Not in any particular order...
 

I have had the chance to visit many college campuses. I would reccomend for my DD the following (based on the Greek system and the quality of education):

• Mercer University, Macon, GA (my alma mater)
• T.C.U., Fort Worth, TX
• Miami Univ. of Ohio
• Ole Miss, Oxford, MS
• Birmingham-Southern College, B'ham, AL
• Univ. of Delaware, Newark, DE
• OU, Norman, OK
• UNC - Chapel Hill
• Transylvania Univ., Lexington, KY
• Cal - Berkley

I'd send my daughter to....
 

1. Pepperdine
2. Pepperdine
3. Pepperdine
Numbers four through ten are quite similar.

My daughter...
 

...flirted with my alma mater (Illinois), which has a dominating Greek system, but ultimately followed her heart and her personality to Wisconsin, which has a strong but slightly more "chill" Greek scene. However, it's picked up significantly since my college days, with record #s of PNMs and lots of associated recruitment drama ;) Not to mention top-ranked athletic teams and academics.

Her requirements: Mid-size/Big school, preferably Big 10, strong business school, Greek scene, must have live-in, traditional sorority houses (thus ruling out Miami of O., Vanderbilt, etc.), college town vs. urban, and close enough for a weekend home (but not too close, LOL) to Chicago (thus eliminating Northwestern).

Just love all those great houses along Langdon, right on Lake Mendota...she's super happy with her choice, and I'm happy because she's happy. Even though she flirted with DG and chose Kappa...:D

Il Anchor Girl - Don't take this as a knock on Wisconsin because it is one of the top state universities but your daughter ruled out the best academic university in the Big Ten (Northwestern) and far and away the best in the SEC (Vanderbilt). To each its own.

Bad Cat - those schools do have outstanding academic programs, but it is a totally different vibe in a smaller city like Madison than pretty much downtown in a city like Nashville (Vandy) or just outside Chicago in Evanston (N'western). There is a lot to be said for feeling comfortable at home at your school as well as getting a good education.

It also depends a lot on what you are studying. Northwestern has some great programs, but so do almost all of the big ten schools.

Bump for spammers.

I'd love to see my DD (she's only 10 but enjoys building things so I'm thinking architecture) go to Ga. Tech and Alpha Xi has a chapter there. :D:D She can also use some of the Hope Grant and it would be in-state. :p I also have a couple of nieces I would love to see go Greek. Of course, I'd def want them as sisters if they go to a uni with a chapter. My oldest niece was a Theta at Bama.

This is a funny bump for me (and I started the thread!). My daughter is now eight going on nine and she would NEVER fit it in Hillsdale. LOL! She's a creative, free spirit.

I was the total academic, college-prep student. She's not anything like that. I have no idea where she will end up.

I feel like I'm flying blind with her. LOL!

Revisiting my original post-- hmm, still my hypothetical daughter, I would want her to go where she is happy but I like my original list still but want to add schools outside the U.S.

• Oxford
• U. of Cambridge

And TUITION FREE (or really inexpensive) schools in:

• Germany
• Sweden
• Finland
• Norway

So far, I only have a son (he's 5 months old, and being particularly adorable at the moment), so this is also for my hypothetical daughter.

My kids could wind up wanting/needing something totally different, but I'm drawn to the large, prestigious universities with strong Greek life:
-Vanderbilt
-MIT
-Dartmouth (this one might be iffy with all the risk management issues, but I have a couple friends from grad school who were Greeks there and loved it)

Other schools that seem to have okay, or mixed reviews on Greek life:
-University of Virginia
-Stanford
-Michigan

Sadly, Gamma Phi doesn't have chapters at most of these schools, but that could change in the next 20 years!

Even though USC (Southern California) has a robust Greek life and solid reputation, I can't pretend to be excited at the notion of supporting hypothetical children in attending.