recommendations-confused
 

Hi everyone,

I feel like this is such a stupid question, but I need some help! I have read in past threads about contacting a local alumni Panhellenic to get possible letters of recommendations, but I searched on google, I looked at the Panhellenic website, and I just couldn't figure out how I would go about contacting them regarding this or which phone number I would even call. Whether you post here or want to message me, any help would be amazing! We have formal in January, and maybe this is a little late, but it can't hurt, right?

Thanks for everything in advance!

If you personally know any women who are members of sororities, ask them for recommendations first. Recs from a person who knows you are preferable than those from someone who doesn't.

http://www.npcwomen.org/alumnae-panh...directory.aspx

Look through the above link for the alum panhellenic in the city & state nearest you - click on it and they can point you in the right direction. If there isn't a link just email the address at the top of the list and let them know you're trying to obtain recs.

Good luck! :)

Not to mention former teachers and friends of your parents. PM me with where you live and where you will attend school. I can give you a few contact names

Me either! I was really confused at first; I had no idea you needed a letter of rec.

One more time...

Unless you're at Baylor or SMU, I wouldn't worry about it.

Probably Emory and Vandy too?

Are they on deferred?

yes

Definitely get them for Vandy (hey, it's still SEC), Emory not as much, but it always is a good idea.

Ok, if your deferred recruitment is south of the Mason-Dixon line and there are more than 3 sororities participating, make the effort to get recs.

That would include Maryland and VT! PNMs definitely don't need recs there! Also, at Elon and CNU I wouldn't think recs would be important (but I could be wrong).

In general, the farther South you go and the more chapters your school has, the more likely you are to need recs to be competitive.

Where to draw the line? This Washington Post article has some interesting commentary about where the line between the cultural North and South is.

Recs would be helpful at Miami of Ohio...

You will need recs from the chapters which are at your school. I'm afraid your family member won't be able to help you here, unless you ask her if she has any friends in the NPC sororities on your campus. If so, they could write recs.

noleschick, you will need recs. at fsu. ask you former teachers, ladies in your neighborhood, ladies at your church, parents friends, relatives, parents co-workers.

as others have said, unfortunately since there is no chapter of your relatives sorority at fsu, she can't write a rec. for you. however, she may have friends who were members of sororities that do have chapters at fsu, and they can write a letter to their sorority chapter-whether they went to fsu or some other school.

your hometown may have an alumnae panhellenic and they might be willing to help you with recs.

you're welcome! good luck in your search. you are giving yourself plenty of time to secure those recs. and (like martha stewart says) that is a good thing. i hope you find the perfect fit at fsu.

I would agree with that statement for most of the big southern schools, but some of the smaller schools, ie under 20,000 students, are not that focused on recs. My school had 5 sororities, and I know many girls that got bids who had no clue what a letter of rec was. This being said, it always helps to have them no matter what school you go to!

wait, so, do Vandy and Emory have competitive recruitment?
You DO need recs at Vandy?
And how much do they matter at Emory?
Anyone know for sure?


I don't really know anyone thats been in a sorority that I keep in contact with, and it seems strange to ask for recs from someone you've never met.

i understand that at vanderbilt, it is very helpful to have recommendations.

Ask your parents' friends, former teachers, neighbors etc - you might be surprised at who is an alumna.

Even if you come up with nothing, the women who are active in alumnae Panhellenic are used to writing these kind of recs. Weird to you but not weird to them. :)

At this point, if you are going through recruitment at Emory or Vandy, it may be too late anyways. Vandy recruitment starts today and Emory next week. Recs at Emory are not a big deal, just a good way to separate yourself, especially as a transfer student. Vanderbilt is much more competitive and recs are more important, but if a chapter really likes you they will find a rec for you. At this point, I wouldn't try to hunt down recs from people you don't know. Just go in and enjoy the process. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

Speaking of Vandy, the January 9, 2008 "Inside Vandy" has an article about the likelihood that new member classes will be larger this year.

http://www.insidevandy.com/drupal/node/6019

It also mentions some of the things Vandy's Panhellenic has done because there are more PNMs. Besides that, the article has a link to a "slide show" of pics from -- apparently -- January 8 '08: a few shots of entrances to and exits from houses, some people on sidewalk, etc.