pnm

Will letters of rec increase my chances? Would it be bad if I dropped and rushed again if I didn't get into the top 4?

Letters of Rec will definitely increase your chances, because it will let give the girls an extra reason to remember you by. Remember, they are meeting over a thousand girls in a week, so if you really want to be in a top house, there has to be something special about you that they can remember you by. They actually cut a lot of girls that they like because there just isn't space, so you have to be sure you make yourself seem really special, and that they just couldn't imagine their pledge class without you. And it isn't necessarily bad (a lot of people actually do that, so try to keep an open mind) but keep in mind that freshman have higher chances of getting into sororities than any other year (pretty sure there's quotas for how many sophomores, juniors, seniors they can take) so making a good impression freshman year is your best bet.

Honestly, not that much. As a girl, you can still go to any fraternity party that you want. If you're friends with guys in the top frats, you can still go to their invites and hang out with them. The only thing you maybe wouldn't be able to do would be the intermingling between a sorority and a fraternity - such as an exchange - that usually the top houses set up with one another. To be honest though, those house-only events happen at most about 5 times a semester. Other than that, as long as you're outgoing and social, you'll do fine regardless what house you're in.

Yes, but I wouldn't recommend it. If you didn't get in the first year, unless it was a total fluke and you become friends with a lot of people in the house, it's very unlikely you'll get in the second year.