Cornell Recruitment

tangelo212 · #1 10-30-2008, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gemma494949

I wondered if anyone knew about Cornell recruitment? Is it very competitive? Are recs suggested? What do they mean by "business casual" vs. "business attire"? I've read through all the tips on GC but wondered if anyone had any current advice about Cornell? Recruitment starts in January! I'm so excited!

OMG I'm so excited FOR you!
It IS competitive, bids are not guaranteed, but recs are actually not required...At least in my chapter, we only received between 5-10 recs, with usually 500-600 PNMs going through. I honestly do not think that recs help or hurt you (they kind of seem like a non-factor actually)--I am from the South and this surprised me very much. I had always known who would write each rec for me since I was little, and then I ended up not even having them written. I have found that some northern girls (please GCer don't grill me for this, this is just a trend I noticed at my school and I'm being honest) or at least girls without extensive knowledge of the Greek system (even from the other side of recruitment as sisters), do not really understand the weight and importance a rec carries. On the other hand, I think that if you are a LEGACY, then that may help you more than a rec, unusually. But make sure to put that in the registration application or have your legacy relation write a rec or introduction.

I am not sure where you are getting the information "business casual" vs "business attire?" Where is this posted? It is cold in January. COLD COLD COLD. Make sure you are prepared for that. I wasn't. It gets progressively dressier as the rounds progress, although I found round 1 to be dreadfully casual (jeans?!?!?!)

check out this site: http://www.dos.cornell.edu/dos/greek/

I also wrote a recruitment story thread (under a different username), but please be warned that A LOT has changed since then... A chapter has left campus, membership has changed completely since I went through (4 years ago). My intention is not to influence your impressions of chapters, although I am sure you have a taste of chapter identities from this semester (please do not ask me to reveal the code). Rather, use this as a "been there," loose guide on what to expect from the process in general.
http://greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=97640

There is TONS more advice I could give you, please PM me if you have any specific questions. I am THRILLED to help! I can also post here again if you have any questions that might be of benefit to other PNMs as well.

Most importantly, remember to keep an open mind!

gemma494949 · #2 10-30-2008, 02:07 PM

I know some Alpha Phi girls! They are really great!

A good friend of the family has offered to write a rec for one sorority, although she was in this sorority at another school. I'm not a legacy anywhere, so I'm not sure how far to go to get recs or if the rec from the family friend is worth it?

I got the "business casual" vs. "business attire" info from the website - under panhellenic recruitment. Attire goes from casual to business casual to business attire to semi-formal. It's hard to know what to wear. Definitely jeans the first two days, but after that, I'm really not sure!

I am going into this process with an open mind. I know many women who have been in many different sororities and they all seem to have loved their experience. I've met a lot of girls on campus, all of whom love their sorority. My biggest concern is how unfamiliar I am with the process. I've read all of the hints, but wonder how all of those hints apply to Cornell? I have been quite social on campus, and have seen sorority girls quite social, but then worry about whether I am being too social? I know this is a stupid question - but I would be thrilled with ANY advice you could give me and other PNMs. I'm just to naive to know what questions to ask?

Thank you so much for your encouragement. I'm from a big family of women, and am looking forward to finding sisterhood at my new home!

ASTalumna06 · #3 10-30-2008, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gemma494949

I got the "business casual" vs. "business attire" info from the website - under panhellenic recruitment. Attire goes from casual to business casual to business attire to semi-formal. It's hard to know what to wear. Definitely jeans the first two days, but after that, I'm really not sure!

My thought would be (using examples for each)...

Casual: Jeans, t-shirt
Business Casual: Nice khaki pants, cute shoes, a sweater
Business Attire: Nice black suit-like pants, a blouse or sweater (professional work attire)
Semi-formal: A cute, appropriate cocktail-type dress

But these are just general guesses. Your best bet would be to call the Greek office and ask.

gemma494949 · #4 10-30-2008, 02:42 PM

By the way Tangelo - I LOVED your recruitment story and appreciated the detail. I had read your story before, but wasn't sure if it was Cornell.

ThetaDancer · #5 10-30-2008, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tangelo212

OMG I'm so excited FOR you!
It IS competitive, bids are not guaranteed, but recs are actually not required...At least in my chapter, we only received between 5-10 recs, with usually 500-600 PNMs going through. I honestly do not think that recs help or hurt you (they kind of seem like a non-factor actually)--I am from the South and this surprised me very much. I had always known who would write each rec for me since I was little, and then I ended up not even having them written. I have found that some northern girls (please GCer don't grill me for this, this is just a trend I noticed at my school and I'm being honest) or at least girls without extensive knowledge of the Greek system (even from the other side of recruitment as sisters), do not really understand the weight and importance a rec carries. On the other hand, I think that if you are a LEGACY, then that may help you more than a rec, unusually. But make sure to put that in the registration application or have your legacy relation write a rec or introduction.

I am not sure where you are getting the information "business casual" vs "business attire?" Where is this posted? It is cold in January. COLD COLD COLD. Make sure you are prepared for that. I wasn't. It gets progressively dressier as the rounds progress, although I found round 1 to be dreadfully casual (jeans?!?!?!)

check out this site: http://www.dos.cornell.edu/dos/greek/

I also wrote a recruitment story thread (under a different username), but please be warned that A LOT has changed since then... A chapter has left campus, membership has changed completely since I went through (4 years ago). My intention is not to influence your impressions of chapters, although I am sure you have a taste of chapter identities from this semester (please do not ask me to reveal the code). Rather, use this as a "been there," loose guide on what to expect from the process in general.
http://greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=97640

There is TONS more advice I could give you, please PM me if you have any specific questions. I am THRILLED to help! I can also post here again if you have any questions that might be of benefit to other PNMs as well.

Most importantly, remember to keep an open mind!

I very much agree with this. In general, recruitment is competitive but not SEC-style competitive. Re:recs, I don't think they hurt and if you are able to obtain them, they serve as a nice introduction. If you have a good family friend willing to write one, I would take her up on the offer.

I graduated in 2006 so I'm sure things have changed since then, but as Tangelo also stated, it is always cold during recruitment. Like freezing cold. Dress appropriately to stay warm and dry. Jeans with a sweater would be appropriate early on. After that I would think about perhaps dress pants and sweaters/dressier tops.

And just regarding deferred recruitment in general, make sure you're on your best behavior first semester. I don't mean to worry you but do know that sorority girls pay attention to your first semester actions...so act accordingly. Being social is a positive thing, but mind the booze and boys. Also, while it is so difficult not to form opinions of the sororities, do try to go into recruitment with an open mind (which it sounds like you're doing, but I just had to throw that in there because I really can't stress that enough).

Best of luck to you!!! I can also try to help if you have questions, but I do believe that Tangelo graduated after me, so she will likely have more recent info.