[Porsche-O-Phile]

Pick the schools with the best programs in the area she wants to study. After that, other criteria I used to consider was who was giving me the best assistance/incentives/scholarships, etc. The one that gave me the right "vibe" was important too - remember you're investing a lot of time and money there so it's not inappropriate to rule out a place with otherwise good "metrics" just because it doesn't feel right. At the end of the day, it's better to be in a place you like which will help you get As rather than to be in a place you hate which will discourage you and maybe you'll end up with Cs even if the former school is ranked not quite as high as the latter...

I'm more impressed by an A student from a good school than a B or C student from a great school... YMMV.

WRT the sorority/greek thing - it's up to her. Let her try it. I went greek when I was a freshman and it was a fun experience and helped with a lot of my social phobias. They're not all just keg parties (although those do happen).