Izulde's Adventures in Fratland (RL Dynasty)

[Izulde]

I missed the informational meeting last night because I had class, so I go to the recruitment event tonight, not sure what to expect.

The first thing that happens is I get paired up with this one guy and we spent about half an hour going around picking up garbage. That was interesting and I figured it played into the whole philanthropy bit.

After we all hand in our garbage bags, we get split up into groups for touring of four houses. There's eight houses on campus, so four tonight and four tomorrow night. I got into an argument with this real dumbass who said Rice was the Broncos' shittiest receiver and that's why he's retired. Said dumbass also said all the NFL teams pretty much run the same system.

But then that debate dies out and we start touring the houses.

The first fraternity we visited was Lambda Chi Alpha, which I hated instantly because they don't have a frat house. Sorry, but to me, having a frat house to go hang out and/or live in is part of the frat experience. So no go, even though the guys seemed pretty cool.

Next up was Sigma Chi. Not the most beautiful house on campus, but it had its charming aspects and more importantly, I hit off with the guys right away and just had this ebb and flow of conversation going on. It really amused me that I was sitting on a couch, and on the couches around me was a good portion of the chapter all hanging on to everything I was saying and asking me questions. Just a really great feeling and a totally cool bunch of guys. I noticed quite a few girls there, and surmised to myself that sorority chicks must be part of the fraternity recruitment process and these girls were sizzling.

Then we went next door to Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Gorgeous house, slick video presentation, but something left me cold. These guys totally came across as complete assholes who think they're hot shit. Yeah the girls were hot here too, but a lot of them were real frigid and distant, not like the girls that were hanging out at Sigma Chi. Overall I got the impression that these guys are total pricks and full of themselves, so I dropped that one right away from my list.

Pi Kappa Alpha, the last stop for the night. Beautiful, beautiful house and the guy who gave me the tour was a really awesome dude. So I'm feeling good about this house. They're selective, have a great house, and have qualities that they look for in pledges that I have. I'm thinking they're going to be even better than Sigma Chi. I went out back and played sand volleyball for quite a while and got mad props for my play. Then the poker game started up and I dashed back to my dorm real quick for some dough.

I get back there and I'm all set for a night of fun, conversation, and poker playing, but then I get iced out and ignored. Only my tour guide was cool to me and talked to me at all, so I thought fuck this shit, dropped the Pikes from consideration, and went back to the Sigma Chi house.

An hour and a half later, I'm back in my dorm after having great conversation and rapport with some more of the Sigma Chi guys, some who I'd talked to in the earlier 20 minute session, others whom I hadn't had a chance to meet before. It also turns out that one of the guys's gf is in my Lit Survey III class, so we chatted a while too and I gave her a tip on how to avoid having to do a ton of reading for Friday, which she'll take. See, she's part of Delta Delta Delta, and last weekend was sorority rush weekend, so she was really busy with that and didn't have time to do a lot of the reading that we had to do for the class. We hit off really too. And no, I'm not going to steal a potential brother's gf even if she is hot and a cool chica.

So right now, it's seriously looking like Sigma Chi is my #1 choice. I especially like that every Sigma Chi member who gets higher than a 3.0 gets a scholarship and I need all the funding money I can get. Just an awesome, awesome bunch of guys overall though.

So tomorrow night are the other four houses on campus: Alpha Gamma Rho, Alpha Tau Omega, Sigma Nu, and Sigma Phi Epsilon.

[Blade6119]

what college?

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by Blade6119

what college?

University of Wyoming.

[Izulde]

So the second round of house touring was tonight.

I actually showed up two hours early because I got the time wrong and had to quit in the middle of my fantasy football draft, which irked me a bit, but it worked out okay because I went to the house I liked best from last night. They fed me supper and I hung out with them until it was time to do the second half of the house visits.

First house, cool bunch of guys, but because of some political issues that I later found out about tonight, a lot of their members quit. And no, I won't detail the issues because I don't feel this is the proper place for it. While I came to understand why, their presentation still bothered me. I know they need new blood, but they came across as being too desperate for new members and that was a huge turnoff for me.

Second house, easily the most beautiful on campus. I mean, we're talking I'd love to live in this house my whole life kind of beautiful, but the people there seemed a little stuck up and snobby, so that made me kinda meh.

Third house was obviously a fraternity that cared more about partying than anything else and gave short shrift to everything else. While I like partying, I want a well-rounded Greek experience, so thanks but no thanks.

Last house is situated away from the other fraternities and sororities. Not really what I wanted to be honest. I want to be at the centre of Greek life. Furthermore, the guys at that house were all pretty of a specific personality type that, while I get along pretty good with my friends who are of that type, they're fundamentally different from my own personality.

