Having rec letters can hurt your chances
 

I have heard recently from individuals currently active in 2 different big 10 school sororities (large) that rec letters can hurt a PNM. The word is that if they have ANY doubts about the rushee who has a rec letter, she is cut after the first round and actually gets more scrutiny than if she had no letter. This sounds like if she had not had a letter she may have gotten past first round and possibly gotten a bid later. Also, there are stories that the current members will make fun of the letters written as they review them. I'm sure that is understandable given human nature, but the letters don't seem to be taken seriously at all. Current members have commented that each girl should have an "equal chance," and that the rec letters are somehow "cheating." Maybe the nationals should re-educate current members about the value of loyalty through the legacy system. I know that a given legacy may not necessarily fit into a given chapter and should be cut, but to make it a disadvantage is not right. There are many alums who thoughtfully write letters for the purpose of helping the rushees, but maybe they should re-think this "help."

From what I've seen on this board it really all depends where you go to school. Some school you need them and others no one cares if you do or don't.
A rec letter is different from a legacy though. Different rules apply when someone is a legacy to XYZ than when they just have a rec letter from a family friend for XYZ. Or at least thats the impression I got.

I can't say its a bad idea for everyone to have an equal chance because it'd be a shame for Susie-no-rec not to get an equal chance just because she's the first to go greek in her family and doesn't know anyone who could write her a letter. But at the same time, a rec letter could be a big help if you're at a big school and only have 20 minutes to get to know each of 1000 girls.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lrdavis5 (Post 1692048) The word is that if they have ANY doubts about the rushee who has a rec letter, she is cut after the first round and actually gets more scrutiny than if she had no letter.

I think that the PNMs got cut because of the "doubts" and not because she had a recommendation. I'd still advise getting recs for any school if possible. If a PNM gets cut, it's most likely that something about her (conversation, grades, etc.) didn't match up well with the chapter. Recs are not a guarantee to get a PNM to a next round and "Legacy" status is totally different from having or not having a recommendation.

Are you a part of a sorority?

Do you participate in membership selection?

If not, maybe you should not preach what you do not know.

I truly do not mean to be unkind when I write this, but your entire post seems like you are digging for information. I'm making a leap here, but I think you are the one you describe in your own post who is attempting to rationalize why you may have been cut.

This was my guess as well (or maybe it is a PNM who is trying to reassure herself because she did not receive recs). In my experience I would say the opposite is true. I think at the larger schools women like receiving recs because it makes the compilation of party lists that much easier. At smaller schools receiving recs is irregular and therefore exciting. I can't think of a situation (except a "no rec" of course!) where a rec would hurt a woman. And, to be honest, the attitude of "every woman has an equal chance" is usually not an attitude present in sorority rush simply because every woman does not have an equal chance inherently (grades, recs, legacies, community service, talents...as well as more superficial aspects).

The OP, according to her profile, is supposedly a "ZTA Michigan State alum" from Winnetka, IL.

Bet I know what else she is.

http://www.ianztrainz.com.au/helicopter1450.jpg

The entire OP sounds off-base and uninformed.

Regarding the actives' behavior when reading letters, that sounds like an isolated incident and something for the recruitment advisor to address with the chapter.

That makes sense to me now ^^^

A simple Google of the OP's username brings up several TripAdvisor reviews of different hotels s/he stayed in while visiting college campuses.

Methinks 33girl is correct.

oh my.

There is the other thread she started yesterday as well.

Twin son and daughter maybe?

Oh that should be a good recruitment story! :rolleyes:

Or maybe the designated info getter for the kids on her street?

I wonder if she takes pictures of them when they trick or treat.

OK I'm getting in CT4's handbasket post haste. ;)

HMs.....They're baaaaaaaaaack!

Has UK NPC recruitment started yet?

Of course, I suppose son & daughter could go to different schools.

In a couple of weeks http://www.kentuckyifc.com/page.php?page_id=11601

I think UK starts next weekend.

If I had a daughter rushing at UK, she'd have recs.

if a particular chapter is looking at recs. as a negative thing, then their advisors and the local alumnae that help them during recruitment should help them to understand the purpose of recs. and the benefit that a recommendation can be to recruitment.

If her daughter went to public high school, she went to my alma matter. Funny.

As someone who's quite familiar with at least 3 of the 11 Big Ten schools, I'd say recs would only help. Legacy status can get a little tricky, usually for the schools where a HUGE number of women from the same hometowns and families will go to the same school -Illinois, Minnesota, maybe Purdue and Wisconsin. Being a legacy wouldn't necessarily hurt your chances at your legacy chapter, but, as sometimes happens, non-legacy orgs might assume you're going to your legacy chapter, and act differently, so if you lost your legacy house, you'd have the chance of being cross-cut.
Again, this doesn't happen that often in the Big 10 schools (that I know of). And if recs were written, the orgs felt the fit was not right for them.

A letter or two can help tremendously, especially if the girl is attending an out of state school some distance from home.

However, the horror stories told about some girls who have 30 or 40 letters and how it worked against the girl are spot on. Some in the chapter may say
"Uh, is this person such a weak candidate that they NEED all these letters?"

I call BS.

Bottom line: if you have recs and were cut early, that pretty much means you were DEFINITELY GOING TO GET CUT as some point no matter what.

I can't speculate about other GLOs' policies, but maybe some organizations have really special procedures with how to handle girls with recs who make it to a certain point, and the chapter women want to make sure the PNM never even gets to that point. Maybe some chapters have to make a personal phone call to the alumna who wrote the rec if Suzy Rec PNM makes it to Pref but then doesn't get a bid. By cutting her early, it saves a lot of awkwardness. Who knows. It's all secret. It should all stay secret.