How to research houses before rush?

[DMBabyZTA]

many times the sororities have their own chapter websites. I would take a look at the greek life pamphlet and then google the school and the sorority. It should come up with their website, this would give you a deeper research into the sororities before rushing. Just be careful not to mention too much about your research while talking to the sisters on the first night. I know from the stories I have heard and personal experiences with a pnm it can come off a little stalker-ish or a know-it-all.


Another thing is when I went through I asked my dear friend from high school who was in a fraternity where he saw me fitting in the most. He said ultimately it was my own decision but he knew I would go Zeta before I rushed

[carbonbeach81]

These suggestions are all super helpful. I also like the idea about asking a frat friend at the school which house they see you best fitting into.

When my Mom went to college ages ago they had a house that truly only recruited very wealthy girls. I've seen her yearbook and recognize last names, ones most people would recognize. She said she rushed the house and they were nice, but word was out that they had a way (even before computers?!) to find out who was wealthy and who was not. I suppose they knew even before the PNMs came to visit. So many years later that chapter at that school is no longer like that.

[Scarlet]

Originally Posted by carbonbeach81

I also like the idea about asking a frat friend at the school which house they see you best fitting into.

Don't let this make up your mind though! I had a couple of people tell me I would fit into XYZ house, as well as a close friend in that house. I went into rush certain I would come out of it an XYZ. However, if I hadn't been at least a little open-minded concerning the rest of the houses, I wouldn't have ended up at Alpha Chi...and I couldn't imagine being in any other house now! I really don't have anything negative to say about this other house, they are wonderful girls, but my "home" was elsewhere.

[UGAalum94]

And honestly, frat guys often have no idea who will invite you back.

I think frat guys are an excellent source of tent-talk-type and purely social information, but they won't know anything about sisterhood or unity within a group.

So they can probably tell you which groups are most considered desirable and what you can expect in terms of socials if you join, but probably not much else.

Socials are a big part of the fun, so it's worth knowing, but there will be groups that guys write off that are still great to be a part of.

ETA: I was posting as Benzgirl was. Apparently, guys aren't even accurate in the areas I thought they were.

[carbonbeach81]

Okay, I'm normally quite good at research--actually known for great research skills--but for some reason I just can't find good results trying to find the local chapter websites or even MySpace or Facebook pages for Greek girls from this school. What am I doing wrong? I hope it's because I need coffee or something and not a permanent flaw.

[Lightning Bug!]

Originally Posted by carbonbeach81

Okay, I'm normally quite good at research--actually known for great research skills--but for some reason I just can't find good results trying to find the local chapter websites or even MySpace or Facebook pages for Greek girls from this school. What am I doing wrong? I hope it's because I need coffee or something and not a permanent flaw.

Obviously we can't help you out since we don't know your school, but try 1) Facebook GROUP pages for your school and 2) the Greek Life website for links to local chapters. But I wouldn't make too much of the websites...sometimes a house gets lucky with a tech-savvy sister, and sometimes they're just all too busy to spend much time on their website. I know some very top chapters at some very competitive schools that never bothered to get together websites...

You might also try searching the campus paper by each sorority's names...this will tell you a lot about campus involvement (or campus disgraces...).

[Lightning Bug!]

I agree...houses don't cut you for buying a designer bag on sale. Now some houses might cut you for not meeting certain appearance/fashion standards, but rarely have I encountered a house where the sisters, even the rich ones, cut a girl for wearing a really cute dress that she got off the sale rack! And even in the 'rich' houses, the girls aren't all running off to Europe in the summers (although apparently they all run to become camp counselors...see another recent thread...). So don't worry so much about whether you're rushing at a 'rich' house or not...you may still run into some superficial people, but it is rare that you run into them at such an absurd level...as in, "Oh My God, I Saw That Dress On The Sale Rack At Nordstrom's!"

[Benzgirl]

Originally Posted by carbonbeach81

These suggestions are all super helpful. I also like the idea about asking a frat friend at the school which house they see you best fitting into.

Frat Friend could be a good idea or a bad idea as they also have misconceptions. Often Fratties think the only that popular houses = where PNMs belong. If your D is cut from these houses and Frat Friend didn't think other houses were top tier, it might sway D from selecting a potential home. Worse, she could be embarrassed by perfectly good girls

I remember one Frat Friend of mine claiming XYZ was their "sister sorority" (p.s. there is no such thing). Another claimed, "oh we only have TGs with ABC" (another lie).

I also wouldn't look at the house numbers and assume they might close. Some of the smaller houses are small for a number of reasons. First, they may have just colonized, second, they may be a niche house. Small does not indicate they may close. It only means that they are small.

As for GPAs, that is somewhat one of the good indicators. When I rushed, I wasn't even interested in any house that was in the lower half of GPAs. My favorite two houses turned out to have the highest 2 GPAs probably because I found girls where we had a lot in common.

I really wouldn't worry about doing too much research because no amount of footwork will tell your D if she will click with other members.