"I'm rushing 'for' a certain chapter"

[carnation]

Originally Posted by SWTXBelle

ME: "Oh, your daughter is going to Texas State? I'd be happy to help get her recommendations."

MOM - "Oh, her sister is an Alpha Delta Pi, so she's going to pledge them. They have to give her a bid. She doesn't need any others."

ME:

So six years later, I am wondering how this panned out.

[BlueBayou]

Originally Posted by carnation

So six years later, I am wondering how this panned out.

Me too!!!

[Hartofsec]

Originally Posted by FSUZeta

I would like to know if chapters actually look at unsolicited resume/transcript/photo information, especially at those colleges with mega-recruitments, and lots of recommendations to work their way through.

This is also from the U of A Panhellenic page on Letters of Recommendation:

Step 3: If a potential member is not able to find an alumna or current collegian to write her a recommendation, then she can send her resume along with a photograph (4x6 headshot) directly to the sororities PO Box. The sorority will use this information to aid the potentail new member in securing a Recommendation/Reference. Remember, it is ultimately not the PNM’s obligation to secure Recommendation/Reference – it is just helpful to the sororities if you can them provide assistance.

Along with suggesting that it is the responsibility of the chapters to secure recommendations, this might lead a PNM to believe that chapters routinely seek recs on PNMs who send their resume directly to the chapter. Considering the mountain of recs membership chairs are already managing, I am skeptical that this happens with any regularity at all.

It seems to me that a PNM sending info to a chapter on her own might cause her to stand out -- but not in a good way. I'd be interested in other's opinions.

For instance, a mom (not Greek) whose daughter I wrote a rec for said, when I asked how gathering recs for other chapters was progressing, that her daughter had recs for the chapters she was interested in. I don't think she meant this to be condescending to other chapters -- she just didn't know and figured her daughter had recs to chapters where she knew someone. Besides, the other chapters will just secure recs if interested, right?

And the Panhellenic page, as an "official" source of info, doesn't help with this when it contains conflicting information.

I'm sure that a lot of what is "customary" in huge SEC recruitments seems silly to people who have no history with this process, and that plenty of girls go through with recs that are not really personal recommendations.

However, if one chooses to engage the process, it is a good idea to maximize options in advance by doing everything possible to play the game well. Some girls do pledge chapters without (knowingly) securing a rec in advance, but this isn't something I would leave to chance in such a huge recruitment. The first time through recruitment is usually the best opportunity.

.

[Sciencewoman]

When we dropped our daughter off at college last fall, we attended two parent welcome meetings. One mom specifically asked the student life panel about recommendation letters for sororities. One (male) Dean specifically said, "For those of you used to hearing about SEC recruitment, relax. Your daughter's friends have probably been spending a lot of time gathering them. You don't need to worry about that here. The sororities won't even look at them."

That last sentence is just flat out wrong, and I found it rather troubling that he would presume to share what the various groups do or don't consider during membership selection. You can imagine how badly I wanted to raise my hand and say something. I didn't, and I didn't even want to post it until my daughter was through recruitment. Her recs had already been sent in by that point, and several rec writers had been thanked, including the alumna of the sorority she eventually joined.

[FSUZeta]

Originally Posted by Sciencewoman

When we dropped our daughter off at college last fall, we attended two parent welcome meetings. One mom specifically asked the student life panel about recommendation letters for sororities. One (male) Dean specifically said, "For those of you used to hearing about SEC recruitment, relax. Your daughter's friends have probably been spending a lot of time gathering them. You don't need to worry about that here. The sororities won't even look at them."

That last sentence is just flat out wrong, and I found it rather troubling that he would presume to share what the various groups do or don't consider during membership selection. You can imagine how badly I wanted to raise my hand and say something. I didn't, and I didn't even want to post it until my daughter was through recruitment. Her recs had already been sent in by that point, and several rec writers had been thanked, including the alumna of the sorority she eventually joined.

Oh my gosh, I felt the same way when attending the Greek Life info. sessions at my daughter's freshman orientation. The Panhellenic Recruitment VP stood on the stage and told the audience that recommendations had to come from alumnae of the chapters at that school. I mentioned to the lady I was sitting next to that that was incorrect and she tried to get me to correct the girl, but i wouldn't dare, for fear that it would impact my daughter's recruitment. I was flabbergasted that the recruitment VP was so ill-informed.

