Tiers
 

I am curious as to the the meaning of this term in the context of sorority life. I have seen it mentioned in several recruitment threads/stories. Is it some kind of perceived popularity factor (pretty, rich, smart = top tier)?

How do sorority girls feel knowing they are in a lower or mid tier (if there is such a thing)?

I would think it would be most important to be with a group of girls you felt a connection with, rather than trying to be with a group that is top tier, but what do I know? I'm still trying to decide if this is for me.

Thanks for your help.

[QUOTE=blondebutsmart;1515401]I am curious as to the the meaning of this term in the context of sorority life. I have seen it mentioned in several recruitment threads/stories. Is it some kind of perceived popularity factor (pretty, rich, smart = top tier)?

yes-and you are right, pnms should look for the place where they like the sisters and feel most at home. you have the right attitude/

In the end, I think the successfulness of a sorority experience does not depend at all on what "tier" of a sorority you are in. You are right in recognizing that what counts more is whether you fit with that particular group. Unfortunately, "fit" on this site is used sometimes as just a PC term for whether or not the sorority is of the "tier" that you see yourself being in.

To answer the question of how the lower-tiered girls feel being in their respective sororities... I can honestly tell you that the only time I ever thought about any kind of tier concept was during recruitment week. It seems to matter a lot then, but it isn't important after that at all. So, I can't say that being in a sorority that others on my campus may have described as less-desirable made my sorority experience different at all. In fact, it probably kept me grounded.

I definately agree with this statement.

There is a sorority on my campus that was arguably in the top "tier" when I was in school just a few years ago, and now they are struggling quite a bit. Numbers are down, they didn't make quota, and they can't keep their house full which is causing a financial strain. And everyone can probably attest that a financial strain on the chapter makes it difficult to focus on anything else.

Those girls used to be one of the most involved sororities on campus, and I think their participation on campus has decreased because of the overall morale of the chapter. The lower morale I am guessing is stemming from the financial issues.

So it's really not all about what "tier" you're in...

One of the key things about tiers is they designate which sororities mix with which fraternities. So, if you are the type who would only be happy dating the hottest, richest guys on campus, only join a top tier. If you are more open-minded and date really nice guys who are maybe less abercrombie-like, you can afford to be more open-minded about your sorority choice.

If you are a mature adult (which you certainly sound like, OP), you can be happy in any group that you make the most of.

you thought they were top tier?

see, that's how little it matters and how much it differs even on the same campus. t*p and i were in the same chapter at the same time, and we have different perceptions of the "tiers."

Well, DeltaBetaBaby, maybe I'm not that mature because I like dating hot, SMART guys-lol! :)

Seriously, though, I don't think I could make a decision as big as joining a sisterhood based on what kind of guys I would be dating--unless all other factors were equal (which would be pretty difficult I would think). :)

If you are a mature adult (which you certainly sound like, OP), you can be happy in any group that you make the most of.[/quote]

I agree totally with this! You get out of it, what you put into it. Should not worry what other people think of a sorority. It is what YOU think about it and what you are willing to contribute to it.

I think if you are at a campus with tiers, they will be obvious to you when you hear other people talking during rush.

It's not the talk that that determines tier status, but it's really kind of odd how there are clusters of groups that most PNMs like about the same amount, and that those same clusters seem to overlap with having socials with the same fraternities.

You can have a great Greek experience in any tier, so you don't have to give it a lot of conscious thought. The mutual selection process usually works it all out.

collegians or pnm's with concern about tiers = too much time on your hands

parents with concern about tiers = low self esteem

I'm sorry. I thought this board was available to help people who had questions. I have no friends or family in Greek life. I have read a lot of the recruitment threads/stories and people have mentioned that term. I thought I was asking a legitimate question. I was taught that's how you learn things. I didn't expect to get chastised.

I think most people give some thought to the reputations of the groups they join, but don't let what other people think or say keep you for joining a group that you like and that likes you.

Don't worry too much about being chastised, but be aware that if you do join, and you spend all your time thinking about tiers, you might be missing out on something.

