Just a little fly in the ointment: In some parts of the country it is very possible to go to teachers, parents' friends, coworkers etc. to find recs. But I have to say that in my area (west Los Angeles and to a lesser degree the valley...as for the valley you know who you are :) ) there were very few Greek women. Most of the sorority women belonged to one of two sororities (AEPhi or SDT). Yes, lots and lots of AEPhis and a few SDTs. And I have a wide circle of friends. In my entire social network I am aware of one ADPi, a Chi Omega (her husband works for my husband).............and with my daughter's friends ONE ADPi. Teachers here tend to be non Greek.

It may really be difficult for some girls to get recs. My daughter had three, although I was told she had one to DG where she pledged. (She didn't. The girl said that she wrote it and didn't.) And her school is HIGHLY competitive.

I do not have a solution to the problem. I am merely telling it like it is. I am absolutely not ridiculing others' advice. I am merely saying that some girls may find it nearly impossible to find a diverse cross section of recs.

This is the first I've read this thread, and I have two observations:

-For those who don't know, "That Girl" is the 18 year old who gets drunk constantly, flirts with anything in pants, and develops a reputation by the second weekend of school. You really do not want to be That Girl, you don't even want to be That Girl's close friend.

-While many PNMs may think that recs are stupid, look at it this way: you're about to attend a party of about 1,000 people. You know no one. But! If you've sent out your rec to the sororities, those who've received it at this party will know something about you, and be happy to look for you and meet you. Wouldn't you rather have that advantage?


Now, nobody's mentioned Virginia Tech - any recs needed for VTech?

I don't think recs are needed for VTech. I looked up their info because one of my close friends is going to go through Recruitment there, and the info packet didn't even mention them. In the FAQs it mentions that they are accepted, but not required. But that's the only place they are mentioned I think. Also they are open for expansion! That's exciting.

I wouldn't even put VT on the questionable list. Of course it can't hurt, and they would help a PNM stand out since they are still a bit of a novelty. I think they may be less important because it is a deferred recruitment school; you have a semester to make yourself known.

Relationships you build during your first semester will help you go much further than simply having a rec. VT's Panhellenic has places all registered PNMs on a Panhellenic listserv, and PNMs are invited to various sisterhood/programming/philanthropic events to get to know chapters during fall semester. For example, there might be pumpkin carving with Alpha Phi and Chi Omega. PNMs don't know which chapters are participating, and they must RSVP in advance, as there are a certain number of spots for each event.

Although this is actually true for VT, the info packet is not always a good measure of the importance of recs. Panhellenics are supposed to de-emphasize the importance of recs per NPC policy. It ends up hurting women who, god forbid, believe what is written in a guide to sororities. Silly them.

Bump because the sticky just isn't enough, apparently.

FSU
 

FSU from what I hear doesn't require rec letters, but they do give points for them.

Why? Seems like it would just hurt PNMs not help them.

See my earlier post. Panhel really can't say "you need recs to join so and so" - that is treading on membership selection secret stuff. Think of it as the management office at the mall can't tell you what Bath & Body Works is looking for in an employee.

Also as vp said, it's Panhellenic trying to seem more "inclusive." The truth of it is by saying "recs don't matter" they do the exact opposite. A more honest thing to say (and something that wouldn't mislead rushees as much) would be "each sorority has its own local and national policies concerning recommendations. Contact alumnae of the sororities if you have any questions."

Um, no.

Not a specific campus, however, this is from DG's web site:

"Are Sponsor Forms required for pledging Delta Gamma?
Yes, being endorsed by a member of Delta Gamma is required for pledging and a Delta Gamma Sponsor Form is the preferred form."

The good news is that a collegian may sign the sponsor form.

I think plenty of NPCs "require" a rec before initiation, but there would be empty chapters of DG and other NPCs if a rec were required to get a bid (ie in the Northeast).

Um no. You don't go to FSU. You aren't a sosority member. You haven't even gone through recruitment or obtained all the recs you need at your school. Please concentrate on your own life and don't post ridiculous lies about things you know nothing about.

WRONG! if you are rushing at fsu and want to have give yourself the best advantage, you had better have recs!

fsu has as a very competitive recruitment.

USC is super competitive. Recs a plus there.

I'm not sure which USC you are talking about, but they are both competitive, and they are both already on the list.

recs and alum letters of support contribute to what my house calls "pre-rush score"--(grades, community service, high school involvement contribute too)

Any recruitment where more girls go thru than there will be spots for, is competitive, some places are super competitve. Panhell offices that tell parents that recs "don't matter, don't worry about them" do PNMs a great dis-service

TCU for SURE you need recs. I've been asked to contribute/find friends to do MORE letters DURING recruitment to help a girl's score go up. Those girls in Texas take this very seriously, and especailly if you are NOT from Texas, you'd better have strong alum support from "back home". I have found (from the alum side) that SMU is very similar, and the top houses are darn near impossible to crack there unless you have pull inside the house.

Unversity of Kansas--a big yes, you need recs

W & L is such a great school. I'd do a rec and a letter for each house. You sound so organized, future officer material! Good luck

Unless it's a school with a bed rush like Indiana U, there is no such thing as "more girls going through than there will be spots for." Quota is the number of girls at pref (or earlier, which means even MORE spots usually) divided by the number of sororities. There is a spot for everyone if they keep an open mind.

