sorority ranking criteria

ranks are pretty much only based on popularity/looks/social schedule

I think the sorority ranks are based primarily on looks. Good looking girls want to hang out with other good looking girls. And the cool frats want to hang out with the good looking girls. Most people who are in the greek system are doing so because they want to hang out with cool guys and hot girls. That's my two cents.

Sisterhood 1st and foremost. If that isn’t strong, it’s a long road.

Sadly my chapter at UMich is one of the so called “top” that is known to not have strong sisterhood and I wish I could say that was not true overall. It is very true but I love the girls that I became close with and value them very much. I have witnessed some serious dog fights and mean girl stuff though too.

The rankings seem based on appearances and surface level factors.

Appearance then how hard you party.

Rankings don’t care about GPA/ philanthropy/ sisterhood/ service/ kindness etc.

I agree that looks go into it. And I think the rankings on this site are accurate on in terms of which houses has the best looking girls (or at least which ones people say/think has the best looking girls). But there are plenty of hotties and cool, popular, fun girls outside of the top houses (and there are plenty of them in the top houses who don't meet that description). Wanting to go to a "top" house based on its popularity is dumb. And dropping a "low" house simply because it isn't popular is dumb too. Other than rush week, no one really cares what sorority you're in. And you'll be stuck hanging out with the girls in your sorority. A LOT. So choose wisely.

Rankings are only based on superficial/shallow things, like looks, popularity, and (perceived) wealth. Also, given that we’re such a misogynistic society, girls are judged by the company they keep, so the frats they mix with also go into the rankings of the sororities.

In general, the further down the tiers you go, you will find better relationships, sisterhoods, GPAs, campus involvement (other than partying), etc. The only glaring exceptions would be AXO sisterhood is good for an higher ranked sorority and KD’s is bad compared to the other lower ranked houses.

Don’t get caught up in the hype of rankings.

You seem to know that you shouldn't take the rankings too seriously. Use them as a tool and a general rule of thumb ... when people talk about "top" sororities, that doesn't have anything to do with "good" - it just means they care about outward appearances and partying. The bottom tiers are less concerned about. And the middle tiers are - well - a mix of both. There can be very good (or bad) sisterhood in each house, in every tier, but the ranks just have to do with superficial stuff and - to some extent - priorities (social activities vs parties vs frat affiliation vs community charity work)

It is so subjective. Like ranking which TV show is the best. Or which song is the best. Sure there can be an objective "ranking" - which TV show gets the highest ratings or which song has the most plays - and that is basically what these sorority rankings are. But that obviously doesn't help ... when all you should care about is which TV show or song YOU like.

There are a lot of rankings on this site, and they are pretty similar; there are a few rando lists posted by house trolls ... but most are very accurate. And they match up with what everyone on campus already knows - there are a few different "tiers" of popularity and there isn't much dispute about it. But yes, they are based on looks and social.