And I think that she's probably right about the parents. If your daughter likes a group, don't worry about the tier it's in. That seems silly.

"Don't worry too much about being chastised, but be aware that if you do join, and you spend all your time thinking about tiers, you might be missing out on something."

I'm not worried about the tiers! That was the point. I can't understand why people in the recruitment process seem so worried about what tier the sorority is rather than how they fit with the other girls. I wanted to clarify that tiers were what I thought they were (popularity based on looks, grades, and money).

I thought this was a place where I could go for help. I am still trying to decide if this (a sorority) is something I want to be a part of. Maybe my skin is not thick enough. I certainly don't feel comfortable asking any more questions, so maybe that's a sign.

Well, it's just up to you.

(All someone said was that worrying about tiers meant one had too much time on her hands. If you know you aren't really worried about tiers, you could just kind of know that it didn't apply to you.)

Maybe I'm overanalyzing (part of my personality), but it didn't say:

collegians or pnm's with concerns = too much time on one's hands

or

collegians or pnm's with concerns = too much time on their hands



The comment used the word YOUR, so I took it personally because that's what it seemed like to me. Maybe I made a mistake. Sorry. I'm done.

Questions to everyone...
 

Maybe I hope for the best in young people and I am quite removed from the college experience.

My question is if the GLO provided the BEST educational experience in addition to all the other wonderful accouterments of greek life, then no matter what tier the organization is, having the required numbers of membership would not matter?

Sure, it is cool to have a wonderful new set of friends, bond and build friendships for life, but bottom line a GLO is usually associated to a college and university, which means one attempt to get a degree in a respective field to move forward in their life... If strong educational support, with other activities occur, then should the "tier-ness" of an organization matter?

The question is like my Father's chant when he was in school:

"We party hard and stay up late, but most of all we graduate..."

blondebutsmart,

My understanding is that tiers are determined by how many women want to join the chapter that year. Sometimes it is very clear and part of campus culture (like an Old Row designation) but can also be a certain mix of sisters that make people want to be a part of them. Sometimes it's just a bunch of shallow but beautiful girls that all wear designer clothes and get smashed with the hottest guys on campus, and for some reason this is attractive to PNMs. Tiers change at most schools and you are much better off considering sororities that you feel you connected to.

I think sisters in "lower-tier" sororities often enjoy their experience more because "upper-tier" sisters may look around and think "ok, I joined this super popular house but I don't feel like I belong". The "lower-tier" knows that everyone in the chapter really wants to be there, not just because they won the popularity contest.

One more thing: if you've been reading other threads, then you know sometimes GC posters say not-so-supportive things. Don't let random people with too much time on THEIR hands (let's all admit it:)) get you down. You asked a good question and for the most part have gotten great answers!

Nice work, Fleur de Lis. I think you described it well.

OP, I don't think it was supposed to be taken really personally, but if you are likely to internalize the responses you get, posting on GC is almost guaranteed to make you unhappy.

I'm not saying it shouldn't be a nicer place or that you've done anything wrong (because you haven't), but the answers you get might not be 100% validating and supportive, and it's a risk of posting.

I think you are overanalyzing it.

Sometimes people use the words "you" and "your" when they aren't neccessarily directing the post towards anyone... it's just a general "you" "your" reference.

blondebutsmart,

Tiers only REALLY matter at southern schools. It's otherwise just used as a way to describe which groups are the most popular. That's no different than in high school when the group of popular girls were compared to a group of less popular girls. The girls in each group were usually not worried about which "tier" they were in because they were just hanging with their friends. The less popular girls may sometimes wish they were in a different "tier" when they thought about being Homecoming Queen or dating the cute quarterback, but usually they thought they probably wouldn't have much to say to the higher "tier" girls. It's the same thing in college. As for southern schools (like the SEC,) Mama's have raised their daughters with the idea that they can ONLY be an XYZ or an ABC. It is only acceptable to be one of these top tier members. This is why you hear about girls dropping out of rush rather than joining a lower tier group. It's stupid, but it serves those girls right for hanging onto these old social rules. They even write books about it!! If your Mama didn't drill into your head that you'd embarass the whole family if you joined DEF, than you'll be fine. Have a good time at recruitment.

