A very Scandinavian recruitment story!

[DoeofDenmark]

I go to WashJeff in Washington, Pennsylvania. We are a lovely small school with a huge focus on Greek life with 10 Greek organizations, 6 fraternities and 4 sororities.

Our recruitment is held in spring semester, February to be exact, and it is five days of happiness. At first, I was not sure about recruitment not being in Fall, but after getting situated into college and really having to succeed in college. I was grateful that I was forced to get onto my feet before I could rush. Having to make academics a priority proved to me that I could succeed academically in a sorority and I had time to continue saving up. What I did not like was that I had time to listen to a semester of gossip and opinions from every PNM and sorority sister.

There were also various events for each sorority during fall semester that PNMs could attend.

The Rounds:
Greek Information Session.
Sorority Information Session.
Open House.
Sisterhood.
Preference.
Bid Day.

The information sessions involved tabling and talking. They were lovely

Rush is held out of the Old Main Chapel instead of the sorority houses but Bid Day takes you from the chapel to the sorority houses.

The average class is around 27.

Open House Houses:

Denmark:
The Danish girls were lovely. They made every conversation flow smoothly, they were considered a “socially awkward” sorority but they made every single second seem fluid and natural. I enjoyed my time so much and I accidentally stayed sitting for a second to finish my conversation when it was time for me to move on. They also followed me on Instagram right before I graduated (I followed them first) and they made an effort to get to know me and ask me personalized questions about travel and such.

Sweden:
Sweden was nice, Sweden was really really nice. The girls from Sweden were so nice that they defied the odds. The conversations at Sweden were upbeat and interesting, the girls made me laugh so hard I cried a bit, we talked about so many things but I was left wondering what would be unsaid if I didn’t rank them high enough to see them again the next day.

Norway:
I loved the Norwegian girls, they had everything covered and the conversations were funny and interesting, they made sure that everyone was having a great time and they kept everything flowing smoothly. Everyone was laughing and talking, they made sure that there was no room for any sort of insecurity or silence.

Finland:
Finland is supposedly the most in demand popular sorority but there was nothing there for me. The conversations didn’t flow and the sisters didn’t ask questions, they made broad statements and were looking for a certain type of girl to join their house. I fit the look but I got a really strange feeling from the sisters. They were very friendly but they seemed almost too friendly. I liked them but didn’t see myself as a sister.

I ranked the houses like this:
Denmark
Sweden
Norway
Finland

That night I went back to my dorm and everyone was talking. It seems like I had ranked my houses wrong, everyone had ranked Finland first and then Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. The gossip was unbearable and no one really had anything positive to say so I made supper, wrote down my reflections for the day, put on a movie, and went to sleep.

[Sciencewoman]

Sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders! I am also in the Frozen Tundra and looking forward to reading the rest of your story!

[DoeofDenmark]

Originally Posted by Sciencewoman

Sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders! I am also in the Frozen Tundra and looking forward to reading the rest of your story!

Thank you!
My mother was a Gamma Phi Beta! She moved to America from Denmark and the Gamma Phi Beta House was the place that taught her proper English! We don’t have Gamma Phi Beta on campus but your sorority is a truly great one.

[GreekOne]

I love the different perspectives shared in recruitment stories but am familiar with W & J so am especially interested in hearing yours!! Can't wait for the rest.

[DoeofDenmark]

Sisterhood:

Denmark
Sweden
Finland

I was a bit upset that I had Finland instead of Norway but I told myself that I needed to be grateful and get over it. I went to my classes and got ready for my parties, one of my favorite things about rush was that I was being forced to meet new people that I normally would not have interacted with and I really enjoyed that, the downside is that I was realizing that all of the girls who had been catty or mean on the floor had been so because they were viewing everyone else as competition during rush.

