don’t know anyone

You need to keep an open mind. It’s highly unlikely you’ll get cut all together but that doesn’t mean you’ll love the houses you have by the end. My suggestion is stick it through until pref and choose the house you most see yourself in. You can always drop if you really don’t like it but give it a shot. You may get lucky and keep the houses you like all the way through but it’s very common for out of state girls to not pref their top houses (happens to some in state girls as well).

Your comments and thoughts are very common for someone from out of state. It is absolutely difficult sometimes if you don't know people or if you are not a legacy. There are some very welcoming sororities that I know have taken amazing young women with no connections. TIPS don't focus on sororities that are considered "old row" because they have so many connections it can be hard to get in. Try to look at down to earth sororities with cool girls like Pi Phi, Alpha Phi, Sigma Kappa. They have been great accepting out of state girls and every sorority is so big that they will have some people that you can find friends. Most sororities have some groups that provide great sisterhood and fun socials. DON'T LISTEN TO PEOPLE THAT SAY TRUST THE PROCESS. A lot of sororities make decisions before rush, so don't fool yourself about that. Try not to get caught up on the tiers. They are all just made up of lots of girls, but some of them are almost impossible to break into if you don't have some kind of ties because of the numbers.

So many people have been in your shoes. Try not to get your heart set on any group of sororities and just go with it. The rush process really is exhausting and really sucks. At the same time, I met some amazing girls on the bus during rush and they are still my friends today. You will be grouped by last name, so that sometimes has an impact on how you are "stereotyped" by some of the sororities, even if they don't admit it. Some of the sororities do have legacy girls they feel compelled to take and sometimes it is based on knowing people in high school, or purely on Looks, wealth or Instagram fame. Even though that really sucks try not to let it get you down, or worry about it. Try to get recommendations from the sororities that you are most interested in, but don't worry if you don't get them all. Some sororities don't give them a lot of attention except for the photo & who you know & some of them do, so it's a mixed bag. It's not a fun process, but don't be put off by the tiers and the ranks that you read about. All of the sororities have fun socials with frats. The biggest difference is some frats prefer to have socials with sororities that they deem more popular with their group. Also at UGA a lot of out of state people don't realize how much freshman go out to bars. I didn't really party in high school, so I had no idea about the ID issues if you want to go out downtown are a real thing for freshman, but you will figure it out. MOST importantly try to connect with your roommate & hallmates because the adjustment at UGA can really be a BEAR.