Do tiers exits at most campuses? Of course. Do they matter? Nope. If being in a middle or low tier chapter was so horrible, those chapters would cease to exist. Obviously the members find their experience in their low and middle tier chapters valuable and rewarding or they wouldn't have pledged and stayed members for as long as they have. Sure, there are PNMs out there who drop out of recruitment when they don't get the invites that they want, but tons of women have just as good of an experience in a low or middle tier chapter as they do in a top tier. It all depends what you are looking for in a sorority.

ETA: Also, about mixing with fraternities/dating men in certain fraternities, I can think of lots of couples where it's not "top with top" or "low with low". I can think of couples where the girl is a low tier chapter dating a guy in a top tier chapter and vice versa. Maybe it matters more at other schools. Guys aren't going to not date you if you are in a low or middle tier chapter, unless those silly rules are true on some campuses.

Violetpretty, that has to be one of the best summaries of tiers that I’ve ever read!

I can't imagine why anyone would want to date someone who would actually follow such a stupid "rule" anyway ... I mean, who's going to bawl their eyes out over a guy who wouldn't go out with them because he disapproved of sorority's campus status? :rolleyes:

I completely agree with that sentiment.

However, if you know that you want to meet the hotties in fraternity XYX, and you know that sorority WTH have regular socials with them and sorority QTPi doesn't, that's when you get yourself into making kind of funny tier based decisions.

It's not that their are strict rules anyplace that I know of, and I wish it weren't true, but at colleges where tiers are a big deal, a member of a lower tiered group might have to work a lot harder to meet members of top tier groups.

It's all kind of nuts but it's still kind of exists, and if that's what your social GLO organization joining priorities are. . .

Maybe not "work harder" but just meet in different places other than mixers. Agreed that top tier and low tier chapters often do not have mixers together, but you can meet someone in class, or through some inter-Greek activity like Homecoming/Greek Week committee, IFC/PHA collaborations, Order of Omega, lobbying for the Greek Housing bill (ok only in DC), etc. All of these avenues are "tier-blind".

One might think that, but I'm not sure it's true. If tiers are a well known aspect of Greek life, events that really should be all Greek or Inter-Greek don't end up that way.*

It's true that you can meet people other places than mixers, and I think most people do. But you don't have to be Greek for that either.

I'm not trying to defend tiers in any way. But I don't think we can wish away their effects either. Once there are established social networks between certain groups and their members, those networks don't necessarily disappear or cease to matter at other events. Again, it's not a formal, rule based thing, but if 20 of your sorority sister are dating guys at XYZ, it's easier to you to meet other XYZs than it is for the girl who doesn't have those other social connections.

*I don't mean to make too big a thing of getting to meet certain people in top-tiered groups. It's kind of silly. But if your looking for an improvement in your social life, it's might be a common thing for an 18 year old to consider.

ETA: UGA in the 1990s may been especially bad about not really mixing as a Greek system. There was no method of formal exclusion, but while you might have paired with a group for Homecoming or a Greek week event, you didn't necessarily interact with any other groups as part of the festivities, or at least that was my experience but I was kind of weird townie-Greek hybrid aspirant, so I wasn't working my fraternity guy connections as much as I guess a person could have.

No.

As a long time lurker, there aren't many cases where I'll step out of the shadows and say something is wrong. But this attitude is 100% wrong.

First, as for the "lower-tier" sorority members knowing that everybody wanted them there, by playing devil's advocate you could say they'd feel like, "the only reason these girls really wanted me is because I was cut from other houses and the chapter's favorite girls cut them." Sound like an absurd claim? That's how your statement came off.

