pricing and time

The time commitment varies among sororities and depends on how much you want to take on. The weekly meetings are typically mandatory for all members and if you miss multiple meetings you can be barred from social events, etc. Some events (especially philanthropy events) will also be mandatory for everyone. Some sororities (namely Alpha Phi) have a point system where if you miss mandatory events and meetings you can be fined, but not all do this.

If you decide to take on an officer position or join a certain committee it can be a much bigger time commitment but you usually don't do that in your first semester anyway, so you have time to learn more and see if that's what you want to do.

I do think it's important to keep in mind that as with anything, you get out what you put in. Everyone in the sorority has academics as their first priority because they're at Hopkins, and the Greek life time commitments at this school tend to be less intense than at state schools for that reason. While your sisters will totally understand that you want to focus on your GPA, it's also not really an excuse to skip out on mandatory things because everyone's in the same boat. While date parties, formals, and sisterhood events are generally not mandatory, what's the point of joining if you only want to attend the minimum number of meetings necessary and skip the fun stuff? Some girls assume sorority = instant friendship, but it won't happen unless you participate and get to know your sisters.

The amount you'll spend on dues depends on the group but is typically around a few hundred dollars per semester. You should be able to ask this question of any sorority you're rushing. They won't be offended or anything.

Also keep in mind sororities have a lot of "optional" expenses that aren't really that optional. For example, Bigs often spend hundreds of dollars on their Littles for secret week. Some groups require you (or just strongly pressure you) to purchase t-shirts and other accessories with money not included in your dues, while others include all of that under dues. You may have to pay for your badge yourself for initiation. There are also dresses for date parties and formals, dinners out with sisters, etc. Of course you can do all of this cheaply if you have to (that's why so many Bigs do a lot of baked goods instead of expensive gifts during secret week - we're all semi-broke undergrads) but it will be an extra expense.

Some girls pay for all of it with part-time jobs or their parents just give them money. But it's good that you're thinking about it now instead of being blindsided later and having to drop for financial reasons.