what are connections??

Mostly just knowing someone in the house, even if it's only distantly, is what we mean by connections. Being a legacy gives you NO guarantees of getting a bid. There are double and triple legacies that get dropped from houses every year.

And just because you have no connections at a house does not mean you will automatically be dropped. I'm in an Old Row house known for only taking girls with connections and I had ZERO connections. It's all about grades, your resume and how you present yourself.

Connections mean knowing someone in the house.
Going into rush, it's great if you know someone even just a little and it's even better if they can refer you to the recruitment committee. However, when most people talk about "connections" they mean someone you know well enough to vouch for your character and fight for you to be pulled in. Connections are especially important with Old Row houses because most Old Row houses are girls from the same areas who have known each other since they were children. So, connections in terms of going Old Row means knowing/being close friends with several actives.

Is it more cliquey in Old Row houses then- especially if you get a bid from one of them and aren't particularly connected?

I'd say I had a pretty good rush for an OOS girl, and I ended up preffing 3 OR houses with different degrees of connections. The house I put last I had an in-house cousin and I knew all of her friends. The house I put second, I didn't know anyone personally but my older brother was in a fraternity at bama and he knew a bunch of girls in that house and they ended up rushing me pretty hard. In my first house (the one I ended up going) I didn't know a soul until spring parties, and thats when I met literally one single girl (who later became my big) who made sure I was coming back every round. there are plenty of girls in my pledge class who got bids without connections, but they do help. moral of the story: even the weakest possible connection can do a lot for you, so don't worry if you don't know a ton of girls!! good luck :)