really sure about after day 1, but I made sure to go in with an open mind today (anything could happen!) I ended up talking to a girl that was really sweet and kind, and I could tell that she was excited to talk about her house. However, I felt like we we kind of just going through the motions a little bit (saying what we were ‘supposed to’ say) and we never got into deep topics. But I was happy with how the conversation went overall. I wouldn’t be mad if I ended up with a bid from this house.

Next was The Good Dinosaur. There were surprises all over the place with this house: I kept being surprised that I liked them so much, and I also kept being surprised that I was repeatedly invited back. As soon as I walked in, I could tell they had put a lot of effort into the atmosphere of their recruitment - everything seemed really sincere. I talked to only one girl in this house but I absolutely loved my conversation with her. We were so alike in a lot of ways and she even opened up to me about things she has gone through in her life and how her sisters had helped her through them. We watched a video about their sisterhood and this was the first time in the process that I had gotten a little emotional - hearing the sisters describe how their sorority has changed their lives and seeing the bond they have with each other was so moving because this is exactly what I wanted in a house. I came out of this house immediately texting my mom how much I loved them.

Last up was Inside Out. I was happy they ended up on my list again even though I was dropped by others because I really liked them on day 1 and I wanted to give them another chance. However, I really wasn’t feeling it here from the moment I walked in. There was nothing specific that caused me to feel this way, but I continued to compare this house to the way I felt to my other favorite houses - I didn’t feel that genuine bond with the girls here that I had felt so strongly elsewhere. The conversations were a little one-sided and although it was the end of the day and we were all certainly tired, I knew for certain this wasn’t the house for me.

The day had flown by and it was already time to write down our rankings. I tried to be very logical when putting this together, but even as I'm typing this, I'm noticing how my logic didn’t really make sense. Know that it definitely did for me at the time. (Happens to the best of us, right?) Going into the day, I loved Toy Story. But a little voice in my head told me that I wasn't good enough. I didn't want to put them in my top two and risk getting hurt the next day. On the other hand, I felt strongly that The Good Dinosaur and WALL-E gave me validation, and in my mind, were more likely to invite me back. Even though I was really sad about putting Toy Story third, I knew if it was meant to be then God would make it so, and I was willing to take a chance on WALL-E because I felt they wanted me there, despite the feeling I always had to work to impress them.

At the end of the day, my ranking read:

1. The Good Dinosaur
1. WALL-E
3. Toy Story
4. Monsters Inc
5. Inside Out

After I turned in my schedule, I got to drive home and have dinner with my family and talk things out. I felt a surprising peace of mind and I told them that no matter what happened the next day, even if I opened my schedule and received Monsters Inc and Inside Out, I would be so grateful. I was so happy with where I was, and that is a great place to be.

[MSKKG]

Please finish your story. We are all on pins and needles!

[gwenstacy]

First off I want to say thanks to everyone who is reading my post and leaving kind comments! It's so cool to see people's reactions and being able to truthfully share my experiences.

Now, onto DAY 4: preference rounds!!

I thought it was strange how confident I was going into preference rounds. (I mean, just look at the beginning paragraphs of my last few posts… nerves everywhere!!) I felt comfortable with the five houses I visited the day before and, although I definitely had favorites, I would be happy no matter my home. I remember telling my mom the night before that “if I get back The Good Dinosaur, WALL-E, or Toy Story, even one of those tomorrow, I’ll be on top of the world.” The long hours and chants and deodorant and hairspray would hopefully all pay off after today. When my recruitment counselors finally handed me my schedule I felt like I was holding something a million pounds in my hands! My mind was going in every direction at once as I opened my list and received:
















The Good Dinosaur
Toy Story



I was absolutely over the moon about my preference rounds houses!! I knew the moment I opened that list and I was more excited about seeing Toy Story than I was sad about the absence of WALL-E that things were going to go well no matter what. I thought it was so funny that going into the process, I would have never ever thought these two houses would be my pref houses and that one of them could be my home! If you can imagine the little pink Energizer bunny, that was basically me right now.

I was so excited for pref rounds and after a minute to gather my thoughts, it was off to The Good Dinosaur. And they did not fail to pull out all the stops - this house was gorgeous today. It looked like and felt like I’ve always imagined preference feeling like, in some ideal world. I was met with the girl I hit it off with the day before, and there were just a ton of weird coincidences in our conversation - signs, maybe?? We found out we were both obsessed with the same musicals. I mentioned I loved a certain song from one of them and she said her sisters would be singing that song for us later during our preference round. The whole experience/ceremony was so moving and sincere and I couldn’t believe it was all actually happening. Even a few tears were shed as I walked around the room and saw the love coming from everyone. (And how could I ever not cry when they started singing?) I left not knowing what to feel or expect next. I was having strong feelings already! This house was a special one, for sure, and I felt so honored to be one of the few they chose to return on preference day.

But I couldn’t judge anything yet, because right after I left The Good Dinosaur, it was time for Toy Story. As I walked in the door, I was greeted by the girl I connected so well with from the day before. She looked so excited for me to be there, and I was, too! I loved this conversation because it was more than just talking about our experiences, or about our pref days, or how excited we were for bid day. She asked about what I wanted to do when I got out of college, and I talked about why my career path means so much to me and the impact I want to make on the world because of it. I talked about what I really, truly wanted in a house and an experience. The girl told me that she was so happy that I was there and how I could find those things I wanted in Toy Story. There was never a dull moment here, and never any awkward pauses or topics. To top it all off, one of the girls I connected so much with on the second day (when I started to really feel comfortable in Toy Story) even came and said joined our conversation! Once everyone started singing, I felt such a deep connection to the entire organization and how I could make an impact on the future of a house, no matter who they might be.

For me, these two houses each had catered to different parts of myself and what I wanted in my Greek experience. How was I supposed to decide when they were both, in different ways, so amazing? As much as I hated not completely basing my decision off of logic, I had to decide based on how I felt throughout the entire process: which group of women I could see myself having movie nights with, doing recruitment next year with, having froyo dates with.

From day one, I thought it was going to be a tough decision coming out of my preference rounds. Everyone I talked to always said how difficult it was coming this far and having two amazing houses to choose from - for some, I heard it took hours to decide. But I wasn’t one of those people: I knew, even before my preference rounds were fully over, where I wanted to be. Where I was supposed to be.

Any guesses before the big reveal? Did I find my home?

[GreekOne]

I am guessing The Good Dinosaur, but can't wait to find out!

[khlkcca]

I agree. I’m thinking Good Dinosaur as well.

[panhelrose]

I'm guessing Toy Story! (only because it's one of my fave classic pixar movies)

[FSUZeta]

Can't wait to learn where you landed!