Alabama Recruitment

[Low C Sharp]

I know people don't get how we do things, but like I said it is because we have such a high volume of girls we have to take other things into consideration.

I know many women who rushed on a whim without recs at U of Illinois and experienced few cuts. You can do all right without them there, even though the system is immense.

That's not a criticism of Bama -- IMHO, it makes a lot more sense to cut PNMs based on recs than on looks, and looks are necessarily going to form a bigger part of the impression a PNM makes if the chapter has no other information. I'm just saying that system size alone doesn't explain the importance of recs in the SEC.
________
QueenOfLove

[violetpretty]

Originally Posted by Low C Sharp

That's not a criticism of Bama -- IMHO, it makes a lot more sense to cut PNMs based on recs than on looks, and looks are necessarily going to form a bigger part of the impression a PNM makes if the chapter has no other information. I'm just saying that system size alone doesn't explain the importance of recs in the SEC.

Yeah, actually it does. Honestly, I used to be a very vocal critic of recs, and I kinda get where they're coming from down South. If 1500 women are registered, and a chapter has to release half of those women or more after round one, you're looking for "reasons" to release and reasons to keep and recs offer more information than an active can learn in 15 minutes. Not to mention, when your chapter is 250(?) think about MS with that many women deciding the fates of 1500 PNMs. Recs help a PNM stand out against PNMs who don't have them, and well-written recs help PNMs stand out against PNMs with generic recs. Recs are like step 1 in showing your commitment to Greek Life, because they take time to obtain.

It may not seem fair to cut a PNM for not having a rec, but imagine as a single active, you talk to, say, 30 PNMs in the first round total. Some you have great conversations with useful information on whether she'd be a great member. But face it, sometimes you end up talking about your favorite TV shows or your hometown...things that can make for an enjoyable conversation but leave you with little idea on what kind of member a PNM would make. How else to decide? Recs.

The only gripe I have about recs is that it seems unfair to women who decide at the last minute that they want to go through recruitment, and therefore, have little to no time to get recs.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by Low C Sharp

I know many women who rushed on a whim without recs at U of Illinois and experienced few cuts. You can do all right without them there, even though the system is immense.

That's not a criticism of Bama -- IMHO, it makes a lot more sense to cut PNMs based on recs than on looks, and looks are necessarily going to form a bigger part of the impression a PNM makes if the chapter has no other information. I'm just saying that system size alone doesn't explain the importance of recs in the SEC.

Illinois is deferred recruitment, though, right?

If you had a semester or more to actual see what a girl did on campus, the recs wouldn't matter as much.

ETA: nope. It's not. I wonder how they do handle it. What do you suppose the chapters use to release girls in the early rounds?

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by Low C Sharp

I know many women who rushed on a whim without recs at U of Illinois and experienced few cuts. You can do all right without them there, even though the system is immense.

That's not a criticism of Bama -- IMHO, it makes a lot more sense to cut PNMs based on recs than on looks, and looks are necessarily going to form a bigger part of the impression a PNM makes if the chapter has no other information. I'm just saying that system size alone doesn't explain the importance of recs in the SEC.

You are correct. Yes, recs make it easier to make easy cuts in a system with 1500 PNMs, but recs predate recruitments that large. A lot of it has to do with tradition. Even if suddenly the PNM pool dried up, the need to have recs would not dry up with them. It's part of the mystique of greek life in these large systems. They also serve an important purpose. But.......