How to Find Recommendations When You Don't Know Any Greeks

[adpiucf]

This topic keeps coming up. We've addressed it in other stickied threads, but it may warrant its own thread.

You're a prospective new member going through recruitment. No one in your family is Greek and/or you don't know anyone who was in a sorority. Google brings you to Greek Chat.

News Flash: We are not going to write your recs.

How do you find recs then?

* Make a list of every NPC sorority at the school you will be attending.
* Email EVERY person you know, male or female, child, adult, teacher, family, friends, parents of friends, parent's co-workers, aunt's college roommate's doctor's hairdresser's veteranarian, etc., explaining that you are looking for recs for those sororities. Can they ask around and help you find alumnae of those sororities or refer you to alumnae?
* ASK every person you know. Talk to your teachers. You'd be amazed at how many of your teachers are Greeks. Reach out to groups at local churches and synagogues, whether or not you are a member. Ask everyone in your community.
* Tweet and Facebook your request to your contacts. Post a request on your Facebook wall. Keep updating it. Ask fellow students at your school if they are rushing and if they have gotten recs and if you can help one another.
* Look at each sorority's official facebook page. Do you have any friends who "liked" the page? Ask your family and friends to do the same. Chances are if they liked that page, they are a member.
* There are alumnae associations and alumnae panhellenic associations in most major cities. Contact them with your list. Even if you are contacting the alumnae association of ABC sorority, tell them you are also looking for alumnae of those other sororities. If the alumnae association closest to your home town is unresponsive, find another alumnae association a bit farther away geographically until someone responds to you.
* Get your friends and family to help you. If you have friends who are also rushing, they are going through the same thing. You can help one another. Your parents can ask their friends, co-workers, and acquaintances.
* If you are a current college student and have sorority friends, ask for their help in getting recs for their sorority and the others. Ask your guy friends in fraternities to put you in touch with sorority women. Ask your RA, your classmates, friends in student organizations, etc.

Finding recs when you don't know anyone can be hard, but it is doable. It just takes a lot of leg work on your part. Don't expect that you can passively just post a couple of messages to strangers and get results. It takes effort.

You can do this if you start early. If your recruitment is in August, your recommendations will probably be due no later than early July. Start early in spring semester. Finding alumnae can take a while. Some sororities also allow collegians from their other chapters to send recommendations to your school.

Good luck!

[Titchou]

Excellent tutorial!

[TNAuburnMom]

When looking for people to write recs for my daughter, I pulled up every sorority's facebook page and checked to see if any of my facebook friends liked the page. From there, I discovered that several friends were in sororities and I just didn't know. We contacted them individually and every single one of them was willing to write a rec.

[Titchou]

Also an excellent resource. Also, most every NPC group has a chapter locator on their web site. You can find your nearest alum chapter for each one. Contacting them may also locate people you know.