University of Arkansas Rec Letter Help
 

Hey y'all!
I am going to be participating in fall recruitment at the University of Arkansas and I am finding it very hard to get any rec letters. Most of the graduated girls I have contacted have yet to respond and I have no family contacts because I will be the first person in my family to go Greek.
The current sororities at the U of A are: Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Omicron Pi, Chi Omega, Delta Delta Delta, Kappa Delta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Phi Mu, Pi Beta Phi and Zeta Tau Alpha.
Alpha Chi Omega and Phi Mu are colonizing this year, but I am not closed to the idea of joining them.
If anyone is willing to help me out, I will be forever thankful!

There are many, many threads on here about how to find recs. Surely you have high school teachers, coaches, church/synagogue contacts, etc.

I do, however, no one has contacted me back. Our rec letters are due by August 1st and I am very nervous that I will not hear back from anyone in time. My area does not have an alumnae association, but I have registered with one 3 hours away. I have one group of ladies giving me recs, but it is only for one sorority out of the 10.

Again this question? You can do a search on here for MANY threads on how to find recs. But, just because I'm feeling rather magnanimous today, I'll lay it out for you.

You do not need to contact recent grads that you know from Arkansas. Contact ANY person you know (parent of friends, school teachers, Sunday School teachers, employer of yours or your parents, etc, etc, etc) who went to college. Doesn't matter how old they are or where they went to school. When you find a Greek woman, ask if she knows anyone in the other groups you need. We all have friends who belong to other groups. Have your resume, transcript, pictures, pre addressed flat envelope with appropriate postage for her. And send a hand written thank you.

You're welcome.

Did you ask them if they know ladies in the other groups? Betcha didn't

How did you contact the alumnae that you asked? A phone call is the best way. You ask for the rec, deliver your information, and follow up with a thank you.

Do not focus on recent grads for recs. Ask adults in your town. If you are in the state of arkansas, no matter how small your town, I guarantee you know adults who were Greek OR they can put you in touch with someone who is.

The alumnae who is getting me recs with her group is the mom of a good friend of mine. No, I did not ask her if she knew of any other sorority groups. Also, please let me clarify, I have contacted everyone I can think of that may have been in a sorority and not a single one has contacted me. I covered all my bases with people I know before posting on here. I apologize if there is a thread out there to help girls get recs. I searched and saw threads where girls did the same thing I did, so I thought it would be okay. I'm just trying to get help. I'm sorry.

And don’t forget male contacts. Many men know sorority women (family, friends, co-workers etc.) and may be able to help put you in contact with them as well.

How can they not contact you if you contacted them? You call them and continue to call until you get them. And not just people you think might have been in a sorority! ANYONE WHO WENT TO COLLEGE> Yes, it's a lot of work but at least it isn't Alabama where there are 17 groups or Illinois where there are 20 plus.

ETA: WE do not consider an email or voice mail as "contacting" us. Contacting us is when you actually make contact and we talk with you. Then you TAKE your information to the person....in person. Hand it to them. Texting, FB, email, etc don't fly with us ladies unless we tell you specifically it is.

Can you clarify how you contacted them? We may be able to help you figure out what the problem is when you can better explain that.

Also, good advice about contacting men.

Attention to the youth of America: Emailing or Facebooking someone is not 'contacting' them. A phone is used for more things than texting, emailing, and surfing the internet. Use it.

My one suggestion is to have your mom ask her friends. Just because your mom was not in a sorority does not mean she does not have friends that are greek. Have her ask friends, ask your friends mom's as well. And pick up the phone for goodness sake. Make sure your packets are ready to go and get them delivered quickly when you reach someone.

I have contacted some of my guy friends and they are contacting their cousins/friends/ect. for me.
Yes, I did contact my old teachers through e-mail and Facebook as I do not have their numbers and they are not listed on Facebook. Most people I know don't have their numbers in the phone book. My old teachers are usually quite active on Facebook anyway. This might not be "contacting" them to you,but if it is the best shot I have I'm going to use it.

You don't have their home phone numbers in your student directory?

No. Most of the teachers I have tried contacting were my teachers in elementary school. I don't think I've had a school directory since elementary school. I didn't have a school directory in HS because we had over 1,000 students at our school. Also, it might be good to mention that I am rushing as a sophomore.

That is helpful. If you know any one of your HS teachers - principal - coach, ask them for the numbers you need. You really need to get working on this as you are way behind at this point. What is your GPA? Over a 3.0, I hope!

Okay, if you MUST use Facebook, or email, then make sure your request is gracious and clearly explained.

NO - "Hey, Mrs Smith! How is your summer? I was wondering if you were in a sorority in college. If so, I sure hope you'd write me a rec! Let me know and I will get you my stuff. Thanks!"

YES - "Hi Mrs Smith! I plan to go through sorority recruitment this fall at the U of A. I am trying to find women who would consider writing a recommendation for me and was wondering if you're are an alumna of any of the groups on campus. If so, I would love to set up a time to visit with you and give you my resume, etc. i dont have your phone number but feel free to call me at xxx- xxxx. Thank you so much. I look forward to hearing from you.

Did you go to Arkansas last year?

What about your church? Can you ask a few of the ladies if they know of other members that were in a sorority.
Or have your parents ask at work? I was just talking about my D going thru recruitment with a coworker and another coworker heard us and offered to write a rec for D.
Usually once you find one person they will know others. And most ladies are more then willing to help if you ask nicely! And make sure to send a nice thank you note afterwards!

