dues

You set up an account that your house uses for billing and you get a bill. If you live in the house you can get some tax relief as it is your student housing. Same with the food portion of your dues. It's up to you or your parents to figure that one out. The chapter and nationals just deal with handing out the bill, not helping you figure out how you can pay them.

I'll be a freshman too. How much are dues each semester or year?

2-3 k a semester

My dues were $3,500 for first semester.

Highest for first semester. My dues were almost $3,700. They dropped to $3,200 for second. Living in house can add an additional $4k plus per semester. Nationals were billed separate and those were a couple hundred each semester. The range varies. Usually the newer the crib, the higher the dues. If a house you really like is in a newly built house, your dues will be on the high side. If your favs have been in their house for awhile, your dues should be a bit less. If they're currently building a house, you probably won't get hit with the high dues until the house is completed.