and Thank You I will try my best to not let the nerves get to me, and I've been researching through this break trying to understand the process:)

Your recommendations will be submitted directly to the chapters by the alumnae. For Kappa Alpha Theta, it's online (although there is a paper option). Makes it very convenient.

There are threads about how to prepare packets for your rec writers. I'm not great at searching and am hoping KSU Violet is around to help (she seems to be great at suggesting threads to read). Also, in the recruitment forum, there's a fantastic stickied thread and I will go look for it now.

ETA: here's the thread from adpiucf

Go ahead and work on getting recommendations secured now. You won't be able to even register with UT for recruitment until late May (I believe, not sure of the exact deadline this year). Chapters typically receive recommendations/letters/references (whatever they call them), starting in May or June and then can match them up to registration later when they are given that information.

Alright thats great that I can send it in or have the person writing the recommendation send the form in because I wasn't sure if we could. And if I don't have recommendations for each house the local alumni panhallenic should be a help I heard? I'm just worried because I emailed them and it's been a couple of weeks and they haven't responded to my question about registration

Check their website for a college information day. Most have one in the spring. It's best that your recs come from people who already know you. Don't expect to use alum PH for the majority of them. Do your networking...

Titchou is right, the recommendation writer sends the form/letter into the chapter, not you. It is better to have a recommendation from someone you know even if it is through others (friend of a friend), but you can register with your local alumnae panhellenic. Each city/area has a different process for this and some are more organized than others. Typically, they hold an information session and you can register with them and they'll help you find recommendations that you are missing. Please remember, if you do register with a local alumnae Panhellenic group, that registration is separate from the UT registration and don't forget to do that!

If you have some leads on recommendation writers already, ask them if they know anyone from the other groups you are missing. Often times they do.

What happened summergal? Did you participate in UT recruitment? Come back and tell us the rest of the story! :)

I have lined up recommendations for most chapters and am wondering about "letters of support" that I have heard are suggested at some chapters (Tri Delt, Pi Phi, Zeta, Theta). Is this correct and if so, can the person who writes a rec also write a letter of support? I am OOS and do not have any local alumni contacts and would appreciate any information!

I will give you my OOS perspective - my daughter went through Rush at UT in 2014 and she did not submit any letters of support (that we know of). No one knows what those are around us. However what we did do is reach out to 2 or 3 women for each sorority and asked them to send in their recommendation form. So she had 2 or 3 "recs" for each sorority.

A local Texas person can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think we accomplished the same goal. From what I have read, if you are working with a local Panhellenic Organization to submit recs, there will often be a "sponsor" who completes the sororities official rec form, then attaches the letters of support. Basically, the sorority only needs 1 official rec form, but in my daughter's case they got 2 or 3.

Of course you never know how things would have worked out differently, but my daughter was very happy with how Rush went for her. Best of luck with your Recruitment!

Thank you for the info. At this point we have not asked for a third letter for any houses though can ask more people- Is it necessary? Also, most forms ask for one photo but I hear that a full length and head shot should be included in packets, should we always use the same pics or alternate so a given sorority might receive several different pictures? Also, if a PNM is a legacy does she also need recommendations?

Yes even a legacy will need recommendations as some groups will not offer a bid without one. As for the question about the photos I recommend using the same full length and head shots for all of the groups.

I heard from a few sources that 2 recommendations per sorority were fine. I think we only got 3 when someone volunteered to do one after we already had 2 - I figured it couldn't hurt.

I would send a 1 head and 1 full body shot to your rec writers. Better to have both - they can decide if their sorority only needs one. You can use the same ones for all sororities.

Is your question should you include an additional recommendation beyond the legacy recommendation? I'm pretty sure my daughter did that, mostly because a friend really wanted to send one in. Again, it can't hurt if you have someone available to do it.

Even if you are a legacy,you still need 2 recs. As far as I'm concerned, I owuld assume you are getting a good one from the relative so it's just a check in a box to me.

Yes, a legacy definitely needs a rec. And be sure the relative through whom she is a legacy (grandmother, sister, etc) alerts the chapter that the legacy is going through recruitment. Most sororities have a "legacy information form" or something similar that the relative fills out & sends to the house. Do not assume the house will just "know"! Also- be sure that your daughter actually is a legacy. Some sororities do not acknowledge grandmothers or step relatives; almost no one recognize cousins or aunts.

FWIW, Alpha Xi Delta counts nieces as legacies. Don't think cousins or step family are looked at as such. I'm pretty sure granddaughters are legacies.