Question about Recommendations!
 

Hi all! I have just started getting more familiarized with the rush process, and I realized that I'm kind of in a bind. I'll be rushing at USC (Southern California), and it's been said that USC is a school that you absolutely need recommendation letters for. I don't know anybody who was in a sorority, and the deadline to sign up for the local panhellenic to help me get recommendations was well over a month ago. Is there any other way to get recommendations? I don't want to be at a huge disadvantage going into rush.

Just ask anyone and everyone you know. Teachers, coaches, friends' parents, even your own relatives (who may be in one or know people who are), etc. EVERYONE. You might be surprised to discover how many people you already know are in a sorority.

ETA: And remember: Sorority members usually have friends who are in other sororities. So if you find a sorority member among the people you initially ask, see if they know anyone else who may be able to give you another rec. In the age of social media, it's now even easier for old college friends to keep in touch.

What happened to the thread about how to find recommendations? I'm looking for it, and so far no luck. I'll keep searching but perhaps someone else will find it faster.

OP you need to get ON IT. USC is a very competitive rush.

ETA: here's an excellent thread that has invaluable advice, including about recs - it's stickied in the recruitment forum, titled "General Advice" and it's by adpiucf, you can find it easily.

And if you are in Texas (from your user name) you should be able to locate sorority alumnae easily, assuming you are in one of the larger metro areas.