should i rush top/upper frats?

Being invited to a dirty rush event is not a prerequisite to rushing a fraternity. You have to take the two hours of orientation, and then most houses will be willing to meet you during the first two days. The number of men who have completed the two hours of orientation is much lower than the numbers that signed up for formal rush in prior years. So, there are fewer men seeking more PC slots than in prior years. So, go for it.

I know you’re supposed to do the two hours of orientation, but I just want to throw this out there. I never did the orientation last year and I rushed and pledged.... not really sure how they enforce it, because a bunch of other people in my pc didn’t do the “mandatory” orientation pre-event things. So maybe that’s not a good barometer for the size of the rush pool.

It is definitely harder without going to dirty rush events. If you really fit their brotherhood, you can get a bid. I'd check out a lot of different frats, across different tiers. There are 4 days of smokers, and only 2 after first contacts. You want to spend your time effectively