FAQ

A sorority is a social organization made up of young women. Sororities choose new members each year through a mutual selection process called "Recruitment", and membership is by invitation. There is no single "best" sorority. The one that’s "best" for you may not be the one chosen by your mother, your sister, or even your best friend. Your choice will be right for you when you find the group where you feel most comfortable. Click this link for more information: www.thesororitylife.com

Recruitment is the process used by sororities for the selection of new members. It was called Rush until about 10 years ago, and you may still hear it referred to as rush on some campuses. Formal Recruitment is a period of time usually held once a year, when all NPC sororities on a campus are working together through a coordinated schedule to meet and recruit new members. This is the period of time when most sororities will select all of their new members.

It is to your advantage to sign up with NWHCAP. Panhellenic notifies each alumnae group that you are interested in going through recruitment at your chosen college. Another advantage of signing up with the NWHCAP Association is the opportunity to be eligible to apply for scholarships that are awarded each year to college juniors. Only those who sign up with our Panhellenic are eligible for a scholarship.  Navigate to the Scholarship Page for more information.

We suggest you attend the Parent/Daughter Workshop on Sunday, January 26th, 2025 at 3:30 p.m. at St. Timothy Lutheran Church, and register. However, registration can be completed on-line.

Sign up with the Panhellenic at the University you will be attending. Even if you are unsure about which school you will be attending please sign up with both Northwest Harris County Alumnae Panhellenic and your University(ies.) Our Alums can help ensure your information is sent and prepared for multiple schools so that no recommendation is left out. That way if you do decide to go through the process all of your paperwork has been begun. You can always send us a note and let us know you decided not to go through the process, which we would greatly appreciate.

Contact the NWHCAP Recruitment Chairman, Kathleen Casto via email at nwhcap@gmail.com for further instructions.

Formal recruitment is usually held in the fall, however some schools such as Baylor, SMU, and Vanderbilt hold recruitment during the second semester. The deadline to turn in completed registration to NWHCAP for deferred recruitment is May 1, 2025. However, it would still be to your benefit to attend the Parent/Daughter Workshop on Sunday, January 26th, 2025 at 3:30 p.m. at St. Timothy Lutheran Church, and to turn in your complete registration during the spring or summer, rather than closer to the deadline.

We suggest you still attend the Parent/Daughter Workshop on Sunday, January 26th, 2025 at 3:30 p.m. at St. Timothy Lutheran Church, and register. That way if you do decide to go through the process all of your paperwork has been begun. You can always send us a note and let us know you decided not to go through the process, which we would greatly appreciate.

A formal reference or RIF is written on your behalf normally by an alumnae member of a National Panhellenic Conference Sorority. Reference forms are submitted direct to the sorority chapters at the college you are planning on attending and going through Formal Recruitment. Normally a reference form includes information about your personality, your family, your grades, activities and accomplishments. Some are submitted electronically, others are still mailed hard copies. Each sorority has its own process.

A letter of support is less formal than the formal Reference. It usually tells something about you that would not be included on the reference form. For example, 4 yrs President of XYZ organization, 2 years member of National Honor Society, 3 Year member Varsity Soccer Team, would be on your Formal Reference. Suzy Q has babysat my daughter since she was 11. She is a part of our family; she is the most amazing person. She Climbed Mt. Everest and saved a kitten out of a tree. I know this is an exaggeration, but it is a personal story that reveals a bit more about your character and makes you stand out a bit more. A person who knows you well should write the letter of support. Not all colleges want Letters of Support, University of Alabama is very clear, they do not, but most Texas Universities do prefer them.

This lets us know if you are in need of any additional Recommendations/RIFs/Letters of Support from our membership base. You may have it all covered, but many girls usually have a few blanks in their list. Many of our Alumni Reference Chairs also contact your writers and verify they are indeed sending in the recommendation on your behalf and to the right place and following the right process.

No different than when you ask a former employer or personal reference to provide a reference for a prospective employer, you will not receive any confirmation that it has been received or sent. This is how this process has always been done, and it works. Please trust the system!!

Yes, but, we cannot ensure that all recommendations will be written and received on your behalf. We will try to do our best, but the reason our deadline is May 1st is that many of the collegiate chapters have a deadline of June 1st to receive all recommendations and they do not take late packets. Some have later dates, but most of them, even if they are Deferred Recruitment (Baylor, SMU, etc.) they still usually want the recommendations by August 1. Giving the ladies that are writing your references or the Northwest Harris County Alumnae Panhellenic members that are writing them more time rather than less is always beneficial!

YES!!! The alums have more time to get your recommendations and you are not caught up in the last minute scramble!!!

The process is the same for a sophomore as it is for a freshman. One difference is that you will need to submit your college transcript rather than your High School one, and you need to make sure your resume has your collegiate activities as well as your high school activities on it.

Quotas are based on the number of young women going thru recruitment at a given school and the number of sororities participating in recruitment on each campus. As the number of PNMs (preferred New Members) changes throughout the Recruitment week, the quota range will change, so it is not set in stone. Each sorority will have the same quota, but after recruitment is over some may pick up additional members if the Average Campus Size number is lower than their current chapter total plus their new member class.