No Chapter Recs...
 

Hey y'all!

I am rushing at a school in the south that is known for being "competitive" and am concerned about letters of recommendation. I am going to a school out of state and the state I live in does not have a lot of the same chapters as the school I will be attending nor do I have legacy or anything that could also help. I talked to my Panhellenic recruiter and she said not to have someone you do not know write you a letter or recommendation, so should I risk not having any at all OR have women write some, but weren't apart of that chapter nor involved in Greek life? I do not want to seem like I wasn't prepared. My advisor also said that there's no reason you can't be pledged because you didn't have letters of rec. My resume was filled though with high school activities and such and that should help me a lot, but just wondering what would be more worth the risk!

Thanks!
-PNM

If it's a competive school, you are better off having a letter from someone you don't know than showing up with nothing at all. See if you can find someone you know to write a letter (ask around through school, family, friends... you'd be surprised sometimes who the sorority women in your life may be!) and see if you can come up with some of the chapters.
You seem a little confused as to who can write a letter for you. To clarify, if I'm an alumna of XYZ, I can write a rec to any chapter of XYZ in the country. Some chapters allow college women to write letters for chapters other than their own, so if you know any college-age sorority sisters, it's worth checking into that as well.
If you can't come up with them from people you know, go to your local Panhellenic and fill in the holes with letters from them. It's better to show up with *something*.

If it's a competitive southern school, you'll need the recs. As the previous poster said, you don't need them from people who went to that school. Ask your parents' friends, teachers, school counselors, SS teachers, employers, neighbors, coaches, etc. When you find someone who can do one, ask if she knows anyone in the other groups you need. Ask men too as they may know a Greek woman. I got an email from a male friend asking if I would rec his niece. You never know where you will find a rec. NETWORK!

The local Panhellenic chapters love to help out! Having a rec (even from someone you don't know) could be the difference in getting a 2nd party invite. From there on out, it's all about the connections you make with the girl who is rushing you and your resume (gpa, involvement, etc). Recs will help you avoid some of the first round of cuts. Good luck!

Hey y'all! Thanks so much!
I am a little confused on the whole ABC // XYZ thing. How can I find out if a chapter is ABC or XYZ at a school?

Bless your heart! We are just using that instead of saying real chapter names. Sort of like using asterisksin place of the letters...get it?

To clarify -- As a Pi Phi, I can write a rec for any Pi Phi chapter anywhere. I can't write a rec for a Kappa or Theta chapter. Members can only write recs for their organization, but it doesn't matter if it's MY chapter where I pledged/initiated.

Does that help?

Yes! That makes so much more sense! Thank y'all so much! I was terribly confused. Thanks for the help and clarification!