pi beta phi

I would not say "immediately". I would say that pnms that are not a "guy's girl" type or otherwise pretty darn good looking have to overcome that aspect of their profile at Pi Phi more than at some other new row houses.

Of those you list (Phi Mu, DDD, etc.), I think you are on target, but KD, DDD and Kappa will take very average looking pnms if they have good friends already in the house pulling for them (i.e., from certain areas of Texas, Alabama, etc.). A "best friend" can get in there even if she is not all that cute -- but she has to pass some minimum threshold on appearance so that the house feels well represented out there. Chances are if a pnm is that close to actives in the house already, she already is cute enough...

Pi Phi is looking for the total package---just like most other middle to upper tier houses. If you have really great grades, that will probably help out if you aren't the cutest. If you're super cute and have a great personality, then that will help you if your grades aren't the best. It's all about balance and what you can bring to a house