As I went through recruitment a year ago, I smiled and kept my heels on and chatted about my classes, my decision to attend this college, and asked the kinds of questions that everyone else seemed to be asking. And while it was exhausting, it was also fun, and I ended up making some wonderful friends. Most of all, I joined a sorority that is now my home. And yet, there were so many times when I wanted to go off-script.

1. “Do you mind if I stop smiling for a few minutes?”

I don’t think I have ever smiled more in my life than I did during recruitment. Maybe it was because I wanted to seem friendly to the girls at each house, but it was probably just because I’m a nervous smiler.

2. “Can I use your restroom?”

With little time between houses and each house serving water, I had a hard time sipping my drink without eventually needing to use the amenities.

3. “I’m just gonna take off my heels while I sit here, okay?”

By the time I got to the final house during recruitment, my feet were in so much pain. I don’t wear heels very often, but I wore heels on two days during recruitment. I was at the point of falling over, but beauty is pain, am I right?

4. “Do you know how to do yoga? My back really hurts from sitting up straight.”

Back straight, shoulders back, ankles crossed. I kept repeating that to myself so I would look classy during recruitment.

5. “I need to tell my mom about this, so could you hang on a second?”

My mom was my best friend during recruitment, I must admit. I called her each day and told her everything. She was the one that calmed me down after I had a very awkward time at one of the houses and reassured me that no one’s recruitment experience is perfect.

6. “Time out. Is there any food here?”

Starving. I was absolutely starving after going from house to house all afternoon during recruitment. The boys are so lucky because the fraternities cater Qdoba and other delicious food to lure in new members. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way for the girls.

7. "Is it okay if I close my eyes for a few seconds while this video plays?”

The stress that comes with recruitment can be high. My sleeping pattern was off from long days of recruitment and early mornings to get ready for the new day. I was always thankful to sit and watch a recruitment video at the houses just to take a break from talking.

8. "Can I wear sweatpants tomorrow?”

I got so upset when I realized that the necklace I was going to wear the second day of recruitment at was at my house three hours away. I made things work, but after two days of wearing dresses to each house, I was ready to wear sweatpants and a t-shirt.

9. “What time is it?”

Our recruitment counselors really emphasized how we were not allowed to wear watches. At some points, I would’ve liked to have known how much longer I was going to have to sit and have forced conversations.

10. "Could I borrow a mirror?”

If I scratched my face or licked my lips, I was paranoid that I had messed up my makeup. It sounds so silly now, but it was a big deal at the time.