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I did not go to Alabama, so I cannot give you any advice on the specifics of Alabama recruitment, however I did go to a school with a very competitive recruitment so I can speak on that.
At schools where recruitment is very competitive (actually at all schools, but especially at schools where recruitment is very competitive), ALL of the chapters are great, and you will be able to find friends in every single chapter on campus (assuming you are placed there). Trust me on this. Do not listen to the tent talk.
You are at a disadvantage already, being a junior. I am not saying that you will not get a bid, but your class standing puts you at a disadvantage. Unfortunately you can be really pretty and really smart and have really great extracurricular activities, and still be at a disadvantage because you are an upperclassman. Some chapters will likely cut you because of this. There are a great number of very pretty, very smart, and very involved girls going through recruitment at Alabama and other very competitive campuses. This is a fact. No one on this forum is trying to give you biased advice from what I saw. We're not saying you're not going to make it. What we are saying is that it will be really hard to make it and, depending on the package you are presenting, the odds may or may not be against you.
I'm sorry, but I wouldn't trust your friend's word that you will "most definitely get a bid" even if she is a current sister in a chapter at Alabama. If your friend is currently an active at Alabama, she can try to help increase your chances of getting a bid by potentially introducing you to some of her sisters in advance of you getting to campus (but not in violation of any PNM/active contact rules) and advocate for you within her chapter. However, this is still no guarantee. Many women are let go in chapters, despite the fact that they have good in-house connections and someone who is in the house and advocating for them. I repeat: you cannot guarantee you will get a bid, especially on a very competitive campus with your junior standing, even if you have all the connections in the world to this chapter on this particular campus.
So, with all of that said, I recommend that you go in with a VERY open mind. As I said, do not listen to the things some girls will be saying. Also, recruitment is not real life. If you do not feel like you connect with a chapter during recruitment, that does not mean that you will not connect with them after recruitment.
Basically my main piece of advice is: if you are lucky enough to get a bid to ANY chapter, that is your golden ticket and you should take it and run with it. That chapter wanted you, saw you as their sister, and decided to take a chance on you. You will find lifelong friendships and have lots of fun at ANY chapter on your campus. The experiences are really not very different, since all organizations offer and do the same things, essentially. And, like I said, at schools with very competitive recruitments, this is especially true. ALL of the chapters have great girls. Trust me on this.
Things you can do this summer to try to help your odds: (1) get recommendations for ALL the chapters ASAP (there is great advice on the recruitment forums about this); (2) get a job/internship and/or be involved in volunteering and/or travel a bit (basically, get some interesting experiences...you should be building your resume to help you get a job after graduation anyway, and this will also give you things to talk about); (3) If you have friends who are sorority members at Alabama already, you can try to talk to them to express interest and ask for advice; (4) choose your outfits/makeup and make sure you look confident and put together, like you're going to meet your boyfriend's parents for brunch; (5) do your best to relax...there are certain things that are within your control (conversations during recruitment, how you look, getting recommendations for every chapter, building up your resume with experiences like volunteering and internships/employment) and certain things that are no longer within your control (your junior standing, your GPA...good or bad, you can't change these anymore), so focus on what you can control now to have the best recruitment possible.
Good luck and let us know what happens! I know I'm always curious as to what ends up happening to the women we help through GC and where they end up.
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