As usual, I totally agree with KSUviolet. Ignore Panhel and get a rec for every house that you can. Extra letters help at competitve schools.

you know Greek women, you just don't know that you do. Everytime someone asks you where you are going to college, ask THEM if they were in a house where they went to school. Greek women want the best girls in their sororities, and are happy to help you. I have been told that USC is a jungle--and there are too few houses there too.

Again, which USC?

p.s.: There is no length limit on posts. You can make all you've said into one big post. ;)

Kentucky people, is it really necessary to have recs at the University of Kentucky? I ask because my high school has been sending increasing numbers of women to UK, most of whom go through recruitment. I've volunteered to write recs for the girls I know well, and they were all happy to receive them but made no effort to get recs to other groups. All of the women who've gone through from our hometown at UK have received bids, most to so-called top-tier groups, with few to no recs.

ahhh, but the Greek Life websites are run by the University's Panhel office which downplays how important recs are at centain schools. They don't want to worry mamas. Which is fine, but if you can help your daughter/PNM have a better recruitment, why wouldn't you? IMO and experience, Panhel offices are frequently populated by academics who did NOT go Greek, have to deal with problems caused by Greeks (diciplinary issues) and sometimes are not as pro-Greek as they should be...Just my crabby--but knowledgeable--opinion .

I have worked directly with our chapters at U of T, UWO and Dalhousie and know that recs are extremely rare at all 3. They are definitely not needed. Some chapters probably wouldn't know what to do with them if they received them! It would definitely make a girl stand out..lol.

They downplay the importance of recs because it is NPC policy that PNMs are not responsible for them. That said, many schools do NOT follow NPC policy and they ARE required to get a fair shot in recruitment, hence the need for this thread.

So in other words, the sneaky academics are trying to destroy the Greek system by not telling women they need recs? That doesn't even make sense, as it does nothing to lessen the amount of women interested in the Greek system. As Dee said, Panhellenic cannot say anything one way or the other because you truly do not need recs to participate in rush (a Panhellenic function). How they are utilized is each sorority's private business.

Sometimes I think with a deferred rush recs are even MORE of a big help--actives do rush "work" that first semester at many strong-Greek-system schools, and they go thru pictures and recs so you can "watch for" those girls on campus. I know they can find a pic on your facebook if an alum hasn't sent one in wtih your rec...but wouldn't you rather have that high-quality, studio senior picture be the one they are looking at as they try and learn your name pre-recruitment? (so this is another CLEAN UP YOUR FACEBOOK PLUG TOO)

As an alum who has helped my house on the last day of recruitment, if a girl is still there on the last day and does NOT have a rec form, I can tell you they will have an alumnae member write the rec right there and then in case she does join our house.

It is the getting to the last day part that is hard to do--why wouldn't you try ahead of time to have that slight edge by getting a rec?

There. I fixed your quote for you.

You must have them at UNC!!! It's already been mentioned in this thread but some schools use RFM. UNC is one of them. Some houses there have to cut 60% or more of PNM's after Round One. Get a rec to every single chapter!!!

I've had the same scenario play out in my community in KY too. Although the girls with GLO Moms will get recs and be prepared for recruitment. My house has sent me email lists of PNM after rush has started requesting recs. I try to help them, but often I don't have time to get the information and write for all of them. This is a very busy year for me as far as recs. My daughter and many of her friends are rushing at UK. Can't wait to see where they pledge. Most have no GLO family members.

Read a little more on this site...we've had this discussion before. Not all sororities require a rec to receive a bid. Not every sorority has alumnae writing recs on the last day to make sure their PNMs can get a bid. This, of course, does not diminish the importance of recommendations at competitive schools.

I know plenty of sorority women at UK who did not have recs and still had highly successful recruitments. However, as someone who is in state, my friends and I knew girls in lots of chapters. I think recs are very useful for those not in a position like mine. I had recs to every chapter and they only helped.

They're not make or break at UK like at other SEC schools, that's for sure. It is entirely possible to have a great recruitment without them, however, I hesitate to say that because it makes PNMs think that they don't need them at all and that's not true.

Basically, if you have the means/connections to get recs GET THEM!!! But if you don't, you'll be alright as long as you aren't rude/awkward/inappropriate/any of the other recruitment faux pas that GC warns against.

ETA: It is really, really, REALLY rare for a PNM to go through recruitment at UK and go totally bidless. Quota is determined like at other schools, by dividing the number of PNMs attending pref by the number of chapters (12). However, PNMs HAVE TO maximize their options. You hear about girls not going greek because "oh it's so competitive" or "oh I didn't feel a connection with them" when really they're concerned about tiers and drop out when they still have other groups that might want them. This really applies to any school, but it thought it would be good to reiterate.

So, since you need recs at UNC (even though I've talked to some actives and they said you didn't) how are you supposed to go about getting them? I've tried asking around to everyone I can think of (family, church members, friend's moms) and NO ONE is Greek. I don't want to be at a disadvantage, but I only have 2 recs (out of 10). Any ideas? Should I try to get in touch with UNC panhel (they also pretty much said you're on your own for recs, because they supposedly aren't very important).

Check with your local alumnae panhellenic and see if you can get in touch with someone there. (I believe the site has been linked in this thread before, but the NPC site lists the chapters by state.)

Nononononono this is bordering on membership selection and although I don't know which group you belong to I KNOW they wouldn't want this posted on a message board...

Violet,

I just checked all the sites in my state (there wasn't one in my direct area) and none of them seem to provide any relevant information about recs. In fact, only 1 website worked and it didn't provide any contact information. Any other suggestions?