Recommendations -- Some Questions

[violetpretty]

I think a bunch of GCers (myself included) initially interpretted the "Can I write a rec?" as "I'm a collegiate, can I write a rec?" and glazed over the "alma mater" context cue of her original post. The OP is an alum. Her question was if she could write a rec (as an individual) or does the rec have to come through an alumnae association. The answer is yes, she can write a rec for her cousin without having to go through an alumnae association, although for Chi Omega, 2 signatures are required.

ETA:

Originally Posted by Benzgirl

As long as you are all initiated, you can write a rec. Your recs carry the same weight as an alum.
A little advice though, make sure and your friends write it like an alum would, not using slang or impropper English. I remember reading some recs in college that were rather "valley girl" sounding.

I understand if you've had bad experiences with collegiate-written recs, but I found the bolded part insulting (even though I am an alumna) because you're implying that 18-22 year-olds can't write a professional document. You didn't even spell improper correctly.

[GeekyPenguin]

Originally Posted by violetpretty

I think a bunch of GCers (myself included) initially interpretted the "Can I write a rec?" as "I'm a collegiate, can I write a rec?" and glazed over the "alma mater" context cue of her original post. The OP is an alum. Her question was if she could write a rec (as an individual) or does the rec have to come through an alumnae association. The answer is yes, she can write a rec for her cousin without having to go through an alumnae association, although for Chi Omega, 2 signatures are required.

ETA:
I understand if you've had bad experiences with collegiate-written recs, but I found the bolded part insulting (even though I am an alumna) because you're implying that 18-22 year-olds can't write a professional document. You didn't even spell improper correctly.

Perhaps you never saw a rec that went something like:

Dear chapter sisses!

OMG my cuz Fifi is coming 2 rush and u have to give her a bid! Fifi will be the perfect Upsilon Zeta because she is SO fly and was a cheerleader! Also Fifi's big brother BooBoo is a Tri Omicron and u now how HOTTTT those guys are!

Bid Fifi!

ITB,
Susie Supersis Alumnae

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by GeekyPenguin

Perhaps you never saw a rec that went something like:

Dear chapter sisses!

OMG my cuz Fifi is coming 2 rush and u have to give her a bid! Fifi will be the perfect Upsilon Zeta because she is SO fly and was a cheerleader! Also Fifi's big brother BooBoo is a Tri Omicron and u now how HOTTTT those guys are!

Bid Fifi!

ITB,
Susie Supersis Alumnae

Can I save this as a template to use for all my recs this summer? It would save a lot of time with the whole typing out of whole words and all.

[Zillini]

Originally Posted by GeekyPenguin

Perhaps you never saw a rec that went something like:

Dear chapter sisses!

OMG my cuz Fifi is coming 2 rush and u have to give her a bid! Fifi will be the perfect Upsilon Zeta because she is SO fly and was a cheerleader! Also Fifi's big brother BooBoo is a Tri Omicron and u now how HOTTTT those guys are!

Bid Fifi!

ITB,
Susie Supersis Alumnae

LOL! Yup, I've seen some of those before!

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by violetpretty

ETA:
I understand if you've had bad experiences with collegiate-written recs, but I found the bolded part insulting (even though I am an alumna) because you're implying that 18-22 year-olds can't write a professional document. You didn't even spell improper correctly.

Have you SEEN how some people post on here? I realize that many people don't think they need to be formal on a messageboard, but their attempts to be informal come out looking about as literate as a monkey. You can tell that these people couldn't write a 5 paragraph essay without a grammar mistake to save their lives.

[violetpretty]

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

Have you SEEN how some people post on here? I realize that many people don't think they need to be formal on a messageboard, but their attempts to be informal come out looking about as literate as a monkey. You can tell that these people couldn't write a 5 paragraph essay without a grammar mistake to save their lives.

Of course I've seen how some people post like they're using AIM or sending a text message. Much of the time, they're trolls. I totally agree that typing like that in any other context makes it hard to take people seriously when they ask questions.

Like I said, I'm sure every once in a while, a collegiate will write a rec with abbreviated words, slang, incomplete sentences, and give stupid reasons for recommending the PNM, but is every rec from a collegiate like that? I seriously doubt it.

What I found insulting was that a generalization was made that ONLY alumnae know how to write a rec in standard American English because Benzgirl said, "write it like an alum". She could have said, "make sure the rec sounds professional and proofread it." The vast majority of GC collegiate posters DO post in full words and sentences.