rec letters

Agree don't get too stressed out but: (a) it matters to a lot of houses and you should want to max your options; and (b) maybe that "top tier" is less selective than it used to be, but don't let that lull anybody into a false sense of security or that it is not important to have your ducks in a row. It is totally too early to do anything other than, maybe (and it is still early then) start identifying ladies you will approach about writing a rec.

I understand Bama is trying not to stress yall out, which is sweet, but please trust and believe that you DO need recs-2 (+) per chapter- to maximize your options and to have a successful rush. If she truly is in a top house and "didn't have recs", I'd bet a million bucks that women sent in recs on her behalf without her knowing (yes, this happens). Some houses are REQUIRED to have a rec on you to be able to give you a bid (and no, they're not going to go to the trouble to find one for you when there are 2500+ other girls with equal qualifications who DO have recs). Not having a rec= an easy cut after Round 1 or 2, just to manage the numbers. So, don't get stressed, but YOU DO NEED RECS AT BAMA!!! Good luck!

Rec letters don't really help you. You probably need them just because some houses require them, but it's honestly about connections and where you're from. To get in a top tier house you need to know somebody or be from Mountain Brook, Vestavia Hills, Mobile, or just in state in general. If you don't care about top tier then get your rec letters in, be open minded, and follow your heart!

There may be some girls who get a top tier house without a rec, but they're girls that the ones in the house already know. Maybe their sister is already in the house. The rest of the girls who brag about not having a rec actually did have one sent in that they didn't know about. Maybe some friend of her mom's from bridge or a Sunday School teacher from a couple of years ago. Not everyone lets you know that they are writing a rec. Sometimes they just turn up.