Sorority Recruitment

Liz64 · #1 06-18-2015, 08:58 PM

Hi! I'm a PNM at a school in the Pacific Northwest this fall during formal recruitment. I decided to rush recently and have no experience with the Greek life (as I come from a family with no past Greek members).

In need of more information, I went to my school's greek preview and it seemed VERY relaxed and chill. I was so happy with the environment of the Greek community and decided to sign up for rush that very night! At greek preview that day, the active members there told me not to worry about letters of recommendation or legacy or anything similar to that. But after reading various recruitment information online and on this website, I'm not sure if that is a general statement said at all schools (to relax girls or to be polite and inclusive of all girls) but when in fact it really is necessary. I'm from out of state too so I'm not super familiar with the campus life or this specific greek community either. I'm getting somewhat nervous because I am such a fish out of water so I wondering if any of you had any advice. Am I missing anything important that I should be aware of? Or am I just stressing about something I should not even worry about?

aephi alum · #2 06-18-2015, 09:42 PM

I'm also the first in my family to go greek. My mother was from the UK, and my father was vehemently anti-greek until he met my new sisters.

I'm going to assume that the sororities at your school are NPC sororities.

You have no control over the fact that you're not a legacy, so don't worry about it. Legacies do have something of an advantage, but sororities offer bids to plenty of non-legacies all the time.

As for letters of recommendation ... it depends on the school. At some schools such as LSU and Bama, recs are a must, and good luck getting invited back to a chapter where you don't have a rec. At others, it doesn't matter nearly as much, but it still doesn't hurt to round up, say, one rec per chapter. It shows you've put in the effort.

Are your grades up to snuff?

Go into recruitment with an open mind.

You may have seen the recruitment stories forum. We'd love to hear your story - after you've completed recruitment. People have gotten burned when they've posted their stories in real time and said negative things.

Relax, have fun, be yourself, and good luck!

thetalady · #3 06-19-2015, 12:12 AM

Please understand that those women can speak ONLY for their own organizations about whether or not a recommendation is required to extend a bid. Not all sororities have the same policy. Some sororities have a national policy that a rec is required from an alumna in order to offer a bid, some do not.

1964Alum · #4 06-19-2015, 12:24 AM

Yes! Best to get recs. Even if the National of a particular group doesn't require a rec from an alum, it is always a good idea for the groups to know something about you before formal recruitment starts. Some Nationals definitely require a ref, and it doesn't matter if that is not the norm for a particular college or university.

Liz64 · #5 06-21-2015, 11:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aephi alum

I'm also the first in my family to go greek. My mother was from the UK, and my father was vehemently anti-greek until he met my new sisters.

I'm going to assume that the sororities at your school are NPC sororities.

You have no control over the fact that you're not a legacy, so don't worry about it. Legacies do have something of an advantage, but sororities offer bids to plenty of non-legacies all the time.

As for letters of recommendation ... it depends on the school. At some schools such as LSU and Bama, recs are a must, and good luck getting invited back to a chapter where you don't have a rec. At others, it doesn't matter nearly as much, but it still doesn't hurt to round up, say, one rec per chapter. It shows you've put in the effort.

Are your grades up to snuff?

Go into recruitment with an open mind.

You may have seen the recruitment stories forum. We'd love to hear your story - after you've completed recruitment. People have gotten burned when they've posted their stories in real time and said negative things.

Relax, have fun, be yourself, and good luck!

The sororities I am planning to rush are NPC, correct. I graduated high school with a 3.4 GPA not ideal not horrible either. Will this be a major problem? Thank you for your advice

Liz64 · #6 06-21-2015, 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thetalady

Please understand that those women can speak ONLY for their own organizations about whether or not a recommendation is required to extend a bid. Not all sororities have the same policy. Some sororities have a national policy that a rec is required from an alumna in order to offer a bid, some do not.

I'm planning to get at least a letter (if not more if possible) per sorority. My community doesn't seem to have a lot of active Greek members so I'm doing some major digging right now to get some help lol Thank you!

Liz64 · #7 06-21-2015, 11:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1964Alum

Yes! Best to get recs. Even if the National of a particular group doesn't require a rec from an alum, it is always a good idea for the groups to know something about you before formal recruitment starts. Some Nationals definitely require a ref, and it doesn't matter if that is not the norm for a particular college or university.

Awesome. I will definitely get on that. Could you clarify because I am not quite positive on what you said? Some national sororities (no matter what college) require a letter of recommendation to receive a bid? Or is that a varied rule chapter to chapter at different schools?

1964Alum · #8 06-22-2015, 12:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Liz64

Awesome. I will definitely get on that. Could you clarify because I am not quite positive on what you said? Some national sororities (no matter what college) require a letter of recommendation to receive a bid? Or is that a varied rule chapter to chapter at different schools?

Yes, some Nationals require a recommendation no matter what the college!

Liz64 · #9 06-22-2015, 12:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1964Alum

Yes, some Nationals require a recommendation no matter what the college!

I was unaware of that! Thank you so much!! I'll work even harder to get these recommendations now

jolene · #10 06-22-2015, 11:24 AM

I was the first in my family to go Greek. I know (nationally, anyway) Alpha Xi Delta doesn't require recs.

33girl · #11 06-22-2015, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Liz64

I was unaware of that! Thank you so much!! I'll work even harder to get these recommendations now

They require a woman to have a letter of recommendation. They do not require her to go out and get it herself. Yes that makes it easier for the sorority if you do, but don't think that because you don't get it yourself you will be ineligible for a bid from a sorority with that rule.

Liz64 · #12 07-09-2015, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 33girl

They require a woman to have a letter of recommendation. They do not require her to go out and get it herself. Yes that makes it easier for the sorority if you do, but don't think that because you don't get it yourself you will be ineligible for a bid from a sorority with that rule.

How would a letter of recommendation be written then? Or I guess my real question is are letters written for PNMs without their awareness? (Still kinda confused about the whole process! I apologize.)

Liz64 · #13 07-09-2015, 06:44 PM

Also, a quick side note if anyone has some advice, it seems that grade cuts have the potential to dramatically change a PNM's rush. I graduated HS with a 3.3 unweighted (3.4 weighted). Will this have enough of an effect on me to make it worthwhile to wait to rush sophomore year to get my grades in even better shape? Or are the grade cuts lower than that?

Liz64 · #14 07-09-2015, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jolene

I was the first in my family to go Greek. I know (nationally, anyway) Alpha Xi Delta doesn't require recs.

Thank you for letting me know!

1964Alum · #15 07-09-2015, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Liz64

How would a letter of recommendation be written then? Or I guess my real question is are letters written for PNMs without their awareness? (Still kinda confused about the whole process! I apologize.)

They *can* be written without your knowing about it. But I wouldn't count on it. (I was the rec chair for my sorority for the southern part of my state.) I think you will be doing yourself a disservice if you don't secure your recs before you get to campus if at all possible. The more the groups know about you before recruitment even starts, the better.

As for grades, that can depend on the individual GLO and their national and local requirements. I am not actively involved in recruitment at this time, but your grades certainly seem respectable. While grades can be used for early cuts, they are not the only factor in membership selection. Your recs can give a fuller picture of you and what you have to offer a group before the crush of formal recruitment begins.

I hope this helps!