Second, on my campus I am in the unique position in that the two houses I am closest with are on very different ends of the spectrum. One is THE "blonde, rich girl" chapter and the other one isn't the lowest in terms of tiers, but pretty damn close. The reason why I was attracted to both groups is because they are both full of members who absolutely love their sorority and you can feel the bond at every event we're at with either one. On the other hand, I know of a "top chapter" and the "bottom chapter" at our school that have very poor sisterhood. The "bottom chapter" always has a terrible rush because they come off as desparate with low-morale (while the other bottom chapter has done well recently because they love their house despite reputations). The poor-sisterhood "top chapter" has had some challenging rushes recently because the PNMs they want the most have gone to the other two top chapters who have extremely strong sisterhood (and it shows).

So tiers don't matter, I agree with you there. However to suggest that the "pretty sororities" generally have a less meaningful time and are shallow just because they are pretty (and I can argue with that as well...in the "prettiest chapter" I just discussed there are many many many women who I'd say are plain or unattractive, they just had personalities that are extremely larger-than-life) is invalid. This is the complete opposite of the "give all chapters a chance" that is preached like gospel on GreekChat (and rightly so) but for some reason when somebody calls the "top chapters" out for unfounded reasons nobody blinks an eye. Why is that? Because in my experience statements like the ones above are just as unfounded as negative statements about smaller chapters.

Just some food for thought.

I'm mostly in agreement but would also say to include a couple more schools that also have very competitive rushes (ie, Texas, USC, Miami Ohio, etc). From what I understand in those few outside-the-SEC competitive rushes tiers matter a bit as well. But I'd agree that on the vast majority of campuses tiers really do not matter.

At other schools, tiers can be obvious during recruitment, BUT the tiers are fairly fluid and I have seen one good/bad pledge class turn a chapter around more than once.

PNMs worry about tiers because most PNMs are teenaged girls who are very concerned with appearances and want to join the most prestigious groups. Tiers are not based on grades or money or awards won. They're based on looks and popularity. That's it. It's silly and superficial-- tiers are completely artificial. They're a ranking developed in people's minds. And different people will have different impressions of what chapter falls into what tier.

Chapters spend a lot time and effort working to achieve an image that they are the all-around great girls that you want to emulate or aspire to be a part of. If you join a sorority, you will be expected to participate in sorority activities that work toward this purpose: academic standards, leadership training, working together in the sorority in teams to plan events and community service activities, sisterhood retreats, moral and ethical standards, considering your words and actions and how they affect others as well as how they affect others' views of your sorority, and participating in activities outside of the sorority to contribute to the well-roundedness, etc.

I hope this helps to explain the idea behind tiers-- there are no official tiers-- just the imaginary construct of the students involved with Greek Life. Please don't hesitate from asking questions. Just try to frame them constructively. From time to time, we get new posters who are here just to ridicule or chide Greeks and Greek Life, so understandably, the regulars are a bit jaded.

Good luck with recruitment. If you aren't sure if you want to join a sorority but you are curious about the Greek System, recruitment week will help you see if it is something you might enjoy being a part of.

jwsteele,

In a weird way, I think we're trying to say the same thing - sisterhood is more important that what tier a sorority is in.

Sometimes PNMs have this idea that if they join the most prestigious sorority they can get into, their life will somehow improve over finding a group that works best for them, and I was attempting to show a small example of this. Of course, sometimes the most prestigious sorority IS the best fit.

The "beautiful but shallow" comment was meant to be tongue in cheek. :rolleyes: I'm not insinuating that all 'beautiful' chapters are shallow or have less of a sisterhood. Often they are attractive to PNMs because of the strong bond.

But I appreciate you calling out my inconsistencies so that PNMs reading this don't misunderstand my words.

Thank you to all those who sent me PMs! :) I was reeling somewhat from some of the responses I received. I had to step back and re-evaluate.

I thought I had "framed my questions constructively."

My purpose in asking the questions was to gain an understanding of the reasoning behind why someone would be so intent on joining a "higher tier" sorority when it might not be the best fit for them--and to determine how those girls might feel if they accepted a bid into a "lower tier" or "mid tier" sorority.

