Chapter Specific Recommendations

A Recommendation/Reference (also called a REC or RIF) serves as your OPTIONAL introduction to the sorority, so their members can get to know you in advance of primary recruitment in the fall. These official forms, which are unique to each individual sorority, are provided by the national organization for their alumnae members to fill out on behalf of potential new members. Please note that each sorority has its own policy as to whether or not they require a recommendation/reference and that the Alabama Panhellenic Association does NOT require letters of recommendation or have access to individual sorority Recommendation/Reference Forms. For information regarding each chapter’s requirements and preferences for Recommendations, click here. 

Only a sorority alumna, or potentially a collegiate member of a sorority, can write a recommendation to her sorority. Any initiate of the national organization is considered a member. Therefore, recommendations do NOT have to be from an initiate of the organization’s chapter at UA. It is also recommended that the memberuse her sorority’s official recommendation form, which can usually be found on sorority’s national website or in the sorority's national magazine. Please note that additional “Letters of Support,” personal letters written on stationery by alumnae recommending a PMN whom they know personally for membership into the sorority, which are commonplace in Texas, are not encouraged or recognized at The University of Alabama.

While securing recommendations are ultimately NOT an obligation of the potential new member, below are a couple of things to keep in mind if you choose to seek out a recommendation for a specific chapter or chapters:

  • PNMs seeking out a recommendation for a chapter(s) should only secure ONE or TWO recommendations per chapter that participate in UA’s primary recruitment. More than two recommendations per chapter is unnecessary due to the large number of PNMs participating in primary recruitment.

  • While there are 26 NPC sororities, you should ONLY seek out letters for the 17 National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) sororities participating in primary recruitment at the Capstone. They are: Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Gamma Delta, Alpha Omicron Pi, Alpha Phi, Chi Omega, Delta Delta Delta, Delta Gamma, Delta Zeta, Gamma Phi Beta, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Delta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Phi Mu, Pi Beta Phi, Sigma Kappa, and Zeta Tau Alpha.

  • If you ask a sorority alumna or collegian to write you a recommendation or if an alumna or collegian offers to write you one, it is customary that provide the individual writing the recommendation with a professional headshot (4x6), an unofficial copy of your academic transcript, a social resume (a sample social resume is provided below for your convenience). Note that your recommender may have a preference on paper versus digital copies of these materials due to her chapter’s requirements. Provide your recommender ample time to review your materials and fill out her chapter’s form by reviewing the due dates for each chapter listed here. A thank you letter is also appropriate after the fact.

  • If you cannot find a letter of recommendation for each of the 17 NPC sororities participating in primary recruitment at UA, please do not worry! Recs are like extra credit—it’s great if you can get them, but THEY ARE OPTIONAL. If a sorority really wants to pledge someone and they have a policy that requires a PNM have at least one recommendation/reference form in order to be eligible for membership, they will find a recommendation for her. They won’t let her get away just because she can’t find her own recommendation!

  • If you are unable to secure a recommendation for each of the 17 NPC sororities participating in UA’s primary recruitment, DO NOT WORRY! Recommendations are viewed as “extra credit”-- they can serve as a valuable introduction, but they are optional. The weight that each chapter places on recommendations differs widely, and chapters will not let the lack of recommendation inhibit them from extending a bid.

Supplemental Academic Letter of Recommendation

As part of the online registration form, individuals participating in recruitment may elect to submit one Supplemental Academic Letter of Recommendation from a teacher, guidance counselor, or principal. This is a helpful option for PNMs who did not secure chapter specific recommendation or have extenuating academic circumstances they would like to explain further.

The Supplemental Academic Letter of Recommendation could be particularly beneficial for women unable to identify alumnae from each of the 17 NPC chapters to write an official letter of recommendation. The individual writing the letter of recommendation does not have to have been a member of a Greek organization; however, the letter should speak to your character as it applies to leadership, scholarship, community service, and friendship.

Please note that the weight given to these Supplemental Academic Letters of Recommendation is up to each chapter’s discretion. This is an optional feature and as such, is not a required part of the online registration form. Supplemental academic letters of recommendation can be uploaded directly to the PNM’s online recruitment application in Campus Director.

If you have additional questions about letters of recommendation, please feel free to email the Alabama Panhellenic Association Directors of Recruitment at alabamarecruitment@gmail.com.