Had I not stumbled upon this website, neither my daughter nor I would have thought to try to secure recs because this is the statement we read on the web site and it was also reiterated at the Greek Life portion of orientation. My sister and I are the only college graduates in our family and we both went to a local, mostly commuter college. Even after I showed her what I read on GC, she said, "But they said they'd get them and we did not need to. What if they get mad that I get them when they said not to?"

And, I hate to say it, but I'm sure there are cases where someone says she will write a rec, but then doesn't, and the PNM doesn't even know that the woman did not follow through.

A colleague told me that her daughter applied for a selective, university-based math camp this summer. When she didn't hear back from them on the admission notification date, she called. It turns out that the HS teacher who agreed to complete the required teacher rec. form never sent it in, so her application was incomplete. That would really frost my cake! She was planning to ask her to write one of her college admissions recommendations letters...I said, ask someone else.

Yeah I am sure a chapter would go out of their way to secure a rec if its the Governor's, or the Football coach's daughter or someone similar. But that is an extremely small minority.

I just feel that if you are going to a certain school maybe you should find out more about it. Especially when the registration fee is $100+

This is close to my opinion. There are credible alternate sources of Greek life experience online besides Greek Chat. I feel College Confidential posters have a somewhat good idea on advice (with exception to tier talk) with regarding Greek Life at SC.

I can't speak for other schools but as this is a University of Alabama thread I can tell you that the UA Panhellenic, sororities and even the school do an incredible job informing girls about recruitment and recs. DD received emails about Preview Weekend and Greek life. The website of both the Panhellenic(where you register), Facebook all had the info these girls need. The school even hosted many out of state cities Greek recruitment info sessions. Having written many recs I can say I understand the posters who are tired of these girls that can't take the time to read the info or listen to the info given. Even after attending Preview Weekend and talking with them, there are girls I know who only got recs to six or so houses because those are the only houses they want.

I am so happy that they put this out because it's really helpful. I am worried however that since I did my recs early that I may have accidentally used some of last years recruitment chairs names on the envelope. As I look at the list of names and addresses some I remember writing out and others I don't. Hopefully I did them correctly and if I didn't I hope they understand, after all I was just going off of the information on the panhellenic website at the time, it's a shame they didn't have it updated earlier.

If it has the correct mailing address on it the chapter will make sure that it gets to the correct person.

Well it was in the format of:

Alpha Beta Zeta
Jane Doe
P. O. Box 123456
Tuscaloosa, AL 35486

So hopefully the P.O. box would be the same! I know that 2 chapters have received recs for me, hopefully the others have too!

Yes, you will be fine. Nobody will care that it was sent early.

That's a relief! I don't need any other reason to be nervous!

Looking thru the recruitment guide advertisements, one of the ads is ringed with the greek letters of all the sororities at Bama including STA. Perhaps the ad designer is dyslexic and to them a Z looks like a sigma?

I noticed that too! At first I said to myself Where is ZTA? Then I was like what is STA? I think someone just messed up designing that ad.

That's got to be the best booklet I've seen yet.

They fully explain the "pref card" and have spots for the PNMs thoughts on each chapter.

My only complaint, the Panhell pics oddly have all the brown haired girls on the bottom row. :)

I know it isn't supposed to be a competition but Alabama Panhellenic really knows what they're doing when it comes to Recruitment booklets, website updating, Greek Life statistics. They really are a model Panhellenic. Then again with all their record-breaking number of PNMs and mega-chapters its unsurprising they're doing a fabulous job!

It all starts TOMORROW!!
Raining today, but campus is looking beautiful!
Can't wait for our first recruitment...and first from our new house!:D