[Texas Alum]

Originally posted by Texas Alum:
twinstars is right! The alumna can be from ANY NPC chapter anywhere and still write the rec!

As far as actives writing on your behalf - I know in my sorority that is called a letter of reference or a letter of introduction, and can also qualify as a rec for rush purposes. Even better if you know an active - she might just call up the house or talk to the actives she knows in the chapter!

As AlphaChiGirl mentioned, it's better to be over-prepared than under-prepared. I know that everyone will officially tell you that recs don't matter, and that the chapter will get them for you if you need one...

but I'm with twinstars here: at my school and most schools in my region, that is not very accurate! A rushee w/o a rec won't get invited back, and the chapters don't have the time to go out and secure them for the rushee. It isn't that they don't want to -- nothing is a bigger heart-breaker than meeting a special girl who would make a great addition to the house only to find out she doesn't have a rec -- but with hundreds of rushees, photos, piles of paperwork, and about five days to get it all done, there's rarely enough time.

So, as awkward as it might feel, you really have to take control of your own destiny and spend the next few months marketing yourself and making contacts and shmoozing for the recs! I'm sure you will do wonderfully.

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