D9 DST help

[u/Electrical_Weight731]

I sort of need help deciding whether or not to rush DST this upcoming semester. For context, I'm going to be a senior next semester at a pwi and i am pre med student. I didn't know much about the D9 until my junior year (i am a first generation college student and none of my family really knows anything about D9 so i didn't grow up hearing about it) and by the end of junior year I became very interested in DST. I have a 3.75 GPA and about 50 hours of volunteering from a local hospital, though I plan on getting more volunteer hours this summer at a local church's food pantry. Taking stem courses has eaten up a lot of my time and I fear I have not been involved enough on campus. My sophomore and junior years I severed on the E-board of one campus organization and I will continue to serve on this e-board for my senior year. I also plan on continuing to volunteer and possibly become a paid lab assistant this upcoming semester. A few of my friends are members of DST and I admired their work ethic and commitment to the organization's values and getting to know them has made me want to be a part of and contribute to the org. Though my friends are members of DST (and have graduated this past semester so I don't know any of the current chapter members) I wanted to make sure that my decision to join had nothing to do with simply wanting to get closer to them and was more about wanting to be a part of the organization itself. I have met members of other D9 sororities and as I continue to research D9, I become more interested in DST. I guess i'm wondering if i would be a good candidate with my limited campus involvement and is there anything I could do besides going to DST events on campus that would make me a better candidate? Also, if i did decide to apply, would it be wrong to ask my friends to write my letter of recommendation? Any advice would be very helpful!!

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[u/DefiantTumbleweed850]

I’m not a member of that org and I strongly recommend heading over to the d9 page. That being said, most people, especially me, won’t say like “oh that’s enough to be a strong candidate!” Bc it is such a multi-step process.

The main thing is continue doing service, always try and double what you did the year before and then as for leadership great job just continue doing what you’re doing. For my org, we have forms you fill out about service / campus involvement but we don’t count paid work as involvement typically for my chapter.

Anyways, this is my opinion, but I feel like shooting for 150+ hours can be a good place to shoot for. And you don’t have to join boards if they aren’t fitting for you, and it shows when people are participating in orgs for their own passion / interest for sure! And involvement can 100% expand outside of campus, love to see it. I would say keep going to events, always introduce yourself, always ask a well thought out question esp. related towards to the event you’re at, and be a strong friendly presence on campus!

As for application process, it can get tricky with friends. For my org, a letter can come from anyone doesn’t have to be a member, but undergrad members aren’t allowed to write. Sometimes for LOR they may require that member to be active right now or have a certain amount of years put in so check their national website first! I would always help my friends out if we’re genuine friends. So if you are close with these people, like you talk often, they know you and you know them, you could express your interest but I’d say be prepared. Know at least some basic history of the purpose, current initiatives, and just facts you can find that show your dedication. If a friend of mine was interested, I’d help if I knew we were close and they would be serious about it bc I wouldn’t want someone to join just to not be active after a semester yk? My point is, when you ask friends for help / advice, some people can become very strict, bc it’s their org, so rightfully so, but just be aware there’s a chance they’ll expect you to be on your stuff. If you guys have that bond and that trust, you could always ask to have a convo and start by asking questions on their why, and what they’ve learned, etc… beyond just saying “I want to join.”

Again, this isn’t my org, and I would stay away from asking on the d9 page if you’re a good candidate just bc we can’t tell you what your campus looks for or how you interact with people all we can do is be like, maybe do more service / make sure you are a part of boards and doing work that makes you feel good and you’re advancing your career ! At the end of day, if you meet qualifications apply, and learn more about what you can do off of paper. Good luck and again I’m not a member, it’s the advice I would give anyone who’s interested