PNM advice: the importance of personal connections in recruitment

[KSUViolet06]

I see a lot of PNMs focusing on "tangible" items like recs, grades, outfits, and community service.

Those are important, but let me be the first to tell you that these are STANDARD items. That's the "foot in the door" stuff that EVERY PNM at a reasonably competitive school WILL have. You've got 3 recs per chapter, a 3.95, and were involved in 2 sports. Guess what? At Bama, Ole Miss, etc. that's EVERY girl in your group.

I find that GC tends to ignore something that matters A LOT in competitive recruitment: PERSONAL CONNECTIONS/RELATIONSHIPS.

Everybody has the standard stuff, but it really IS "who you know" that is a HUGE factor.

Chapter members tend to know who from HS, camp, cheer, etc. is going through and if these are women they know and like, they'll be the first to say "OMG. I went to HS with Becky! She'd be great."

Those are the women who stand out and when there are limited spots to go around, come to member's minds first.

A lot of PNMs come into recruitment knowing no one, from another state, etc. They tend to be at a disadvantage not because they're undesirable, it's just that invites are limited and there is little room for chapters to invite PNMs back whom they JUST met on day 1 of recruitment.

Let's look at personal connections from a numbers standpoint:

For example, let's say that ABC at Southern University has 100 members (not using big numbers because I'm tired.) Each of them personally knows 2 PNMs from church/camp/high school/etc whom they think would make great ABCs.

100 x 2 = 200 women whom members can already vouch for before they even set foot in the chapter doors on day 1.

Fast forward to after day 1. ABC has 300 invites for day 2.

Out of that 300, there are these 200 girls with personal connections whom members already know of and want.

Assuming that all 200 of those are issued an invite, that leaves just 100 spots for the "unknown wildcard" PNMs whom no one has heard of prior to recruitment.

My point is that personal connections are very important.

This is not to say that if you run off to all greek staffed summer camp this summer, you're a shoo-in.

But those PNMs who have attended camp, lived in the same neighborhood, gone to HS, and played softball since __ grade with sorority members (and have developed relationships with them) do have an advantage.

Can you get a bid if you know no one? Sure. Every chapter is different and there are some who have more room for the "wildcards" based on a lot of factors than others. But in dealing with those chapters who are releasing high numbers of women early on in the process, those with the connections are generally in a better position.

Note: This is EXTRA true for upperclassmen.

Extra note: emphasis on "know and like." Not "I know Katie Kappa from Science in 11th grade." Two different things!

Just throwing this out there so that PNMs can be thinking of it (and for those not rushing this fall, they can be cultivating some sort of personal connection with members.)