Squeals, hugs, cell-phone calls and a few tears filled the entrance of the Technological Institute on Tuesday night, as Bid Night ended the anticipation of sorority rush.

After Olivia Marczuk, a Weinberg freshman, received her bid from her first choice sorority, she took a picture with two girlfriends, posing with the cards that invited them to pledge to one of the 12 sorority chapters on campus.

“We all got our number one choices, and we’re so excited,” said Marczuk, a Kappa Kappa Gamma pledge. “Even though we got into different houses, we’re still going to be friends.”

Even though he got only about three hours of sleep per night during the six-day sorority recruitment, Kyle Pendleton, director of fraternity and sorority life, said it was all worth it.

“It’s been a hectic and crazy week, but the friendships I’ve seen formed and the hard work the Pan-Hellenic Council and the chapters have put into this makes this the best recruitment I’ve seen since I’ve been here,” said Pendleton, who has been at NU for three sorority recruitment processes.

A move from paper ballots to online registration improved the process for the 32 recruitment counselors and 597 potential new members, said Sarah McCracken, Panhellenic Association’s vice president of membership.

“We had a phenomenal recruitment,” said McCracken, a McCormick senior. “Everything in the process went smoothly.”

Kelly Shimizu, the president of Panhel, also said that she thought that this year’s recruitment was one of the most successful.

“We had a good retention rate,” said Shimizu, an Education senior. “(And) it seems a lot of girls got their number one choices.”

But not all women were guaranteed a bid.

“It is the exception rather than the rule (that a potential new member will not receive a bid),” McCracken said. “(But) an extremely high percentage of women who completed the process will receive an invitation for membership.”

Bids were distributed in private rooms because receiving and accepting or rejecting bids are personal decisions, McCracken said.

In the coming weeks, the women will decide whether they want to join the sororities from which they received their bids. The sororities will have initiation ceremonies for their new pledge classes prior to sorority and fraternity festivities on Gone Greek Night, Jan. 21.

The women who rushed had their own ideas about how secretive and traditional the recruitment process would be, but their expectations turned into memories Tuesday night as relief replaced anxiety.

“I’m thankful it’s over,” said Laura Waters, a Medill freshman. “There’s too many people, so few houses, and so little time. But generally, it works out that people end up happy with where they end up.”

Many women said the recruitment process was fun, but they also said they were glad it was over.

“I wouldn’t go through it again. It was very exhausting and overwhelming,” said Andrea Vannucci, a Weinberg freshman. “It really makes you think a lot about what you want.”

Reach Helena Oh at [email protected].