connections

It's not as bad as the GR trolls make it sound. There's really only 3 houses where Mississippi connections/legacies are almost an absolute requirement. There's a couple more where connections are very helpful. But there are just as many houses that will evaluate PNMs based on their resumes, GPAs, rec letters and getting to know you. There are some sororities that are almost entirely made up of OOS students. The best way to connect to actives is to try to meet as many as you can when you come to campus. Try to meet members from ALL the sororities. AND ignore all the drama mamas on this site, they'll all crazy.

Plenty of girls rush every year with no connections and get into a house. The most important thing is to be open; as the poster above wrote, there are some houses that require connections, others where connections are helpful, and those where it's not required. Ignore the tent talk / tier talk, go to every party and have fun, look to connect with the members, and try to relax. A good example is a girl I know from out West - she not only came in with no connections, she really had no idea of how rush worked (or how brutal it can be). She stuck with it and wound up going to pref parties at a house where connections are really helpful and one where they weren't really required...and got into the one she really wanted.