<p>things have changed a lot in the last few years, so the rankings have changed a lot. for example, pike, ZBT, KA, and Phi Kapp are all gone (although KA, ZBT, and pike will be back in the next two years), phi psi is back on campus and rechartered, although they’ve lost a lot of ground because they were gone for a while, delta tau delta colonized this year (although they don’t have a house and it’s questionable how sustainable their campus presence is), and lambda chi and dke both have questionable status that has put them back a lot. but anyway, here’s what, after one year at vandy, i think the rankings would be, or at least a ball park for you. in no particular order within tiers:</p>
<p>top tier
beta: i personally don’t enjoy their parties that much because they always feel slightly sketch (beta has an association with girls getting roofied, although i can’t actually say how deserved that reputation really is). however, their parties are always full with good music playing, so for now they seem to still be top tier. they did a joint party this spring with dke and SAE which was pretty crazy, so i’d say they seem to be pretty solid.
SAE: one of the two still really southern fraternities (the other being Sig Chi). there parties have a totally different vibe than parties at other fraternities. they don’t play house music, which is what you typically see at other houses. they’re top tier and not going anywhere anytime soon.
Sig Chi: although they don’t seem to have been regarded as top tier when this thread began, they’re definitely top tier, if the amount of kappas, thetas, and tri delts at their parties and tailgates are anything to go by. despite new restrictions this year on philanthropy events, derby days is still one of the craziest events around. they’re basically a carbon copy of SAE, except their parties are more like the other frats.</p>
<p>middle tier
Sig Nu: these guys are definitely on the rise. looking at the caliber of guy they’ve been recruiting, it’s impressive to see how much difference there is just between the seniors that just graduated and the brothers they just initiated this past year. this is definitely one of my favorite places to go for parties and tailgates because they always have fun, and their events are always packed with people.
kappa sig: there parties are fun, but i wouldn’t ever call them top tier because they’re not at all homogenous. with most fraternities on campus you can describe them in a few words, but there really doesn’t seem to be any defining characteristic that makes a guy a kappa sig. they take guys that are sort of the same caliber, but past that, nothing seems to unite them. overall, fun guys, but not at all the best on campus.
AEPi: whoever said they were raging guidos had these guys completely pegged. i know they’re historically jewish, but at vandy they’re totally different than they are on any campus. cool guys, fun parties, although their big party this spring, ultra, was kind of a letdown.</p>
<p>bottom tier
Fiji: i don’t really know a lot of the guys here because i had one friend who pledged this year, but all my other friends in the fraternity are seniors that just graduated a week ago. their parties can be fun, but they can also be pretty empty. overall just unpredictable. this is the sort of place where i would pregame a lot because they have pretty accessible alcohol, but then i would leave to go to a towers pregame, then party at another fraternity.
Phi Psi: i’m biased towards these guys because i have a lot of close friends in the fraternity, but i’m not blind enough to think they’re any better than bottom tier. their parties are usually pretty empty, although occasionally they get full. they at least have the benefit of actually owning their house, rather than most other fraternities on campus, who rent them from vandy. overall, these guys are fantastic, chill guys that make great friends. it’s a fun place to hangout, but their parties are lackluster. however, they’ve got big plans for improvement, and their new rush chair is one of the coolest guys you’ll meet, so he could do a lot to improve things this coming year. several really high caliber guys in this house (one that i know was supposed to be a kappa sig when he was pledging but ended up dropping), and they’re looking to get back to the rank they were at before they got kicked off.
ATO: i’ve tried really, really hard to like these guys. one of my closest friends pledged here, and i know a lot of nice guys in it, but their mentality as a fraternity is just awful. they’re basically a bunch of idiots who think they are a lot better than they actually are, mostly because they think they can just ride on the fact that they’re nationally prominent. honestly, there’s no reason to go here because their parties are seriously lame, and the only way to meet a nice ATO is when he’s not around his brothers. in my opinion, they’re bottom tier, and that won’t be changing.
Delt: they just got colonized this year and recruited really hard for numbers, but the actual first pledge class was tiny. i’m not convinced that they are sustainable, especially if they can’t get a house (and it’s very unlikely that they will, since all the houses are accounted for, and pike and KA will be getting their old houses again when they come back). generally, i’d say they just don’t really have a campus presence. they’ll randomly throw a party, and i’ll sort of kind of remember that they exist, but then you just forget about them.</p>
<p>sorry for the long, rambling post, but i hope i helped by giving another perspective that’s updated.</p>