I now understand that some girls (and their moms) have been planning this time for many years. My mom is not Greek, nor is anyone in my family, so I don't have that pressure. My mom doesn't care if I do or don't join a sorority. She just wants me to become involved in SOMETHING and have fun in college (after academics are taken care of, of course).

If I go through recruitment, I wouldn't rule anyone out because of tiers (higher or lower). I was a cheerleader in high school and was probably considered popular, but I had friends in all different groups (athletes, theatre, and the academics). I think it's more important to feel connected to people rather than an image.

Thanks also to all those who posted with constructive comments. To those who didn't, well . . . I guess I wonder what's bothering you that you have to be nasty. I thought sisterhood was a bonding experience, but I'm an idealist.

When I went through Recruitment, I felt very much the same way. The only greeks I had in my family either went to very small schools or very large "greek schools" in the south.

After I pledged, I realized that some of the houses that I dropped after the first round were considered the Top Tiers. I remember one house in particular (which was suppose to be the skinny, cute, rich girls) where the girl that rushed me in the first round giggled the whole time. I had to carry the conversation. In a way, being blind to the politics of reccruitment guided me to where I felt most comfortable and least intimidated.

I had very few recs, went to no teas, didn't have a helicopter mom who planned the rest of my life during childhood, and didn't shop for a "rush wardrobe". In fact, I borrowed my roommates dress for Pref.

:)The only pact I made was to call my brother after pref (he was a senior at the same school) and go over my choices. My one, two and three chioces matched his exactly. It turned out that one of his very best female friends became a sister of mine and I had never met her during rush.

Put on the blinders, put in the earplugs. Forget about what others say and go with your heart.

Tiers
 

Dear Blonde,

Do not be afraid to ask questions. I am sorry you feel chastised. Sometimes people need some help with their delivery responses. I totally understand what you are talking about regarding tiers. My daughter goes to UT Knoxville and we also heard about the tiers. We heard there were three tiers and then many people kept giving us about the same repetitive speech about which sororities where on which tier.

I am in marketing and I see it as a trend. In other words...currently ABC, DEF, GHI, JKL, MNO were on the top tier and had repeatedly been on the top tier for many years. PQR kept going from top to middle. I see tiers as not just the richest, prettiest, GPA's but what seems to be be the most popular sorority that ALL the girls are trying to get into. As you know sororities compete on just about every level. Nothing wrong with that at all. Maybe they may be known for the highest gpa's, the most cheerleaders, the prettiest girls, the most homecoming queens, etc. I think they remain in their popularity tier by just being that...the most popular for whatever reason.

As many have said above me and what I told my daughter...go with who YOU feel the most comfortable with and who you could see being in your life for many years to come. This is a sisterhood you are talking about and you are investing your time, energy, and money and make sure you are with a group of girls that feels home to you. She did just that and loves, loves, loves it. I noticed that my daughter's sorority is having mixers with some of the most popular fraternities so I guess it is true when it comes to mixers, etc. What matters is not popularity but how comfortable you feel with each group. Good luck to you!

Benzgirl,

Very well said. You did a much better job than I did.

Blonde, definitely go with where you feel most comfortable, but don't expect not to feel the peer pressure starting to influence you somewhat. It's a very intense week and everyone and their mother is sharing her opinions with you. Unless you're completely antisocial and don't get to know your fellow PNMs (something I doubt you would do!), you will feel this pressure, and you will be influenced, to some degree. Just a friendly caution.

TN mom-- your thoughts are spot-on. Tiers don't change drastically, but every 4 years or every time there is a colonization or chapter closing or a major internal chapter crisis that explodes outward, there is a definite shift in the tiers. That being said, the tiers really don't matter much. Every sorority shares similar ideals of sisterhood, service and scholarship. They all have social events with other groups. You can date who you want, fraternity man or non-Greek. You can be friends with anyone you want, Greek or not. The members in each chapter are not cookie cutter-- they come from all walks of life, cultural backgrounds, races, academic histories and goals, etc. Anyway, best of luck, Blonde--when is your recruitment?