My Sorority Recruitment Experience Pt.1

Before attending the University of South Carolina, I didn’t know much. I didn’t know what I wanted to study, I didn’t know anyone who attended the school, I didn’t know if I would like living in the south. The one thing I knew was that I wanted to be in a sorority. 

I mean, I was destined to be in a sorority. I had spent 6 summers at an all-girls sleepaway camp where my friends and I referred to each other as “sisters” and I was always the biggest girly-girl in the room. Not to mention that every TV show and movie I had ever seen had convinced me that all the pretty, cool girls joined the best sororities. Even my 12th grade gym teacher had once called me a sorority girl. Looking back, I don’t think that was a compliment. But I definitely took it as one. 

So, in May of my senior year of high school, I signed up for sorority recruitment. No hesitations, no questions asked. 

Fast forward to August and I was newly moved into my freshman dorm, introduced to my roommate, separated from my parents by several states and thrown into the long and tiring 2-week process of rush.

I was a nervous wreck and although the thought of being rejected by every house that I wanted never even crossed my mind, it began to happen- round by round. 

Tri Delta was gone after round 1 and I found myself hurt thinking about the girl I spoke to and how I thought we had clicked.

Round 2 came along and I was dropped from Kappa Delta, even though I was sure they’d keep me since their philanthropy was Girlscouts of America and I myself had been a Girlscout for 10 years. 

Round 3 approached and I was dropped from my favorite house, Chi Omega, which I was positive was the house for me because of their laid back and funny attitudes. 

Suddenly, it was preference round and I was left with a house I thought I loved and a house I didn’t want at all. 

I won’t name names here but I pretty much convinced myself to love one of the houses based off their “top tier” status at USC. I ignored the fact that my conversations were kind of boring and that I felt intimidated by, and not comfortable with, the girls I spoke to. I felt like I needed to be in a sorority at South Carolina, and so therefore I convinced myself that I needed this house and that I could find a way to fit in. 

When it came time to vote, I made the decision to single-choice preference. In other words, I refused a bid from the house that I didn’t want, which meant that I would either get a bid from the house I convinced myself to love or I would get no bid at all. 

I was scared, but I was also confident that the next morning I’d be “running home” to this house. The girl that I had spoken to that day had told me that she really enjoyed speaking with me and could see me fitting in with her and her friends. So I was in, right?

Wrong.

The next morning (the morning of Bid Day), I got a phone call at about 6:30AM from my pi chi, otherwise known as a sorority girl who disaffiliates from her sorority to help freshmen go through the recruitment process. The minute I saw the phone ring, I knew what I was about to hear. Quietly, I picked up the call, trying not to wake my roommate. Within the next minute and a half I was crushed, sobbing and left feeling so unwanted. That phone call had informed me that after the longest 2 weeks of my life, I was not going to receive a bid.

My roommate and my 2 suitemates were up and hugging me and trying to comfort me. I appreciated it but in that moment all I wanted to do was be alone. None of them understood because none of them had gotten the same call. Later that day, I’d be all alone in my dorm room while all of my friends were getting their bids, meeting new friends and feeling like those 2 weeks of hell were worth it. 

What was I going to do? The University of South Carolina was known for their Greek life. Would I even be able to survive here if I wasn’t in a sorority? Would people not want to be friends with me? Would the friends I had now ditch me for new friends in their sororities? 

The first month was tough, especially because my friends were always busy with going to chapter meetings or going on chapter retreats. But after that, I was simply fine. The hype of recruitment had finally settled down. People were focusing on classes and other aspects of college life. My friends stayed my friends and actually introduced me to the people that they met within their sororities. Nobody cared that I wasn’t in a sorority and I wasn’t treated differently at all. Freshman year went on and I still ended up having the time of my life. 

But it still felt like something was missing. 

To be continued...