Recs (need clarification)

[GiantsChic]

Hi guys, I know this topics has been asked about several times already, but I was just wondering about a few things when trying to get recs or letters of introduction. First of all, since I don't know of anyone personally (family member, family friend) who has been in a sorority, how would I go about contacting alumnae from these chapters about letters? Do I just e-mail them on their chapter websites? or how would i find out if there's a group near me? I've tried searching, but I'm not getting very far... once again, i'm sorry because I know this has already been asked several times, but if anyone has any info i would love to hear it... please PN me if u have any advice, thanks

[CutiePie2000]

http://greekchat.com/gcforums/showth...threadid=18519

dzrose gives excellent suggestions:

dzrose93
Moderator:
This is a very good topic, and I'm glad it was mentioned. Last year, I received several letters from girls who were asking for recs. They had gotten my address from our local Panhellenic Council and I didn't know a single one of them personally.

However, I took the time to call them and ask questions about their high school activities, extracurricular interests, why they were going through rush, what they were going to college to study, etc. The ones that I spoke with and were impressed by were the ones that I wrote recs for. I think I wrote 2 last summer from the long list of girls who requested them. Why the low number? Because of several reasons.

In some cases, I left two or three different messages for the girls to return my call, letting them know who I was and why I was calling, and that I needed to hear from them soon in order to get a rec in on time. Some of them never bothered to call me back. So, they got no rec from me.

In other cases, the mothers of the rushees wrote the interest letters to me. One mom even went so far as to do her own daughter's resume! My thinking was this: if the girl isn't interested enough in Rush to sit down and send out her own rec request, then she probably isn't "into" Greek Life that much. Maybe her mom is pushing it on her. So, I called the girls and asked them the standard questions, "what's your major", "why are you interested in Greek Life", "do you have any questions about Rush that I can help you with", etc. In most cases, it was like talking to a brick wall! It was quite obvious that the girls had little desire to speak with me, and I felt like I had wasted my time by calling. So, I didn't waste anymore time by writing a rec.

The girls who were friendly on the phone, who wrote their own letters and resumes, and who gave me character references to contact if I felt the need were the girls who I wrote recs for. So, even though I may not have known them personally, I felt that I knew enough about them to write a rec saying, "Hey sisters, give this girl a shot to impress you." I figured that I knew as much about them at that point as one of their teachers or friends' moms who would be writing the same thing to their NPC org.

One thing that I did do in each letter was to make sure that I stated, "I do not know this rushee personally, but from speaking with her and reviewing her resume she appears to have qualities we look for in a new member." That way, the girls knew that I was asking them to consider the rushee, but that I wouldn't be mortally wounded if she was cut.

I guess you could try emailing your local Alumnae Chapters for the respective orgs at your campus and explaining the situation that you are planning to participate in Recruitment. Think of it as a job you want to interview for and be offered, so be prepared. Get together information about yourself such as your achievements, hobbies, if you have been involved in Sports, Academia, Philanthropy, etc. that you could present to an alumna to tell about yourself.

Also think about every adult you come into contact with in your day to day life (dentist, doctor, etc.) If someone attended university, they might have been in a GLO, or know someone that was. Think of the 6 degrees of separation!

[justamom]

There aresome GREAT answers to you questions on recs in last years postings. To put it simply however-
Large, competative rush
1. Almost every sorority demands a rec to CONSIDER inviting you back. EVEN IF THE WEB SITE SAYS IT ISN'T NECESSARY.
2. Prior to last year at LSU, you could be pretty sure of a second round invitation if you had 2 recs. This was a a courtesy to the alums who took the time to write. HOWEVER- rush was so huge last year that a handful of girls with anywhere from 1 to 3 recs were not invited back to every sororities' second round.
3. Each rec had 2 photos attachd-One studio and one casual.

Rush on smaller campuses with fewer soroities-
1. Recs are still considered a good way to stand out. It gives them a heads up on you prior to the parties.
2. If you don't have a rec, yet the girls feel you would be a great addition, they will work to find you a rec if needed.
3. I do recall several postings where they have said "We wouldn't know what to do with a rec." Or "No one has ever had a rec..."

Bottom line-If you are entering a strong Greek system with huge numbers rushing, I'd absolutely-positively have a MINIMUM of one rec. NO MORE THAN 3. Everyone around here suggsted 3 for LSU.
You HAVE to ask people. I JUST found out we have a Sigma NU and SAE in our family (Hubby's side). I thought Sigma Chi was it. I just never ASKED.

[maggieaxid]

On my campus, Rec's weren't a necessity....but they weren't a bad idea either. While i was rush chair, if i got a REC from another sister somewhere it was taken into consideration if there were some issues as to whether or not she should be invited back.

[carnation]

GiantsChic, which sororities are on your campus?

[GiantsChic]

The sororities on my campus are:

ADPi
Kappa Alpha Theta
Sigma Kappa
Kappa Delta
Delta Gamma
Alpha Phi
AXO
Pi Phi
Gamma Phi Beta

I'm not sure when rush is, but it'll most likely be mid-late september