[stargirl725]

1. Do the social reputations of the larger group pair up with their "stronger" national status? Do nationally smaller groups suffer from a "weaker" social reputation?

Definitely not. It's a little hard for me to gauge "national strength" at my school because we have some chapters that are HUGE in the south but not well known in other parts of the country. That being said, the one group that I could definitely pinpoint as having a less strong national status (I hesitate to say weak because all of our sororities are pretty solid nationally) does just fine. On the other side of a coin, we lost a chapter to low numbers (and yes, it did have a weak social reputation) that had a REALLY strong national status.

2. When you went through rush was the national strength a big consideration for you? I know that you have to choose where you truly fit, but the national connections and after-graduation sisterhood possibilites can be a valid consideration, too.

It wasn't a consideration, but it was a fringe benefit. Because my org is so strong nationally, I got to know a lot of alums before I came to college and that made me focus a little more on the chapter. But if I had encountered the same girls but a different set of letters, I still would have joined.