[DubaiSis]

In general, no, the rec writer doesn't have a lot of pull per se, but if you do have someone (Congresswoman, celebrity or more importantly VIP within the sorority) that would probably pull more weight. In general and without getting into too many specifics, I think it's pretty common for the sororities to just use the rec to check a box (we all vote differently, but you can think of it as adding an extra point to her relative value). Personal recs are vastly more valuable than impersonal ones (a local panhellenic rec), but any rec will at least check off the box.

If you were able to find that many recs in that amount of time, I'm confident you'll be able to get all or close to all of them you need. Just keep at it and make sure she participates in that process. One of the best benefits of this process (which in general I'm not a fan of) is your daughter can have quality one on one time with these sorority alumnae and work on her conversation skills. I would really press her to meet with each of the women individually if the alumna has the time and inclination. She'll hear stories about "the old days," get good advice on the rush process (although it has changed a lot in the last 20+ years) and learn what types of questions will get asked. Also, these women can explain what it's like in general, which can be really overwhelming. The first time the sororities throw open those doors and the roar of ALL THOSE WOMEN comes out it can actually frighten the rushees. Startle them at minimum.

Finally, let me define for you what competitive means. It means there are a lot of girls who are stressing out about getting into particular chapters. It does NOT mean the girls will likely get cut completely from the process. Even with over 1000 girls rushing VERY few get cut completely. Think 20, not 200. Most girls who do not get placed dropped out, regardless of what they tell their mother or friends. All of the chapters at Auburn are huge and varied and none of them are at risk of closure. So she's going to have a 1st choice and a 17th choice after the first round, but when she gets that new list she needs to disregard that original preference and find her new #1 and new #10, or however many invitations she receives back. And do that again after each round, forgetting about the ones who cut her. It's REALLY hard to not take it personally but in a lot of cases it really isn't personal. They have to rank 1000 girls from 1 to 1000 and can only take back X (it varies by chapter, won't get into that here) and your daughter could fall 1 below their cutoff. They'd like to take her, they just can't.