my recruitment starts in a couple weeks and im CONFUSED!!
 

So i think i've probably waited a little too late for this, but i thought i was all set and prepared for rush week untill yesterday and i started getting confused. In May i went to my Area Alumnae luncheon and got recs for all of the sororities, but yesterday my room mate said somthing about those are not the same as actual letters of recommendation or somthing like that? I only know two people personally that wrote letters for me. Im not sure if it is important to have both types , recs and letters of recommendation or if they are one in the same. Im seriously confused:confused:

Whoa, back up the truck!

So recs are like form letters and from the alumnae chapter/association and letters of support are personalized from a specific member?

If that's the case, why do I feel like that's never come up in any recruitment thread? Am I interpreting this right?

I would appreciated a bit of clarification too. The women that have agreed to support me are writing a letter of recommendation. Then they are filling out a RIF from their national's website, attaching the letter and sending both to the local chapter. Do I have my bases covered? Or do I need to get an additional letter of recommendation/support for each sorority?

We were told by the Greek Life office that they strongly encourage no more than one recommendation. They said the sororities are overwelmed with paperwork and one is all we need. Any feedback?

Thank you.

when we refer to recommendations, we are referring to the form that our international headquarters require us to fill out for a potential new member. some sororities refer to them as RIF(i am assuming this stands for recruitment information form) while my sorority refers to them as MIS(membership information forms). support letters or letters of recommendation are supplemental and personal information usually sent in for a pnm when she is a family member or has a close relationship with the alumna who offers to write one for her. really all the sorority needs is the recommendation form-think of the letters as icing on the cake.

Over recent years the University of Alabama has increased its out of state recruiting with significant efforts in Texas. This has translated in far more PNMs from TX, thus more Recs from TX alums. In my experience TX alums do their Rec writing a bit differently than most any where else, and let me say I truly appreciate how organized they are. There is an obvious game plan.

We typically receive a packet of info on a PNM that includes a resume, transcript, pix, 1 completed Rec form, and then additional alum letters of support. We have even received support letters with notes attached saying something along the lines of "Please add this to Patty PNM's packet because I was unable to complete it before the mailing deadline." For a chapter that is inundated with Rec info, this is great because it simply cuts down on the quantity of paper we have to deal with. We really don't need 20 copies of a resume.

As for how personal the Rec or letter is, as in the "strength" of the recommendation based on personal knowledge of the PNM, well that depends. Some Rec forms are incredibly strong, personal, and detailed. Some letters are pretty darned generic and it's obvious the alum doesn't know this PNM. Or vice versa. It's a case by case basis. Yes, we read every single thing we receive and yes, it's incredibly time consuming.

Yes

I, too, applaud the organizational effort of the Texas alums. The Texas info sent to the U of Arkansas is exactly as Zilllini explains. So, if your alum panhel group took care of it, I'd say you are covered.

In my experience, asking someone for a rec means that often a personal letter is attached. In fact, my GLO form notes that it is appropriate to attach a letter. PNMs should let the alums worry about this and follow the general advice given here, at their local alum panhellenic, online, etc by simply securing the suggested number of recs/letters. Many orgs utilize either as the official recommendation. The alum will do her part. PNMs just need to ask for the number (3 recs or letters suggested = 4 alums; someone may drop the ball) and let the alum do the est.

That is incredible! I applaud the Texas ladies for going above and beyond to give support to the ladies they write recs for.

Thank you all so much!!! That clears up alot!!! I'm still searching but I could only find 3 people to write personal letters, but i have recs for all the rest so hopfully thats good enough for a faily competitive recruitment! thanks:)

HuskyAlum...I understand why Patty would win...a strong rec from someone that personally knows her.

At SEC schools, would you suggest sending more than one letter of recommendation/support for each sorority (in addition to the original letter of recommendation, RIF, resume, transcript and photo). The Greek Life office told us only one letter of recommendation/support...however, I am hearing from others that this is not how it really works behind the scene. I would appreciate your opinion.

Circlet, at SEC schools, more than one letter would be good. It depends where you are attending...if you are hearing from others at your school, then believe it, but it is not required to get a bid.

gee ess...thanks for your imput. It just gets a bit confusing when you hear one thing from Greek Life and another from others in the "know".

I have another question:

When a PNM is gathering recs, is it a general rec to her school's Panhellenic, or is she aiming for as many recs for the number of orgs on her campus? I could see the latter being really time consuming and the former being kinda useless.

