legacies - how legit?

No, you don't have to join the sorority you're a legacy at. You have a say in the decision making process, and if you rank them low, you'll most likely end up at a different chapter.

Other sororities will have no idea if you're a legacy at another chapter---unless you tell them during your conversations at recruitment---so no, being a legacy should not affect your bids at other chapters.

Being a legacy at a house shouldn't be a concern unless they invite you back to Philanthropy or Preference rounds, because by then, you're usually on their bid list. If being a legacy is a concern at that point, talk to your legacy chapter and be honest about how you feel about them. Talk to the other chapter you really want and tell them you're worried about going to your legacy chapter; if they like you they'll try and rank you higher.

Basically, don't sweat it. Everything will work out the way it should.

You don't HAVE to join, but:

1. Some of the other houses may assume you are going to pick your legacy house, so if they are hard-pressed to drop some PNMs for the next round, they could hold it against you. I haven't ever witnessed this before, just heard about it from a legacy.

2. You have a dang good chance of getting into the house you are a legacy at.

If you are pretty sure that you DON'T want to join your legacy house for whatever reason, you maybe shouldn't report it when you register for recruitment. If you are unsure, report it, but bring it up in conversation with the girls in other houses! Tell them that you are open to other houses and you want to see which house is the best fit for YOU, not for your relative! That should hopefully prevent any assumptions on their end!