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The system breaks down only when rushees decide that they would rather not be Greek than join certain organizations. That's when they drop out of rush after getting cut by their organizations of choice. That's when it is considered cut-throat. On campuses where girls are more willing to consider all chapters, it's not.
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That is the most succinct analysis of the problem.
A UTexas, there are 14 NPC sororities (15 when I was there). There is a clearly defined pecking order among the 12 non-Jewish NPC sororities (and a definite 1-2 order among those 2 Jewish ones):
Top Three
#4
#5
the next two
the next three
the bottom two
For the vast majority of the hundreds and hundreds (thousands) of women who rush, Top 3 is completely out of their reach, #4 and #5 are quite difficult to get a bid from, with the next five groups still being no cakewalk to get into. Many, many women would rather drop out completely than pledge one of the bottom two, possibly even the next group of 3 above the bottom 2. I would place myself in that group, because I would not have wanted to spend 4 years in an organization that was constantly being "put in its place" (so to speak) at a school that already has a Greek-hostile environment.
This rigid hierarchy is like a self-fulfilling prophecy, though. The Top 3 will always be Top 3. The next 4 groups will always get quota with the best girls not taken by Top 3. The next 3 groups will usually get close to quota (if not making quota) with great girls. The bottom two will always struggle through rush, and try mightily, to maybe end up with only 50-60% of quota (if that).
The harsh reality at UT is that if you did not attend the right high school, run in the right circles, and are not a direct Texas legacy to Top 3 (and possibly #4 and #5), 99.9% of the time you will NOT get in. No matter if you are the greatest girl, with the best personality.
This is essentially what killed that 15th NPC group that still existed on campus while I was there. They were unable to ever even come close to making quota, and their house was half as big as the 12 houses. It's also probably the reason no sorority has tried to colonize at UT, the largest university in the country, in 30 years.
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