As far as I know, there is no general panhellenic rec. The recommendations that are referred to in all Greek recruitment discussions are individual GLO recommendations. She tries to get a rec for each GLO on her campus.

Circlet - Did you get information regarding your particular school? If you need more letters, and your recruitment is this fall, time is of the essence!

gee ess...the Greek Life office at my particular school said repeatedly "I know you will hear differently, but you only need one rec for each house on campus...the houses are overwhelmed with recs and more than one won't help you". They went on to suggest that we compile an stamped evelope that included a resume, transcript and picture. We were instructed to send that to the person that would be writing the rec for us. The person would use the info to write the rec and then place the rec & RIF in the envelope addressed to the specific GLO on campus and mail. That's it. I get it.

However, sure enough, I have heard from many people from this campus that the above process is not enough...."sucessfull pnms send in several additional recs/letters of support for each house". This is what is confusing me.

I believe I will have a rec for all of the GLOs on campus in the near future...I'm trying. Some will be stronger than others (personal vs asking an alum chapter). But I'll keep trying.

I'm just trying to play by the rules. I'm just having a bit of difficulty finding the "offical rule book".

There is lies the the problem, there is no "official rule book" that covers Rec policies for all GLO's. On top of that even the policies within a GLO can vary from chapter to chapter.

My standard rule of thumb I suggest for SEC PNMs is 1 Rec per chapter is good (minimum), 2 is better, any more than 3 is starting to be overkill. But there is also the different "quality" of Recs taken into consideration. 50 Recs from alumnae who have never met a PNM will not outweigh 1 well written Rec from someone who knows the PNM very well. All that does is get the PNM the nickname of "Rec Girl". :D *Flash back to a thread from years ago where someone talked about that.*

Don't get too hung up on the recs, girls. Check the box for each GLO with a RIF (which in my sorority stands for Recruitment Introduction Form). if you can get personal letters of support, great, but don't freak out if you don't have them. It's much more important to go in to rush relaxed and confident. Personality will trump recs every time (as long as you have met the minimum). If the members fall in love with you, they'll bid you over the tongue-tied girl with an over-full rec file!

Not worrying about recs is bad advice for pnms at some schools. At SEC schools,(and many others) recs are very,very important.

Thank you gee ess. I have been pondering whether to reply to the OP. I just want Texas PNM's to understand that every alumnae panhellenic is different. While attending a luncheon and turning in their information to some slumnae panhellenics assures you of a reference, for some it does not. I can only speak personally of the Dallas Pahellenic, where " signing up with panhellenic" does not assure you of a reference. It is made very clear in their information session and the booklet they publish to the pnm but every year we have young ladies surprised by the process.
I can only speak for my group, but rarely if ever are "panhellenic files" used for references.

Part of me wishes the tradition will change but until then, it is what it is.

This is potentially very damaging advice.

For some schools, it's like telling someone who is wanting to go to another country not to worry about bringing their passport!!! Seriously, at some schools, there are so many girls coming through the doors, that not having a rec becomes an easy way to release girls.

tippiechick...thank you for painting a very clear picture of the importance of recs!

In drgnlady's defense. I read something totally different in her message. I don't think she said recs were not important, I think she is saying a reference for each chapter is enough (the minimum) that overdoing references was not necessary. That said, at UT, it is generally the rule, one reference and two letters of support for many but not all chapters is necessary to be invited back to 2nd round but also this is no guarantee either. Remember too, Panhellenic has a lot to say as to how many you can invite back to 2nd round so after grades, this is the easiest way to cut down the list.

If you would go back and read my actual advice, I told the PNM to make sure to have a RIF and get letters of support, if possible. My advice stands. Do not go in to rush worried that every other PNM has more recs than you. Being yourself, relaxed and confident is the single most important thing. My daughter recently rushed at a competitive SEC school (as an out-of-stater) with only a single RIF for some chapters and had a highly successful rush. I stand by my advice.

Thanks for reading correctly.:):)

This was the line that I was concerned about. I agree that your advice to relax, have a good time, make sure you are putting forth your best, etc is going to be very important.
But, if the first advice given to young women seeking rec info is not to get too worked up over recs, then this is not correct in some instances. Here at GC, we try not to make broad sweeping generalizations that might not apply to everyone in every situation.
If the OP is hearing that the info on the college pan website is not what she is hearing in real life, then she should pay attention and try to "follow the unwritten rules" of that campus.
I think justinterested said it best by pointing out that not having the correct number of recs is often the easiest way to cut down the list.