[AChiOhSnap]

I think the Greek life time committment is manageable for just about any traditional student, in terms of the bare minimum requirements. That said, you get out of a sorority what you're willling to put into the sorority...

I spent about 15-20 hours a week on sorority stuff during my NM period. Only a fraction of this time was actual mandatory stuff (new member meetings, philanthropy, etc.) but I felt the additional time was necessary. Sometimes I spent way more than that. 15-20 hours was probably about the average that members of my NM class spent on AXO.

When you join a sorority, I actually recommend that you spend as much time as possible with your sisters in the beginning -- this is where that "big time committment" comes in. There are a few reasons for this: these are some of the best bonding times with your sisters and it shows your early dedication to the org. (which is extremely beneficial if you ever decide to pursue an executive board position).

I had sisters in my new member class that actually spent about 30hrs a week with sorority stuff on top of mandatory sorority activities. Studying at the house, hanging out with actives in their rooms or apartments, meeting up with sisters at the library, going out to dinner, shopping, going to parties or staying in with movies on the weekends, pledge class bonding activities, etc.

But you know what? It doesn't feel like a crazy time committment because all this stuff is really, really fun. A lot of the things you need to do in college (studying, extracurriculars, volunteering) is just a lot better when you have a sister to do it with you.

Yes, there were members of my NM class that spent the bare minimum in terms of time with the sorority. It can be done, as long as you do all the mandatory stuff. While these girls were happy in AXO, these were also the sisters that didn't really bond as well with everyone else, at least not right away, and they sometimes felt left out/lonely when everyone else formed really strong relationships with other sisters. Women who put in the bare minimum were also at a disadvantage when running for a position within the chapter, because members simply didn't know them as well or think they were as strong of a choice as a sister who put in more time/effort.

Like I said, I highly recommend you put in a lot of time to the sorority at the beginning. It is a time committment, but if sorority life is your thing, it's barely noticeable.

As a final aside, and just to echo what others have said: The first -- and only -- semester I earned a 4.0 was my new member semester. If you're good at time management, a sorority can only enhance your academic and social life at college.