Great! The end.

TriDeltaSallie...I understood what you were trying to say. I think a lot of people find out how great of a national reputation their organization has-especially after being in the "low tier" chapter on campus-when they go to convention. Keep in mind, I'm from a Big Ten school, as well. I recognize that where you and I have gone (or still go-I graduated already) may not be the SEC but, it can be somewhat competitive too.

The fact that there are women who live and die...eat, sleep and breathe XYZ is, in a sense, endearing because it lets us know that our NPCs will be around for a long time. When I went to convention-I was floored by how many older women were still involved. It really made my day and made me even more proud to be a Phi Mu. So, good for you TriDeltaSallie, that you got a chance to experience convention.

At the risk of being flamed, I'll go out on a limb and say that I do think that there is one sorority that stands out to me as being the best nationally. I'm not talking about the quality of the sisterhood enjoyed by its members, but rather a combination of statistical success along with a consistently positive reputation. It's just my opinion, of course, but I know it is one shared by people pretty high up in my org. I'm just talking about the organization as a whole, not the individual members or chapters. Like every org it has some weak chapters and individual members, of course. That doesn't mean I would rather be a member of that org - just that I respect it as the best overall nationally.

I would tend to agree with you. There are a couple NPCs that I do admire for certain reasons (expansionary success, national programming). Not that I'd rather be in those sororities, but I do take notice of what they're doing and give credit where it's due. Not in an "oooh XYZ is top tier" way, but more in a (for example) "wow kudos to XYZ on their latest expansion, that's a tough campus" kind of way.

I would just say that of course we all may have subjective opinions of individual sororities - we run into problems when some try to take objective data, or even purely subjective, and try to make some overall statement about status with it.

Some NPCs are stronger in some areas than others; some are larger, some are better off financially, some are more active philanthropically, some are better at expansion, some have impressive programming, but ALL have a great deal to offer pnms. We need the differences among us to be able to reach the largest possible variety of members. Viva la difference!

Ahem. I'm over 50. :)

But I agree with you.

Very well stated. Thank you.

Ha ha...It's not pathetic to be over 50, just to still only associate at the meetings with other ladies from a group that's up to their "standards." It is ridiculous. Literally - "Oh, sweetie, I'm saving this seat for my XYZ friend. Surely you can find a chair over there." (Followed by the under-the-breath muttering.) Some of the smaller NPCs have pulled out of the alumnae panhellenic because of the way they have been treated. I don't blame them.

Geez louise.

It reminds me of my "Baby Margaret loves Kappa Kappa Gamma" psychotic grandma story. I will have to tell that one someday.

I want to know which NPC you think is best nationally. ;)

I am a Tau Delta Phi Member from the Philippines..I had been searching for any taudelphians since we became inactive for almost 10 years.

I have really enjoyed reading this thread, as I had a similar experience to the OP. If my chapter had been another of the 25 NPCs, I still would have joined it. However, it has been wonderful to learn more about my sorority on a regional and national level and enjoy the sisterhood from alumnae around the country.

I do have an observation from our last Panhellenic Luncheon, and I'm interested to hear your feedback. I noticed that several groups projected a certain image overall. Not better or worse, just like they had a common theme among members. These would have been women initiated around the country and not from one chapter. For example, the DG table was filled with some of the best-dressed women I saw there. Seriously, they all looked super put-together. The ADPi women were all exceptionally pretty, and the Tri-Deltas looked like they had business meetings to go to so they could run their corporations. I'm not saying EVERY member or EVERY chapter will have these stereotypes, but do you think certain organizations attract certain types of women, or do the members of any group tend to start looking like one another? If so, is it possible that there are national or regional reputations? (Read: NOT TIERS)

Regional reputations, definitely. Nationally, no.

Or it could be that they're all in an alum chapter together and hang out a lot outside of it and they start dressing alike - which many friends (Greek or non) do. :)

I was thinking about this last night. I wouldn't say it's a matter of reputation, though. I have noticed similarities between many Gamma Phi Beta chapters, to the point that sometimes when I read a recruitment thread on here, I get a hunch for which chapter is Gamma Phi. Many of our chapters seem to be considered "laid back" or "genuine" or "down to earth" or "chill." Perhaps it's a regional thing, but I'm not sure. After going to Convention and meeting many collegians there, it's obvious our chapters can vary wildly from region to region, but I have noticed certain words used over and over to describe many of our chapters.

Or, they called each other.. "What are you wearing to the Panhellenic luncheon?" "Oh, I think I'll wear my suit" "Ok, great, I'll wear my suit too"...

Often an alumnae chapter will cater to a specific demographic, and that's where stereotypes can form. For example, a chapter in a large city may be mostly young professionals and a suburban chapter may be more women with husbands and kids, and other chapters have retired women.