More Texas Recruitement Info
Today I found my daughter rush note book. Looking through it every sorority had a letter. They were all pretty much the same so I will summarize.
Below are the list of items I will need to introduce you to the chapter at the univeristy you will be attending. Two pictures (one full body 5x7 and one full face 4 X 6 (This is the real differnce in the sororities. some want two some 3) An unofficial current transcript A resume of all you school and community activities, accomplishment and honors (try to keep this to 2 pages-- use page maker) An official transcript mailed directly to me in June by the register at your school after final grades have been posted. A copy of the Panhellenic sheet you completed The names and phone number of the lady in XZY sorority who will be writing your recommendation and letters of support. You are responsible for contacting your own acquantances in XYZ to ask them to write the official recommendation and letters or support for you. These ladies can live anywhere not just in your hometown. Please askas many as you fell comortable with. If you need help in obtaining names please contact me. It is important that you provide each person with a picture, a copy of you unofficial transcript and you resume. Have them mail the resume to me and I will forwrd your packet to the chapters. Fall Rush - June 15 except UT Austin which is required by May 15 to June 1 Deferred Rush - August 1 I hope this helps. Others asked for 2-3 letters of support. I wished I had this info in Feb last year. Please excuse typo's :) |
A full-body 5x7???? Eeee gads! We typically got the wallet-sized head and shoulders portrait.
I guess things are really bigger in Texas. |
Can I please add, as an alum who is often asked to write recs or letters, to please ask ASAP! It really does take a while to write each one (and not to make them form letters;)), especially when you have a number to do for one school!
I think I wrote 8 UT recs or letters this past spring/summer - try making each one sound unique and inspired!!! It takes imagination and a thesauris. |
thank ya ma'am! and so im guessing that whole have to make a collage thing isnt true?
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I haven't ever gotten a collage;) But, I have gotten some pretty awesome studio portraits.
And - details on the resume are great because then you can add those tidbits in the letters (even when you really don't know all that much about the girl in detail except that she's a nice kid). |
ohhh alrighty. because i was told one has to make a personal collage for each sorority so they can get to know you. i thought that was a little bizzare!
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I mean, why else would they want a freaking FULL BODY shot? |
well thank the lord for photoshop!!!
hahah jk ^ |
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1) NO, no collages. I don't know where that rumor got started. There are other groups on the UT Austin campus (Texas Spirits, Texas Lassos, etc.) which require you to do little art projects before joining. NONE OF THEM are NPC organizations.
2) The full body shot thing is so we know who the heck you are when you walk in the door. It has nothing to do with "fitting the mold" - because we all know that most "molds" are stereotypes that only a few girls in a given chapter fit in any way. I can't count on all of the appendages on my body how many girls sent in headshots or glamour shots that looked NOTHING like them last year for rush and the members who were matched with them didn't know who was who. If we don't know your face and what you look like, we won't remember "oh, that's ____ who had 1000 volunteer hours, is a triple legacy, and was class president!" 3) Get your recs in to UT early. Period. 4) Out of staters don't get cut any harder than anyone else if they're as involved and have the same credentials. Our fall pledge class had at least 4 out-of-staters that I can think of off the top of my head which, considering the undergrad population, is quite a few. |
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You really can tell who the heck the girl is by her body type? It's hard for anyone to believe that you use body shots to distinguish girls from one another. :rolleyes: |
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Welcome to Texas "Rush". Most Alumnae Reference Boards in the big cities shut off references if they are received after June 1( I've heard even as early as May 1). It does not mean a reference cannot be sent to the chapter directly but it will not have a seal of approval from the powerful city reference boards who also send along their RTP list (Rush to Pledge)etc. This practice goes back to years ago when UT, Austin had summer rush. (Parties, especially in the big cities for the members to meet rushees) Cuts were made before the girls ever got to school and they were only invited to certain houses from the very beginning. It was also great for lesser know chapters to put themselves out there in a much more informal way. It was done away with 10 or more years ago on an offical level but ...nothing dies quite that easily. If you get my drift.
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No, her face isn't enough. The pictures some girls send in look NOTHING like them. By sending in full length pictures we get a better idea of who's who. It also helps in matching because we don't want to pair someone who's 5'0" on a girl who's 5'11". And yes, that REALLY IS what we do. Quote:
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Please don't get offended. It's not worth it. Quote:
See, while your chapter can be proud of accepting and embracing different shapes and sizes, there are many others who don't. And it's because of them that I question the need for full body shots. IMHO, it just fuels the unnecessary feeling of super exclusivity, you know? |
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Isn't it great that we all are allowed our own opinions. And, aren't y'all so lucky that you didn't have to go through a competitive recruitment process wherever you went to school.
