A sorority legacy is a woman who has a close relative who is a member of a particular sorority. Being a legacy has generally meant that a potential new member receives at least some level of preferential treatment during recruitment as a courtesy to the current member. While this still holds true in many cases, the increasing number of legacies going through sorority recruitment has necessitated some significant changes. It is therefore critical that a legacy thoroughly research and understand procedures related to new member recruitment.
More Legacies Than Invitations to Sorority Membership
According to the National Panehllenic Conference (NPC), there are more than 4.1 million sorority women throughout the world. With greater numbers of sorority members, many organizations face the problem of more legacies going through recruitment than there are invitations to membership. For example, a chapter may be able to offer bids to 50 women, but may have 75 or 100 legacies going through recruitment.
In the past, many sororities guaranteed a legacy an invitation to the first invitational party of recruitment. But with so many legacies going through recruitment at some schools, many National Panhellenic Conference sororities have had to adjust their policies to cope with the difficult situations in which some groups find themselves. So even being a legacy does not mean that preferential treatment is a guarantee.
Determine Legacy Qualifications
The first step is to confirm that the potential new member actually is a legacy. Each NPC sorority has its own definition of who is a legacy. For some organizations it may only be mothers and sisters. Other groups include grandmothers, aunts, step-mothers, step-sisters or even cousins. It is important to find out the exact qualifications of each group as it currently exists because some organizations have narrowed the definition significantly in recent years.
Research Each Legacy Sorority Recommendation or Reference Procedures
After determining legacy status, it is important to secure a recommendation or reference for each sorority. Each sorority website will have information regarding how to obtain or download the appropriate form. (Some sororities call them recommendations and others call them references. They are the same thing.) The form should be carefully completed by a sorority member according to the instructions provided and submitted well in advance of recruitment.
The more competitive the sorority recruitment, the earlier and more thoroughly the form should be completed. A completed recommendation form will guarantee nothing in terms of receiving a bid from the group. But it will make the chapter aware of the potential new member's connection with the organization which is helpful in the early rounds of recruitment.
Preparing for sorority recruitment is a time-consuming task, even for a legacy who already understands something of the procedures and policies. Carefully planning ahead means lessening the chances of making a big mistake during the recruitment process. There are common reasons women fail to receive a bid during recruitment, but by carefully following the procedures suggested by the various groups, a woman greatly increases her chances of receiving a membership invitation to the best sorority for her. Included in this preparation is thoroughly researching legacy policies and procedures.
Sallie Schaaf Borrink - Sallie Borrink is a professional writer with extensive experience with business clients, the consumer market, and online destinations.
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