Before recruitment week:
Most people would tell you they were nervous before the week began. There were girls running around all over Oxford looking for the perfect outfit to wear for each day. Others were worrying if their online orders would arrive in time. Then there were girls like me. The only new thing I bought for recruitment week was a pair of shoes, and I probably wouldn't have bought them if my mom would not have insisted that I needed something fancier than my go-to OTBTs.
I was extremely laid back about the upcoming week. I trusted that I would be placed wherever was right for me and if I ended up not liking the process I would just drop. There was really no point in stressing about it, so I didn't. I was more nervous for the girls I thought I was going to encounter. I fully believed the stereotype that sorority girls were ditsy, had squeaky voices, and didn't care about anything other than their appearance and Instagram ascetic. I told my family multiple times,"Maybe I shouldn't be in a sorority because I really don't like girls."
During recruitment week:
Everyone says it's the craziest week of your life, and now I can attest to that. There is so much going on. I spent 12 hours on Sunday running around to each house watching girls welcome me with different house songs. At each house, I talked to anywhere from one to four girls all asking the same things. The conversations were yelled to each other due to the amount of girls in the house having the same conversations I was.
Then I was walked out of the house, hugged my girl goodbye, and proceeded on to the next. Each day followed closely the same schedule. I wasn't allowed to have my phone during the hours I would be visiting houses, so meeting up with my roommate, Madison, became even harder. When we finally saw each other walking down the same sidewalk, we embraced in a hug that said, "I'm exhausted and just need a hug."
During the week, I also got rejected more than I had in the previous 18 years of my life. The first day I found two houses I really loved, but I got cut the same day. At the end of day two and three, I had found two more houses I really loved. I also got cut from them. So by Friday, I was completely confused about what I was doing. I was fortunate to have Friday as a break, unlike most girls, and took this time to reflect on the past few days. I drove out to the lake bottom and just sat. I weighed my options. I was thankful that I was still in recruitment and not cut completely, but I am not good at making decisions and I had to make a big one in a matter of hours.
After recruitment week:
I ran home to Phi Mu on bid day and what a happy day it was!! All of my frustrations of the week and hard decisions had brought me to this day. I was surrounded by my family and 400 new sisters! I now have a new outlook on sorority life. I have met girls that are very similar to me. Drinking is not all the rage to everyone, and most girls don't care as much about their appearance as you would think.
I am so happy I chose sorority life and trusted the process.
