Regardless of what is says on Ariesrising site (a great site) you need to contact Inter/National Headquarters to get the ball rolling, to have someone email an AC president out of the blue could be viewed a rather off-putting.

I usually don't say this, but I now think I am starting to believe it and this is not lip-service: AI IS NOT COMMON by any stretch of the imagination, many ACs may not be familiar with the process or they just don't do it at all. I really don't believe that GC portrays AI as common, but some people may see it that way. YOU NEED to start with I/NHQ, get some information and they will help you in the process. Some groups maybe more open to AI, than others, but within that, it all depends on the AC, because they will be the ones who will be sponsoring you.

It is great that you are looking at collegiate sites, but you will not have as much contact with them as the AC, that is where you will be spending most of your time with, unless you get involved in an advisory roll of some sort. Don't concentrate on the collegiate chapter, focus on the AC. If the group that you are interested in, sends you contact information to the local AC or they send your contact information to the local AC, it is up to them to see whether they are interested in AI.

I hope that helps clear a few things up for you, also regarding PMing some AIs from a group on this board, some may respond and some may not respond, just so you are aware.

gwyn

[edit to clear my statement up: what I mean in the above, we know that AI is not common, but I am starting to believe that GC may give the preception that it is common]

Ms Gwyn is right...

As I said in another thread, DO NOT contact the alumnae chapter (or the collegiate chapter for that matter) directly - start with the national HQ. Contacting either the AC or CC directly could give the impression that you are already a member and want to get involved - because some chapters have no clue that AI exists - and it's extremely hard and awkward to backtrack, it can completely ruin your chances.

Agree with the above two posters.

And while the internet is a good research tool and a good way to get started, one shouldn't base their opinions and feelings on a sorority based on their GC & LJ communities and various webpages.

Also, just because some sororities may be harder to AI into doesn't mean you should necessarily discount them. Just pursuing the ones that are "easier" to AI into (AI is NOT an easy process, no matter what group) still doesn't mean you have a better chance.

AI can be a VERY long process and will not happen overnight. These things can take a very long time. And it should. You should find the group that is right for you and that you are right for. Don't rush it.

Don't worry, I won't be contacting the Alumnae Chapters directly first. I'm not THAT gutsy. Asking for favors like that is one of the very few things I am shy about.

I will be contacting the HQ of each sorority first. I'm not rushing it. I love my job, have no plans for moving away anytime soon, and do not have any other major endeavors (such as the foreign language class I took these past two semesters) for the next year.

Thank you for the feedback again. I had never heard of AI until I came to these boards. It certainly is not a common procedure.

Ditto to what my sister said ..one thing also that you must keep in mind is that the whole processs is unique to every individual. What happens with one individual in one group will be different for another individual, even if they are in the same group. Another thing that is also important is discretion.

As an AI, I can tell you, definitely make certain that you go where your heart belongs...only you know what is important to you. I know that when I finally got my approval, I felt like I was flying!

If I can be of further help, PM me.

Good luck as you look for your home!

I wonder what to put in my introductory letter to the person in charge of recruitment/AI of the sororities I am interested in. I will talk about who I am, what I do for a living, how involved I was in college, what appeals to me about sororities in general, what appeals to me about the specific sorority, and how I think I can contribute to it. Anything else I can or should put?

I can afford to give the time and money, and I can travel on my own. Wonder if I should list this.

Would it be a good idea to list the institutions I have attended? And if so- all of them, or just the ones where I got degrees? I have taken a few classes at community colleges and a local 4-year university, but no degrees from them since they were just for personal enrichment.

I would list institutions that led to your degree(s).

Keep in mind that summer is a slow time for our volunteers, alumnae chapters and headquarters. The headquarters are usually involved in things like convention, taking their vacations and training new travelling consultants. The alumnae chapters tend to go on hiatus for the summer. The volunteers are breathing a sigh of relief that they made it through another academic year and are ready for a break from paperwork. International officers are often in a time of transition between new and old officers.

So, very little business is actually done over the summer. Don't be surprised if you dont get much response until fall.

Would you recommend not contacting them until fall then? I do not want my emails to get lost. I do have a very busy summer at my job, but I will always make time for involvement with my future sorority.

I know that most collegiate chapters do recruitment in early fall semester (not necessarily the same dates as the autumn equinox) before classes start.

I personally would wait.... not because there's any truth to the fact that they would lose your emails but because I'm such a worrier that I'd want to make 100% sure that they received my emails, calls and letters :)

Becoming an AI has almost nothing to do with the collegiate chapters. We have two different departments.

If you are contacting the headquarters, they are PAID women who work for the organization and should be available no matter what the time of year. If you are contacting alumnae chapters (volunteers) than it might be a different story since a lot of alumnae chapters don't do much during the summer.

Oh I definitely mean contacting the national headquarters. That's what I plan on doing first. I would have imagined that the paid people in the HQ would work year-round. Although summer is a popular vacation time.

This just means a lot to me. And like Emily, I am a worrier as well.

I didn't mean that you shouldn't contact the headquarters. I was just letting you know that you might not get a response within a day or two at this time of year, particularly if the group has a Convention this summer. I got the impression from one of your early posts that you were hoping to have it all wrapped up and done by Fall recruitment, and I didn't want you to be disappointed, because I think that is unlikely, no matter which group it is.

Oh no, I certainly do not expect it to be wrapped up so quickly. I may have mentioned this because the undergrad institution I went to does Fall recruitment and initiation for all chapters, while only a few do COB or Spring recruitment.

It would be nice, though. And I like doing things expediently. However, I understand that AI is a time consuming process.

On the other hand, I do not want to be left in limbo. I wonder if I should email after conventions happen. Most of the ones I am interested in do have conventions coming up in the summer.

If you don't like being left in limbo, then AI may not be right for you. It's an expedient process in only a very very few instances, usually where the AI has a lot of connections with the group.
There is also absolutely no guarantee of membership. It's not just a matter of going through paperwork, etc.

I know that you say that you understand it may take awhile, but your posts come across as otherwise. I can understand being anxious and impatient, but you have only taken a very small babystep towards the AI process. There's a lot more to go through, a lot more ups and downs, and again, no guarantee of membership.

Oh I understand. I may seem impatient, but I realize that AI is a long process and there are no guarantees. Especially when I do not know anyone.

But I still consider it an exciting new adventure to partake. And the process is part of it.

By limbo I mean I send a request, they say "we'll get back to you", and more than 6 months go by without an answer. You know, like when employers say "don't call us, we'll call you". Not so much "we have received your application, we will contact you at the end of fall recruitment which takes place in mid-August".

I'm just excited and optimistic about this. I am willing to try my hardest.