[Firehouse]

I've never thought about it, but I suppose formal rush is best for the rushees because they see every house and every house sees them. Informal rush makes is more difficult to connect with a particular house, especially if you don't know anyone there.
As a rush chairman I prefer informal rush since that gives me and my chapter every advantage. For the top houses with the best reputations, I suppose the ideal combination would be intense summer rush with open pledging, followed by formal rush in the fall so I could have a shot at anyone I'd missed.

The University of Arkansas had that system; so did Missouri, Kansas and Kansas State. I don't know what they have today.