But, for girls going through rush in Texas (or another competitive system), they know the drill going into it and make the choice to participate - it is strictly voluntary. For those who decide that Greek life or the recruitment process is not to their liking, there are plenty of other opportunities to get involved on campus, especially at UT, a school of over 45,000 undergrads. Each house has their own methods of recruitment, and I am certainly not privy to any other than my own, and neither are y'all. As LoveinZTA says about her house, back in my day, we used the photos to try to distinguish betweeen the literally HUNDREDS of girls who were rushing. ANY distinguishing feature can be either a huge advantage or a disadvantage during the process. It is much better during membership selection to be able to say, "Remember that girl with the cute haircut and jean jacket in her picture? Well, I met her today and she is awesome." That is how we used the pictures. And, I can tell you that we had all shapes and sizes and intellects, and hair colors, and heights, etc. in my chapter - which was a top house, and one that unfortunately had to cut alot of great girls, girls that members loved and were heart broken to let go, but quota is quota and that's the way it is. Recruitment is hard from both sides. |
Our local Panhellenic office asks for a picture page to be submitted with requests for recommendation letters:
3. Prepare a “ Picture Page”. a. Select 4 good photos of you. There should be no one in the photo but you. This means no boy friends, no family, no friends. b. Chose clear photos that look like you. a. Chose photos that are not extreme. You are “selling yourself” with these photos. They need to look like you will during recruitment. b. Good choices for photos might be: 1). A good face shot. A senior portrait would be fine 2). An activity or action shot. Showing your talents or activities 3). A casual shot. One is shorts, sundress, or jeans. How you normally look. 4). One of your choice. It can be another face shot or casual shot. |
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I hope that those girls who "know the drill" know that they may be throwing their money away if, as justinterested implied, the bid lists are made up before they can even set foot on campus. |
I have no idea about the specific chapters people in this thread that poster have claimed "had members of all shapes and sizes"...
But I've seen the webpages and pictures of members at the schools that require/ask for the full length body shot... All sizes equals 0-2-4-maybe 6 and all shapes equal flat chested to C-cup. So the all shapes and sizes is somewhat of a misnomer. It just appears that there's talking out of both sides of the mouth going on here... At least admit that yes, you judge potential members by their weight. And height... god forbid you pair up a short girl with a tall girl??? That makes no sense. What does height have to do with anything? |
Full body shots are to weed out the fat girls and in this day and age it is so weird for college women to let their mothers decide who can join their sorority, but that could just be the South.
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kddani (and others), you're just plain wrong to say that after having looked at websites you can judge the makeup of chapters. We truly did have members of all shapes and sizes, but you can believe what you want (you will anyway-prejudice runs rampant).
Purely anecdotal, but - My big sis, who happened to be from Greenich, CT (so she wasn't southern, nor had she been "picked" before school even started), was probably a 12 or 14 and about 5' 10". She was a gregarious, out-going spitfire who must have distinguished herself during rush despite not being a size 2;). I don't know how she could have possibly slipped through the cracks!! But, somehow, she didn't hurt our recruitment and we didn't hide her in the kitchen. I think sometimes many of you people post just to start a controversy, and many times you are speaking out of ignorance and bigotry. But, that's just my opinion and yes, I'm entitled to it. Bless your little hearts, and I mean that! :) |
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Sure, accuse us of ignorance and bigotry but then follow it up with a bless your heart... wow, what a perfect example of the Southern charm/venom. And of course, you're entitled to your opinion. But our opinion makes us ignorant bigots! I sure am happy that you blessed my heart, or else I'd have to take offense. If these chapters TRULY have members of all shapes and sizes, why aren't they depicted on the chapter webpages? It's an honest question. Thanks for the one anecdotal example, but that's just 1 person. And, again, what's with the height thing and the full length picture? |
The height thing
This may or may not have anything to do with what the Texas posters are saying, but it made me think of this tip...
I think it is more comfortable for the PNM if the rusher is on her same "level," i.e., both seated, both standing, etc. I've never been a fan of the sorority women kneeling at the feet of PNMs who are seated in chairs. I remember one year when a little person came through recruitment. It made much more sense to sit down next to her than to tower over her while we were both standing. |
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When I talk about bigotry - there is sometimes a major anti southern slant on this website, and I feel that many times, posters stir up the vitriol to (I guess) entertain themselves. The ignorance comes in play when people make broad sweeping generalizations about things they know nothing about, and state them as unassailable fact. You ask why people don't put pictures of every member on their websites. Well, I don't know, I can't speak for them, and we didn't have websites in the 80's, and I have no personal knowledge of why or how certain chapters pick the content of the websites that they have. You would have to ask the webmaster to get an answer. And when you talk about my southern venom - I'm originally from New Jersey, so what does that tell you? ;) |
I just perused a few of the NPC chapters' websites from UT and there really were women of different sizes and different ethnic backgrounds. I'm not sure of the socio-economic variations, because that is less obvious in a photo, but there were different physical types of women represented.
