I never envisioned myself in a sorority. In fact, I specifically told people that I would not be joining one when I came to college. But all that changed when I put aside my stereotypical view of sororities and the people in them and looked into it as a way to make friends with like-minded people.
My roommate is the one who initially convinced me to rush, and luckily, we both made it into the same organization together. My sorority has a strong focus on community service and contributing positively to the Boston area, which is perfectly aligned with my interests. The way to find your home in a sorority is to look at what different organizations value, and to put aside your reservations about sororities in general because you never know what you could be missing out on by being closed minded.
One of the main aspects of sororities that I saw as “cringey” or “overhyped” before I joined was the “big and little” process. I had seen so many social media posts and YouTube videos about girls literally unwrapping their friends who were covered in wrapping paper or doing some other wild thing, and suddenly starting to call them “mom.” The whole thing seemed really bizarre and corny to me, but then I got to experience the process myself.
This past weekend, I attended my very own big little reveal, and I would like to formally take back every criticism I have ever given of those events in the past. I got my first choice for big, and I unwrapped her from the wrapping paper with no shame. Afterward, my new family and I discussed whether or not we guessed who my big was throughout the week and had a great dinner. While I do think the matching shirts and anonymous Facebook pages can be a bit extra, they are just fun. That is the big secret to why sorority big and little is a big deal. It is just fun.
You get an automatic new family, and with that, a bunch of new best friends. While it can be seen as over the top and extra, or maybe even cheesy, that only contributes to how much fun it is. As a girl who used to see sororities in general as cringey, I know how it looks to people who are not in them.
However, from the inside, these events are wholesome and super fun. Plus, no matter what you think of sororities or big little events, we are still gonna be happy and enjoying ourselves with our new families. Try to be open-minded when you see people being happy about what they are involved in!
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