money

A lot of houses look for wealthier girls, tri delt, kappa, and kd are just a few. For most others it's about them knowing you'll pay the expensive dues. For a lot of houses though it's just to make sure you'll keep up the houses image. To answer your question a lot of times you can just tell by how the girls dress. Do they have an expensive dye job? Did they say they're from mountain brook or another well known rich area? Does the girl mention working all summer? Some houses will even Zillow your address. That being said, if you don't have a lot of money that doesn't mean you'll necessarily be cut. It just means you should have some other very positive qualities

They want to be sure you can not only pay dues, but does your family see the value of paying dues for four years -- will you make it the long haul? If your parents or siblings are greek alums, they know what is involved and the financial commitment. It isn't just the dues, it is the shirts, the philanthropy, the gifts for your little/big, appropriate clothing, clothing for recruitment, money for nights out and formal weekends, spring break, away games, etc. A sorority can show you a number on paper, but you should add about 25%-30% to it. They don't want girls who do it for a semester and quit because they got in over their head. The difference between strong houses and less strong are the once with senior classes that are still 50% of their original number.