need clarification

I should also mention I am not from NOVA.

Virginia is considered the north to everyone when you come here

There aren’t too many girls from Virginia in the “super Southern” houses (alpha gam and chi o) but I know that kd and Kappa both take girls from Virginia.

There may be girls that say Virginia is in the North but it’s definitely different than the Mideast girls. I would say that you’ll have a similar experience to the girls from the Carolinas.

I’m in one of the older southern houses on OR and we love our Richmond girls!!

I grew up in NOVA, with parents who were from Southern Virginia and Tennessee. I was surprised to discover that further south, they don't consider people from Virginia to be southerners at all, even though I was born and raised 90 miles from the Capitol of the South (Richmond), when that was a thing.

However, go anywhere North or West, and you will be considered just as southern as anyone from Alabama. They will also stat talking about your adorable accent, which I don't have at all. I might say a few southern words and phrases, because my entire family are from the south, but no accent.

As far as Rush goes, you probably won't be considered southern, but you are considered more southern than the rest of the country, if that makes sense. I had a great rush and got into a great sorority. Girls were full of questions during Recruitment about being raised near DC. If you're from Norfolk, Tidewater, Hampton, or Richmond (which also cracks me up), you'll likely be in the same boat as me.

Good luck!

Virginia Beach/Newport News is still kind of NOVA-ish. My aunt lives in Richmond and I'd say that the culture there is very Southern. If you're from the kind of high school where lacrosse is a big deal and target schools are Washington and Lee and William&Mary then many things at Old Row houses will feel similar, but Alabama Greek Life on the whole is more about partying than making a small exclusive club of rich kids.

If you have connections, then you will be good to go. If you don't, as long as you have your grades squared away, you should have a good rush.

I’m from Virginia also (not nova) and I’m in a Old Row house. I know Virginia girls in KD, Phi Mu, Kappa, Tri Delt, and Alpha Chi. Not saying Chi O or Alpha Gam won’t take you!! I simply just don’t know any girls from Virginia in them. Don’t worry about that so much during rush because going in to It I figured that could make a difference and I really feel like it didn’t change my rush... probably because VA is generally known as Southern to most people and if it’s not, people just think of it as a neutral state meaning not really northern or southern!

Technically, Maryland is in the south based on the Mason Dixon line, but as a NOVA gal, born and raised, I've never visited College Park or Baltimore and thought, "What a lovely southern town." Pretty sure they don't want to be considered Southern either.

Even Ocean City doesn't have that Southern feel, because real Southerners go further south to the beach, and Northerners tend to think Ocean City is far enough, if they even make it that far. Rehobeth and Bethany Beach in Delaware are both nice, but the water is FREEZING.

As someone from NoVa there is a pretty decent split between NoVa girls and girls from the rest of the state. If you are from Richmond you are much more likely to go KD or DDD whereas all of the girls from my town (large suburb outside of DC) have gone either Zeta or Pi Phi in the past three or four years aside from myself and I believe one girl who went KD.

Thanks to all for the insight!