what's up with pi phi here?

There is no status quo. Reputation and rank change every 2-4 years. Nothing is set in stone. If you like their girls - join them and ignore the reputation./ rank. If you like the vibe from other sororities - ignore the legacy and try something different.
P.S. Reputation is often based on how hot the majority of girls in a group are, how often do they go out, which frat they have mixers with the most and how many of their girls hooked up with top frat's brothers. It's lame and stupid! Every woman at Hopkins is smart, talented and has potentially bright future. Why pay attention to such petty thing as Greek rank? Live like a leader and do what you feel is right for you. Good luck!

There's five sororities here and a bunch of salty under-average girls so naturally, they have to find one sorority to label as the "bottom" one to enhance their sense of superiority. And this is coming from a senior who's in a sorority (not pi phi) who's so sick of this petty ranking BS. I promise you it stops mattering after sophomore year. Join the sorority you vibe with the most! There is no national "best sorority" and reputations vary wildly from campus to campus. THese are the girls you'll spend 3.5+ years of your college life with, so dont listen to what others say and just pick for yourself.

A lot of people in the Greek and non-Greek community consider pi phi the "bottom" or "least attractive" sorority (which is stupid considering we only have 5 sororities). That's probably the "issue" you're talking about and if you care enough why you can to go to their page on Greek Rank and see nasty things people write behind the anonymity of their computer.

When you rush you should def keep an open mind. Don't let superficial things like reputation or looks determine whether or not you join pi phi, also don't let the fact that you're a legacy stop you from considering other sororitys. If you like the girls who cares what anybody else thinks. If you're joining a sorority for the right reasons, things like popularity amongst boys and looks shouldn't cause you to overlook pi phi (or any other sorority).

legacies are rare at hopkins, and it can help you with multiple sororities (not just pip hi, other sororities like to see if another member of your family has been involved in greek life) so definitely go through rush with an open mind and give every sorority a chance

People like to pretend that what sorority you end up in doesnt matter but it really does. The drama is all the same but think about what you want out of a sorority. For example some sororities have more girls in certain majors than others. And not all fraternities mix with all the sororities so if youre friends with guys in a certain frat, you might want to choose a sorority that mixes with them.

Some of the talk that pi phi gets they dont really deserve, but being in pi phi will not offer the same experience as being in a sorority that is "better ranked" ...not necessarily better but different.