To give an indication:
When I pledged I also trained to become a Staff member for orientation, trained to be on our radio station, was an SGA senator, was in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, was involved in a leadership organization called IMPACT, and also in the Student Activities Board, all that piled on top of having the most difficult major on campus. That semester was my best ever, I got a 3.96. Granted, classes were a bit easier than most semesters after that but still. The point is, it can be done no matter how hard or time consuming it is. You just have to really focus and manage your time well.
I think the main reason why grades can drop during pledging isn't due to grades. A big reason could be that the Brothers/Sisters are hazing them so much that they're just too stressed out to concentrate on school. Or, at the other end of the spectrum, the NM are having way too much fun and getting caught up in it all and forgetting that they actually have to go to class and do homework. If you can avoid these two things, you should be fine Jamie.
