[SWTXBelle]

PLUS - an opinion as to the status of a particular sorority is just that - AN OPINION. You have no idea what the criteria of a particular person is (Most members? Most beautiful members? Sorority your girlfriend belongs to? Highest GPA? Party girls? Most panhellenic awards? On campus the longest? Biggest house?WHAT?). You ask someone who was cut by ABC, she will tell you that DEF (her sorority) is the best, and ABC is the snobby sorority. Fraternity men have their own perspective - but if you date a GHI, what are the odds you are not going to say they are great? If your sweetheart is a JKL, wouldn't you say they are in the top tier?
That's one of many reasons why truly panhellenic women won't recommend certain sororities over others. I'm sure everyone of us thinks our sorority is the very best - I would hope so - but we also know chapters differ, campus to campus, year to year. If you went to the University of Greatness 10 years ago, reputations may have totally changed.
PNM are, by definition, intelligent enough to be accepted to higher education, and if they are mature enough to pledge they should be mature enough to make their choices based on their recruitment experience. By all means - check out the national organizations, the chapter websites, talk to your friends, get to know some members if you can before recruitment - but trusting to an anonymous poster on the internet for your ranking of GLOs doesn't strike me as a good plan.
If you read recruitment threads, you see that often the preconceived notions pnms had of which were the "good" sororities are turned on their heads. I think its better to go in with as open a mind as you can.
As to recs - the advice to get as many as you can is always good.