Alabama Recruitment

[violetpretty]

Originally Posted by Nhfulmer

If you check the list of 1200 young women who accepted bids yesterday, many of them are from out of state. I didn't count but the number I've heard is that about half of last year's pledges were from out of state. Someone is getting the message and taking care of business. My girls from Charlotte were all covered and it looks as though about 15 of them are proud new sorority members. I know it looks like it would discriminate against out of state students but it really doesn't if they will take care of business - the problem is in getting them to believe that it is necessary.

Are you insinuating that the chapters are scrambling to secure recs or that these out of state PNMs were actually prepared and secured recs for themselves? I am assuming the latter for the most part.

[1bamadad]

In 2008 one of the Greek Chat members put the names into an excel file; maybe Anchor Alum. I did a pie chart for the total and by sorority. There were just a little over half of the pledges from Alabama all of the others were from OOS. There were some sororities that had 2/3 of girls from out of state and other houses that 2/3 from in state. I can't figure out how to attach the pie chart; or I would share it here.

[kk_bama]

I don't really know of any chapter would bother to scramble to get recommendations during Recruitment.

It's more of a too bad, so sad situation. If you don't have your ducks in a row by the time Recruitment begins, you're probably going to get cut by the chapters that absolutely require a rec for a bid.

Your best bet is to start 6 months to a year prior to Recruitment obtaining recs for every single sorority. Contact your local alumnae Panhellenic, go to your high school counselor, ask if your teachers were in a sorority, quiz your mother's friends, etc. It's not that hard. Don't put all your eggs in a basket or two thinking that you'll get a bid to one of the 3 sororities you managed to get a rec for.

My favorite recs to look through are the most complete ones. A fully complete rec packet should include, IMO:

-The most updated reference form from your nationals (some that we get are YEARS old photocopied from an old sorority magazine).

-A detailed resume that includes high school class rank and any family greek affiliations (doesn't hurt to list aunts & cousins in addition to sisters, mothers, grandmother & great-grandmothers). We get a lot of great resumes but they are sometimes missing those items.

-Complete high school transcript.

-At least a headshot and a full body photo. Some girls do a cute color full-page photo collage showing them in all their various activities. I love these. So fun to see the girls in their prom dresses, sports uniforms, with family, etc.

-Sometimes we get a handwritten note or typed letter from the alum in addition to the recommendation form. Going into detail about how you know the PNM is great and the fact that the alum went the extra mile means a lot.

[Loyally Kappa]

I'm thinking the latter, that the out of state girls showed up with recs, resumes, and photos already AT the chapter houses BEFORE rush. I mean, the addresses of the rush chairmen are posted.

Geesh ... is anyone really so naive as to think that all you have to do is pay the rush fee and then show up to enjoy the door songs?!?

Originally Posted by violetpretty

Are you insinuating that the chapters are scrambling to secure recs or that these out of state PNMs were actually prepared and secured recs for themselves? I am assuming the latter for the most part.

[Loyally Kappa]

I'll see that two cents and raise it three!

Originally Posted by kk_bama

I don't really know of any chapter would bother to scramble to get recommendations during Recruitment.

It's more of a too bad, so sad situation. If you don't have your ducks in a row by the time Recruitment begins, you're probably going to get cut by the chapters that absolutely require a rec for a bid.

Your best bet is to start 6 months to a year prior to Recruitment obtaining recs for every single sorority. Contact your local alumnae Panhellenic, go to your high school counselor, ask if your teachers were in a sorority, quiz your mother's friends, etc. It's not that hard. Don't put all your eggs in a basket or two thinking that you'll get a bid to one of the 3 sororities you managed to get a rec for.

My favorite recs to look through are the most complete ones. A fully complete rec packet should include, IMO:

-The most updated reference form from your nationals (some that we get are YEARS old photocopied from an old sorority magazine).

-A detailed resume that includes high school class rank and any family greek affiliations (doesn't hurt to list aunts & cousins in addition to sisters, mothers, grandmother & great-grandmothers). We get a lot of great resumes but they are sometimes missing those items.

-Complete high school transcript.

-At least a headshot and a full body photo. Some girls do a cute color full-page photo collage showing them in all their various activities. I love these. So fun to see the girls in their prom dresses, sports uniforms, with family, etc.

