we're just trying to give you the opportunity to have the most successful recruitment that you can. it is certainly your perogative to do what you wish with the information provided.

I cannot speak for other Chapters, but we receive several transcripts and resumes from PNMs who were not able to secure Recs from alums. While we cannot give "Rec credit", we will read your info. If you have more activities/info listed on your resume than was on your Recruitment application (perhaps due to space limitations) then it's good to do. If it is the same, then there is no need to send one.

A final transcript is helpful and appreciated to guarantee a Chapter has an accurate GPA listed for a PNM. Also, if your school has some funky grading system then please include an official explanation. Note: not your personal explanation, we need something official. Check with your HS or maybe you can print a policy off of their website.

An even better suggestion, look at the University's grading scale. If they are on a 4.0 then that's what the sororities are using. When you go to your HS to pick up an official copy of your transcript, have someone there convert it to that scale, write it on the transcript and SIGN the transcript as an official representative of the HS.

(What is up with some of the High Schools? I've seen so many weird/non-traditional grading scales. One that sticks out in my mind was on a 4.38 scale. What is up with that? A 4.0, 5.0, 6.0 or even 100 I understand, but a 4.38? How bizarre! If I hadn't read the transcript we probably wouldn't have caught it. We would have assumed it was a 4.0 scale and the PNM would not have made our GPA minimum, but once converted she did.)

Zillini...thank you for your response. Hopefullly I will not need to resort to sending the packet without a rec. One more question...I attended school at my University this summer (a requirement for one of the programs I am involved in) and received 10 hours of credit. Do I need to inform each sorority or will they only care about my high school GPA?

fair enough.
thanks to all who have responded.

Well said! So many times I think PNMs have a negative opinion of one member and assume the rest of the chapter is exactly the same. It's an unfair bias that I think a lot of PNMs carry into recruitment while still believing that they "have an open mind".

Just saying, first impressions aren't always accurate.

That's unfortunate that you find answers to your questions rude.

The point I was making is that you already wrote groups off for personal reasons, and to be blunt every group changes every year (even a semester) with women graduating, transferring, maturing, moving out of house, studying abroad, and so on, and though you claim to have an open mind, you in fact don't. I don't care about your reasons, but a truly open mind would go to recruitment with no preconceived notions and give every group a chance to show who they are. If you can live with the fact you're limiting yourself and therefore lessening your chances of joining a sorority, then so be it, but don't say nobody warned you.

Maybe it's because of honors classes? At my high school, Honors classes were graded on a 4.5 scale and AP and IB classes were on a 5.0 scale.

So maybe it's along those lines...

If it was something like 4.5 it would be different. I don't know, but 4.38 seems like a really arbitrary number to me.

ETA: How do you convert that to a normal scale?

Circlet, I'm not for sure how it works but I think summer grades are helpful. Don't quote me, however. I know at UT, some girls have to go to summer school for final admittance to the university, maybe that's my confusion about their importance.

Thanks Just Interested. I understand what you are saying. My classes weren't for that though. The summer school component is a requirement of the program. It is the only way you can finish all of the requirements during your undergrad. I didn't want to "throw up a red flag" by not reporting it to the sororities. Actually, I'm very happy with my grades and think they might shine favorably. However, I secured most of my recs before I left in May (knowing I would be gone this summer) and did not have my summer school grade yet. So, I guess I'm asking if I should just leave well enough alone and stand on my high school resume or send some type of additional note with my college transcript. Perhaps I'm just thinking about this too much!

Definitely send your college grades to them. It actually does give them more information about your ability to handle college classes.

Teachers are a great place to start! There are other people you could ask too. Don't forget:

Older friends from HS
Friends of your older siblings
Older siblings of your friends
Parents' friends
Friends' moms
Coworkers/bosses
women from your place of worship
coaches/activity sponsors/school staff

Remember that when you find one Greek, she (or he!) will almost certainly know other Greeks. This applies to fraternity men, as well as sorority women who are in a sorority not at your school. Double check with your rec writers to see if they know alumnae from other sororities.

Do keep digging. It's good that you have "weeks" instead of "days".

apology
 

so i just reread the entire thread and i'd like to apologize to everyone.
i said that i felt like some of you were being rude because i got defensive.
i came here to ask for advice from people who know more than i do and that's exactly what i got. it just wasn't what i was hoping to hear.
forgive me for acting the way i did.

i'm not having much luck securing more recs, but i am doing everything that i can. i've emailed all my old highschool teachers and am asking literally everyone i know. hopefully i will come upon some luck soon.

thanks everyone for the advice. it has truly made me think about the mindset i was going into rush with and i now hope that i can change it and will be able to ACTUALLY go into it with an open mind instead of just saying i am.

thanks and i'm sorry again.

also i have a thought about what someone said about sending in college grades.
my highschool transcript isn't terribly impressive, but i worked really hard my first semester at college and made a really good gpa. i feel like my college transcript is going to save me during rush! i'm glad i gave myself that opportunity to show everyone that i'm a serious student.