I agree; I apologize if it seemed I was trying to stereotype. I think there are great and academically talented girls in all the sororities. I also think all the national sororities put an emphasis on academic achievement. Being academic and being social are not mutually exclusive and it goes in both directions. I do hear parents who are upset that their 4.0 high achiever, high leadership type daughters were released from many of the “top” sororities at IU. The reality is it is not a competition for a scholarship or something like that and the evaluation may more heavily consider factors like pre-existing friendships / connections, personality, and appearance. However, the GPA list gives some insight on some chapters that are doing well in attracting some high GPA type girls.
There are academically talented girls in all sororities at IU. What I dislike is this artificial ranking of what is a top, middle or bottom house. Unfortunately, that ranking system at IU is what causes more girls to miss out on being Greek because they won’t accept anything but a “Top” house.
The difference in the GPA among sororities is not really that different when you look from top to bottom. The one thing about GPA is there is a required minimum to go through formal rush but a lot of houses have higher standards.
Every house will have its cliques within it, its inevitable when you are talking about organizations with around 150 girls each. There will be your party girls, your smart girls, your athletes, etc. I know my D has gravitated towards her sorority bike team and she tends to do more with that group because of the training requirements and the group rides they do.
IU rush is certainly an eye opening experience and not for the faint at heart. Its improved a lot in the past few years but it doesn’t make it any easier on emotions for those going through it.
Just to give a couple examples at other campuses, at Ohio State there are 16 sororities, the GPA ranges from 3.64 to 3.24 (similar range to IU, just up a tenth) and the top 8 sororities in the subjective “top house” ranking are all in the top 9 of GPA. At the University of Alabama, which has a huge recruitment, there are 16 sororities and the GPA ranges from 3.66 to 2.87 (a bigger range). The sorority which has the “top house” rank on campus also has the #1 GPA. The sororities in the top 6 in the artificial “top house” ranking are all within the top 9 in GPA. So, I guess part of my original point, especially if one is coming from out of state where they might be more familiar with a different recruitment, is that IU does not really follow that same pattern.