Newbie question on legacy status
 

I’m new to this site, so I first wanted to thank everyone who provides such great information, I’m so glad I found GC!!

My daughter is a rising senior in high school and several of her good friends are a year ahead of her and are preparing for sorority recruitment this fall, so I thought I’d start getting updated on the process since it’s been a loooooong time since I was in college.

I have tried to do some searching with no luck, so if this question has been answered before, please forgive me and feel free to direct me to the right place.

My daughter is already set on going to my alma mater next year (it’s pretty easy to tell from my username where that is, lol). I know legacy status doesn’t mean much, if anything, in non-southern schools, but we’ve heard some distressing rumors that I wanted to see if anyone here could address.

The daughter of my best friend/sister went through recruitment at our college last fall and said many of her dorm friends (including her) got cut from their legacy house after the first round which is the pnm video round. They didn’t even have the opportunity to visit their legacy houses, or meet any of the sisters. It was a huge blow to my friend’s daughter to kick off recruitment that way. I know this is purely antidotal only to these particular girls’ experiences (representing at least 3 different sorority legacies), but I was wondering if it is even worth it to put my daughter’s legacy status on her registration form since my house doesn’t have a legacy policy anymore, and I don’t even think they take letters of recommendation either. Is it possible that being a legacy could actually be a detriment at some schools? I want my daughter to go through recruitment with an open mind and find her home, whatever that might be, and I don’t want to limit her chances at any of the houses (including my own).

If your school is the one I think it might be, it is known for "doing it's own thing" in recruitment. That being said, it's entirely possible that those women would have been released after first round even if they had been in person. We don't know why they were released. Some will tell you to not mention legacy status and some say it's OK. You are going to get differing answers. Either way, the chapters will know anyway.

Some PNMs don't list their legacy sorority on their applications, so to avoid being cut by other sororities who think they'll pledge their legacy group. Sometimes moms send in a legacy introduction form, though.

Groups that cut PNMs just because they're legacies are scum.

Anyway, the big thing that will help your daughter is for her to meet as many sorority actives as she can before recruitment.

My suggestion - do not list legacy status on the college recruitment registration form. DO have the legacy maker (you, or relative, etc.) write an introduction/rec form (whatever your GLO has) to the chapter.