To add to what breathesgelatin said, ALL of the houses are good at UT, not just 3 or 4 of them!
As for Hardin House and SRD - Yes, most of the girls who live in them plan on rushing, so you're surrounded by other pnms, possibly pnms who have contacts in the houses, which can help quite a bit; BUT, it is not necessary to live there to be considered for recruitment.
It used to be that Hardin was THE place to live, but that has waned a bit, and I know of girls who've given up their spots there (whose Moms put them on the waitlist in elementary school!
) to live at SRD instead (maybe the proximity to the Fiji house?
) You do have to have a Mason sponsor you, but if you don't know one, they will find one for you, so no biggie...