going up/going down

It seems to me that the secret to moving up the ranks and having overall better recruitments is a result of overall sweetness and good sisterhood. All the houses that improved over the course of this year (DG, Tridelt, GPhi, SK) have improved this year, and I would say that's because they're nice girls. DG gets a bad reputation for being mean and stuck up just becayse they are a top house, but I have personally never met a DG who was rude or mean. They're intimidating because they're so perfect, but they're far from rude or conceited.
Tridelt and GPhi are sweet chill girls.
I've never met an SK with a bad personality either.

On the other hand, chapters like APhi, Theta, AXO, PiPhi... I mean don't get me wrong because every chapter has some nice girls and this is just a wide generalization, but APhi is one of the meanest chapters to other chapters that I've met. Within the "upper tiers" I would say that DG, Tridelt, and GPhi get along with other "lower tier" chapters and are friends with them, but APhi are like elitists like girl Phi Psis or something. Theta puts down Tridelt and GPhi every time they open their mouths, and AXO and PiPhi are mean to their own sisters so I'm not going to even start with the things I've heard them say about the other chapters.

PNMs join sororities not for hot girls but for sisterhood, so if you want the cream of the crop pick from the new girls, you better be loving and friendly. It's not rocket science.