And SWTexasBelle, I had a similar experience with a man whose younger sister was supposed to rush at Bama. I offered to write a rec. for her and he informed me that that would not be necessary since his grandmother, mother and sister had all been XYZs at Bama and therefore his baby sister would be also I was amused that when rush came around I did not find her name on the bid list to any of the sororities at Bama, nor the next year or the year after that!

[MaryPoppins]

Originally Posted by FSUZeta

And SWTexasBelle, I had a similar experience with a man whose younger sister was supposed to rush at Bama. I offered to write a rec. for her and he informed me that that would not be necessary since his grandmother, mother and sister had all been XYZs at Bama and therefore his baby sister would be also I was amused that when rush came around I did not find her name on the bid list to any of the sororities at Bama, nor the next year or the year after that!

My friends daughter, descended from Mobile Mardi Gras Royalty for several generations and her self a mardi gras court noble, got cut from all but one of her legacy chapters at Bama (she originally had 3 in contention.) Legacies are a dime a dozen there at the older Bama chapters. I wrote her Theta letter of reference and she preffed at Theta and one other newer chapter, as well as her grandmother's chapter (legacy.) They must have truly fallen in love with her, and she would be a super asset to any Bama chapter.

[FSUZeta]

Did she accept a bid?

[MaryPoppins]

Originally Posted by FSUZeta

Did she accept a bid?

Yes, to her grandmother's chapter, though I was told Theta was a close second. Her Mom was an alumna of the alleged top chapter at Bama, and went nuts when the that one and a second legacy chapters dropped her daughter. I had to talk her down GC style

[33girl]

I think a lot of the downplaying of recs is an attempt to make rush seem like less of an old-girl-network than it is and infuse new blood into the system...when, of course, it achieves the exact opposite.

[Titchou]

Ignorant is curable. Stupid is not.

[GratefulGramma]

Ignorant doesn't even begin to describe where we stood when my beloved granddaughter went through recruitment. 'Nuf said. Anything we knew, we learned from my lurking on GC, and I definitely didn't start lurking soon enough.

She had an incredible recruitment counselor, who she obviously paid close attention to, and she made it all on her own. That's why I am so grateful, (and NOW autocorrect won't let me misspell it!!).

[AnchorAlum]

Originally Posted by Titchou

Ignorant is curable. Stupid is not.

Me likey this quote.

[irishpipes]

I posted this in another thread, but I am still so dumbstruck by it that I'm posting it again.

This is from the 2013 Florida State recruitment guide:

Is a Recommendation Necessary for my Student to Get a Bid?
No! Recommendation letters are not required to receive a bid, and you will not in any way be penalized if a letter or form is not submitted on your behalf.

That goes so far beyond "you don't technically need recs to participate in recruitment." To me, this is membership selection and should NOT be discussed by Panhellenic. With brochures like that, it is no wonder PNMs and parents are ignorant of the realities.

[adpiucf]

I wonder if this is an unconscious and uncoordinated effort to curtail recs because they have largely lost their value in modern recruitment. 99% of the recs you receive are info-recs, anyway. Campus Panhellenics and NPC can't dictate membership selection, but it might be worth opening the dialogue amongst NPC groups to reconsider their valuation of what amounts to a heap of paperwork.

[HQWest]

Originally Posted by adpiucf

I wonder if this is an unconscious and uncoordinated effort to curtail recs because they have largely lost their value in modern recruitment. 99% of the recs you receive are info-recs, anyway. Campus Panhellenics and NPC can't dictate membership selection, but it might be worth opening the dialogue amongst NPC groups to reconsider their valuation of what amounts to a heap of paperwork.

That may be the case where you are, but recs are still very important here in Mordor. They are especially important when trying to sort through 1200 women. Even an info-only rec from an outside alum means that the girl is probably more serious about recruitment and interested in your chapter.

Greek Life additions to the manual like this may possibly be an effort to try and make it more egalitarian in the bid selection process where someone who is not a legacy or who is first-generation college student could (in theory) have an equal shot at any group. In fact, it has the opposite effect as without rec letters invitations will tend to rely on women in the chapter who already have a relationship with the PNM. Hence, women from the same towns or same high schools will be more likely to "clump" together in some chapters.