Thanks guys, you've been helpful!

As someone who went to a Big SEC school where Greek Life was super competitive, but I wasn't Greek there, I can tell you a view from the outside. THERE ARE NO BAD SORORITIES! I knew the "reputations" and always thought they were silly. There are beautiful, smart, accomplished, amazing women in each and every group. I had friends in every one and they all loved their organizations. Guys want to date girls from every group. Each group has a lot to offer and will make you a better person. Don't listen to this silly gossip and just walk in with an open mind. You will find a home and find yourself a lot less stressed if you just let the process work.

Thanks, but 3 other fine groups - Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Gamma Delta and Delta Delta Delta - will also have amazing new houses in another year.;)

Seriously...you're going to hear some horrible, hateful things if you listen to the gossip and believe that you'll only accept "these five" or "those six" sororities. EVERY house....even the ones you'll hear are "the worst"...EVERY house has outstanding, beautiful women. EVERY house also has some...challenges.
Look for the bad, and you'll find it.
Look for the good, and you'll find it.
The best thing you can do is look for a place where you feel comfortable and welcomed.
RTR

Oh I didn't know that. How wonderful! Are they on totally new plots? (Is this due to stadium extension?) As long as the new houses are built with this in mind; ample bathroom space, especially counter space/mirror surface area!

As for house reputations, as damaging and depressing as it may seem freshman or even sophomore year. Once you get to be an upperclassman, you realize no one really cares. If anything its more of a Greek vs GDI mentality. Even then people are more concerned with things like leadership roles; Order of Omega; honour societies. As far as social life goes once you're 21 you really don't care that much about someone's letters, since you can go to nicer bars and not bother as much with the underclassman 'frattiness'. So instead of being that one girl in lower tier XYZ sorority; you will be that one girl who makes really interesting contributions in class/organizes great philanthropy events/etc.

At least in my personal experience at USC!

And totally second the point that any large, 'Southern' style competitive school where the Greeks have many leadership roles in a variety of campus organization; ALL the chapters are going to be amazing role models for their respective GLOs and will most definitely have won many chapter awards. So there really won't be a 'bad' chapter.

At USC all the chapters have leaders all over campus in various organizations; on Panhellenic exec board; and even the 'bottom tier' chapters have members in either the Song Girls or the Trojan Dance Force.

Remember a sorority is about sisterhood first and foremost. You should be looking to be comfortable with the girls you will be spending most of your time with; NOT the boys you might be partying with.

You must be new here! It's because they've added 2 new groups, want to add 3 more and some groups have outgrown their houses. Chapters are over 250 members, don't fit in their houses, and Alabama has the largest recruitment in the country with over 1700 going thru last year. And the new houses are all over 36,000 SF - HUGE 60 to 80 women houses with chapter rooms for close to 300. So yes, they have all that and more!!!!!

Haha not that new. Just been out of the loop being a responsible senior this past year. Or at least attempting to be a responsible senior!

As for the bathroom comment it was meant to be tongue-in-cheek. I have full confidence all the chapters at Bama know exactly what they are doing when it comes to building houses for mega-chapters!

After seeing the floor plans for the new Kappa house at Arkansas I was wondering if there was a niche market for Greek housing architects specifically; or if they are just architects who are experienced with large multiple unit/dorm style buildings.

I wish there were finance set aside update the fraternity houses at USC, they look so trashy compared to our sorority houses! (Well not the interiors since that might be just throwing good money away; but at least the facades)

Yes, there are quite a few "Greek" architects out there. Your national's housing office should have information on them. As my group's former Director of Housing, I could give you quite a long list myself - and quite a few off the top of my head. As for your fraternity houses, that's up to each chapter's house board to finance any updates and plan for the future....just like sororities. Why they haven't - or don't - would be specific to each chapter.

Oh honey - some of the others are 40,000 SF...It's definitely a large house but not the largest on campus...I thinkthe ATO house has that designation right now...it's maasive.

I would just love a coffee table glossy photograph book of greek architecture!

Maybe you should write it!:)

Perhaps if I become jaded with grad school I may decide to do so. Do you think there would be a market for such a publication?

Here's a link to an aerial view of the four new houses at UA.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...3939760&type=3

If the link doesn't work, you can to the Todd Media page on Facebook. Go to the photos and look in the University of Alabama album. Roll Tide!

Thank you ADPi Diamond! This is so exciting. Do the other 3 houses have publically available CAD representations like DG did for their expansion recruitment packet?

I googled and found this.