Letter of Recommendation Run Down!
Hi everyone! My name is Caroline Wood and I am so excited to serve as Delta Gamma’s Director of Recruitment Records this year. This is just a fancy way of saying that I am the member on our recruitment team that collects and organizes all the Letters of Recommendation for Fall 2020 Recruitment. I know recruitment may seem like a daunting or confusing process but I am here to offer some insight that will hopefully put you at ease.
First congratulations on deciding to come to the University of Texas at Austin! Three years ago I made the decision to pack up my bags and move from sunny Southern California to the beautiful city of Austin, Texas and it is a decision I have never regretted. You, Class of 2020, are special. This year has been full of unforeseen change and I can only imagine how difficult it must have been to reevaluate what your final year would look like, but still you persist. You lift each other up, celebrate birthdays from cars, and I will forever be in awe of your grace. I am so excited to meet all of you and for the years you all have ahead of you here at UT Austin. I am here to help you get started, so let’s talk about pre-recruitment!
I will start by saying that each school and each sorority is different. The best thing you can do is go to UT Austin’s Panhellenic website to see what each house at UT is looking for. This will allow you to see if the house prefers online or paper submission, and properly inform the alum that will be submitting your information for each house.
Next, begin finding alumni from each different house to write your Letter of Recommendation (this terminology may vary based on sorority). An alumni is a woman who was a member of that sorority at their prospective school and still continues that membership title today. Here at UT we have 13 sororities that participate in the formal recruitment process, the earlier you start looking for alumni for each house the better! By starting early you will ensure that your alum has plenty of time to get the proper information to the proper house...plus it will alleviate stress from both you and her. Here are some tips to finding women that are alumni from various houses:
Ask family and friends, you may have women in your life you never knew were in a sorority!
Post on social media such as Facebook. In years past several of our members have found willing alum online who gladly wrote them their Letter of Recommendation.
Ask a collegian! In some chapters, current members can also write Letters of Recommendation. Good news...this is the case for UT DGs! If you know a current member of UT DG do not hesitate to reach out, I know she would be more than happy to help!
Lastly, don’t forget to follow up with a thank you note once the alum has written your Letter of Recommendation. A simple handwritten thank you note is a great way to show appreciation for their time!
Here is what we, UT Delta Gamma, is looking for this 2020 Recruitment:
As a chapter we prefer that Letters of Recommendations be submitted by an alumni electronically via the Delta Gamma website. This form contains a “Potential New Member Contact” section; this is where the sponsor can attach the PNM's: Resume, High School or College Transcript, Photos, or any additional documents provided by the PNMs.
Only one Letter of Recommendation is required!
In the past you may have heard the term Letter of Support used. These are no longer required by our chapter as we rely on the Letters of Recommendation.
For the sake of organization, we do prefer to receive all letters of recommendation and any additional materials electronically. If for some reason you should need to send a physical copy of any of these documents, please mail them directly to the Delta Gamma house to Caroline Wood. Delta Gamma Address: 2419 Rio Grande St., Austin, TX 78705
If you have any questions about the Texas Delta Gamma recruitment process please visit our website or reach out to me, Caroline Wood, at txdgsponsorship@gmail.com.
Three years ago I was able to find my home at Texas Delta Gamma, a place where I have grown and I have been cheered on through my college years. Hopefully these were some helpful tips as you start finding the place that makes you feel most at home!
xo,
Caroline
