Cornell Recruitment
 

OMG I'm so excited FOR you!
It IS competitive, bids are not guaranteed, but recs are actually not required...At least in my chapter, we only received between 5-10 recs, with usually 500-600 PNMs going through. I honestly do not think that recs help or hurt you (they kind of seem like a non-factor actually)--I am from the South and this surprised me very much. I had always known who would write each rec for me since I was little, and then I ended up not even having them written. I have found that some northern girls (please GCer don't grill me for this, this is just a trend I noticed at my school and I'm being honest) or at least girls without extensive knowledge of the Greek system (even from the other side of recruitment as sisters), do not really understand the weight and importance a rec carries. On the other hand, I think that if you are a LEGACY, then that may help you more than a rec, unusually. But make sure to put that in the registration application or have your legacy relation write a rec or introduction.

I am not sure where you are getting the information "business casual" vs "business attire?" Where is this posted? It is cold in January. COLD COLD COLD. Make sure you are prepared for that. I wasn't. It gets progressively dressier as the rounds progress, although I found round 1 to be dreadfully casual (jeans?!?!?!)

check out this site: http://www.dos.cornell.edu/dos/greek/

I also wrote a recruitment story thread (under a different username), but please be warned that A LOT has changed since then... A chapter has left campus, membership has changed completely since I went through (4 years ago). My intention is not to influence your impressions of chapters, although I am sure you have a taste of chapter identities from this semester (please do not ask me to reveal the code). Rather, use this as a "been there," loose guide on what to expect from the process in general.
http://greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=97640

There is TONS more advice I could give you, please PM me if you have any specific questions. I am THRILLED to help! I can also post here again if you have any questions that might be of benefit to other PNMs as well.

Most importantly, remember to keep an open mind!

I know some Alpha Phi girls! They are really great!

A good friend of the family has offered to write a rec for one sorority, although she was in this sorority at another school. I'm not a legacy anywhere, so I'm not sure how far to go to get recs or if the rec from the family friend is worth it?

I got the "business casual" vs. "business attire" info from the website - under panhellenic recruitment. Attire goes from casual to business casual to business attire to semi-formal. It's hard to know what to wear. Definitely jeans the first two days, but after that, I'm really not sure!

I am going into this process with an open mind. I know many women who have been in many different sororities and they all seem to have loved their experience. I've met a lot of girls on campus, all of whom love their sorority. My biggest concern is how unfamiliar I am with the process. I've read all of the hints, but wonder how all of those hints apply to Cornell? I have been quite social on campus, and have seen sorority girls quite social, but then worry about whether I am being too social? I know this is a stupid question - but I would be thrilled with ANY advice you could give me and other PNMs. I'm just to naive to know what questions to ask?

Thank you so much for your encouragement. I'm from a big family of women, and am looking forward to finding sisterhood at my new home!

My thought would be (using examples for each)...

Casual: Jeans, t-shirt
Business Casual: Nice khaki pants, cute shoes, a sweater
Business Attire: Nice black suit-like pants, a blouse or sweater (professional work attire)
Semi-formal: A cute, appropriate cocktail-type dress

But these are just general guesses. Your best bet would be to call the Greek office and ask.

I very much agree with this. In general, recruitment is competitive but not SEC-style competitive. Re:recs, I don't think they hurt and if you are able to obtain them, they serve as a nice introduction. If you have a good family friend willing to write one, I would take her up on the offer.

I graduated in 2006 so I'm sure things have changed since then, but as Tangelo also stated, it is always cold during recruitment. Like freezing cold. Dress appropriately to stay warm and dry. Jeans with a sweater would be appropriate early on. After that I would think about perhaps dress pants and sweaters/dressier tops.

And just regarding deferred recruitment in general, make sure you're on your best behavior first semester. I don't mean to worry you but do know that sorority girls pay attention to your first semester actions...so act accordingly. Being social is a positive thing, but mind the booze and boys. Also, while it is so difficult not to form opinions of the sororities, do try to go into recruitment with an open mind (which it sounds like you're doing, but I just had to throw that in there because I really can't stress that enough).

Best of luck to you!!! I can also try to help if you have questions, but I do believe that Tangelo graduated after me, so she will likely have more recent info.

I mentioned in my story the outfits I wore, but maybe this will give you some more guidance...

1st round (2 days): Nice jeans (stay away from salt stains, rips, holes), cute top, sweater
2nd round: think along the lines of a cute outfit you would wear out to dinner with friends. Maybe a trendy turtleneck, business type tailored slacks, funky sweater, nicer top
3rd round: Dressier than round 2, many sorority ladies wear skirts or dresses, but they are usually more dressed up than the PNMs (who FREEZE). A good guideline I usually go by is like a nice outfit you'd wear to brunch with your family. Or maybe church/religious services. Freshman year I wore a black pleated skirt with knee/calf boots and a pink sweater, just to give you an idea.
Pref: Dress (my year was an exception b/c of the weather). Many chapters wear all black, so maybe stay away from that.

