Sorority dues were quite expensive (for my family) and had to be paid whether you lived in the house or not. Most sisters did not live in the house, and had to pay dorm fees and meal plans (or live in an apartment) in addition to the sorority fees. That's another reason why I did not choose to go through rush and join a sorority, although it was not the only reason. I have two brothers younger than me and I would not have felt right about asking my family to swing the sorority dues on top of everything else.