This whole thread amused me to no end...I can understand why some people get irritated by the idea of "elite" or not elite chapters, but let's get real, folks. Nobody goes into rush with the idea of joining the least prestigious chapter on campus. Nobody likes getting cut. It has been said that if you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas. That works in reverse too. If you are part of a group that is thought of as the prettiest, or the smartest, or the richest, or the sweetest & coolest, the perception will be that you have that quality too. It is only natural for people to want to be a part of that. That said, it is also natural to go into the whole thing with the mind of making friends and being involved in your campus. You are going to gravitate towards the chapter you feel most comfortable in, whether it is the #1 chapter or not.
The bottom line is, it doesn't matter what a chapter's national "ranking" is, what matters is how that chapter is on your campus. Yes, there are a handful of chapters mentioned several times in this thread that are known for their strengths pretty much across the board. But the top three at one school are probably not the top three at the school nearby. I can tell you that although we were top 3 consistently at Kent, at Akron (which is a 10 minute drive) XO was the absolute bottom of the list!!! In fact, the XOs at Akron lost their charter just a few years back, which at Kent would be unthinkable. I dated an Akron U Sigma Nu (they were very strong at Akron but not at Kent) and I wore my Chi O letters with pride. People would say "YOU'RE a Chi O???!!!" incredulously...I am ashamed of myself to admit that I always answered that with "Yes.....at KENT."
