Fall 2006 Retro Recruitment

[howtheSunrose]

I know. Another retro recruitment thread? I did, however, go through rush in the fall of 2006 so maybe an up to date story might be interesting? I thought about posting my experience at the time but I was so dead set on making sure my rush went perfectly I didn't want to risk anything. I go to a small liberal arts college in the south with a rush that isn't very competitive--greek life is still a huge part of the campus and each GLO tends to have a very distinct personality. Also, I am a bit of a GC lurker so most of you probably do not know which sorority I joined.

So, if you're interested, my campus has the following chapters:

Delta Delta Delta
Chi Omega
Kappa Delta
Phi Mu

I'm an english major so I'll rename them as some of my favorite poets:

Sylvia Plath
T.S. Eliot
Dylan Thomas
W.B. Yeats

[howtheSunrose]

Pre-rush I was very shy and a little worried about rush. I was from out of state (but still a southerner) and did not know many people at my college. Looking back of it, I realize how naive and unassuming I was. Some many of the native girls rushing knew everything about the sororities and even helped the actives recruit! Pre-rush, I made sure I had recs for each sorority (thanks to my mom!) and the right outfits. I read GC frequently and learned a lot of helpful tips! Despite the advice to avoid "tent talk" and preconcieved notions, I did have a few early impressions...

T.S.Eliot- I had not met any one while visiting my college affiliated with this sorority. One of my mom's best friends, however, was a T.S. Eliot. My favorite HS English teacher was a T.S. Eliot at Alabama. I knew many girls from my HS tended to join this sorority and I really liked their symbols. In the rush packet I received before school, the girls looked nice and friendly. Two of my friends from home attending my college felt like they would join this sorority (They had a teacher who was a member of T.S. Eliot at our college and advised them about rush).

Dylan Thomas- I stayed with a girl who was a member of Dylan Thomas while visiting my college. She was very friendly, intelligent, and well dressed. I met some of her friends and really liked them! Another of my mom's good friends was a Dylan Thomas and my dentist's wife (a stretch I know! but I wanted connections) was a member. I had really good feelings about this sorority!

W.B. Yeats- I did not know much about this sorority. When I visited campus, I did not meet any members of Yeats or see many visible signs on campus. I had, however, heard good things about this sorority nationally. I visited the chapter's website. It was up to date and informative. Keeping an open mind!

Sylvia Plath- I meet a few members of Plath on campus when I visited. They were gracious and fun. One of my neighbors was a Plath and the national website looked great (I'm a geek, I know). I did, however, feel intimidated by how put together the actives were. Also, one of my friends from home going through rush told me these girls were the "Evil Plastics". Huh? They seemed sweet to me!

During my pre-registration period on campus, I met the managing editor the campus newspaper. We immediately clicked and I just ADORED her. She was so well spoken and fun. She was very attractive but had a funky style and unassuming air about her. I heard her say during a meeting that she was President of a sorority on campus but did not disclose which one (probably a good idea!). I thought she was either a Plath or Eliot. She could have been a member of Dylan Thomas too. I was so confused by excited!

Pre-registration on campus made me realize I wanted to be Greek...but which sorority would be my "home"? I left campus with a rush of energy and butterflies in my stomach. I was just ready for rush to begin!

[AOE2AlphaPhi]

I'm excited to read your story! I'm rooting for T.S. Eliot!

[Soliloquy]

I love your codenames.

Sylvia Plath is wonderful, as is Eliot.

[howtheSunrose]

Yay! I'm just glad someone wants to read. I hope I didn't scare too many readers away with the old dead poets

Our rush begins about three weeks into the fall semester. Near the very beginning of school, the PNMs meet in a large group with all the Gamma Chis and go over rush packets. We were told that for the first day of recruitment, Open House, we were to wear our Recruitment t-shirts w a jean skirt or khaki skirt/pants. I had my outfit all picked out and was ready to go. Then our Gamma Chis tell us that, no, we are not to wear our recruitment t-shirts. What? The PNMs were freaking out! They had changed several of the clothing rules on us and we were in a frenzy to look perfect.

Before Open House, we gathered in a group with our personal Gamma Chis and floormates. My floor was divided up into two sections and sadly nope many girls from my section were rushing, not even my roommate! I didn't know many of the girls but I did meet a few that seemed fun and outgoing. I wore a light green polo shirt, jean skirt, and lacoste shoes. I felt like my outfit looked nice until I saw three girls come into the meeting dressed in what I'll simply call "clubbing outfits". With their black pants, sparkly tube tops, and silver heels, they looked a little more After Party than Open House. My outfit, I suddenly decided, was not right. Before walking to the sorority lodges, I told my Gamma Chi I was concerned about my outfit. She gave me a knowing look and replied, "No, you're fine." Whew.