I hope this helps you! And about your rec, it definitely never hurts to have one sent in! I just wanted to point out that it is not imperative that you have one. I think meeting Greek women first semester actually makes more of a difference than a recommendation. They just aren't that commonly sent in! I am about to head out, but I really am thrilled to proffer advice. You have such an amazing college experience ahead of you, whether you decide to go Greek or not. I wish I were in your position and could re-live the last 4 years! (I am actually currently at Cornell's Qatar campus so in theory, I am still "at Cornell!")

tangelo, my niece was an Alpha Phi at Cornell. She graduated year before last - when were you there?

I PM'd you srmom :)

And gemma494949...I tried responding to your PM, but you have your account set so that you cannot receive PMs?

Get your hats, coats, gloves and boots ready!

Tangelo - did the PM work this time? Sorry for your inconvenience and thank you for your help!

Very good friend at work pledged Kappa at Cornell (early 90s). She said it is competitive, but in a non-SEC way. Because so many girls come from outside of New York, you don't have the pre-selected pledge classes or girls that always knew they were an XYZ from childhood.

Basically, at Cornell you stand on your own merits -- grades, involvement and personality. It's not where you have come from, who you know and which chapter your mother was in.

Ohhh salt stains. The "joys" of one of Ithaca's 4 seasons - Rain, Slush, Snow, and Drizzle!!

Oh, another note on wardrobe...

It's totally acceptable to wear sweatpants or whatever you want to stay warm. PNMs change before going into the houses (including shoes), so maybe bring a larger bag than a purse to stuff your clothes into. Your bags/purses/totes are not taken away by Rho Chis like they are at many other schools (or maybe not "many," just lots of school I know of). So don't be embarrassed, everyone will be doing it!

Also, and I wrote this in a PM but I'll repeat it here in case any other Cornell ladies come across this thread, be aware of strict silence. Panhel makes sure sorority women are aware of it (and the consequences for breaking it), but often it is not publicized as well to PNMs. It usually starts finals week, unless they changed it this year. During this time, sorority members and PNMs cannot talk, interact, go out to dinner together if they are friends, buy each other gifts (or coffee, or...). I think an exception is made for study groups but that is cutting it close. During this time, please don't think sorority women are being rude if they cannot speak to you, they are just following the "strict" rules! Personally, I think Panhel should work on making PNMs more aware of strict silence because they usually have no clue.


ETA: I actually double-checked Panhellenic "Membership Recruitment Guidelines," modified Oct 1, 2008, and it states that "strict silence begins at 7:00PM on Sunday, January 11th, 2009, and continues through recruitment week until Bid Day." Although they do not clarify here, I believe they intend to mean through Bid Day--PNMs receive their bids in the evening, but strict silence is still in effect until that time.

get excited!
 

I'm so excited for you! cornell recruitment starts tuesday!! :)

quick rundown of your questions, although they have been answered by others too...

I wondered if anyone knew about Cornell recruitment? Is it very competitive? Are recs suggested?

it's competitive and recs are not necessary but are a good way ( at least in my chapter) to get more attention for yourself. with so many girls rushing this is (usually) a good thing.

What do they mean by "business casual" vs. "business attire"?

anything dressy that you might wear for a presentation in class would be appropriate. don't feel you have to wear a suit, some people just look frumpy in them (me). when they say professional they just mean not jeans, nothing revealing obvi - be classy. and as for attire vs casual the house tours day is just a slightly more casual ensemble than skit round. make sure you can sit down politely if you wear a skirt to skit round, some houses you will be sitting on the floor so dont flash anyone.

I've read through all the tips on GC but wondered if anyone had any current advice about Cornell?

recruitment this year is going to be great! every house is excited and with one less chapter this year it will be slightly more competitive but don;t worry about that! it is a tiring week, but its fun! what to expect- being cold, girls screaming at you when you walk in their house... other than that keep an open mind. rush is a 2 sided process, you are picking a house as they are picking you. keep in mind what you want to get out of a sorority. (maybe nothing, maybe you are just rushing for the experience. if that's the case, don't tell that to the girls that are rushing you, there is no faster way to get cut from a house). i had a good rush experience and ended up in a house i love. there are a lot of great houses at Cornell and cool people in every single one.

Recruitment starts in January! I'm so excited!

me too! see you soon!