Denmark:
The Danish sisters made an effort to learn a few words in Danish and this really made me laugh. We talked recipes, tongue twisters, arts and crafts, Ikea, glazed salmon, and how there are great exploring opportunities in Pittsburgh. I had a great time and I was really relaxed. I usually am constantly on edge but I was very calm and able to let time fly at Denmark, I did not feel the need to strictly manage every moment. Everything went smashingly at Denmark.

Sweden:
I loved Sweden, I promise. I really really loved them, I just was not having that click. The conversations at Sweden were nice but I just was confused about venturing into Sweden as a sister. I saw them becoming good friends but my crystal ball was foggy when it came to becoming a sister. I loved my time at time at Sweden and departed with an odd feeling of contentment.

Finland:
To be completely fair, Finland was a fail on my part. I tried to keep the conversation flowing, we all did. I felt like I was not being listened to and the sisters I talked to were nice but there was not a wide range of topics that we could pull out of our hats. What I can say about Finland is that everyone really tried, I obviously was not a good fit for them and they were not a good fit for me. I left knowing that I would be at peace not returning the next day.

I ranked my houses with Denmark first, Sweden second, and Finland last. I went back to my dorm, made ramen following a recipe that one of the Denmark sisters had taught me, and went out into the common room to listen to the gossip. Per usual, I had ranked my houses wrong, Finland and Norway were the top houses with Sweden following and Denmark as the caboose. I opened and closed my ears, opted to get a deep sleep, had a sip of water, and got in a good eleven hours of peaceful shuteye.

On a completely separate note, I forgot to say this earlier and so I will say this now. All of the Greek houses are exactly the same on the outside and they are owned by the college. I really like this because it removes any sort of disparity between the houses and you are just left to focus on the sorority and its sisters. The houses are beautiful and brick, but the fact that they are all the same makes it so there are no unhoused sisterhoods and the row is not a mumble-jumble of mansions with some sororities having better houses than the others. It evens the playing ground, so to speak.

[GreekOne]

Loving your story so far. Sounds like you are being true to yourself!

[DoeofDenmark]

Originally Posted by GreekOne

I love the different perspectives shared in recruitment stories but am familiar with W & J so am especially interested in hearing yours!! Can't wait for the rest.

Thank you! Did you attend W&J as well?

[Sciencewoman]

Originally Posted by DoeofDenmark

Thank you!
My mother was a Gamma Phi Beta! She moved to America from Denmark and the Gamma Phi Beta House was the place that taught her proper English! We don’t have Gamma Phi Beta on campus but your sorority is a truly great one.

Well, my daughter is a Pi Phi, so if turns out that's the sorority you joined, we'll be mother-daughter "twins." I guess there's a 1 in 4 chance!

[UWyoKD]

I am really enjoying your story, written from your exceptionally mature perspective

I also love your Scandinavian theme! My mother's grandparents all came from Norway, and my paternal grandfather's family came from Sweden. In addition, my step-grandfather was from Denmark.

I look forward to your conclusion!

[DoeofDenmark]

Preference:

Denmark
Sweden

Finland and I had both learned a valuable lesson in letting go, I did not have them, they did not have me, and I was completely at peace and happy with this.

Denmark:
I loved the preference ceremony at Denmark, it was interesting, the sisters answered questions and knew a lot about the chapter’s history and Denmark’s national history. I also realized that the Danish sisters kept things going, I was raised by my Scandinavian family and so I have a tendency to not use contractions and I have a literal sense of humor and a flat voice, they just kept talking and let me talk and never stopped to ask me to clarify my words. It made me feel confident in myself and so I was able to fully relax.

Sweden:
The conversations were funny and great as usual, but I did not feel a connection under the humor. The Swedish girls were lovely and funny and nice but they felt like friends rather than sisters. The sister that I talked to also seemed exhausted and I understood that feeling of exhaustion on a spiritual level. I had a nice time but I left Sweden with the kind of tiredness you only have when you are in a place where you are not supposed to be.

