<p>My d is planning to rush in January. We have been expats for the last 4 years so have no local connections with Panhellenic boards to write recommendations. Are they still needed? With a little effort I can find out if some of my friends here are members of the sororities on d's campus and see if they will write but if it's no longer valuable then I won't bother.
I will send the legacy form from my own sorority of course.</p>
<p>i just went through rush at my big state school with a huge greek influence, and due to the sheer numbers of girls going through rush recs from people you dont personally know don't help a lot. she would be better off making contact with any girls she already knows that are greek on campus and focusing on your legacy. if she likes your sorority, she should get a few recs to that, but you should also do your research to find out how your sorority treats legacies on that campus.</p>
<p>all treat them slightly differently, so for some its a huge foot in the door but for others a legacy barely matters. it would not be good for her to get her hopes up thinking she's guaranteed a bid from your house if your house doesn't look strongly at legacies.</p>
<p>also make sure she realizes that while a legacy really probably hleps with your house it could hurt her positions at other houses if they know she is a legacy; for my school, you have to fill out a panhel form pre-rush week so that all houses know your legacy/gpa/extra curricular statuses.</p>
<p>hope this helps!
kristin</p>
<p>^I agree. A rec doesn't really do much. If a person is a legacy it is a nice way to highlight that. However, simply making a positive impression on the greatest number of sisters, and a negative impression on none, gets the bid. A mail bag filled with glowing recs can't compensate for a lack of accomplishing these two things. </p>
<p>I wouldn't worry at all about getting recs for your daughter.</p>
<p>All sororities are different but generally, most have a policy that if someone has a rec from an alumni, they will give you a first round pass so you cannot be dropped on the first day. Legacies often get another benefit where they will not be dropped without a call to the alum. Unfortunately, not all chapters follow these rules, even if they are required to do so by their national. So it doesn't get you in, but it can help to give you a second chance.</p>
<p>CC411 is closest to the truth about sorority rec's. It's generally held that the sorority chapter is responsible for finding someone to write the rec if they want the girl to join. </p>
<p>MotherDear may be able to clarify a little further, but in my experience with sorority girls and sorority recruitment, the recs are more annoyance than anything else.</p>
<p>It's an outdated hoop that one has to be jumped through at this point. The letter doesn't even have to be personalized. If the letter did come from a well-known, active alumna of the chapter, and the letter was personalized and very glowing, it might hold a little weight, but that's not the point for these recs at this point in time. When they require a letter for everyone, it does a lot to minimize whatever potential benefit one would get for you.</p>
<p>Find out which chapters are present at your Daughter's school. If you personally know of someone who was a member of one of those organizations, then I'm sure they'd be delighted to write a letter for your daughter. If you don't know of anyone in the organization, see if you can find the phone number for the Alumnae Chapter in the large city closest to your current city, and ask them if they know of anyone who would write a letter for your daughter. If that still fails (it won't), try the Alumnae Chapter closest to your daughter's school. </p>
<p>Again, this is nothing more than a hoop to jump through. There's no real benefit to be gained unless your letter writer is an extremely active volunteer with that chapter or the national organization. If you try the avenues above, and you still don't have a rec, don't worry about it. If the chapter really wants your daughter, they'll find a way to get a letter written for her.</p>
<p>You can try asking the same question, specific to her school, on Greekchat.com under the recruitment thread. It seems that the right advice on this will vary wildly by school...big Southern school, don't even think of rushing without it, some New England LACs, no need to stress about it. Beware of asking the panhellenic at her school...there are many rush threads about girls who found out mid-rush that they were at a school where getting recs should have been taken seriously.
I agree that it is outdated, but it can be a fast way to sort through girls during the first two rounds, when it's a blur for both potential members and actives.
As someone who writes recs for my house, my other advice would be to make it as easy as possible: provide a transcript, resume, photo and anything else you want forwarded to the house. I know that we loved to know in particular if there was any singing or athletic talent.</p>
<p>Go to National</a> Panhellenic Conference and see if there is a Panhellenic Alumnae Association near your area. If there isn't, email the national level POC. Ask for contact information for an alumna member of each of the NPC GLOs at your D's campus.</p>
<p>Recommendations are definitely more important at some schools than others. That being said, even the Northeast chapters like to receive recs to get to know the PNMs better. Many times alumnae who are writing recs for young women ask to meet the girl so they can put a face to the resume. It's short notice but Thanksgiving Break would be a good time to do these mini-interviews.</p>
<p>Even though you have been out of the country, do contact your local Panhellenic chapter. It is not always necessary for an alumna to personally know a girl to write a recommendation (it helps, though).</p>
<p>As someone said above, the need for recommendations varies quite a bit from campus to campus.</p>
<p>I've written three different letters of recommendation for girls at universities here in the midwest. Even though I've personally known all three girls, they all got dropped after the second party. I don't think recommendations carry much weight anymore.</p>
<p>Spideygirl's suggestion of making a positive impression on the greatest number of members possible is the best advice. (Don't spend the entire time talking to 2 or 3 girls.)</p>