It’s time for another installment of Rush 101! This blog post is specifically for those of you who are still in the process of gathering Letters of Recommendation/Letters of Support. While I know that a lot of you registered with your local alumnae Panhellenic organization in order to obtain Rec Letters, I’m also guessing that several of you are managing the process + sending out your Recruitment Information Packets entirely on your own this summer. With that in mind, I thought I’d share a few tips for rounding up recommendations!
First things first…let’s break down the difference between a few commonly-confused terms: Letter of Support (LOS), Letter of Recommendation (Rec Letter), and Recruitment Information Form (RIF).
LETTER OF SUPPORT: A personal letter written by a current collegian or an alumnae endorsing you for membership in their sorority house. These letters are also sometimes called a…
LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION: Simply put, the terminology just varies state to state! The main thing to keep in mind is that a LOS or a Rec Letter is not the same as a…
RECRUITMENT INFORMATION FORM: This is a “fill-in-the-blank” type of document that can be found on each sorority’s website, and can be accessed by a current collegian or an alumnae. In other words, each woman that you approach with a request for a recommendation will log on to her sorority’s website, and will download her sorority’s unique endorsement form in order to meet your request. A LOS or Rec Letter is typically a complement to, rather than a replacement of, a standard RIF.
Now let’s talk about where to find the lovely women who will be submitting these items on your behalf! I recommend beginning with your innermost circle, then moving outward. That means you should start by approaching…
FAMILY: Identify if you are considered a “legacy” of any of the sororities on your campus. Keep in mind that mom’s affiliation isn’t the only one that matters—many houses will consider you a legacy if your sister, grandmother, aunt, or cousin was a member. Request a LOS/Rec Letter and a RIF from as many sorority members as you can identify! Next, speak with…
FRIENDS: Do you know a current member of a sorority that’s represented on your campus? Ask her if she would be willing to submit a LOS/RIF on your behalf! If you’re still lacking a few letters, move on to…
FRIENDS OF FRIENDS: Sororities constantly attend “mixers” not only with fraternities, but with other sororities as well. If you’re having trouble rounding up a letter from a particular house on your campus, reach out to friends and family members and ask if they know anyone who is currently, or was formerly, a member of the house(es) in question. Although these friends-of-friends may not know you personally, your Recruitment Information Packet will provide your letter-writer(s) with everything they need to submit an informed LOS/RIF on your behalf.
If you feel like doing a little extra reading, this article has a lot of additional tips and terminology! If you’re looking for more helpful recruitment information, be sure to join my Sorority Scoop group—I send out must-know information, fabulous articles, free resources, and more via a once-a-week email to my group members.
P.S.
In January 2017 I launched a BRAND NEW WEBSITE exploding with all things sorority recruitment! You’ll find previous Rush 101 posts + fresh, frequently-updated content at SororityPackets.com. Stop by the new blog here to catch up on the latest rush news!
