Does it matter who writes the recs?

[meg85]

A friend of my family's works for a particular sorority's headquarters and she wrote me a rec and found other recs for me (other alumna who are "high up" in their org.) Additionally, my neighbor's daughter (a Chi-O) happens to be a big-time pageant winner who wrote me a rec. Will having these notable women sponsor me help me out any, or is a rec basically a rec?? Thanks, meg

[KappaKittyCat]

That really depends on where you're rushing. At my school (small, midwestern), we were excited to get a rec, any rec. At bigger schools, especially those in the South, the identity of the recommender will matter. I'm told that some southern schools tend to look more favorably on recs that come from local, southern alumnae, than on those that come from Jane Doe Sister from the Midwest. I'm sure that your having recs from those particular members will not hurt you; it could only help you.

[OleMissGlitter]

Well, all recs are equal but I know last year we had a few recs from Past International Presidents of AOII and that was fun to see those. I would say as long as the alumna who wrote the rec is reputable and in good-standing with her organization then a rec is a rec! But that is just my thoughts...

[meg85]

hey, thanks for y'alls replies...by the way, olemiss, i went down and saw ole miss last week for the first time..it was really pretty... my friend is going through rush there this fall, and we went down there and saw her dorm & the sorority houses(gorgeous!), then shopped on the square. it seems like a really fun place. just thought id let ya know! meg

[aephi alum]

All recs are equal, but some are more equal than others.

To some extent, it depends on the school. At my alma mater, for example, any rec would carry a lot of weight because we get so few (I don't think I ever saw one in my time as an active). At schools with highly competitive recruitments, I would suspect that having more recs, and having recs from people whose names are known to the chapter, would set a PNM apart. (By "people whose names are known" I mean national officers, big donors of time and/or money, famous alums, and alums from that particular chapter.)

Side comment: If a national officer of AEPhi writes a rec for a given PNM, we treat that PNM almost as a legacy. She will, for instance, be invited to the first invitation-only round.

Anyway, looks like you're in good shape rec-wise. Good luck!

[HotDamnImAPhiMu]

Originally posted by meg85
A friend of my family's works for a particular sorority's headquarters and she wrote me a rec and found other recs for me (other alumna who are "high up" in their org.) Additionally, my neighbor's daughter (a Chi-O) happens to be a big-time pageant winner who wrote me a rec. Will having these notable women sponsor me help me out any, or is a rec basically a rec?? Thanks, meg

No kidding, you ARE good to go! What sororities are represented at your school? Other than Chi O, obviously!

At Tech, you have close to 800 girls (i'm sure that # has increased since I've graduated) going through recruitment. I was Rush Info Mgr. and my experience with recs is a rec is basically a rec for the most part regardless of who it came from. If it came down to the rushee possibly being released, we'd then possibly take into consideration who wrote the rec.

[meg85]

Hotdamn-- Hey! I wont say the sororities at my school for the sake of being anonymous( lol, i know it sounds ridiculous). It is a larger school though with atleast 9 sororities. Lots of options Meg