Hopefully this will help.
I was a scholarship runner who planned to join a frat. It wasn't really a question; it was kind of a given. I was being rushed as soon as I committed to my school.
I am from the South and frats are a pretty big deal among the guys/girls I gre up with. I knew which one I was going to join and started going out with the guys before rush even started b/c I was on campus 2 weeks early for athletics. Immediately, it was an issue. I figured things would slow down, but they only got worse. Once school started and the real rush began, I knew it was going to be a problem. I felt a sense of relief when the T&F head coach made an announcement that no freshmen could pledge 1st semester. So I told the brothers that I would have to pledge the next year, which was disappointing to them, but they understood. I figured it would give me a year to get into the swing of things and prove my myself to the team. Throughout the year, I hung out with the brothers less-and-less. I really bonded with the older guys on my team and felt a true sense of team. I did not have that in High School, where I liked the guys but they weren't really my friends outside of practice and meets.
So sophomore year roles around and I figured it was time to join the fraternity. I considered it more of a box to check. Something to make things "official." Even this early on, I knew my time with the frat would be limited. I had run some fast times the Spring before and spent most of my summer running high mileage. I was on scholarship and my father agreed to pay for the frat because he was getting off cheap compared to my two sisters (private schools).
Long story short, I felt like an idiot pledging. There were other sophomores - that wasn't it - but my issue came from the fact that I just had no desire to impress the brothers. I had no desire to win them over. I had no desire to party all night. I had no desire to live their lifestyle. I was thinking of it as a formality: something that would look good on my CV and kind of legitimize my inclusion at parties, etc. I liked the guys a lot, mind you. I really did. It wasn't them at all. I just had no need for it anymore.
So one night the brothers come to my apartment late to get me for some ceremony and I just told them I'd had enough. I had a hard workout the next morning and it just didn't make sense.
I am still friends with a lot of the brothers to this day. I am in my mid thirties. I remember some of the guys took it really hard and were pissed at me, but whatever... I made a choice and I am glad that I made the right decision.
My advice to any freshman would be to wait a year and see if you still want to do it sophomore year. Blame it on your coach if you have to. It also depends on your school. Greek life can be really big at some schools and not so important at others.
If I had gone to Wofford or some other small, private school in the South, I probably would have joined one. Being at a large ACC school, I just didn't make sense.