So after the visitations, I went back to the second house from tonight because the place was that damn beautiful that I felt myself compelled to go there and hang out. I did for about twenty minutes and chatted with some more guys. Then one of the sororities came by and filled the house, and I noticed something. All the girls stood around talking to each other and ignoring all the guys, who were making idle conversation and looking bored with each other while eyeing the girls.

At that point, I was like ".... 'kay, forget this. The sorority girls paired up with the fraternity I like best are a lot cooler and less gender-centric than this." (I'd noticed there seems to be an affiliation and correspondence with fraternities and sororities).

So back I go to my favourite house where they all greeted me again and I sat and listened to a couple guys in the house play guitar and sing. Then I joined in on the poker game that started up and learned two new variants of poker that I didn't know before. Even came out a buck ahead.

So yeah, my #1 frat from last night is even more clearly my top choice now and I put it on my preference form as my first selection. Number two was the gorgeous house fraternity. I couldn't help it, that's how much I loved the place. For my third choice, I just kind of closed my eyes and picked one at random, and it turned out to be House 4 from last night.

I'm feeling pretty good about my chances of getting into my first choice, because I seem to mesh really well with the guys there and most of them know my name by now, so there isn't that crack-slipping thing to worry about that I've heard about so far on here.

If I get a bid from them, I'll be ecstatic and accept right away. If I don't and get one from one or both of the other two, then I'll probably take most of the 72 hours before I decide, and really mull it over.

[terpkristin]

I know chapters vary from campus to campus, but I found at UMD that the best (nicest and generally smartest, of the frat guys I knew) guys were Sigma Chi guys and that most of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon guys (including my former roommate) are total tools.

I hope you get the bid you want!

/tk

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by terpkristin

I know chapters vary from campus to campus, but I found at UMD that the best (nicest and generally smartest, of the frat guys I knew) guys were Sigma Chi guys and that most of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon guys (including my former roommate) are total tools.

I hope you get the bid you want!

/tk

Ironically enough, Sigma Chi is my top choice. and SAE is the one who are total stuck up asshats who think they're hot shit.

Pref night's over. I visited every frat house except the one that isn't on campus. More details later.

[finkenst]

Originally Posted by terpkristin

I know chapters vary from campus to campus, but I found at UMD that the best (nicest and generally smartest, of the frat guys I knew) guys were Sigma Chi guys and that most of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon guys (including my former roommate) are total tools.

I hope you get the bid you want!

/tk

strangely enough, it was the same way at ENMU in 90-94.

Not that all of the SAE guys were fools when separated..

[Izulde]

Since I'm fairly toasted right now after celebrating, I'm just going to c/p last night's story from one of the Greek forums I've been posting my rush story on.

Butterfinger:
Really cool group of guys but they don't have a house on campus, so no go. To me the frat house experience is too vital to be passed up.

Peanut Butter Cup
The fraternity with the most beautiful house on the campus, who seemed a little snobbish that had me sorta meh and who had the sorority girls over who only talked to each other.

Peppermint Patty:
Real nice batch of guys here, but too desperate for new members after political issues caused them to lose a bunch of guys.

Three Musketeers:
Party central who didn't pay much attention to the other aspects of Greek life, a huge knock in my preference rankings.

Dark Chocolate Twix:
My #1 choice fraternity and my favourite candy. The guys who have made me feel the most welcome all along and who I've felt the most comfortable with.

M&M:
Have their house away from campus and have a personality type that is pretty much the antithesis to mine.

Mentos:
The guys who were the real big snobs during my visit with them and who didn't sit well with me, even though we got on rather well.

Butterscotch Disc:
Loved the house and got on well with the guys until I went to join their poker game when I was ignored.

So I started off the night at Dark Chocolate Twix at their pre-pref night event. Food was absolutely fantastic and I talked some to some of the guys and got my tail kicked at the game we played, since it was my first time playing that type of game.

Then I found out that the formal version of Pref Night was out the window and that it was basically a free for all. So I said hell with it and decided to take advantage by touring every house except Butterfinger again.

I stayed at Dark Chocolate Twix until they showed the video to their first batch of potential pledges and I got tears in my eyes when I watched it. That's how beautifully it was put together.

En route to my next house, I spent about 15 minutes talking to this Tri-Delta girl I've gotten to know some from one of my classes, comparing the sorority setup with the fraternity setup. She said that while recruitment for the sororities is a lot less informal than it was in the past, it's still quite strict. Also, because my university is only 4% Greek, they tend not to cut girls from all houses, or at least my T-D acquantaince had never heard of such happening there. We came up with the idea of doing a cross-country research project on rushes throughout the nation as well and seeing how different regions, states, campuses, and fraternities/sororities handle rush, how selective they are, etc.

Next up was Butterscotch Disc, where the really cool guide I had spotted me right away and greeted me. Told me to help myself to food, drinks, et. al. A few more guys besides him talked to me this go-round and I played a few games there, too. Overall, I felt a lot better about this house than I did after getting snubbed, and I left wishing I'd put them at #2, rather than the random #3 I originally put.

