cavalier302

bigdirs, I reached that conclusion quite a while ago. It's best just to ignore him the same way you you'd ignore any other inflammatory poster.

MDT89

Tenniscraze how rich is rich? I'm white, drive a LandRover, looks like I'm half way to becoming the ultimate fratdaddy.

You're clearly misinformed, from what I've heard from actual students in good fraternities (SAE, Pika) you need to be southern (hunting, sailing), preppy, and upper middle class (but that goes with preppy). If you aren't like that now then you'll never be. If you aren't that to begin with you'll hate the fraternity and won't even want to join.

melli

live2dance: From my experience rushing this spring... 1/3 of the girls got in. =S 900 girls rushed, and 300 bids were offered. So.. not... really. Sorry to say that. Letters of rec are certainly not required at all, me being an example, but they do give you a boost/automatically send you onto the next round for some houses (it's in that particular sorority's Constitution to do so for legacies).

Untilted

sailing is really more new england than southern.

southern accents would help if you are looking at southern houses.

"How rich is rich"

If your parents make over 750 grands a year, I would consider that to be pretty rich at UVa. Anything lower than that, it's alright.

xa000

I never got involved in the Greek system, as I was sort of seperated from the whole scene my 1st year (I lived in Hereford). However, in the past couple of years, I've become friends with a lot of people in fraternities/sororities. Honestly, I would advise anyone to rush, i really regret not doing it. Here is my hopefully-not-too-controversial breakdown of UVA's fraternities and sororities. These are certainly all stereotypes, so dont take them too seriously, but it comes from a few years of observation.
Sororities:
Top tier is Kappa and Theta. Kappa has extremely pretty girls, a lot from northeast boarding schools. They do seem to be extremely snobby though. Theta takes from much of the same pool as Kappa. However, they seem to be a little more fun and tend to take a few European girls here and there. Kappa mixes almost exclusively with Zete, and if a fraternity is not top tier, they will probably never have a Kappa set foot in their house.

Next is Tri-Delt, DG, and Pi Phi. Tri-Delt is almost entirely composed of very stereotypical sorority types that, for whatever reason, did not get into Kappa or Theta. They tend to party more heavily than any of the "top" sororities. They also mix almost exclusively with Elmo. DG may be the prettiest girls at UVA. They are often not the typical sorority types. They hang out a lot with athletes (soccer, track, lax) and the more pretty boy fraternities (Chi Phi, Sigma Chi). Pi Phi is sort of the nice, girl next door types. They tend to be very Christian and involved with the school.

Right below this is Alpha Phi. Not to be rude, but they seem to be made up of wilder types, many Tri-Delt rejects. However, they do have a good number of very nice, very pretty girls who are generally down to earth.

Other sororities that I feel qualified to discuss are DZ and KD. DZ are definately the stereotypical "party girls." They hang out with SPE pretty much all the time. KD takes very nice girls who tend to be bright. They are usually not big fans of the stereotypical Greek scene.

Fraternities:
I would rate the top tier fraternities as Deke, Zete, the Hall, Elmo, and Kappa Sig. Deke is the oldest fraternity at UVA and its members supposedly make up a sizeable portion of the school's secret societies (7, Z, IMP). They are made up of mostly aristocratic Southern families. They also have a few varsity lacrosse players. Their house is huge and their parties are well-attended. They also got the biggest pledge class of any top fraternity this year. Also of note is the fact that their pledging is widely acknowledged as the toughest of any UVA fraternity. Zete is known as somewhat of a jock frat. They have a ton of former athletes who went to college and became hard partiers. They have been on probation for about a year and a half with not much end in sight. However, they still managed to get what i have heard to be a great pledge class with a lot of highly sought after kids. Kappa loves Zete and hang out there often. The Hall is probably the most stereotypically aristocratic fraternity. They are mostly kids from Woodberry (VA boarding school) and other northern boarding schools. They are very exclusive, and do not hang out much with other fraternities. Because of this percieved arrogance, many fraternities resent them. Much to the delight of many, the Hall got very few pledges this year, losing many of their top rushees to Zete. Elmo is largely comprised of extremely preppy kids from Connecticut and upper New York. They also are known for having a few extremely wealthy and popular European kids. When I first came to UVA, they were not known as a top tier fraternity (they were thought of as sort of sketchy) however in recent years they have improved their image somewhat. Aiding this revival is the fact that they gained a very strong pledge class this year. They throw good parties (especially Late Nights) although their basement is relatively small so lines to get in are always a problem. However, they have had a few brushes with probation in recent years, something they would probably like to end. Kappa Sig was founded at UVA and they have a permanent lawn room, which is great for football tailgates. They are comprised largely of Texans; they have almost a monopoly on kids from Houston and Dallas. They may throw the best parties at UVA. They benefit from the fact that they rarely have to cross-rush kids, as they often lock down pledge classes in first semester.

