Recommendations

LSU1981 · #1 03-31-2009, 04:29 PM

Question about recommendations at LSU. Possible scenarios:

Is it better to get your own recommendations or is it fine to have the local panhellenic chapter get the recommendation on your behalf and then PNM get letters of support for each sorority on her own?

KSUViolet06 · #2 03-31-2009, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LSU1981

Question about recommendations at LSU. Possible scenarios:

Is it better to get your own recommendations or is it fine to have the local panhellenic chapter get the recommendation on your behalf and then PNM get letters of support for each sorority on her own?

I would think that wherever you get the rec is fine, but it is nice to get them from people you actually know (if you are able).

As far as letters of support, you can really only get those from people who know you (people you don't know cant really sing your praises).

adpiucf · #3 04-01-2009, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LSU1981

Question about recommendations at LSU. Possible scenarios:

Is it better to get your own recommendations or is it fine to have the local panhellenic chapter get the recommendation on your behalf and then PNM get letters of support for each sorority on her own?

Either. Personally, I'd get your own recs and letters of support to be sent directly to the chapters.

The Local Alum Panhellenic (AP) will NOT get the recommendation for you. They will simply help you out by explaining how to find recommenders (the same advice you've been getting on GC-- asking everyone you know, church bulletins, family friends, etc.). The AP will provide you with an address that your recommenders can forward the recs to. This address is an AP member who will bundle all the recs and support letters of all the girls in the area and sends them out to their respective schools.

Let me be very clear:YOU DON'T HAVE TO SEND ANYTHING THROUGH THE AP. The AP is simply a middle man (and in my opinion, one that is unnecessary -- but nice for us alums to stay involved). Sending recs directly to the sorority chapter at the school where the PNM will be rushing is fine. It won't harm the PNM that an AP didn't mail the recs. The sorority is not concerned wth the postmark.

Alumnae Panellenics do NOT secure recommendations for PNMs! They simply help you figure out what you need to do so you can go about finding recommenders!

/Former AP recruitment committee member

ComradesTrue · #4 04-01-2009, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adpiucf

Alumnae Panellenics do NOT secure recommendations for PNMs! They simply help you figure out what you need to do so you can go about finding recommenders!

This may be the case of your alumnae panhellenic, but this clearly varies from AP to AP. I know quite a few Alumnae Panhellenics who will secure a rec for a PNM provided that the PNM has provided them with a resume, pics, etc. In fact, for some areas that I have lived in this is the standard way of getting recs.

LSU1981 · #5 04-01-2009, 02:55 PM

This is exactly true for our local panhellenic in Texas. They will secure the recs as long as they are provided with all the necessary information. At their meeting, they encouraged the girls to go this route even if they have their own contacts. I just having a difficult time trying to figure out the best route for obtaining the rec - perhaps I will have my daughter turn in her packets to the local panehellenic with a list of people they could contact to have the rec prepared. I know letters of support come from close friends - have many alums from many LSU sororities that can provide these. Some sororities require the rec come from an alum in the girl's hometown and this is why we may have to go the local panhellenic route as most of our close friends are still in Louisiana. Ugh!!!!

SWTXBelle · #6 04-01-2009, 03:09 PM

SOME APs may not get you a rec - ours does, but I know many do not. The best course of action is to do everything you can - register with the AP, work your mom's rolodex, network like crazy - to get recommendations.

epchick · #7 04-01-2009, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SWTXBelle

SOME APs may not get you a rec - ours does, but I know many do not. The best course of action is to do everything you can - register with the AP, work your mom's rolodex, network like crazy - to get recommendations.

Ours does as well. To get a rec through our AP, you have to register with us and then we have designated people that will write a rec for someone who needs it.

violetpretty · #8 04-01-2009, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LSU1981

This is exactly true for our local panhellenic in Texas. They will secure the recs as long as they are provided with all the necessary information. At their meeting, they encouraged the girls to go this route even if they have their own contacts. I just having a difficult time trying to figure out the best route for obtaining the rec - perhaps I will have my daughter turn in her packets to the local panehellenic with a list of people they could contact to have the rec prepared. I know letters of support come from close friends - have many alums from many LSU sororities that can provide these. Some sororities require the rec come from an alum in the girl's hometown and this is why we may have to go the local panhellenic route as most of our close friends are still in Louisiana. Ugh!!!!

That's really stupid. Are you sure that's the case?

Titchou · #9 04-02-2009, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by violetpretty

That's really stupid. Are you sure that's the case?

Yes. I know of at least one group that requires this.

UGAalum94 · #10 04-02-2009, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by violetpretty

That's really stupid. Are you sure that's the case?

It seems kind of odd that you'd pass this kind of judgment.

What would be wrong with wanting a rec from the girl's hometown where people would actually know her?

violetpretty · #11 04-02-2009, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

It seems kind of odd that you'd pass this kind of judgment.

What would be wrong with wanting a rec from the girl's hometown where people would actually know her?

Because there could be Greeks who DO know her well who do NOT live in her hometown, like aunts, cousins, family friends, etc. in this exact situation.

Hometown does not guarantee that the recommender knows the PNM. I don't understand why chapters would require a rec from the hometown. Obviously your hometown would be the best place to start...you wouldn't live in Philly and solicit a rec from a random Seattle alum. But if you have a family friend in Seattle, then that rec should carry more weight than one from an alum you don't know (or just met for coffee) in your hometown.

Bottom line is that a rec should ideally be from someone you know, but a "hometown only" rule seems like it would exclude any out-of-towners who do know a PNM.