recruitment hesitation

Hi! Sororities do take sophomores- each house has an upperclassmen quota. If you don't pay your fee, I believe you aren't registered so it would be void.
HOWEVER, I strongly encourage you to rush your freshman year. A lot of my friends rushed as sophomores and they wish they could have that extra year in a sorority. It also really helps ease your transition into college by setting you up with a strong support system (with food and a house away from home) immediately. If anything, maybe pay the fee, rush, and if you aren't feeling it a few weeks after receiving a bid, drop and rush again as a sophomore. But I strongly encourage you to go through recruitment as a freshman, even just to try it out and meet people.

I 100% recommend going through recruitment as a freshman and seeing how it goes. For me, having a sorority as a freshman really helped me adjust to college. I had a family away from home, I had home cooked lunches and dinners with family every night, I had a support system and study buddies and somebody to cry to when I was homesick - I don't know how I would have made it without them!