-Sometimes we get a handwritten note or typed letter from the alum in addition to the recommendation form. Going into detail about how you know the PNM is great and the fact that the alum went the extra mile means a lot.

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by kk_bama

I don't really know of any chapter would bother to scramble to get recommendations during Recruitment.

It's more of a too bad, so sad situation. If you don't have your ducks in a row by the time Recruitment begins, you're probably going to get cut by the chapters that absolutely require a rec for a bid.

Your best bet is to start 6 months to a year prior to Recruitment obtaining recs for every single sorority. Contact your local alumnae Panhellenic, go to your high school counselor, ask if your teachers were in a sorority, quiz your mother's friends, etc. It's not that hard. Don't put all your eggs in a basket or two thinking that you'll get a bid to one of the 3 sororities you managed to get a rec for.

My favorite recs to look through are the most complete ones. A fully complete rec packet should include, IMO:

-The most updated reference form from your nationals (some that we get are YEARS old photocopied from an old sorority magazine).

-A detailed resume that includes high school class rank and any family greek affiliations (doesn't hurt to list aunts & cousins in addition to sisters, mothers, grandmother & great-grandmothers). We get a lot of great resumes but they are sometimes missing those items.

-Complete high school transcript.

-At least a headshot and a full body photo. Some girls do a cute color full-page photo collage showing them in all their various activities. I love these. So fun to see the girls in their prom dresses, sports uniforms, with family, etc.

-Sometimes we get a handwritten note or typed letter from the alum in addition to the recommendation form. Going into detail about how you know the PNM is great and the fact that the alum went the extra mile means a lot.

This post should be made into a sticky for some of the SEC schools.

Thanks kk_bama!

[BlueCarnation]

Originally Posted by Loyally Kappa

I'm thinking the latter, that the out of state girls showed up with recs, resumes, and photos already AT the chapter houses BEFORE rush. I mean, the addresses of the rush chairmen are posted.

Geesh ... is anyone really so naive as to think that all you have to do is pay the rush fee and then show up to enjoy the door songs?!?

To be fair, I think it depends on where that person is coming from. Looking at the list, not a lot of girls are from the midwest, but at many schools up here, you just don't need recs, and if that's what they know, they just don't think of it. I decided to rush about a month before I got to school, so I would not have had a clue, other than from a few of my friends' moms who were in sororities. Maybe these days girls are thinking of these things earlier, and it's more a part of the culture in certain areas to know early in high school that you are going to be in a sorority, but for many people, this is a whole new ballgame.

[bamamom90]

Originally Posted by LadyLonghorn

I have to say this. It's a little hard to take the PNMs and moms who come here to complain about having had no options/being cut when the truth is most of them admit they DID still have one or more chapters left on their party schedules when they dropped. But of course it was the dreaded "I just felt like I didn't fit in/click with chapter/s."

Those of us who have been on Greekchat for any length of time know that you're not complaining about being cut from the "top tier/beautiful model/rocket scientist/fraternity favorite/insert your tent talk hyperbole here chapter." It's because you didn't want the "struggling/smallest/fatty/ugly/lamest/insert your tent talk smash and bash here." The PNM was too good to be one of those.

You know what? Those were the women who wanted you; poor GPAs, lack of recs, poor social skills, out of state residence, body odor or other real or imagined issue. The truth is, the PNM rejected them and rejected the Bama Greek system. The Bama Greek system did not reject them.

Oh, and I am kind of astonished that anyone would think a 3.0 GPA coming out of high school equates with Phi Beta Kappa type expectations.

I am certain since many of my comments were taken out of context here, you are referring to me, and none of those unkind words were spoken by me about any chapter on Alabama's campus. Forgive me if I am wrong, but I thought this was an open forum where people could ask questions and get some answers about something that admittedly, I have fallen way behind on since my college days 30 years ago.
There have been MANY women on this forum who have given educated, intelligent and kind answers to my questions, and for that I am most grateful. It has taken an experience that was heartbreaking for my daughter, and made it understandable to us......and after learning of some things, I personally said that my child needs to focus on her education, and that this probably worked out for the best. I think any good mother hurts when her child hurts, and would love to take it away, but as they begin their college careers, we have to learn to let go.
Your generalizations about a stuggling sorority are both rude and tasteless, and I in no way intended to generate this type of talk.
Thank you again to the great women who answered my questions with professionalism and class.
And for those of you who were concerned for my daughter, she is really doing well.......she spent a few days away, and is now ready to begin classes on Wednesday with a positive attitude!!!!