When it came down to rankings, I had to choose. I love children, Denmark and Sweden both support children with their philanthropies, but I didn’t see myself excelling and working as well with Sweden. As much as I love literacy, I did a lot of volunteering in high school and now that I was in college, choosing Sweden would not advance my career or help me to figure out what I wanted to do. Denmark had a niche that I could easily fill and their philanthropy involved children and the court of law, a group that I was interested in securing an internship with, and I felt like to be completely at peace with spending thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours volunteering my time, I needed to choose a philanthropy in a field that I would work in and one that could help advance me in life.

So I ranked Denmark before Sweden, made supper following a microwaved honey mustard pomegranate glazed salmon recipe, and went out to listen to the jibber jabber in the common room. The noise was that we needed another sorority on sorority row, the girls wanted to see Alpha Phi, Tri Delta, or Chi Omega present on campus for a spot on sorority row. Obviously this would not happen until there was an obvious need, so my salmon and I stayed quiet. Finland was a highly ranked sorority with Sweden following, Norway had been thrown off the popularity charts and Denmark was apparently so far down that they were not visible but I could have cared less, I had found my happiness and now I had to wait and see if fates would align.

[DoeofDenmark]

Originally Posted by UWyoKD

I am really enjoying your story, written from your exceptionally mature perspective

I also love your Scandinavian theme! My mother's grandparents all came from Norway, and my paternal grandfather's family came from Sweden. In addition, my step-grandfather was from Denmark.

I look forward to your conclusion!

Thank you!
Have you ever traveled to Scandinavia?
All the places are so beautiful!

[UWyoKD]

Originally Posted by DoeofDenmark

Thank you!
Have you ever traveled to Scandinavia?
All the places are so beautiful!

My parents have, but I have not yet had the opportunity. It is at the very top of my bucket list!

[Theta1234]

This has been too much fun. When you mentioned children and courts, my face just split into a huge smile. There is nothing like a down-to-earth PNM who thinks that particular group is the bees knees. My daughter felt the exact same way and I hope that you get your wish and can join the family.

[DoeofDenmark]

Bid Day:

Knowing that my mother would see bid day photos and scold me for not bundling up, I opted to wear a coat, thick leggings, a long sleeved shirt, a sweater, and boots. There was no way that I would be caught cold, the photographic evidence would wind up in my mother’s hands and I was not about to hear it. One of the girls on my floor wore sandals, shorts, and a tank top, I chalked it up to her being immune to pneumonia. I got ready for bid day and did not receive a phone call, so I presumed that I had been cleared to walk to bid day.

When I got my card, my heart froze. My hands were shaking, my eyesight was blurring, I was unprepared for the unexpected. What if I had made the wrong choice? What if I liked Sweden better? What if I had Sweden instead of Denmark or Denmark instead of Sweden? What if I had gotten a snap bid and no one had told me so instead I had Finland instead of Denmark or Sweden? What if I ran home but went to the wrong house because the letters are kind of small? I went over every possible scenario in my head until I decided to just stop thinking and take a huge deep breath.

The countdown began, my heart began to thud, my tongue felt numb, I began to wonder to myself if the stress from this negative thinking had given me a stroke, “Zero!” finally arrived and I opened my bid card, well, I struggled to open it, the sealant they used must have kept the sword in the stone because it was super strong. I finally opened it enough to see that I would be running back to Denmark, home to Kappa Alpha Theta.

I was so so so so so so so excited. I had no idea where I was supposed to be going but I was excited that I was going there. I was the first one to scream, there was dead silence for a moment and it was broke by my bloodcurdling scream, but then the chaos broke out and I was in the clear to go. The friend I made across the hall from me was opening her card to Theta and then just like that...we were running home.

[DoeofDenmark]

Originally Posted by Theta1234

This has been too much fun. When you mentioned children and courts, my face just split into a huge smile. There is nothing like a down-to-earth PNM who thinks that particular group is the bees knees. My daughter felt the exact same way and I hope that you get your wish and can join the family.

Hello fellow sister!