<p>redhead924…Roll Tide and welcome to Alabama. I know you will LOVE it.
In answer to your questions about sorority recruitment, no I would not say it’s cut throat. You will hear that recruitment at Alabama is “competitive”. Each year the numbers increase and the pledge classes grow larger. The “largeness” of it all makes it competitive in that if you do not get recommendations for the sororities then they do not have any idea that you are coming through. It can put you at a disadvantage. When sororities receive recs they are able to match pnms with members who have similar interests thus creating a connection. You will hear of girls who receive bids even though they did not have a rec for that particular house but I would encourage you to get at least 1 rec (2 -3 is better) for each sorority that is participating in formal recruitment.
The first step is to create a sorority resume. This is different that a normal resume that you would do for a job interview. It has very specific information that the alums who are writing your recs will need in order to fill out their rec form.<br>
Next you need to start looking for women who are alumnae of the sororities on the Alabama campus. Ask at school, you may find teachers who were sorority members. Ask your friends parents. Have your parents ask at work, ask at church…ask anyone and everyone you know. Ask friends to ask friends. If you are still missing recs then reach our to local alum groups in your area (you can google search to find them). Reach out to your local Alabama recruiter, many have Greek affiliations and know other recruiters who were sorority members. Check and see if there is an Alabama Alumni Association near you. You may find that there will be sorority alum members who are also members of this group.
You sound like a well rounded student…good GPA, EC’s, leadership positions, philanthropy. Honestly I think you’ll do fine.
If you are OOS and are able to go to Preview Weekend I would go. It’s not a big deal if you can’t but you will get to visit each sorority for a brief period of time. Panhellenic puts on a good program full of good info.
I write a blog called sororitygir101.com. Read about Alabama recruitment.
There are LOTS of moms on here that have great advice. You can also go to the NPC website and read The Sorority Life.<br>
My best advice is to go into the process with an open mind. You will hear the words “Maximize your options” a lot. That means to attend all of the parties you are invited to, write all of the houses down and trust the process…it really does work. I am happy to help if you need/want help. I sent you a pm.</p>