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In the houses where grades are a very big deal it gets really stressful. I have a friend in my dorm last year who is a Theta and she wasn't able to live in house because her gardes were below 3.6 (or soemthing like that). She loves her chapter but she's told me many times that the grades are a lot of pressure.

That's true in my house, too. But it's not because someone's grades aren't high enough. It's that there is a point system and you earn points for things like volunteer hours, participation, GPA, etc. Then the points are all added up and ranked. The people from high to low get to choose things like which rooms they want and, unfortunately, the people at the lower end might not get to live in the house because there are more sophomores than there are rooms. So it's not just a grade cutoff, but grades are factored in. That's why I think it is difficult for someone with less than stellar grades to pledge a house known for academics. There is a lot of pressure to measure up and they start out at a disadvantage because, clearly, they don't know how to study and perhaps are out of their league. On the other hand, there are really good things about it, too, because we are all here to get an education and being in an environment that values that helps all the way around. But it's up to you. I never had trouble getting outstanding grades in high school and was salutatorian. I found, though, that in my sorority I was just average.