How to: Sorority Recruitment Packets (Back-to-School Series 2017)

Hello everyone!  Hope you all have had a fabulous week!  I’m so grateful for all of the great feedback I got on my last post.  You are all so supportive and amazing!  Keep letting me know what kinds of things you want me to post about by commenting on my blog posts and/or Instagram posts.  Today, I’m sharing with you the second installment of my back-to-school series!  I posted a picture on Instagram while I was working on my sorority recruitment packets, and some of you wanted to see how I did it.  You ask, I deliver!

When I first heard the term “rush packet,” I had absolutely no idea what it was!  No one tells you that you need one, and no one tells you what to put in it!  Luckily for you, I did some research!  Sorority packets are information packets that you send to the women who are writing your recommendations.  The sororities don’t see your packet, but it helps your writer get to know you better — especially if you’ve never met them in person (which is the case a lot of the time)!  Not all schools allow recommendations and some require them, so make sure to check with your school’s Panhellenic website before you begin making yours!

In the south, the making of these packets has become an industry!  There are companies who will make your packets for you.  They are absolutely beautiful, and in a perfect world, everyone would be able to hire one of these fabulous ladies to make theirs.  However, it can cost hundreds of dollars for this service.  With an already pricey education, I definitely did not want to spend the money, so I decided to make my own!  Plenty of people do this and make them different ways.  It can be a little time consuming, but I personally found it super fun!  I love stationary.  I also am lucky because my school does spring rush, so for all of you whose schools have spring rush as well, I hope this helps!  I’m sorry that I couldn’t get this together early enough for the fall rush girls!

Materials:

• 10×13 Envelopes
• 9×12 Envelopes
• Linen Business Paper
• Thank you notes
• Headshot + one more photo
• High School Transcript
• SAT or ACT score
• Stamps
• Twine
• Metallic stickers

I recommend having two recommendation writers for every sorority that you are interested in joining (unless your school’s Panhellenic council requires something different).  With that being said, make sure you have an appropriate amount of supplies for all of the writers.  Now, onto putting them together:

1. Cover Letter (printed on the business paper): In this letter, you will express your thanks to the writer and let them know what they are receiving in your packet.  I made a letter head for myself on Photoshop that includes my address, email, and phone number.  It is totally optional to create one as long as your writer has that information.  I modified a version of a cover letter I found on sororitypackets.com for my packet.  Here is their original letter.
2. Resume (printed on the business paper): This is pretty self-explanatory.  There are hundreds of templates for this online.  In your resume, you’re basically outlining your achievements, employment history, educational background, etc. 
3. Headshot + Extra Photo:  This is also very self-explanatory.  Your writers will send these pictures to the sorority along with their recommendation.  These pictures help the sororities in the recruiting process.  During rush, they will be able to put a name to your face which can be tricky — especially at large schools. 
4. High School Transcript: Make sure that this includes your GPA and it’s scale. 
5. SAT or ACT Score: This is very optional, but one of my writers specifically asked for this.  It’s always good to provide more information than needed rather than less. 
6. Family Greek Affiliations: This is something else that one of my writers specifically asked for, so I included it.  However, if you are a legacy, this is important to make sure your writer mentions that your mother/aunt/grandmother/cousin was in that sorority.
7. Pre-dressed & Stamped Envelope (9×12 envelope): This is what your writer will use to send your pictures and her recommendation to the sorority!  Make SURE you stamp and address it.  It would be a little rude to make your writer pay for a whole book of stamps and scour the internet for the address to the house.  Most house addresses can be found on your school’s Panhellenic website. 
8. Hand-Written Thank You Note: This is something that my grandparents have instilled in me, and I plan on instilling in my children.  This may just be my southern belle showing through, but there is nothing more classy than a well-written thank you note!  This is also just a good life skill to have.  Your writer took the time out of her day to sing your praises, so it is the least you can do to show her the same courtesy. 

How to Assemble:

1. I put my cover letter on top, and put the documents in the order I listed them on my cover letter (this includes all of the documents except the thank you note). 
2. Using the twine, wrap it around the documents like your tying a present (photo shown below) except instead of tying a bow in the front, tie a knot in the back. A lot of people also just use folders for this, but I decided to make it a little more rustic!
3. Put the sticker on the front where the two lines of twine intersect. 
4. Slip the packet and the thank you inside the 10×13 envelope, and then address it or deliver it!

I forgot to add a second photo and to tell my writer the scale of my high school GPA.  So, I added in this little envelope & card that says “Attention!”  On the card, I told the writer the scale of my GPA and to include the second photo in her letter to the sorority as well as the headshot. 

I hope this helps some of  you guys out!  Sorority recruitment packets definitely don’t have to look fancy, but I had a lot of fun putting this all together!  Also, make sure to ask your writers the form in which they would like your packet.  A lot of people like to use email.  Even though it’s fun to make these, remember, you are trying to make it the most convenient for her!

One last thing, make sure your writer prints/fills out a Recruitment Information Form (RIF) and includes it with the photos and recommendation.  This form can be found on the sorority website. 

xo & happy rush!