Recommendations?

[DaffyKD]

Originally Posted by mizzou8

Hi there! I'm a freshman planning to rush next fall (as a sophomore), and I've realized that recommendations and letters of support and pretty important at my school. However, I live in an area where sororities arent huge, and I don't know that many women that were in the sororities I am interested in at my school. How might I go about finding women in my area that were in certain chapters? I won't need the letters until next year, but I'd like to find them in advance...the letter should always be from someone you know well personally, right?

Find out about your local Alumnae Panhellenic. This is a group of women from all different sororities who work together to present scholarships and quite often hold events for those who plan to go through recruitment so that they can meet you and then be available to write you a recommendation.

DaffyKD

[mizzou8]

Thank you so much! I'm kind of new to all of this- do you mean that I should contact the local alumni panhel for where I live back home, or here in Columbia, MO? Should I try to get recommendations from someone who was in the chapter here at Mizzou?

[adpiucf]

Contact the Alum Panhellenic in your hometown.

However, if you meet sorority alumnae in your college town or elsewhere, or if you have sorority relatives/friends, it is perfectly acceptable to have them write your references. It is also a good idea to talk to current collegiate sorority members at your school-- ones who have been through recruitment as a sorority member. They can tell you if recommendations from "in-house" alumnae (graduates of your university) are valued over others. Also, talk to the Office of Greek Life.

The best references come from people who know you personally, and know you well. This is not always possible, and by networking with your hometown's alumnae pan, you may be able to secure informational references. You will not be penalized if your references are not from someone who has known you since birth, but someone who knows you well can truly speak to your greatest assets and potential value to the organization.

Good luck and good for you to start planning ahead now! Read the link in my sig for more information that you may find helpful.

ETA: Also remember that you are going to be interviewed for membership opportunities in all of the sororities at your campus if you go through formal recruitment, and it is best to have recs for all of the chapters. You may think coming in that you know which ones you might consider joining, but perceptions and options change once you get to meet a sorority in recruitment, and you should do your best to get recs for all in order to be truly prepared. Keep an open mind coming into recruitment-- any of the organizations on your campus have a lot to offer!