Don't be embarassed, just don't lie.

A cheerleading shot is fine, and so is mentioning any pageant titles or high school courts. You have plenty of time if you are a HS junior-- don't worry about this stuff until next March! And don't worry about approaching strangers for recommendations-- many alumnae write what are called information-only recs. They do this after an in-person meeting with you. You can take this year to get to know some new alumnae, maybe do some volunteer work and keep in touch with emails, Christmas cards, etc., so they remember you when you come to ask them for a rec. Most alumnae are happy to help an enthusiastic PNM provided she gives them adaquate time-- at least 6-8 weeks prior to the deadline. Do try to have your alumnae send their recs in by July 1-- again this is for the year that you are rushing. You are still very young. Take this time to get great grades, volunteer and assume positions of leadership at your high school. An outstanding resume with excellent grades and activities (sports, leadership, well-rounded community volunteer) will grab a sorority's attention and the way you conduct yourself in-person will help them see if what looks great on paper is someone they would want in their organization.

Overall, don't stress out too much. Get your recs and wardrobe when the time comes, learn a little about each sorority's mission and works, but don't try to know it all or come across that way when you get to recruitment. Everyone gets cut from somewhere, and I think the uber-overprepared PNMs end up being the most disappointed-- recruitment is a little like a job interview combined with cheerleader tryouts. Not everyone will get a spot, but they'll make sure you have a good time while you're there and ensure you make some new friends in the process. Just be yourself, have a good time and assume the expectation that it's a great collegiate activity with the potential for lifetime friendships and service.

Have a great rest of your junior year-- focus on living your life in high school, being with friends, doing well in school, your SATs and getting into college next fall!

Recs
 

I did not know what reccomendations were until a few days ago. My parents were not Greek so I contacted my local alumni association and everyone I have contacted has been sooo helpful! Do not be afraid to contact listed alumni, they are very nice and helpful.

How does one go about discovering if recs are a big deal on their campus? I'm in an odd situation as I'm going to be a grad student and I wonder if it would really make a difference for me.

One of the purposes of a recommendation is for a member to introduce you to the chapter prior to recruitment. It doesn't hurt to have one. They best way to find out the extent of their use at your school is to talk to someone there.

Do you mind if I brag a little? I've been lurking a bit, but studying a LOT, and have a perfect GPA going into the end of the school year! Which means my parents are a lot less worried that I'm going to ruin my life if I continue cheering and all in my Senior Year!!!

And, I think I will have recs for the sororities where I'm applying--or at least, I should, after all the socials I've been to! To how many schools did you all apply? My list just seems to get longer, not shorter!!

I guess I'll see you all in less than a year, for last minute advice!

You've been actually posting a lot and lurking only a bit...I want to caution you to be DISCREET from here on out.... I think you know what I mean.

Work on getting into the best college you can with your GPA. Greek life comes later. Don't worry about how many socials you've been to or how many connections you have to GLOs. If you have a perfect GPA (I'm assuming you mean a 4.0 on a 4.0 scale) you should be applying to top tier schools. Worry about Greek life after you're actually accepted to a university.

Just to be a little cautious info...there will be LOTS of girls with your same credentials.

In our area, the top echelon of hs seniors tend to apply to 6-8 colleges, usually broken down into several reaches, several matches, a couple of safeties. According to our cousins, this is the case in their Boston suburb as well. A lot of kids who are shooting for an Ivy may apply to all the Ivies just because admissions is such a roll of the dice at those schools. There are so many applicants with perfect GPAs, 2400 SATs, multiple 800 SAT IIs, who also have amazing ECs.

Alum: same here. In my experience, too, colleges will take a kid with a 3.4 and multiple AP or IB classes over a kid with a 4.0 who slid by on all lower level classes.

And if your ACT and SAT scores don't back up that 4.0, too, then it won't count for much.

But, good luck and have a good day :)

Good post. As an addition, if you know sorority women who are not in the groups that have chapters on your campus, ASK THEM ANYWAY. They are likely to know more sorority women, or be able to help point you in the right direction. Off of the top of my head, I could think of at least 5 orgs I could help with, and most other sorority women have that same ability.

I agree, definitely ask ANYONE you know for recs. I wasn't a Greek in college and even I could direct a PNM to alumnae in at least 4 different NPC sororities.

and don't give up! i was from a very small town and managed to have recs. to most of the sororities at fl. state. some were from friends families, my family, teachers, fellow church members, parents friends. when you find one sorority member, most likely they will know an alumna of another sorority. network!!

Please don't wait until the last minute to start asking for recs! The moment you even think about going through recruitment, start soliciting those recs.

Rec writers have lives, too, and you shouldn't cause them stress or inconvenience because you waited until the week before recruitment to start lining up recs. Rec writers very much want to help you-- but please be considerate of their time. They are doing you a favor--- the least you can do is give them at least 4-6 weeks lead time.

ETA: If you just decided to go through recruitment the week before/day of and you're frustrated that rec writers are not as readily available, I hate to say this-- but that's your problem. You need to plan ahead for anything that requires you to ask another person to contribute her time on your behalf.