It's off to the lodges! Despite Open House being a "relaxed" day, the afternoon was a blur.

First was Plath. As I expected, the girls were all attractive and well spoken. I was impressed by how down to earth my rusher was. Were these actually the cool, laid-back girls? I wasn't sure. She complimented my outfit and I suddenly felt better. Our conversation ran smoothly. The entire group of actives were so lively! I wondered, still, if I was a Plath. I'm shy and these girls are so confident!

Next was T.S. Eliot. Yep, these girls were friendly! Everyone was so genuine. A sophomore girl I'd meet at a newspaper meeting rushed me. She was intelligent, sort of artsy, and hilarious. Despite my nerves, I could tell she truly liked me. It surprised me that rush was just as much about the girls trying to "make" us like them! I felt like I could fit in here easily.

It's time for Yeats. I had no idea what to expect! So, of course, I expected the unexpected. My rusher was a sweet, shy girl. Our conversation did not flow well but I could see the actives all really cared about each other. The house included a wide range of girls. Did they lack unity? Or were they open minded? I wasn't sure.

Last but not least, is Dylan Thomas. Walking into the lodge, I saw the girl I had stayed with as a prospective student. She quickly reminded me of her name (as if I would forget!). The house ran like clock work. Each active seemed to know what she was doing and where she was going. I couldn't see the personality of the house yet but I knew the girls were organized, and driven. Truth be told that sounded a lot like me!

Open house was other and I was more confused than ever. I'd been told each house had a personality but what were they? And where was the newspaper editor? We had such a strong connection but I was so tired and confused, I couldn't even remember where I'd seen her!

I talked to a few of my PNM friends. I kept mum about my true feelings but gathered that many were already choosing betweenYeats and Eliot. Thomas was too "smart" they said. Plath, the most confident house, seemed under the radar. Still, I overheard a few girls talking about how Plath was their favorite house. Did I even have a favorite yet, I wondered.

Next was Philanthropy Night, the cuts begin and my feelings really began to change...

[LOVEinZTA]

I'm so glad people keep writing these - it keeps me entertained at work!

Plath isn't full of sad emo girls I hope!

[FSUZeta]

i am so impressed with the number of good writers we have on greekchat.
howtheSunrose, i include in that group.

i can't wait for an update!

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by howtheSunrose

Also, one of my friends from home going through rush told me these girls were the "Evil Plastics".

How Mean Girls of her.

[howtheSunrose]

Originally Posted by LOVEinZTA

I'm so glad people keep writing these - it keeps me entertained at work!

Plath isn't full of sad emo girls I hope!

Hehe, no the personalities of the poets are not reflective of the houses!

[howtheSunrose]

We didn't rank or receive cuts after Open House.

It's Philanthropy Night. I wore a blue summery strapless dress and silver sandals with a small heel. I noticed several of the girls who were a bit.."sparkly"..at the prior event had toned down their outfits.

I knew each sorority's philanthropy and had connections to most of them. All in all, I was ready to go despite my confused feelings.

First is T.S. Eliot, much to my relief. WOW, these girls were energetic! I'd never seen so much enthusiasm in my life. You could tell they really cared about service. I was little shocked by an experience I had during our craft. My rusher was sweet and talkative, making me feel right at home. When it came time to rotate, my new rusher bounded over and gave me a once over. Usually, I'd right these things off as my own paranoia but I could tell I was being examined a little too closely. Does she not like me? Oh, well, it's just one sister. All the rest I'd met were wonderful so I left the house with general good feelings.

Next comes Yeats. I was really looking to get a better feel for this sorority. Once again, my rusher did not engage me in much conversation. I ended up leading most of the chat and things got better. There was lull in time between the rotation so I was left alone with my craft and a little bored. Still, it's not as if they aren't nice, I thought to my self. I knew a couple of my friends were starting to get Yeats fever and I could see that this group had its own special bond.

It's time for Dylan Thomas! Once again, I love how organized this group is. My RA rushed me and we had a good, but not great, conversation. All the girls I met were fun but I couldn't tell if they liked me. Well, enough to give me another invitation, anyway. I knew, however, I wanted to see more of this group! Their reputation on campus was good as well.

We're finishing up with Plath. I love their philanthropy and have a special connection to it. I make sure to tell my rusher this and she seems pleased. The craft is fun but doesn't require too effort. Our conversation flows well with a few awkward silences. I feel like my rusher is a little bored towards the end. I reminded myself that this was the last visit and crafts in general seemed to be hit or miss. By the end of our craft, my rusher had warmed a lot and felt better about the situation. Oh, and here I spied the newspaper editor! She made sure to speak to me and make feel welcome.

We went back to rank. I knew my first and last choices but the middle was a confusion. I'm afraid I listened to a little "tent talk" to make my choice. You'll see how this influences me in the future...

