Let's remember that the concept of 'tiers' is subjective, not objective. Keep things civil and as objective as possible, please.

Why is objective important?

Civil is a given and this thread has been so.

I find, in general, men can talk about things like this with much less emotion than women. Then again, depending on the circumstance, men can get in a fistfight then sit around and have a beer together, so, obviously, big differences between the sexes.

I'll never forget the time my husband yelled across the street at the kid coming home from his first year at college, "Hey, got that freshman 20, huh? Beer will do that to you!" And the guy just cracked up. I almost died. Had that been a female, it would have landed her in therapy or dealing with a severe eating disorder. Boys are strange that way.

We'll keep that in mind, but I think we're doing pretty well.

I don't get offended by what people say about my school or fraternity, its usually true. If somebody makes an incorrect statement then I will correct them but thats about it.
The Tiers at FSU:
Top
LXA
EX
KA
Pike (Not very "fratty", but get hot girls and have cool parties)
---
Kappa Sig
Phi Delt

Middle
Phi Sig
Delt
Phi Gam (FIJI)
Sigma Nu
----
Phi Tau
Theta Chi

Bottom
AEPi
TEP
Sigma Pi
Phi Psi
TKE
Chi Phi

Off Campus
ATO
Sig Ep
SAE

Within the next 30 years I think there will be a re alignment with the campus expansion. Sigma Chi will lose their house and the northern side of the original heritage grove will become "Old Row." Pike, Lambda Chi, Phi Delt, and whoever buys up the remaining two lots (or split into four) (probably us, Kappa Sig, Sigma Chi, and Sig Ep) will be the big fraternities. The southern side will be the middle tier with Phi Tau and Theta Chi and whoever else buys there. I'm pushing very hard for us to buy the lot between Pike and Lambda Chi's monstrous houses and begin building one ourselves.

Where are the sorority houses at? They're not in Heritage Grove, right? The times I've been to FSU, I saw some of the sorority houses (and Chi Phi, I think), but none of the fraternities.
I'm guessing that Heritage Grove must be similar to our Sorority Row, where it's just off campus, but there's no reason to go by there unless you live there.

Also, do the fraternities at FSU have seperately designed houses? I thought I heard something about how a lot of them have their own apartment buildings!

We have an apartment building with a separate common area but are planning to build a custom one or two building house in Heritage. While its nice to have your own 24 building apartmen complex, it sucks to only have 1600-2000 feet of common space thats separated from the house. Also, because it was designed by FSU administrators it does not set up well for parties and there are no secret rooms. Your chapter here has the exact same setup as us, just three buildings down. Sigma Chi, Phi Sig, AEPI, TEP, and Chi Phi are all on campus right now but won't be for long.
The plans for the expansion are to buy out all of the on campus houses and build two more heritage groves, one for the smaller fraternities and one for the sororities. There will then be three separate greek housing complexes and I can only assume that in addition to having the three largest fraternity houses, we will have the largest sorority houses as well with the buyout that FSU will offer and the financial means of sororities like Tri Delt. The campus is going to more than double in size with the football stadium being right in the middle.
Do a google image search for the FSU Pike House, its amazing. Their chapter advisor is Bobby Bowden and the governor is an alumni.

The ranking of the houses into tiers is pretty much right on, I only disagree with the placement of two houses. However, I am going to be cliche and recommend for any potential new member to go where they feel comfortable, not what house is popular. I know probably a dozen freshman that pledged in the fall into a "good" house and dropped because they were miserable.

It's so interesting to see the perceptions at Florida campuses... it had changed so much from when I was in school.

ATO at the top? Maybe... the suspension's got to be a problem.

Delt also got suspended, and lost quite a few pledge classes, thus their subpar rushes :) they just got their rights back.

ATO will always be on top, simply because it's ATO. They'll keep getting the same kind of guys, regardless of any social suspensions.

I had forgotten that Delt lost their recruiting priviledges for a couple semesters. Why was that anyway? It might have been before you got to UF though.

ETA: Delt has been participating in IFC rush for at least the last three semesters.

You're right, that's before I got to UF. I'm fairly certain that this last spring was their first spring class in some time... but then, I haven't paid that close attention to them.

The Sig Ep Chapter here just got a house, they are getting there. But the Southern Fraternities like SAE, KA, Sig Nu, ATO, and Kappa Sig really won't align themselves with them.

I dunno if they do this at other schools, but the big fraternities here like to get together and throw even bigger parties between them all. That way they have more money, can buy a better venue, and get a better band.

They usually leave Sig Ep out of the loop as far as i'm aware, they got a decent amount of guys from across the mason dixie and thats looked down upon here by most fraternities.

At more then half the houses they will show you the door if you were to say you were from Michigan without letting you speak.

Alright, who here posts on JuicyCampus?

Haha, my list from page 1 was copied and pasted to one of the UF threads over there!

To PhiGam
 

Thanks for your kind remarks about the Pikes and the house.
Two things:
First, my understanding is that your alumni are conducting a capital campaign to buy the "clubhouse". That option is there for Grove fraternities living in non-equity houses. I assume you'll bulldoze it and build an impressive house of your own design, connected to the gothic housing building. I hope you do it; Phi Gam has done really well since moving to the Grove. I don't kow what's going to happen with those two empty lots. ATO alumni tell me they're going to build, but they won't be back on campus until 2009 and I don't know how long it will take them to grow large enough to support a 60-man house. Who knows what will happen with the Sig Eps? They had already begun construction when they got suspended. I don't even know what the University's position is on their chapter.

Second, with respect, I don't understand your including KA in the first tier. I like the KAs; I thikn they're good guys. But they don't "do" anything. Nothing. They compete in the small fraternity intramural league and they don't do particulaly well. They have no campus leaders, varsity athletes, high profile members. From what I've seen, Phi Sig and Delts are far more aggressive, larger, more athletic and more popular. Again, I don't dislike KA. I just don't see them as a group to be anything special, and I don't think the top sororities do either.
Sigma Chi I understand. They don't "do" anything either, but they have a big chapter and they're popular with the top sororities.

Good luck to you in pursuing a new house. You should be able to raise the money and buy the clubhouse, and that will lead the way for other chapters to do the same.