Next tier is KA, SAE, and Chi Phi. KA is traditionally extremely southern, however, in recent years they have begun to widen their horizons. They draw mostly from Northern Virginia (Potomac School). Their house is unique in that it is far removed from the Madison Bowl (where SAE, SPE, Hall, Elmo, Kappa Sig, and Chi Phi are located), but it makes up for its location by having a large house with tons of porch space. They used to be top tier, but with a couple of weak pledge classes, seem to be dropping. Also notable is their annual Crawfish Boil, which may be the most fun thing Ive attended at UVA. SAE is probaby the most Southern UVA frat (i do not believe that they have a member from north of Maryland). They are very laid back and clean cut, although that unfortunately leads to them having much weaker parties than other fraternities. They do a good job with 1st semester rush, but they often lose top rushees to more prestigious fraternities. While this probably sucks for them, it does mean that they have extremely friendly relations with other fraternities. They recently moved to a house on the Mad Bowl and by all accounts are becoming a much bigger player on the Greek stage, as evidenced by two strong recent pledge classes. Chi Phi has have very nice guys and attract more sororities than any fraternity on their tier (and some fraternities on the top tier). However, they are highly resented by other fraternities. They are often accused of being "pretty boys," having extremely easy pledging, and for being very demanding during rush. They have a rivalry with their neighbors (Kappa Sig) that often results in broken windows and a few fights.

Below this is PiKa, Sigma Chi, and SPE. My first year, PiKa was viewed as a top fraternity. However, with a number of poor pledge classes and a rumored increase in drug use, they have fallen. They did get a large pledge class this year, however, so they may be on the way up. Sigma Chi is viewed as the extreme pretty boy frat. Their pledging is rumored to include an intense workout regimine. They do draw extremely attractive girls to their parties, however. As they are located far from Mad Bowl, they are constantly the subject of rumors about a move. SPE is not comprised of stereotypical frat boys. They have a lot of skaters and kids from VA Beach/Norfolk. They have a "don't give a ****" attitude that is evidenced by the disgusting condition of their house. They are cool guys, however, and DZ girls love them to an almost disgusting extent.

Well, theres my analysis. Hopefully I didnt come off as an ass, I generally view all fraternities and sororities in a positive light. The places I left off I simply do not know anything about, it is not intended as a slight.

jags861

^ i would just like to add that your "tier" analysis isn't exactly correct. someone like me would never have considered joining any of the fraternities in what you called the "top tier"--as i was considerably put off after 1 day of open house.

if you mean tier as they get the hottest girls to come over, thats very possible--i don't hang out at any of those places. however, i wouldn't say those are the fraternities every first year is trying to get into. most people figure out where they do and don't fit in very quickly.

ehiunno

hehe, elmo...

RelaxDad

Talk about faux pas, Phi Gamma Delta (Fiji) has been named the IFC's Chapter of the Year for two years in a row and you don't even mention them in your summary. Raised over $100 Gs for the Jimmy V foundation. Have the best theme party around (Fiji Islander) and really nice, unpretentious guys as well. However, they don't fit a particular stereotype sooooo...

Untilted

xa000, one of the brothers in one of the "top tiers" you named called me a "chink" when i walked by him. i don't know how that makes his house respectable. well, i guess it does, to certain people.

utx07

"well, i guess it does, to certain people."

and there you go.

jags861

tenniscraze you're so ridiculous. can you stop from posting on fraternity threads? you've made your opinion clear, and no one wants to hear it anymore.

MDT89

I wouldn't want ugly, fat chicks in my house either. I don't see what's wrong?

tenniscraze

Why - because you're exclusive?

MDT89

No because they're fat and ugly, and probably smelly.

melli

xa000 I disagree vehemently with your sorority ranking but each to their own opinion. =) Partially it has to do with pride for my own, hehe. And folks, just kinda.. skip your eyes over tenniscraze's post. Although I am curious, did you get burned badly in the past or something to generate such distaste?