There are a lot of folks who go down the fraternity and sorority route while they are in college. Pledging can be whatever you make of it. It can be your most wonderful dream or it can be your worst nightmare. I have seen students pledge and go on to do great things and become great people. I have also seen people die. Death is not something that you want or deserve when you head off to college. It's certainly not what your parents want for you either.

First, you need to make sure that you don't forget what you came to school for in the first place. Some students go to college and practically major in pledging. That is the dumbest thing I've ever seen in my life! They spend all their time with their frat or sorority and even skip lots of classes for organization functions. If they were to put that same energy into their school work, they would be straight "A" students. It's not that hanging with your friends is a problem, it's that you don't want that kind of activity to take over your entire collegiate existence.

You are in college to learn and get an education, not to pledge. So, that means that if you have any serious GPA issues, then you need to wait and try to join the grad chapter (the grad chapter is when you pledge AFTER you graduate). Pledging takes time, money and usually involves a lot of late nights, which isn't exactly going to make you ripe and fresh the next morning. A good rule of thumb is to expect that your GPA is probably going to drop a bit when you pledge. Don't take all your tough classes when you pledge, and you might even want to take a reduced course load. The worst thing in the world would be for you to have your GPA hit the skids and to also be rejected from your fraternity/sorority because you couldn't put the time into it. If your GPA is already struggling, then you don't need to pledge right away. That is like buying a new house when you are already two dollars away from bankruptcy.

Be ready to chunk out some "dolluhs" if you pledge. The cost of pledging can range from a couple hundred bucks to more than $1,000. If you don't have the money, you might need to save before the fact in order to make this happen. I don't recommend using rent money for this kind of thing, unless your new sorority sisters are going to give you a place to live for free. If the money is too much for you, then don't do it. Also, make sure that you are prepared for the other expenses that might crop up as a result of pledging, like paying for the shirts, jackets, canes, pimp hats or whatever the group likes for you to have.

The key in college is not to be a complete nerd, nor to become 100% party animal. The goal is to have a fulfilling experience, while simultaneously ensuring that you are committed to being at the top of your class. College is NOT TIME to be mediocre, for mediocrity is the demon that will haunt you for the rest of your life.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and author of the book, "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about College." To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.