Yes, I did go to Arkansas last year. I didn't rush because I wanted to wait a year and get adjusted to life on campus and make sure I could handle it financially.
Most of the sorority girls I know from church are current members. The ones that I have contacted have yet to reply (I do not have their phone numbers). I asked my parents to ask around, but they said they didn't know anyone.
Also, if anyone from Little Rock is on here, I have put my information in the Alumnae Association Masterfile online.

Do you not have a church directory? I'm just having trouble wrapping my mind around this. Don't ask your parents to ask. Call their friends up yourself. "Hi, Mrs, Smith. This is Susie Jones, Laura's daughter. I'm going to UA and want to go thru sorority recruitment. Were you in a sorority? Do you know anyone that I know that was in one?" etc etc etc. Get the drift? You need to be aggressive.

Also, I didn't catch if you live in AK, but if you are out-of-state, it's possible some of the women will have no idea what a rec is, so you need to be extra-clear.

No, I do not have a church directory either. I also don't have my parents' coworker's numbers. All of the close family friends of my parents have not been involved in a GLO. I am being fairly aggressive when I do get an e-mail or a phone number.

It is against the rules for girls who are currently in the chapter to have any contact with you, so I imagine that is why you have not heard from them.

It is good that you have registered with LR but that won't be enough. I agree with Titchou. You need to make the type of phone call she suggested. I am from Arkansas. Based on the size of your high school, you live in an area that definitely has Greek alumni. You cannot depend on your patents to ask for you. You MUST make the calls and, I am not trying to freak you out, but you need to do it TOMORROW. Start with the lady you babysat for in high school, or your boss this summer, or your hs coach, etc.

Have you checked for websites for alum groups in Little Rock? I know for a fact we have an alum group there and I am sure they can find someone who knows you. LR is too big not to have enough contacts and too little to not know them. Seriously, I live in Birmingham and right now I can tell you I know women from your area in 2 of the groups at UA. And that's without really thinking about it. It's a small world.

It turns out there are still phone directories out there, even on the interweb. Use them.

I know I need a lot of recs. I have been trying to get recs for some time now, but haven't had much success. That is why I posted on here looking for a little help. I'm going to try to get phone numbers, but I'm not sure how many I can get.

Check the Internet for alum groups in your area. Google something like, Kappa Kappa Gamma alum association Memphis (Filling in with your town or area) Keep in mind that some alum groups are organized by region so they may be called the Northeast Arkansas KKG Alumnae Association.

Then call whatever person pops up. If she is not able to help you, she will put you in touch with someone who can.

Deltababydelta - it is actually AR, and not AK. Although there are a good number of us thinking about moving to Alaska to get away from the heat!! It is just a pet peave of some of us arkies to have our state listed as AK.

Gee ess and other Arkansas folks - I have sent a few private messages to this young girl to help guide her in her quest for recommendations.

I haven't seen in school directory in almost 20 years - privacy concerns. Which is a bummer because when you start to plan your class reunion, you have NOTHING to go on.
And phone books are becoming less and helpful, since people left and right are dropping their landlines.
Try whitepages.com. If you have an address, check the "address and neighbors" tab. Some people think it's creepy, but for decades there were city directories that listed this publicly-available information. I've been know to check the county tax assessor's office to find property owners.
Also google their name, with the city or state. You never know what might pop up.
And don't be discouraged if they don't answer their Facebook messages. Just yesterday I discovered a who 'nother message list that had messages 3 years old.

Join LinkedIn.com and see if any teachers, preachers, etc are there.

Just FYI - here are the Arkansas Panhellenic Recruitment Rules: http://uagreeks.uark.edu/documents/R...pril_2012).pdf

Great idea about Linkedin.com, Titchou!

OMG I KNOW THE LIST YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT AND I HATE ITS GUTS!! It's basically a dumping ground for group messages, some of which I would have really wanted to know about if I'd gotten them in time. I hate that the majority of the groups don't work anymore.

And that brings me back to what the OP is asking - if all you truly have is FB info, don't send them a message. Post on their wall. Don't post your number, just that you are looking for recs. That being said, how old are your "old" teachers? I thought everyone over 40 was like me and kept their land line just because they can't imagine not having one.

I dont' think you can post on someone's wall unless they friend you. Is that right?

It depends how their settings are set. Some people have their pages so that you can't message them, either, for that matter.

Which brings us to what we are all saying, get off the computer and get on the phone and use it as it was originally intended!

You can receive messages unless you turn that option off.

That's what I mean - some people go on uber lockdown and set their pages so that they won't get messages from people they aren't friended with, won't get friend requests - there are many options. Lots of people want to make it so that they are the only ones doing the initial contacting.

Please ask adults not girls in college.. Ask Sunday school teachers, ladies in the choir etc. you need college graduates. Have you asked your friends mothers if they were in a sorority or know of someone that was.. Do you have any extended family close by, an Aunt or cousin that might be able to ask around for you?

What I meant by that was the graduated girls I have talked to have yet to reply. I am not allowed to talk to any current members about anything Greek related anyway because our school has very strict summer rules and I don't want to feel like I'm toeing the line. It would be very easy for me to get cut from rush on suspicion of "dirty rush"
When I say that I am the first person in my family to go Greek, I mean literally the first. No one in my family has gone Greek. No grandmothers, aunts, cousins or extended family members.
I have contacted a fraternity alum and he is asking some of his friends, but he just got back from his honeymoon so it has been a slow process.

But maybe one of your Grandmothers, Aunts or cousins know someone who is greek from their current friends and neighbors?