recommendation letters FSU
 

So I am a sophomore going through rush for the first time at FSU. I have rec letters for half the sororities, I don't know a lot of women who have been in sororities so I am having trouble getting recs for all of them and rush week is quickly approaching. I wonder, though, if sororities even honestly read them? Hundreds of girls rush...do they basically read them only if they have an interest in you after they've met you at rush? or simply check that you have one written and that gives you an advantage over a girl who doesn't have a rec? I am going to try and find recs for two sororities I don't have ones yet for but am truly interested in, but am I really at that much of a disadvantage without a rec?

over 1000 girls rush. they read them. you need them. you are in all probability at a disadvantage being a sophomore lacking recs. to all the houses, even the ones you are NOT interested in.

Yes, they read them all - or at least someone there does and they make notes about you...in some way, shape,manner or form. Ask the women who have done the other recs for you if they know someone in those 2 groups.

IMO ask about all of the sororities you don't have recs for, not just those two. You won't know which chapters you like for sure until you go through recruitment, so why automatically not look for recs for almost half of them, hurting your chances?

It seems unrealistic that they would read all of the recs, but for as stressful as the process is for the rushees going through, you can't imagine how much work it is for the actives. They do read them because member selection is taken VERY seriously, and after having had 3 members (or so) speak to you for approximately 5 minutes each, they need that additional information to make any sort of reasonable judgement. Yes it's possible that your application and sparkling conversation will be enough, but why risk it? It's very late, but I'd try to get in touch with your local alumnae panhellenic and hope they can help you. But frankly, it might be too late for them to do much. Being at FSU, you needed to be doing this in the spring.

Good luck, and remember that there are 16 great NPC chapters there. Don't set your sights on a certain 3 or 4 chapters or you are likely in for some serious disappointment. Even that 16th chapter has a lot to offer.

I took her statement to mean that she had all but 2 and that she was interested in those two. Maybe she meant something else...

i took her to say that she had recs. to half the chapters and was thinking of getting recs. to two others that she liked. maybe the OP will come back and clarify. hopefully she is too busy rounding up the remaining recs. to ALL the sororities lacking them.

to the OP: recs. start coming in the late spring and continue coming up to the first day of recruitment(and sometimes even after recruitment has started) so the chapters are not receiving 1000's all at once.

1) YES, recommendations are read. Each one. Not every member will read each recommendation, but believe me when I say the recommendations are read. This is not an idle exercise that alumnae and actives engage in.

2) I can't speak for other chapters, regarding the timing of when recommendations are read. See 1) above. I won't discuss any details regarding membership selection, including what recommendations are used for. It is enough for you to understand that recommendations are read.

3) You're a little late to the party here, and I interpret your statement to mean that you are seeking recommendations for two chapters that you have predetermined that you are interested in. *wince* That's typically not a good plan. Your school has a competitive recruitment. I have read in other threads that not having recommendations puts you at a disadvantage. What more can anyone say?

Good luck.

Since there are 16 groups there, I take this to mean she has 8 now, and is only going to try to get recs for 2 more (leaving 6 sororities out).

You are a sophomore in a very competitive rush. At least TRY to get recs for all the sororities. If you don't understand that and don't understand that you need to get your mind open (I say that rather than "keep" since you apparently have it partially closed already), you are probably not going to have a successful recruitment, unless great good luck is on your side.

The fact that you're already trying to "get out of" things that people have told you are NECESSARY by questioning their legitimacy does not bode well, in general.

just clarifying some things: I know I am very late in this whole process but I have a very good reason for this which I am not stating because I do want to keep myself as anonymous as possible. I do not know very many sorority women therefore getting recs literally three weeks before rush has been difficult. I am even having girls still in college and not yet alumnae writing me recs. I am open to all sororities, in fact I get annoyed when people ask me which one I want to be in when they find out I am rushing because I really don't know yet because I haven't even met the girls in all the sororities yet and won't until rush. The matter is simply I have found recs for half from friends and mothers of friends, and there are two more I don't have recs for that I already before rush has started have an interest in as I like the philanthropy they are involved in. I am trying my best to find recs for all of them though it is just stressful as I am late in the process. I am not trying to get out of anything and there is no need to act like your above me or are talking down to me to the people on here telling me how difficult this process is going to be as I am a sophomore in a competitive rush. I will say I was told by someone in a sorority at FSU, whom also holds a position in her sorority, that it is not the end of the world without a rec letter as she doesn't even have time to read all of them. BUT again I am TRYING to get recs for all of them.

Maybe that's true in her chapter, but she has NO idea about the other 15. Don't let one person's experience make you think that all of Greek life is identical.

starfish, in the end, it is not going to matter the reason you do not have a rec. at "ABC" sorority, it will just matter that you don't have a rec. there. keep trying to find recs.

And also, if you can't get it done, you can't. There are only so many hours in the day and que sera sera. If this is causing you undue stress, then don't worry about it. Not having some of the recs may impact your outcome, but it may not. If you get cut from half the chapters right away but do really well at the others, who knows? You might do just fine.

