Sorority recruitment is a time full of small talk, running around in a cocktail dress and flip-flops from house to house, blistered feet, and finding lifelong best friends to take millions of photo booth pictures and decide on Instagram captions with. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that brings with it a roller coaster of emotions, loads of memories and inevitably awkward encounters that are guaranteed to make you cringe. Here's a list of some of the most common "that awkward moment when..." recruitment stories that sorority women know all too well:
1. When you've already forgotten the potential new member's name...even though she introduced herself to you about 15 seconds ago.
Thank goodness for the name tag the recruitment counselor made sure she was wearing. If only her hair wasn't covering her first name so you could distinguish her from the other 10 girls with the last name Smith in this open house party.
2. When you repeat the same story you've already told to a girl or ask her a question she's already answered more than once.
"You told me already..." These are four of the most traumatizing words an active can hear. How are you to know though? You've asked the same questions and told the same stories to dozens of girls just today. It's a job to keep track of your numerous conversations, and you feel like a broken record stuck on repeat.
3. When your feet just can't handle those five-inch stilettos and your ankles decide to give out on you...in front of everyone, of course.
One of the most painful parts of sorority recruitment is having to stand all day in some of the world's most uncomfortable shoes, all while acting like you are the happiest you've ever been in your life. You can only do this for so long though. Eventually, you're bound to face-plant in front of the entire party.
4. When you're trying to keep up a conversation, but your lack of voice from all of the screaming and singing is preventing that from being a possibility.
We understand your pain, Chloe. It is hard enough to communicate with your potential new member, even if you were captain of your high school cheerleading team with a killer diaphragm, due to the masses of screaming girls in one room. Your voice will be gone in no time making awkward small talk with strangers that much more unbearable.
5. When you spill the yummy food and drinks the chapter is serving all over yourself, the floor, the couch and the one person you're trying to impress.
I'm sorry I just spilled popcorn all over the freshly vacuumed living room...and I'm sorry I stepped on it after. I'm also sorry about that Coca-Cola bottle I accidentally knocked over when I was excited and talking really big with my hands. It's been a long week, okay?
6. When you butcher your one big line in the skit that you've practiced so many times you could recite it your sleep...and so could everyone else in the entire chapter.
So much for your Oscar award-winning performance. This was supposed to be your big break, the day you were waiting for all summer, and you blew it. Don't worry though, you'll have seven more times today to get it right.
7. When you run out of conversation topics and you still have 20 minutes left in the party so you resort to the first random thought that comes to mind or the dreaded awkward silence.
How do you feel about ginger babies? Why did the chicken cross the road? If you could be a bar of soap in anyone's shower, who would it be? Which Disney princess are you? What's your spirit animal? Do you have pizza? Can you sneak me out of here?
8. When the doors open and you're in the mush, but you start to perform the wrong day's chant.
You've been practicing for weeks, and now it's your moment. The doors fly open and you see the eager faces of dozens of potential new members lined up in alphabetical order. It's time to shine, so you belt out your chapter's chant as loudly as possible before quickly realizing that it is the chant for skit night, not philanthropy night. It's okay, you'll kill it tomorrow for sure.
9. When you lose all sense of direction and proximity and find yourself bumping into everyone and unintentionally (or intentionally) knocking them over.
This room is not nearly big enough for the number of girls trying to squeeze in together, and the Panhellenic Council and fire marshals probably agree and tried to enforce a ton of last-minute regulations to spread the party out. No matter what, you're going to end up slapping someone across the chest, backing into someone's face and smashing some toes.10. When you have a wardrobe malfunction mid-party, but have to keep a smiling face and act like you don't have the world's worst wedgie or that your strapless bra is holding on for dear life at the moment.
Your earring fell off and is now just chilling in your bra. Your spanx rode up higher than you thought was physically possible. Your fake eyelashes are hanging one by one, last strand, but worst of all, there is nothing you can do to gracefully fix the problem for the next 60 minutes.
11. When you've watched the preference-night presentation five times in a row, but still can't contain your Kim K. ugly-cry face, causing the potential new members to think that you're an emotional wreck.
It's okay to get a little emotional sometimes...or all the time for a whole day straight. Even if you're not a senior, you find it hard to contain your crazy, built-up emotions from the week, and just the thought of graduating college and not seeing your sisters every day is enough to bring on the waterworks. If your big reads you a letter detailing her love for you in front of the party, well, let's just say I hope you bought the bigger box of Kleenex on your last midnight CVS run.