Recommendation letter - I have no one to give me one.

[Aerylle]

Originally Posted by gee_ess

Did you mention something about getting in touch with local alumnae groups? If you have local alum groups, then you have alums! Do you have a Panhellenic Alum Assoc in your area? That is a very good place to get in touch with alums in your area. Go to the national panhellenic website and do a search for a group in your area. Also, if you know older girls from your town who were in sororities in college, they may be able to tell you who wrote recs for them.
Don't give up!

I am in the process of sending letters off to all the sororities at my school's alumnae groups in hopes of getting in contact with the local groups as most of them do not have anything listed on their website or just aren't around.

[atoheadlines]

They don't always have to be letters from someone who was in that organization if you can't find anyone, a letter from a pastor is also impressive.

Source-young lady whose school instead of having the girls use the reference letters as this is Jane alumane from 1986 and Sally is a good girl they had them leave out the info like that and just use bosses, pastors, principals etc to base it on character and not connections.

[ComradesTrue]

Originally Posted by atoheadlines

They don't always have to be letters from someone who was in that organization if you can't find anyone, a letter from a pastor is also impressive.

Source-young lady whose school instead of having the girls use the reference letters as this is Jane alumane from 1986 and Sally is a good girl they had them leave out the info like that and just use bosses, pastors, principals etc to base it on character and not connections.

No. Please refrain from giving advice on sorority recruitment.

OP- Recs MUST be from an alumna of each chapter on your campus. Keep working to get the word out.

[atoheadlines]

What is she suppose to do if she doesn't know any alums SOL?

[knight_shadow]

Originally Posted by atoheadlines

What is she suppose to do if she doesn't know any alums SOL?

You're really starting to sound like the missing link.

Shut up. For the rest of your life. Thanks.

[Titchou]

Originally Posted by Aerylle

I've done all this already. The problem is my social network is COMPLETELY void of ANYONE greek. I know two girls who are currently in a sorority at my school, but they haven't gotten back to me on if they know anyone that could give me a rec letter.

Ask these two women if they will introduce you to one of their sorority's advisers in order to get a rec from them. Then, when you meet them, ask if they know anyone in the other groups on your new campus who could help you get recs. That's how you do it...

[CopterDad]

Try this: look in the Info and Rcommendation Session thread in this forum for an area Panhellenic area near where you went to High School and contact the person who chairs the event. It's late for most sessions, but if you can show a special circumstance the alumnae might help.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by atoheadlines

What is she suppose to do if she doesn't know any alums SOL?

http://www.npcwomen.org/alumnae-panh...directory.aspx

And the letter from a pastor thing is ridiculous. Sororities aren't going to care if she has a rec letter from J.C. himself if it's not from an alumna.

[Aerylle]

Originally Posted by 33girl

http://www.npcwomen.org/alumnae-panh...directory.aspx

And the letter from a pastor thing is ridiculous. Sororities aren't going to care if she has a rec letter from J.C. himself if it's not from an alumna.

Thanks for the link. I've looked. There isn't a group in my city, but two others in my state. Should I contact them and ask if they know anyone in my city?

[ree-Xi]

Originally Posted by Aerylle

Thanks for the link. I've looked. There isn't a group in my city, but two others in my state. Should I contact them and ask if they know anyone in my city?

Are you really asking us if you should contact the seemingly "only" access to sorority alumnae that you can find?

[aopirose]

Originally Posted by ree-Xi

Are you really asking us if you should contact the seemingly "only" access to sorority alumnae that you can find?

Yes. Yes she is.

[AOEforme]

Originally Posted by Aerylle

Thanks for the link. I've looked. There isn't a group in my city, but two others in my state. Should I contact them and ask if they know anyone in my city?

Before my sister went through formal, she contacted the Alumnae Panhellenic closest to our city and received no reply, even after waiting about 6 weeks. She then contacted the others in the state. One (about 3 hours away) replied. Via connections and friends, they managed to set her up with women close to us to write her recs for every chapter on campus she had not yet secured a rec for.

It's worth a try, especially if you really can find no one else.

Just be very, very polite and DO NOT demand help.

Good luck.

[Aerylle]

Originally Posted by ree-Xi

Are you really asking us if you should contact the seemingly "only" access to sorority alumnae that you can find?

No, I was asking whether I should contact them, or contact the actual houses on campus asking if they could direct me to the more local alumnae groups since I assume they must have some way of communicating.

[Aerylle]

Originally Posted by AOEforme

Before my sister went through formal, she contacted the Alumnae Panhellenic closest to our city and received no reply, even after waiting about 6 weeks. She then contacted the others in the state. One (about 3 hours away) replied. Via connections and friends, they managed to set her up with women close to us to write her recs for every chapter on campus she had not yet secured a rec for.

It's worth a try, especially if you really can find no one else.

Just be very, very polite and DO NOT demand help.

Good luck.

Oh, awesome. I'll get right on contacting the other groups in my state.

Thank you very much for the useful insight and advice.

[honeychile]

Originally Posted by Aerylle

No, I was asking whether I should contact them, or contact the actual houses on campus asking if they could direct me to the more local alumnae groups since I assume they must have some way of communicating.

I would only do that as a last resort.

You don't have a rec from someone in your particular school. Since you're in school now, I would try people's grandmothers. Going Greek wasn't huge in the 1960's-70's in many schools, so you need to go back to people who were in school earlier than that. Very few people outside of communes know nobody who's greek, it's just a matter of flushing them out.

Look in the local small papers for alumnae group meetings. Use the contact number to ask a real live sorority alumna if she could help you with a rec. If there's a mention of the XYZ Alumnae Association holding a fundraiser and a name is mentioned, try calling her.

If you attend a house of worship (or if your parents do), ask them to put in a mention that you're going to Whatever University, where you would like to go through Recruitment - would anyone be interested in helping you find some recommendations.

If you're shopping with someone, and there are other women about, talk to them a little louder than usual, that you're having trouble finding recs.

Honestly, alumnae WANT to help you. They know you need recs. You just have to get into situations where you find alumnae.