FWIW, based upon my limited knowledge of the process at UMich, top-tier rushing sounds pretty high stakes to me. Knowing people and resumes are important. Mid-to-lower tier sororities not so much. I’ve heard of plenty of girls crying while in the selection process. No idea about the rest of the B1G.
@roycroftmom I will ask. Looking at her schedule over the whole four years, I think it’s pretty darn close to most rigorous but is most likely borderline for that designation. I am curious but we wouldn’t change her schedule to get that designation. It’s possible that it’s too late for it to be most rigorous no matter what she takes senior year. English, history, French were all honors and AP. Math is two years of regular level, one honors, one AP. Science the same.
The only changes she could make (but would never make) would be to take BC Calc and AP physics instead of AB Calc and AP Environmental. She would not get As in those classes if she made those changes and her day to day life would be incredibly stressful. And she’s not going to be a STEM major.
Honors Writing Seminar is listed in our school profile as one of two equal options for the honors English student. The other is AP Lit of course. At our school, kids learn way more in the writing class and it’s highly coveted. She will keep it.
I felt like S19 needed that most rigorous distinction for his list that included top ten LACs and places like Vanderbilt and Dartmouth. D’s list of schools isn’t quite at that level of exclusivity.
Like I already said, though, she’s going to stick with her planned schedule even if some posters disagree and think she should take the more difficult STEM classes. She’s no schmuck when it comes to STEM. She’s never gotten a B in math and I would expect she will get an A in AB Calc.
@sushiritto i stand corrected. Illinois and Wisconsin and Iowa not too too stressful for rush. I have heard, though, that Indiana doesn’t have enough spots for a decent percentage of the girls who want to pledge and I even know some girls who didn’t go there specifically because they really wanted Greek and had heard a lot of girls go without bids.
What do you mean by resumes??
At Wake, when girls register online for rush, they need to attach their resume. For my DD19, it was an updated resume she used for the college application process (for interviews). I assume the resumes are accessible to all of the sororities or that they make profiles of all the girls registered for rush.
Exactly! Like headshots/pics and everything. Maybe a curriculum vitae? 
Again, that’s probably for the top 2-3 out of about 16-17 sororities.
At UMich, I think only about 20% of the student body are member of sororities. From what I understand, there’s LIKELY a spot for everyone, but the student may not want/take the spot, if the sorority is in the lower tier. And they’ll try again as sophomores.
I think another factor between big state schools and smaller schools like Wake is the sheer number of kids in Greek life or not and whether it dominates the social scene. If you don’t go Greek at a big school or don’t get the bids you want, there will be plenty of company. Maybe not so much at Wake.
From Wake’s website:
" In the spring semester when first year students have been through recruitment, about 49% of students are Greek. For women overall, about 40% are members in the fall semester and 60% in the spring. "
What do must 18 year olds have on their resume??
Right! And what makes a “top” sorority!?? I’ve never heard sororities talked about in those terms. I know it’s old info but at Northwestern in the 80s, we just rushed and see where we fit best. Sure, you sometimes didn’t get invited back to a house you liked. I do not remember thinking there were sororities that were considered “top” by the whole student body though.
I hear you. D’s HS AP Physics is so bad that many kids take regular Physics at UCLA over the summer. It’s expensive but a good program, pretty easy A, and has not hurt these kid’s chances at the highly selective universities.
Your D should be ok with her current 4 year science schedule. My D “only” took honors Bio; honors Chem; APES, and regular Physics (UC).
Oh yes, there are rankings. Overall and then also by school.
Some of the reviews can be brutal.
I apologize for answering, if your question is rhetorical, but I’d surmise that anything from HS GPA, type of volunteering, intended major, if any, athletics and/or cheerleading all could be activites that may yield a positive result for a prospective member.
BTW, rush just completed last Sunday at UMich. The UMich 2019-2020 academic calendar was the first year for 2nd semester (winter) rush.
@taverngirl wow I’ll be checking that out. Quick glance tells me every sorority at Wake has either two or three stars out of five so not sure what that means!
We’re determining my 2021’s kid schedule for senior year now. I’m suggesting Honors Physics (not AP, not regular) and not APES, because I strongly believe, as others, that here in CA, the UC’s and Cal Poly SLO desire a year of Physics along with Chem and Bio.
My kid is taking AP Bio now and will apply to colleges next year with “only” honors Chem. 
Resume includes HS addended, GPA, awards, EC’s, Service, Jobs, Interests, etc
Ouch…just looked up my sorority on that site. Guess D21 won’t be a legacy!!!
@NJWrestlingmom That site is a little silly. My sorority’s reviews range from the lowest of the low to the highest of the high with the most ridiculous comments. I can’t imagine anyone using that site to decide if they like a sorority or not. I get that some houses might be more “popular” on a campus but I don’t know if I would use the word “top”. I don’t get how a sorority would be graded.
I’m guessing the prettiest girls = top sorority! My son is at my alma mater, so I do know that my sorority is now known as the biggest hazers on campus. Such a shame, because my chapter was started to avoid the hazing! I guess I’m old. : (
Absolutely anyone can write an Anonymous review on greekrank so I would not believe anything on there. DD19 says nobody uses greekrank. All potential new members are required to attend parties at all sororities on the first day of rush, that way they get to make the decision if they like 1 sorority over another.
The question IMO is to ask, why bother with it at all?
And the prettiest girls get to match up with the most handsome boys. Part of the attraction is that each sorority will partner with a fraternity for pre-game parties, post-game festivities and charity fundraising events.
So, the partnership will also help or hinder a greek house’s tier/rating.
@doschicos My husband and I really loved our Greek life. We still had friends outside of our house but being Greek was a great way to have a set group of friends to socialize with, volunteer with, network with. Wake isn’t that big but, at bigger schools, being part of a house can help make your school smaller in a good way. Of course, one never ends up liking everyone in the house but, if chosen well, a sorority can be a good thing. I get all of the “bad” parts. Believe me. I’m not blind to the downsides. BUT at a school where such a large percentage of kids are in the Greek system, I think there’s more of an advantage than disadvantage. If a student isn’t into Greek life then they probably wouldn’t have a place like Wake at the top or their list.
S19’s school doesn’t have Greek life but, really, his XC/track team is pretty much the same thing - a built in group of friends who socialize every weekend, volunteer and study together. He has friends outside of that group but those are his main friends and it’s a pretty nice thing to have a go-to group of kids he likes.