To Peanut Butter Cup next, where I chatted with some more guys, including a really in-depth convo with this one bloke that got interrupted by this guy from my visitation group who'd mentioned that he was pissy about how not too many people from the fraternities seemed to talk to him, especially in Dark Chocolate Twix. That kind of irritated me that he did that, but since I knew he was feeling depressed about feeling shut out, I excused myself to go get some food, hung out a little while more, and then left. Still the most gorgeous house, but falling further down my list in spite of it. Also, one of the girlfriends of the guys I overheard complaining about how lame the whole thing was and how she couldn't wait to leave. This, I might remind, is also the same fraternity where the sorority girls ignored the guys. So yeah, by this point in the evening, Peanut Butter Cup and Butterscotch Disc had flipflopped places in my head, because of the sense of getting along with the brothers of the house.

From there, it was on to Mentos, which had a rocking party going on. Unfortunately, remember what I said about them thinking they were all that and a bag of chips? Well, that still apparently applied here because I was totally disregarded. After about twenty minutes, I got disgusted and started walking off, only to be caught by my guide from before. He talked to me some, but I got the feeling he wasn't all that interested or genuine. Bye-bye Mentos. You are *not* my Freshmaker.

Onward to Three Musketeers, which confirmed their Animal House stereotype in every way possible. The odd thing is, I actually got to really like these guys during this visit, especially after... well, I'm going to have to wait to tell you this story until after I finalize my bid. They invited me to go along with them partying, but I ended up declining. Still, I have to say these guys shot up from the back of the pack to #4. Excellent leap forward.

Peppermint Patty came next. My impression of these guys as a great group of fellows was further enhanced as I chatted with them more earnestly than I did last time, but it was still too depressing a place to be around. So, nope, this isn't the place for me.

Last stop was M & M, which, even though it was only about 9:45, was closed for the evening. This further cemented my feeling that they were sooo not right for me, as I'm a night owl, and there were already sharp personality differences to consider.

From there, it was back to Dark Chocolate Twix. There, too, I got an invitation to go to a party with them. This time, I accepted and hung out for an hour, but I'm afraid I wasn't much social in the least, and I left after about an hour without saying anything to anyone about leaving. As I walked back to my dorm, I couldn't but help but wonder if I'd screwed up by being withdrawn and leaving so silently.

But yeah, for now, here's the rankings in my head as of Bid Day Morning:

1. Dark Chocolate Twix
2. Butterscotch Disc
3. 3 Musketeers (These guys reminded me of my best friend back home who I haven't seen in a few years, so they sneak on up to 3rd)
4. Peanut Butter Cup

The other four are more or less dropped from consideration, due to reasons of just not being the right fit for me.

Time to hit the showers and get dressed. More to come later.

[Izulde]

So I woke up today, showered, and walked to the meadow area where they were handing out bids, my heart pounding and my head feeling a little light.

Would I get a bid or would I not?

I go to the table, where the guy is like, "You're Jestor Jestor right?"

"Yeah."

"I just saw you in here. Let me take a look."

He flips through the cards and I'm getting more and more tense by the moment.

Then he hands me the card and says something that I don't really hear because I'm too busy staring at it.

....

...

....

....

I got two bids!

Dark Chocolate Twix and Three Musketeers both extended me an offer!!!!!!

I quickly thanked the guys at the table who told me that if I was going to accept a bid to just go to the house in question.

Then I dashed away from the table and just stood under a tree for a while, wiping away tears of joy that were in my eyes. I've wanted to be Greek ever since high school and I was afraid by this time that I was too old to be accepted and I thought I'd blown it with Dark Chocolate Twix. Being Greek seemed like just a pipe dream and now, not one but *two* fraternities wanted me as their brother.

This probably sounds silly but that was a huge deal to me, to know that more than one fraternity wanted me and that I had a decision to make. It made me feel like I was somebody really special and that I was wanted.

So after I calmed down from my teary-eyed outburst of happiness, I looked at the card again. While you might have expected that I would have dashed off to Dark Chocolate Twix right away, I wanted to take some time to reflect on it. After all, 3 Musketeers had grown a lot on me over the week and I gave some very serious consideration to their bid.

But in the end, my footsteps carried me to the house of Dark Chocolate Twix and I became one of the newest members of....

Sigma Chi!

BTW

Butterfinger = Lambda Chi Alpha
Peanut Butter Cup = Sigma Phi Epsilon
Peppermint Patty = Alpha Tau Omega
Three Musketeers = Sigma Nu
Dark Chocolate Twix = Sigma Chi
M&M = Alpha Gamma Rho
Mentos = Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Butterscotch Disc = Pi Kappa Alpha

[terpkristin]

Good luck on your initiation!

/tk