With Recruitment only days away, sorority girls all around the country are preparing for the longest, yet most rewarding week of their lives. No one actually understands how much preparation goes into six days of girl flirting including but not limited to spray tans, manicures, waxing, and hundreds of dollars spent on clothes to dress to impress. However, nothing can prepare PNMs (potential new members) or rushers for the awkward/embarrassing encounters they are going to run into at some point during the week. Ask any girl that has been through formal recruitment and I guarantee they will tell you at least one cringe-worthy moment they experienced. I asked some girls from around the Panhellenic community about their experiences and sure enough I got some juicy stories. I picked some of the funniest ones to share with you and I promise they'll leave you laughing.
1. I spy with my little eye(lash)
“I was talking to this girl in a house and I noticed that her fake eyelash was falling off. I didn’t want to be rude and say anything because I was a PNM and wanted to make the best impression so I decided not to say anything. Minutes later it literally just fell right off her eyelid and into my water cup. She burst into tears and we stood there awkwardly until the party was over (lol).”
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-Doris, 19
2. Girl, you trippin'
“I was in a house the day before Preference Round, which meant nice dresses and high heels. I didn’t have a lot in common with the girl that was rushing me so the conversation was already really awkward. I was sitting on the floor and I guess I was sitting in an awkward position because when I got up to leave the house, I realized my foot was completely numb. I tried to play it cool, but my foot was so dead that my ankle completely gave out when I put weight on it and I fell into the girl’s arms. She didn’t know what to do so she told me to sit back down while the rest of the party was staring at me. I completely messed up the exiting process and to make matters worse, it was at one of the top houses at my school.”
-Cailey, 19
3. Marilyn Monroe moment
“Big fans outside of houses are both a blessing and a curse. I was wearing a green, flowy dress during one of the rounds and as I was walking into a house, my dress completely flew up exposing my bare butt and underwear to all of the girls rushing me and the girls waiting in line. I was mortified, but it definitely broke the ice.”
-Amanda, 20
4. "Have it your way"
“The girl that was rushing me was so cool, which really helped the conversation flow along. We talked about how I was really involved with acting while growing up and how we had that in common. So, we exchanged stories about what kind of productions we had been in and she said that she had been in a Burger King commercial. After this conversation, I was totally sold on that sorority. When I saw her on bid day, she ended up confessing that her brother was actually the one in the commercial and not her.”
-Colleen, 20
5. Tiff takes a tumble
“It wouldn’t be a typical Tallahassee day if it didn’t rain around 4 o’clock. I was walking to my next house when it started to drizzle, so I picked up my leisurely pace to a light jog. I was wearing palazzo pants and my foot got caught in the bottom making me fly 3 feet forward. I landed on my hands and knees and had no choice but to keep going with my ripped pants and bloody hands and knees. When I got to the house, the girl recruiting me had to take me inside to help clean me up. It was a hot mess.”
-Tiffany, 20
6. "An apple a day keeps the doctor away"
“I fainted while I was in a house and my Rho Gamma had to come and feed me fruit while I waited for the EMS to come and get me.”
-Ana, 21
7. It's just water
“Whenever I’d walk into a house I’d get super nervous, but lucky for me the girl rushing me at this one house was really cool. When we walked into the house, she handed me a cup of water which I kept taking sips of in order to keep my hands busy. One time when I went to go take a sip, I completely missed my mouth and I spilled water all over my dress. Just my luck, when I got up there was a huge wet spot on the couch which made it look like I peed.”
-Monique, 20
8. It's fine, I'm fine
“I sat down to talk to this really trendy, hip girl in one of my top houses during Recruitment. It was hot outside so I was sweating really badly. When I sat down, my sticky boobs fell completely off my body and into my lap. Since they were in my lap under the dress I was wearing, I had to tell the girl rushing me because I was awkwardly sticking my hand down my dress to stick them back on which probably made it look like I was feeling myself up. She thought it was hilarious and I ended up being in that sorority so it worked out.”
-Shannon, 21
9. Run Jess, run
“I had to sprint (no exaggeration) from a house on one end of the campus to another. I sweat just by thinking about stepping outside, so you can imagine what it was like sprinting in the dead middle of summer in Florida. Upon arriving at my destination, I struggled to put on my strappy wedges and find my spot in line all while trying to cool myself off before stepping in the house. Long story short, the girl who was rushing me and I somehow switched seats, which ended with her stopping our conversation mid way to point out that someone had been sweating all over the chair. When I then politely told her that it was me, she turned bright red and tried to apologize for making me feel uncomfortable. There was really no coming back from that."
-Jessica, 19
10. Ice water slip up
“I don’t know why, but I spilled my water in the same house every time I was invited back. One time one of the girls behind me slipped and took the girl rushing her down with her. I didn’t notice what had happened until she had a huge wet spot on her dress an ice pack wrapped around her ankle.”
-Cathryn,19
11. Toot, toot
"I walked into a house for Preference Night and for those of you that don't know, this is the most serious round of recruitment. People were talking in a very hushed tone and a serious, somber mood filled the room. I felt the need to fart about 10 minutes in and couldn't hold it in any longer. What I thought was going to be a silent fart, turned out to be a long whistle fart. The girl who was pref-ing me could definitely smell it by the look on her face. Long story short, this girl is now my big."
-Allison, 19
So PNMs, don’t stress because it happens to the best of us. Go in confident and be ready for anything recruitment week decides to throw your way. If something happens to go wrong, laugh it off and continue going about your conversation. Recruitment week is all about finding a sisterhood that will accept you for your quirky, awkward self! Have fun and don’t forget that every one of us has been in your shoes. Good luck!