Recs for SMU
 

I just had dinner last night with a friend whose daughter is a freshman at SMU. The daughter had just attended a Panhellenic rush (sorry recruitment - I'm old) information meeting and was told that THEY DO NOT NEED RECS!!!! I assured my friend that, especially at a school like SMU, this was not the case. It seems as if NPC, through various school panhellenics, is trying to move away from requiring recs, but the chapters are still requiring them. This can be very confusing to rushees and making life difficult for the glo as well as the pnm. This can result in hurt feelings and disappointing recruitments. This is an area that seems to need attention and consistency.

Unfortunately, they have to say that. At some schools it is not impossible to get through recruitment without one, but come on...it's SMU. I'm not a mother bu I feel the pain of someone listens to information that is misleading.

I think the above shows yet another university trying so hard to be pc, that they shoot themselves in the foot! It's like being told you're going to a regular party, and find out it's a formal - just not fair to those trying to put their best foot forward.

I'll go a step further and say that, even though the vast majority of Northern schools don't require recs, if you have the option, use it! There's never a wrong time to start networking.

Lastly, take a moment and jot a note (or an email, she sighs) to the women nice enough to give you a rec. Thank them for the rec, and let them know that if you got a bid, and from whom. If it's not to their GLO, you can always say "While I really liked the ABC's, I felt more at home at QRS." If you didn't get a bid, tell them that you may be back to them next year ("I didn't get a bid this year, but just may try again in the future...") We understand that not everyone is going to love our sorority, and I promise you, we will not be offended!

maybe its because i go to school in southern ny... we don't need recs...

Some national/international headquarters require recs, even if the local panhellenic culture doesn't. As has been said before, they are always a good idea. Far better to have them, and not need them, than to need them, and not have them.

My daughter grandmother was able to secure several recs for her. "Of couse they would be happy to help and by the way so and so can write one also." My daughter delivered a package of resume and photo's to one of my mothers friends who told her don't worry I'll get recs written for you.

It says that a rec is required to become initiated in our Promise Book (NM manual). However, I have been an initiated member for 4 years and I'd really like to know who wrote that rec for me, or if that rule has changed.

In some organizations, undergrad members can write recs. Your chapter may have secured a rec for you through someone you already knew in the chapter without your knowledge of her doing so.
I also know that some chapters will contact Alumnae Panhellenic chapters when the list of registered girls comes out (especially when recruitment is deferred) to try to get recs that way. So you just never know...

I've written recs for NMs after meeting them. They had no idea. :)

In today's church bulletin, there was a blurb about a young woman about to attend an SEC school this fall. She was bright enough to mention that she was hoping to join a sorority, and if any of the church ladies would like to help her, she would be most grateful.

Now, this is my mother's church - about 150 members. I know of 6 recs she could get from this one church, and I think she's very smart doing this prior to the Mother Daughter Banquet. Whether this would work in a really large church, I don't know. But I think it's worth a try, especially for someone NOT in the South, but planning to attend an SEC school.

We have the same policy. When we have a new member that doesn't have a rec we look for an alum in her hometown/area who would be willing to write one. If that isn't possible then one of our advisors will make a point of spending time with the NM and then write her rec. Honestly I doubt the NM knows any of this. It might embarrass her to find out that she was the only one in her whole NM class who didn't have a rec.

i wanna start a sorority for my highschool friends and our fellow classmates. we need help on making up a greek name that signifies beauty wealth (?) strong character. we would also need help on some ideas on what we can do to make it a good sorority. please help we need ideas on good tradicions, good fun pledge ideas, things that we could to do on a weekly basis. please any information would help :] thanks
tiffany

:eek:

Greek - Αποτελέσματα αναζήτησης για

Okay, enough fun. I'm against high school sororities. How about a National Charity League chapter? Or any one of a number of wonderful organizations for high school aged women? www.nationalcharityleague.org

Delta Gamma's Executive Offices keeps a little form on each pledge/new member. I've seen mine, and it listed my sponsor (and I wrote a note to thank her!). Maybe Sigma Kappa has a similar arrangement.

:eek: Please don't start a high school sorority. Beauty, wealth (?) strong character. Strong character is the most important to me.

I guess everyone in my chapter is illegitimately initiated. I asked the Advisory Board Chair and the New Member Educator and they both say we don't do recs even though it is our National policy to have one.

Kappa Alpha Theta policy on third party reference companies
 

Please see link below.

http://www.kappaalphatheta.org/hilights/pnm_message.cfm

yea i found it pretty funny "beauty & wealth" were mentioned before "strong character".

I was just about to post this link! :)

Apparently Theta is not the only GLO cautioning against these websites if Pahellenic is involved! I hope this goes out to all the Panhellenic members!

Is it possible that your chapter hasn't been doing it correctly? Even Advisory Board Chairs can be wrong. Read your constitution and established rules (sometimes known as policies and procedures) for yourself and find out.

I wonder if AGD will issue a similar statement regarding RIFs and 3rd party companies considering one of our members is guilty of running one of those 3rd party sites? :rolleyes:

^^^^I would like to think so. Maybe we can put a bug in their ear.

:eek: On a scale of 1-10, paying for a rec must rate about a 200 on the Tacky-o-meter!