Ranking
Dylan Thomas
T.S. Eliot
Sylvia Plath
W.B. Yeats

After our ranking, my Gamma Chi group met to talk about how we felt the night went. One of our gamma chis asked to talk about anything "weird" the sororities did. I thought that was bizarre but laughed a little at some of the other PNMs observations. Then our Gamma Chis asked us to guess which sorority they were in, I knew one had to be a Yeats and I felt a little bad for ranking them last in front of her. The other was a Thomas, I just knew it. Funny how I knew what the Gamma Chis were but couldn't come up with the perfect ranking!

It's time for Skit Night, where I become a little too dead set on one sorority.

[howtheSunrose]

Skit Night.

I received invites back to my top three choices, Thomas, Eliot, and Plath. The max we could go back to was three, so I cut Yeats. Even though our rush is not competitive, a few girls received only two invites or just one. One of the girls I became close to in my Gamma Chi group, Kate, was cut from Thomas. I heard rumors that Thomas was cutting heavily and by pref night they’d only invite girls who would make up their pledge class. A divide was beginning, most of the girls I’d met at the start of school were going Yeats. Two of my friends from home who seemed so adamant about Eliot were favoring Yeats as well! What was going on? Why didn’t I have stronger feelings?

At least I had my outfit under control. I wore a green embroidered sun dress with strappy sandals (if you can’t tell, I love sandals) with my hair neatly placed in waves. With quiet confidence, I began one of the most telling nights of rush.

First was Thomas. The lodge was decorated to the max and the sisters didn’t miss a beat. The skit was amazing. I loved my rusher and did my best to keep up our conversation flowing. I was blown away by their dance moves and cute story line. Simply put, I fell in love with this house. I’m a Thomas, I told myself.

Next comes Eliot. As usual, their enthusiasm stole the show. Their skit wasn’t quite as creative or engaging as Thomas’ but each active played her role well. I was amused by the plot line and had a great chat with my rushers. Once again the sophomore newspaper girl rushed me. She was so warm with a zany side to her personality. I wondered if I would disappoint her. Is my personality bubbly enough to fit in with this animated set of girls?

Last we have Plath. Their skit was clever and entertaining. I had trouble hearing my rusher and worried she would think I was uninterested. I could definitely tell this was a classy, glamorous set of girls with a down to earth side. Were they interested in me? I’d had good conversations in the best, loved the President, but the other PNMs proclamations that I was more of an Eliot was starting to get to me.

I was beginning to understand the personalities of the houses better. But did I know my own? I could see a bit of myself in each remaining house. I played the, “Well what do you think I am?”, game with the other PNMs too much and ranked….

Thomas
Eliot
Plath

That night as I went to bed I knew I’d made a mistake. But how big of one?

Time crept by slowly until the Gamma Chis arrived with a knock on my door…

[LOVEinZTA]

oooooh, i definitely went through a similar experience, but fortunately it worked out in the end - hope yours does/did as well!!

[howtheSunrose]

Pref Night Part One

I rushed to the door in my pref attire, a red dress and pointy flats with a long pearl necklace. Before my Gammi Chis could speak, I spied in one of their hands a card with the letters of Eliot and Plath. They revealed my invites and that I would not being going back to Thomas. “What? I didn’t get invited back to Thomas? Could there be a mistake?” (Oh, naïve rushee!) No, there was no mistake. I was upset, obviously. I called my mom and she reminded me that the other two houses had worked hard on their Pref nights and wanted me there. I needed to enjoy myself. Down the hall, I spied another girl in my Gamma Chi group who had been cut by Thomas. She was visibly upset. My gamma chi tried to comfort me but I was a little annoyed that someone who I was sure was a member of Thomas herself was trying to make me feel better (looking back she was merely doing her job!).

Looking back on skit night, I can see that Thomas was not the right sorority for me. My rusher was a senior pre-med student and did not seem to be able to relate well to a future English major. I did not meet many of the other girls and merely enjoyed the skit. I discovered I was probably a little too “English major-y”, into “the arts” for this group. They also had a large group of girls involved in the Religious life on campus. Although I admire and respect these people, I was worn out from all girls Catholic school experience! Recalling a silly conversation about unnecessary but fun school supplies with a member of Plath, I smiled to myself.

I had another problem on my mind. Well, face, to be exact. I had a zit! Normally I could work a little makeup artist magic and cover up a blemish like a pro. But this baby was right on my nose and I’m afraid it matched the cover of my dress. I decided to befriend some Lancome concealer and roll with it.

[Leslie Anne]

Wonderful story! I'm anxious to hear the rest.

[Ocalagirl]

wow these retro threads just keep getting better...I don't think I have read one I didn't like.