The concern some of us have is there are several girls who come on this site who say "I didn't have the grades, I didn't have the recs, I'm a sophomore, but I'm super cute and how dare the best houses cut me and leave me with the horrible houses?" Not that you've said any of that, but it was beginning to sound like you've narrowed your choices already and were making decisions accordingly. Do the best you can to gather as many more as possible before recruitment starts, and then let it go.

Would you let us know how it goes? This might be a good learning lesson for future rushees. You know for which chapters you have recs. You, of course, can't know if you were cut because of recs or age or one of many many other reasons, but maybe you will see a pattern. Or maybe you won't. Still, some of us would find it interesting.

And remember that they do not have to have attended FSU...any school is fine. And ask the people who have already done them if they know someone in the other groups. I can get a sponsor form for every group at FSU/Alabama/Auburn but i'm a member of only one. I just know a lot of Greeks.

I probably should have worded my original post differently. I was just originally wondering if getting recs from people who don't even personally know me was really of any benefit to me in the process, but I now understand that recs are pretty important even if they are from someone who does not know me personally. I have not narrowed my choices, the sororities I currently have recs for are simply because I know people in them or alumnae of them, though now I know not having a rec will most likely narrow my choices (another thing I was originally wondering if it would really hurt me not having a rec). I am realistic with the circumstances I am in and am working on finding recs for the sororities I don't have them for. The stress I was talking about isn't like major or something I just don't have the support from my parents in choosing to go through rush and there are some other things, like being so late in registering and getting recs, that aren't making the process easy. I will fully explain my circumstances/situation at the end of rush and will let everyone know how the process goes in the end.

And she might not be the person "charged" with reading them.

just do the best that you can, keep working to find recs. for the chapters you don't have, and roll with the punches once recruitment begins. give every one of the chapters a chance, and keep going, even if you don't have a full compliment of sororities to visit after ice waters(not saying your won't).

i know several FSU girls who had a tough time during recruitment but did get invitations to prefs., and because the sororities who wanted them at their pref. parties were not "top tier" and not the ones they had hoped for, the girls dropped out. every one of them has said they they should have at least gone to the pref. parties, so that they would have had that much more information on which to base their final decision.

i do wish you the best of luck and hope that all goes well for you.

Thank you! From your user name I believe you were in ZTA at FSU? Just a guess lol. I found a rec for ZTA but just learned that nationally all rec letters for ZTA have to be sent in a month before recruitment starts at the school of the girl it is being written for :(

Have them send it anyway. It won't hurt and it might help.

yes, i joined ZTA at FSU. i am an alum., & have been an advisor for many years, and have not heard of that rule. collegians often get mixed up with the rules-especially those who are not officers in the chapter-that's what advisors are for! have the ZTA writing the rec. to send it in asap.

well here is an update for everyone. I did get recs for all but one sorority. I went from 16 to a full 12 the next round to just 3 the next round and the same 3 the next round. I was open to two of the three I had left, the last I just honestly didn't see myself in and sororities are a big financial cost so I wouldn't spend money to be a part of something I don't feel I fully would enjoy and fit in with. I really had a great conversation with a girl in one of my top two and even talked about her helping me find my classes and how we had a class in common and we had similar interests. She did the whole I really see you fitting in here, you have the personality we look for, and I am excited for you bit. and I had a good conversation with my second choice as well. So I just put two down at computer selections as I know I would not be happy in my third option and wouldnt want to risk being unable to cob or spring rush as I personally would not want to wait a year and go through rush again as a junior if I ended up getting a bid to my third choice as I would drop out right there. Well this morning I found out I have been released as neither of the two I put down picked me. I am upset because I had a such a good conversation with the girl in my number one and i liked the chapter, I had a good rec letter for my number one from an alumnae who has known me and my family for a long time and a rec letter for my number two from someone i did not know personally, and both chapters (my number one and two) arent considered "top tier" or extremely competitive and except sophomores and have done cob/spring recruitment in the past. I had over a 4.0 high school gpa, good ap scores, solid ACT and SAT scores, sport involvement in high school, a leadership position in high school, club and community service involvement in high school, and over a 3.0 college gpa with sport involvement at my college. I'm not sure if I'll go through with cob if i have the opportunity to do so or choose to or spring rush. I am just upset and kind of shocked because I had a really good conversation with the girl in my number one. Well it is what it is.

Sorry to hear it didn't work out for you. Unfortunately when you aren't rushing as a freshman, all of that HS stuff is irrelevant. You made the decision not to maximize your options. It didn't work out. It happens. Get involved in other things on campus. Try COB if you want. Just remember that having a good conversation with someone is not all that it takes. That member likely pulled for you, but when there is a whole chapter of women pulling for their favorites, it's hard to standout sometimes.

i am so sorry that things did not work out as you had hoped. I do want to say that the sorority members that you spoke with and felt you had made a connection with, very well could have felt the same way. What they said to you was probably sincere. however, they are just one member out of a multitude. i am glad that you have left your options open, in case you should decide that you would like to look into cob or spring recruitment. i do know that in the past few years, there have been more sororities participating in spring recruitment-although they might possibly only have a few spots to fill.

i hope that you will look into some clubs on campus, so that you are able to meet people in a smaller group situation. it helps make a big campus feel more manageable.