a lot of (probably stupid) questions about rushing/sororities

[UMCP'06]

Hi everyone! i am new to this board, and i haven't even started college yet (as you can see from my user name, i start in about a month) so i really don't know too much about greek life, but i am interested in finding out more! i have some pretty stupid questions, but if anyone could help me out, i would really appreciate it!

1. a lot of my friends (who are already in college) have been trying to discourage me from joining a sorority. i don't see why some people seem to have such a problem with it! (i know this isn't really a question, but has anyone else experienced this, and how did you deal with it?)

2. i am aware that the rushing/pledging process is different at every school, but in general, is there a large chance that a girl will not receive bids from any sorority (there are 14 at my school)? this is one of the biggest factors making me apprehensive about the whole recruitment process!

3. is it a bad idea to rush during your first semester of school? usually rush is in the spring because you need to have 12+ credits to join, but i already have 17 going into school, so i could do it in the fall if i wanted to, and i was thinking that it might be less hectic/competitive than in the fall. some people are telling me it might be a good idea to get a true feel for the school before going ahead and joining a sorority in case i change my mind.

4. now i know that not all sorority girls are blond haired, blue eyed cheerleaders (not that there's anything wrong with that, i'm just trying to point out the stereotype) - i am really pretty far from this image. especially as a person who is overweight, i often worry that people judge me immediately upon looking at me. do you think this is common during the rushing process, and would it hinder my chances significantly? (again, i know every sorority is different so there is no general rule here)

I am sorry to be so long winded here! hopefully if you've had the energy to read through my whole post you can offer some insights.

Thank You!