how does fraternity rush work exactly?

There was a post on this site that I came across not too long ago. The comments are useful, read them as well because they might be of use to you.

www.greekrank.com/uni/90/topic/1216288/how-many-people-ru sh-certain-frats/

I hope I have been of aid - may the odds be ever in your favor.

I neglected to mention that PRIOR to the first round of contacts, there are, of course, smokers and a couple night events between 1/18 and 1/20. At these smokers rushes can visit any House, meet brothers, eat the chef's food, and tour the physical house. These events are generally stilted. Depending on the house, rushes outnumber brothers or brothers outnumber rushes. Try to speak with a lot of different brothers. Ask questions about the House, the brother, the food, whatever, but try not to dominate the conversation, especially in a large group. The first round of contacts for most Houses will include any guys who came and seemed socially competent, so don't try to stand out during the initial smokers.

Go to as many Houses as you can during these few days. Get a taste for what you like and don't like about each one and use it to come up with a shorter list to focus on during the coming week. Don't just consider what you want, also consider the amount of interest you feel from the House. Many guys make the mistake of "suicide rushing" a "top" House that receives hundreds of interested guys each year. These guys will go to every event, at the expense of all other Houses' events, only to find out they didn't make the next round of contacts, or didn't receive a bid. This puts you in the awkward situation of trying to get back in the good graces of Houses you previously spurned. Otherwise, you may end up not going Greek or joining the community a semester later than you wanted.