[SWTXBelle]

3 of my Katy girls accepted bids - 2 Phi Mus and a Pi Beta Phi!

[GPhiBLtColonel]

Originally Posted by IHeartUGA

It doesn't bother me either. I'm old school; I prefer the terms "Rush" and "Pledge" instead of "Recruitment".

Agree - "recruitment" always means something military to me
signed:
GPhiBLtColonel

[Loyally Kappa]

Well, sure, you make a fair comment.

Really, I wish more mamas and their daughters would discover Greekchat at least a year before going off to college and start asking questions BEFORE rush. Otherwise go to a smaller out of state school. Perhaps their rush is different than at the big schools.

HOWEVER ...

Let this be a caveate. When in Rome, do like the Romans ... lol!

(Oh yeah, they stole the Greek culture, didn't they?!?)

Originally Posted by BlueCarnation

To be fair, I think it depends on where that person is coming from. Looking at the list, not a lot of girls are from the midwest, but at many schools up here, you just don't need recs, and if that's what they know, they just don't think of it. I decided to rush about a month before I got to school, so I would not have had a clue, other than from a few of my friends' moms who were in sororities. Maybe these days girls are thinking of these things earlier, and it's more a part of the culture in certain areas to know early in high school that you are going to be in a sorority, but for many people, this is a whole new ballgame.

[BlueCarnation]

Originally Posted by Loyally Kappa

Well, sure, you make a fair comment.

Really, I wish more mamas and their daughters would discover Greekchat at least a year before going off to college and start asking questions BEFORE rush. Otherwise go to a smaller out of state school. Perhaps their rush is different than at the big schools.

HOWEVER ...

Let this be a caveate. When in Rome, do like the Romans ... lol!

(Oh yeah, they stole the Greek culture, didn't they?!?)

Hey, I'm a Yankee, so what do I know, right? I know that there are girls coming here from my town that still don't know if they are going to rush and it is less than 3 weeks away. I don't even think our recruitment website even mentions needing recommendations, other than to give the address to each sorority house! And we're a huge state school! It's just totally different. This is so fascinating to me.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by bamamom90

I am certain since many of my comments were taken out of context here, you are referring to me, and none of those unkind words were spoken by me about any chapter on Alabama's campus. Forgive me if I am wrong, but I thought this was an open forum where people could ask questions and get some answers about something that admittedly, I have fallen way behind on since my college days 30 years ago.
There have been MANY women on this forum who have given educated, intelligent and kind answers to my questions, and for that I am most grateful. It has taken an experience that was heartbreaking for my daughter, and made it understandable to us......and after learning of some things, I personally said that my child needs to focus on her education, and that this probably worked out for the best. I think any good mother hurts when her child hurts, and would love to take it away, but as they begin their college careers, we have to learn to let go.
Your generalizations about a stuggling sorority are both rude and tasteless, and I in no way intended to generate this type of talk.
Thank you again to the great women who answered my questions with professionalism and class.
And for those of you who were concerned for my daughter, she is really doing well.......she spent a few days away, and is now ready to begin classes on Wednesday with a positive attitude!!!!

Don't take it personally. It's really not directed at you or your daughter; it's directed at a trend. If you'd been reading all the recent threads, you'd see how common what LL mentions is.

[violetpretty]

Originally Posted by Loyally Kappa

I'm thinking the latter, that the out of state girls showed up with recs, resumes, and photos already AT the chapter houses BEFORE rush. I mean, the addresses of the rush chairmen are posted.

Geesh ... is anyone really so naive as to think that all you have to do is pay the rush fee and then show up to enjoy the door songs?!?

Oh, I know the answer. I was just trying to figure out what Nhfulmer was trying to get across.

[violetpretty]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

Don't take it personally. It's really not directed at you or your daughter; it's directed at a trend. If you'd been reading all the recent threads, you'd see how common what LL mentions is.

YES.