Bid Day!
As Erica mentioned, last Sunday was Bid Day! I received an invitation to join Alpha Omicron Pi (AOII) and am now a baby panda! I figured I would outline the last week for anyone interested in recruitment wanting to know more.
Monday, the 10th, was Display Round, where every girl visited all 9 houses for 20 minutes. This gave a general idea about each house and the 20 minutes were spent chatting about majors, hometowns, or recent movies. At the end of the day, all potential new members filled a card and chose their favorite 7 of the 9 houses.
Tuesday, the 11th, was Philanthropy Round, with each round lasting 25 minutes. Potential New Members visited up to 7 houses, depending on how many invited them back. However, full schedules are actually pretty rare and many girls receive 6 or less. Once at each house, the sisters talked about their service projects and afterwards, everyone made crafts that benefited their philanthropies.
Wednesday, the 12th, was the first day of classes so there were no rounds :)
Thursday, the 13th, was Entertainment Round, my favorite! We visited up to 5 houses and the sisters performed some kind of skit or dance routine or a combination of both. Rounds this night lasted 45 minutes and after the performances, we drank “mocktails” and chatted with active members some more.
Friday, the 14th, was another free day.
Saturday, the 15th, was Preference Night, with each round lasting 50 minutes. Each girl could potentially visit 3 houses and partake in a unique ritual. Different sisters would also share their stories about what sisterhood meant to them and how it had affected their time at Vanderbilt. Afterwards, we ranked our favorite sororities from 1 to 3.
Sunday, the 16th, was Bid Day! Every single girl who rushed piled into the Rec Center gym and received an envelope with their bid in it. We had to sit on the envelopes while the officers revealed which houses they were in, and then mass chaos ensued as everyone ripped open their cards and rushed to meet their new sisters. The new pledge class then rode a bus to join the active members in a fun, bonding activity like bowling or dancing.
The whole week was pretty tiring, but it was great getting to meet so many new people. I’m really happy about the sorority I ended up in, because the girls are really fun and I feel comfortable when I’m with them. That is the case with my friends who also rushed and ended up in different houses. As the recruitment officers stressed to us throughout the week, “Trust the process.”