Did anyone else look at these chapter websites and see something else? |
dukedg,
Thank you for taking the time to check the websites, and I'm glad that you posted that there were different physical types of women represented. That is the case, despite what others may want to believe based upon their preconceived ideas of what the houses are all about at Texas. It certainly makes it more juicy and controversial to think that Texas recruitment is vicious and cruel. In reality, it is competitive because there are huge amounts of girls going through recruitment, all whom have great stats, activities, and values to bring to any chapter - NOT because chapters will only pledge size 2 girls... |
I helped out with UT rush in 98/99/00 and there were different shapes and sizes-a variety of women. I run on the trail almost everyday and see many sorority members wearing their shirts and while yes most seem"fit" (not surprising if they are running at Town Lake) they are all not a size 2 or even a 6-I do see all kinds of women. Some are even from -gasp- the top chapters:p.
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Srmom, what type of programs do alum Panhellenics in Texas provide to assist PNMs to prepare for recruitment? I think if I had a daughter or friend participating in recruitment there, beyond just getting together the recs and the cute pix, I'd really advise a PNM to work on developing her conversation skills so she'd know what to expect, and how to really stick out in a positive way at a big "competitive" school.
Do alum PHs offer conversation skills workshops for PNMs? |
Kitemom can probably answer more in detail. But, I know that in Houston, the Panhellenic council has a meeting in the spring where they go over everything about general recruitment. Then, I believe, they break up into school specific groups to go over the details of that school's schedule and to answer school specific questions.
I only heard through friends with daughters about the meeting, so I can't give specifics. |
When I taught at a private high school in Houston, I held a workshop every spring for senior women interested in rush, er, recruitment. One of the things we discussed was conversation skills. I had a 100% bid rate for the girls I coached - I'm very proud of that. But this was a small private school - probably no more than 10 - 12 girls a year.
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full body shots
While there has been some arguement FOR full body shots, it still makes absolutely no sense to me.
How about inserting the phrase "no glamour shots" into the photo statement instead since that seems to be the big concern of people not looking like they do in the photo? I think that is what the Panhel states in my alma mater's recruitment info.. and *gasp* that school is in Texas. We had absolutely no problem telling which girl was which and we all used head shots. I don't really see what other distinguishing parts of the body (besides a face obviously) are neccessary for members to "tell who the person is"... unless you want to refer to them as "the girl with the big boobs and tiny body" or the "girl with big hips and tiny midsection". Really. What if the girl gains 15 lbs between the time she took the picture and the time recruitment rolls around? Will those full body shots be helpful? Probably not. |
It's quite possible that they want a full length photo so that its not a close up of the woman's face--so that it really is for identifying purposes rather than for judgment purposes. Close ups show a lot of flaws--but who knows?The school where I advise takes group photos of Rho Gamma groups and gives those to the chapters with women identified, rather than having them submit photos. It works for us.
Yes, recruitment in Texas is brutal and judgmental--the stories I've heard are really incredible--but it gets the job done and I don't think many could argue that the greek systems in the state are strong. Recruitment in general isn't always fair--no matter where it is so I am not sure what all the hullabaloo is about. Picture or no picture, people make judgments. |
Then why not just tell everyone to submit their high school senior yearbook picture? That's usually head and shoulders and they'll all pretty much look the same. Sorry, I don't think there's any reasonable argument for REQUIRING a full-length body shot. So sure, the more gregarious, self-confident larger-frame women may still go through rush, but you know there will be way more self-and-body-conscious teenagers that will get "the message" from that requirement and not even bother. And from an outside perspective, that seems to be the goal. There are plenty of northern schools that have hundreds and hundreds of girls go through rush that don't require any kind of picture, much less a full-body one. And they manage to remember and identify the women and have big chapters. Making your rush a more complicated, involved process does not automatically make it more "competitive." In a good sense, anyway.
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No one doubts that UT, like its peers, has strong NPCs, but it's also true that a system with only 14 chapters on a campus with 15,000 female undergrads has a lot of room to grow if it wants to make itself attractive to different types of women. ________ LollyDolly |
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The reality is, that full length requirement is probably something that started a billion years ago and no one has thought to change it. Change is very slow in this state--especially when it comes to recruitment because no one wants to rat on anyone else or tell Jane $1Million alumna that she can't have teas with the pnms. |
although i have not been through recruitment, i know that most of the girls going through a big southern rush know what they are getting themselves into. they have been prepped by their mothers and friends for a very long time ,know all the songs and symbols of their legacy sorority. some of my friends mom's even hired Rush Consultants, which i thought was extremely bizarre. but now they are in " top houses" in the SEC.
and yes some girls are scared off by the whole thing, but if you never try you dont know what a beautiful thing you could be missing. ... i always thought of rush as survival of the fittest! and you may disregard this because im not even in a sorority...yet. but i feel like ways of southern rush isnt something that can be explained ; its a very strong tradition that is changing very slowly, but like Just Interested said, old habits die hard. (runs for cover) =) |
But I don't understand the need for full body shots. Like others have said it just stops the girls (that could be great assets to a sorority) from even submitting an application. Plus, asking for a full body shot doesn't stop the "Glamour Shot"-esque photos from being submitted.
And just a side note. Can we please say UT-Austin? Cause UT is a system and there is more than one campus, and "Texas" is a state with many universities. lol |
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