Basically you should be reading this if:
You are currently Rush chair.
Your friend is Rush Chair.
You want to be Rush Chair.
Your child is Rush Chair.
You're in a Sorority.
This position is no joke. It makes you laugh, makes you cry and makes you want to hit all your sisters... in a sisterly way. Nothing compares to having the burden on your shoulders of "getting the best pledge class out there."
The early stages
I was elected, voted on and held the title of VPR (Vice President Recruitment). This means you are on Executive Council for your chapter and get to know all the dirty little secrets. The biggest stepping stone so far was attending Convention in the summer for my chapter. I had ideas coming out of every part of me. What we should wear, what we would say, how the party rounds would look
Early action stages
I got back to school in the fall and made a timeline --this is crucial-- The meetings, Recruitment training schools, dates, things that should be booked by, like the Bid Day venue.
The stage of reasoning
This was at the point where people just didn't grasp concepts. The concept of "Don't tell other chapters what we're doing" is mainly the biggest one. I love my chapter, but boy can they have loose lips. I think the biggest emotion I felt up to this point was excitement, but also being offended. I'm not the type of person to feel offended easily, however; some people wouldn't show up to meetings or they would spill secrets and so on. Note to self: Don't take things too personally.
The stage of "OMG Recruitment is Basically Here"
I have recruitment in January, aka Christmas break is my breathing room. However, I didn't have a day where recruitment wasn't on my mind. I was either having conference calls with Headquarters, answering texts and messages from sisters, buying decorations and figuring out my budget daily.
The stage of wanting to punch my sisters
Yes, I went there because yes, this stage is a real thing! The amount of questions I was asked is unreal. Not even valid concerns, but dumb ignorant comments. Like come on people, we are big girls, we can use our common sense. And in return, if I did not spell out every single action of recruitment people would act as if it mattered. AGAIN, COMMON SENSE.
Final stages
The week has arrived. The Leadership Consultant from headquarters is sleeping in the house office, I have only eaten a slice of pizza and a bag of chips within the last 24 hours. People are blowing up my phone which makes it die every second, but jokes on them because I'm too busy to even look at my phone.
My sleep schedule is all kinds of messed and If someone as so much whispers a complaint I will bite their head off. At this point I have drank enough Starbucks to fuel a village and have worn the same sweatshirt for 5 days straight. My roommates haven't seen me in who knows how long and the LC has been up my butt about every detail.
I'm now running on 40 hours straight with zero sleep. And changes are being sprung on me at the last minute. I have prepared myself for this, so I roll with it, but my breaking point isn't far. Now just to clarify, I didn't cry because I was so stressed, I cried because of being overwhelmed and my emotions needed to come out. Step outside (in the snow) and let it out. I needed this, you need it too.
.
Bid Day
The day has arrived. I couldn't sleep the night before because my dreams of a bad pledge class haunted me all night long. I knew our bid list, but what if they all don't want us? What if all my hard work went down the drain simply because we didn't cry on Pref night, or pretend we are something we aren't?
It's ok. I see the list, I write out the bid cards and I am on a high I can't explain. Our theme was great, everyone had a blast, the amount of smiles I saw made this all worth it.
To my Chapter: You guys made me want to rip my hair out and dance on your graves. And that's okay, because you also made me the happiest person alive. You taught me to roll with the punches, to embrace any flaw our chapter had, and to know that no matter what happened or how much I could yell, you all were there for me. Supporting me. My heart was filled by the love and support you showed me. Alpha Gamma Delta, Gamma Eta Chapter is my home in every way. I wouldn't trade you psycho's for anything, not even a stress-free Recruitment.
