The fallacy of Sorority Recs?

[sophiebelle]

Just read through this entire thread, and thought I'd share my two cents. I go to a mid-size school in the North where Greek life is extremely prevalent but for whatever reason, is not particularly popular. (What I'm trying to say- I probably phrased that incorrectly- is that while the small Greek community is very noticeable on campus, only a very small percentage of students actually join. A lot of people here are in very rigorous pre-med type majors, so that is definitely a factor.)

No one in my family is Greek aside from myself, and honestly I had never even heard of a rec until I joined GC. On the other hand, a close friend of mine who went through recruitment with me at my school has an older sister who was the president of her chapter at a big Southern school. Although that sorority is not on my campus, her sister managed to get her recs for all of the sororities that are here.

Unfortunately, my friend was only pref'd at one so-called "undesirable" chapter and dropped out of recruitment. I am now a DG.

I have to say I see both sides of the coin on this issue. I have no experience with recruitment at an SEC school, but I can imagine how when there are 1000 girls rushing, sheer numbers make it necessary to have recs. But at campuses like mine, where there may only be 120 girls registered for recruitment, actives have the opportunity to get to know girls individually and having to make huge cuts isn't such an issue.

Also, deferred recruitment at a smallish school makes recs less important as well- if a girl is a huge skank, by the time January rolls around, you know.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by sophiebelle

No one in my family is Greek aside from myself, and honestly I had never even heard of a rec until I joined GC. On the other hand, a close friend of mine who went through recruitment with me at my school has an older sister who was the president of her chapter at a big Southern school. Although that sorority is not on my campus, her sister managed to get her recs for all of the sororities that are here.

Unfortunately, my friend was only pref'd at one so-called "undesirable" chapter and dropped out of recruitment. I am now a DG.

Also, deferred recruitment at a smallish school makes recs less important as well- if a girl is a huge skank, by the time January rolls around, you know.

So what you're saying is your friend is a huge skank?

I'm confused.

Maybe she should have given that "undesirable" group a chance.

ETA on all the "if they want Susie they'll find a rec for her" in this thread. Perhaps it would be better if women were educated to know what they have to do. Analogy - if Joe Blow from BFE High wants to go to Harvard, Joe is going to have to write an essay. No one else from BFE High has ever gone to a college where you have to do this. Harvard isn't going to "find a way" for Joe to get in just because he has an awesome resume if he doesn't write an essay. Joe has to figure this out on his own. Joe isn't going to complain that it was unfair because he knew what was expected of him when he filled out the application.

Just because NPC or its member groups are tellling women to get recs on their own doesn't mean they have to divulge how they use them.

[sophiebelle]

No, I was trying to say that on my campus at least, no (meaningful) preference is given to a girl with recs. And I was also commenting on the fact that with deferred recruitment, most actives already know a good amount of the PNMs personally, making recs less imperative.

And yes, I definitely think she should have given that group a chance. She ended up joining a colony, though, so I think everything worked out for the best.

[ltaylor]

I have an important question. I'm planning on rushing fall 2011 at UK, I'm going to be the first in my family, besides my uncle in a frat, and so I'm going in blindfolded. I've been hearing a lot about recs. Are they crucial to joining a sorority at the University of Kentucky? If so I'm in big trouble because I live in Vermont and our biggest University, UVM, only has 5 sororities, with only 4 of them being national. I looked at UVM's website and there are only 3 sororities compatible with UK's, making my odds worse. Any advice for me? Should I try to get recs from the 3? How do I get these recs? And is there anything else I can do to improve my chances? Like I said I'm brand new at this and I only know what I'm reading about. Thanks!

[DubaiSis]

Do a search here about finding recs, but in short, start asking every woman you know, your teachers, women at church, your mother's friends. If they are sorority women, even if their personal rec doesn't apply to your situation, they may know someone whose rec does apply. You know more sorority women than you think.

And hopefully your alumnae panhellenic can fill in the rest. Try this link to find the closest group to you http://www.npcwomen.org/alumnae-panhellenics/directory.aspx. It looks like you'll have to talk to a group in upstate New York. You also might try talking to the Alumnae Panhellenic in Kentucky if one closer to you doesn't work. And don't forget to send hand-written thank you notes to every woman who helps you.

[DaffyKD]

Originally Posted by ltaylor

I have an important question. I'm planning on rushing fall 2011 at UK, I'm going to be the first in my family, besides my uncle in a frat, and so I'm going in blindfolded. I've been hearing a lot about recs. Are they crucial to joining a sorority at the University of Kentucky? If so I'm in big trouble because I live in Vermont and our biggest University, UVM, only has 5 sororities, with only 4 of them being national. I looked at UVM's website and there are only 3 sororities compatible with UK's, making my odds worse. Any advice for me? Should I try to get recs from the 3? How do I get these recs? And is there anything else I can do to improve my chances? Like I said I'm brand new at this and I only know what I'm reading about. Thanks!

Copy and pasted this into 2 different topics? Expect 2 different answers?

[Pass the Pinot]

^^^

I am thinking she's just trying to get as much information as she can. OP, you can message me specific questions about UK rush and I will be happy to help you if I can.

[IndianaSigKap]

Definitely ask your teachers and neighbors. I work in a high school and even though there are only three chapters represented in our school, I know that I have written recs before and I have gotten friends of mine in other chapters to write letters if the young lady is particularly interested in that chapter. I finally put some SK magnets on my board and now I get asked about it more often.

[AnchorAlumna]

Originally Posted by carnation

Thought I'd bump this--

Carnation, you troublemaker!