Recommendation Caution to PNM's

[lovely1919]

question: we do online applications + pictures at my school... what kind of pictures are you guys looking for? (classy & tasteful, I'm assuming.) Just a regular head shot?

[honeychile]

Originally Posted by lovely1919

question: we do online applications + pictures at my school... what kind of pictures are you guys looking for? (classy & tasteful, I'm assuming.) Just a regular head shot?

Some schools require a head AND full length shot. It shouldn't be a glamour shot; it should make you readily identifiable, and at your best. When the door chants start, and Susy Sorority is supposed to pick up on Pam PNM, Susy should be able to spot "her" PNM while she's still in the doorway.

[ThetaPrincess24]

I cant stress how important it is to ask high school and middle school teachers if they were sorority members and if they would write a recommendation for you.

As recruitment advisor for my chapter, most of the recommendations I'm working on obtaining for PNM's and that we have received thus far are coming from alumnae who are high school and middle school teachers.

ASK THEM!

[SassyPantsAGD]

This year is the first year that I have started running into this. I'm an active member of my local area alumnae chapter.

I have women emailing me and now I received a facebook message about getting recommendations. I went to a small school so this is mostly unchartered water for me although I have heard about the necessity of recs for people going to large schools with competitive recruitments.

Do you normally write recommendation letters for people you don't know? Do you seek out for someone that knows the PNM that will be going through rush? Does it vary based on the person looking for recs? ie: A current collegian requesting a rec for a friend, a mom looking for a rec for her daughter...etc?

How is this normally handled?

[AnchorAlumna]

Originally Posted by SassyPantsAGD

Do you normally write recommendation letters for people you don't know? Do you seek out for someone that knows the PNM that will be going through rush? Does it vary based on the person looking for recs? ie: A current collegian requesting a rec for a friend, a mom looking for a rec for her daughter...etc?

How is this normally handled?

I will write a rec for someone I don't know, but I usually try to find somebody that knows the PNM or her family. No my response does not vary for the requestor.

However...I do know that sisters from certain chapters are "trained" that they have to personally know the PNM.

[Loyally Kappa]

Originally Posted by AnchorAlumna

I will write a rec for someone I don't know, but I usually try to find somebody that knows the PNM or her family. No my response does not vary for the requestor.

However...I do know that sisters from certain chapters are "trained" that they have to personally know the PNM.

I can count on two fingers the number of recs I have written because I leave that up to the local alumni group to make those decisions. They send out the recs as a group, which to me makes a much stronger statement than having a rec from an individual.

That being said, I posted the following on another thread, but will transfer it here, because I think there is a lot to be said for knowing the young lady personally.

"
This may be off topic, but PNMs and their mothers ought to think carefully about who they ask to write a rec for them.

For example, when my oldest daughter was a senior in high school, she was in charge of decorating for the back-to-school dance. During the decorating, she called me to see if it would be okay for Miss X to spend the night after the dance rather than driving back home. (Private school ... Miss X lived about 45 miles away.)

Well, Miss X apparently imbibed a bit at the dance, and when it came time to follow my daughter home in her car, coming into my neighborhood, she swerved off the road and hit a brick mailbox. Said mailbox was splayed all across the victim's front yard. But rather than stopping (her car was badly damaged and the right, front wheel could no longer rotate), Miss X continued to follow my daughter (who was unaware of what was going on behind her) to my house, leaving an 8 inch black skid all the way from the victim's house and which eventually ended in my driveway.

There is much more to this tale ... and it gets downright humorous when I recount how this was the only night in my entire life that I have slept with a drunk chick. Suffice to say that it took all my powers of zen to not allow my eyebrows to shoot up over the top of my hairline when her mother approached me for a rec the following spring.

Sigh ... "

[33girl]

Originally Posted by Loyally Kappa

I can count on two fingers the number of recs I have written because I leave that up to the local alumni group to make those decisions. They send out the recs as a group, which to me makes a much stronger statement than having a rec from an individual.

You mean you can actually write on the rec form "Oxford MS KKG Alumnae Chapter" where it asks who it's from rather than "Katherine Kappa"?

Huh. Did not know that. What if Recommended Rhonda turns out to be an ax murderer? Who gets yelled at, the chapter president?

[kfraz811]

I'm confused as to what recs are exactly? And also how to get them if I don't know anyone who is greek?

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by kfraz811

I'm confused as to what recs are exactly? And also how to get them if I don't know anyone who is greek?

Read this thread, please.

[kfraz811]

Well I read through the thread and I think i found the right site for finding alumnae, but the thing is the closest chapters are 2-3 hours from my hometown. Is it weird to ask for recs from people you don't even know or even live near you?

[33girl]

Originally Posted by kfraz811

Well I read through the thread and I think i found the right site for finding alumnae, but the thing is the closest chapters are 2-3 hours from my hometown. Is it weird to ask for recs from people you don't even know or even live near you?

No. They are quite used to it. That's why you send them a resume.

Also, you probably know some sorority alumnae and don't realize it. Ask the older people in your life "were you in a sorority?"

[kfraz811]

Originally Posted by 33girl

No. They are quite used to it. That's why you send them a resume.

Also, you probably know some sorority alumnae and don't realize it. Ask the older people in your life "were you in a sorority?"

Thank you. And also I don't know if my University requires recs ( I found a thread on it and they said it wasn't required here). Should I still ask for them anyway? (I'm a freshman now but I think I'm going to rush as a sophpmore because I missed the rush period this year )

[DubaiSis]

It never hurts. If you've got information from GC that your school doesn't require them, I might double check that information is current and correct, and then try to get recs but don't beat yourself up about it. One thing to keep in mind is the simple process of making the request for recs will help you with your recruitment skills (how to explain why you want to be in a sorority, your credentials, talking to strangers, etc.), so give it a shot! Good luck. Oh, and you might ask about COB on your campus. You may not have to wait until next fall.

[kfraz811]

Yea I think I'm going to ask soon about COB because the recruitment this fall ends on sunday. One more question: if I do get recs, should I try to get one for every sorority (theres about 9) or should I just get them from certain sororities that I know I like (I went to recruitment the first few days to visit all the houses, I dropped out before prefs because I had very few houses left to choose from and I knew my chances were very slim to receive a bid at all)

[AZTheta]

Originally Posted by kfraz811

Thank you. And also I don't know if my University requires recs ( I found a thread on it and they said it wasn't required here). Should I still ask for them anyway? (I'm a freshman now but I think I'm going to rush as a sophpmore because I missed the rush period this year )

Originally Posted by kfraz811

Yea I think I'm going to ask soon about COB because the recruitment this fall ends on sunday. One more question: if I do get recs, should I try to get one for every sorority (theres about 9) or should I just get them from certain sororities that I know I like (I went to recruitment the first few days to visit all the houses, I dropped out before prefs because I had very few houses left to choose from and I knew my chances were very slim to receive a bid at all)

A little conflicting information here. You did start recruitment, but then dropped out because...? What?