With sorority recruitment coming up in a couple months, I want to share some wisdom on how to find your perfect Big. First of all, don't worry so much! It might sound cliché but be yourself. Your Big could become one of your best friends if you really open up and show her your true colors. It's better to find a Big who you love to hang out with than find a Big who you think is the "coolest" out of all of your sisters. Follow these steps and I promise you'll have the best Big for you in no time!
1. Treat your potential Big like a potential boyfriend.
Take her out to dinner or out for ice cream. If you share a fun and animated conversation with minimal awkward pauses, you’ll know that this person will be a terrific choice to accompany you when you’re craving your favorite food. You could even go to a date party together – she can show you the ropes and you can decide if she’s a fun wing-woman in social gatherings!
2. Lay all of your cards on the table.
Tell her your absolute favorite thing...something you know everything about, but you might not want to bring it up in a stereotypical sorority girl conversation. For me, I brought up "Harry Potter" because at home my sister and I are the No. 1 HP fan girls. When I brought it up, the girl who became my Big was also an extreme fan of "Harry Potter" and we had a very heated conversation about our shared love for Draco Malfoy. This is important because if you choose a Big and they do not agree with your favorite obsessions, how can you ever truly be close?
3. Take her back in time and tell her some of your favorite memories.
If she can relate, odds are you girls will enjoy doing the same activities. This can result in your Big spontaneously coming over to pick you up and take you on an adventure that she knows you will both love. Once, I told my Big how I loved going to old record stores and used book shops at home, so one day she picked me up and we bought so much music and so many classic books that it became one of my favorite memories with my Big.
4. Discover her favorite Netflix shows.
If the two of you share at least a few favorite Netflix shows, then this girl is the perfect candidate for Netflix binge-watching marathons. Binge watching shows is a great way to bond with friends – especially if you both are somewhat obsessed with the shows. It’s always better to have someone there for you when your favorite character dies or finally gets with his or her love interest.
5. Get to know her best friends in and out of your sorority.
Are her friends like your friends, or do you enjoy hanging out with them? This one is extremely important because if you want to spend plenty of time with your Big, you’ll need to get along with her friends who will certainly be around frequently. Also, when everyone is looking for Bigs and Littles, the Bigs often bring their potential Littles places together to try to avoid the one-on-one awkward silence. If you make friends with all of these people, you’ll surely get really close to the others in your pledge class!
6. Let her introduce you to new things.
When you learn all of the amazing things you’ve been missing out on before you met your Big, you’ll trust her more and then you will grow as a person by all of the things she has to teach you. Also if you come to love something that she loves, you may get a unique Big/Little reveal theme that only you two can understand. I had never seen Jurassic Park, so when my Big took me to see Jurassic world, which is one of her favorite movies, I loved it too. When it came time for Big/Little reveal, we both wore Jurassic Park t-shirts. It was way more fun having a personal theme than wearing matching letter jerseys like most people did!
7. Let her be your saving grace from time to time!
If you’re sick and need to go to the doctor or you need groceries because the Kroger is just too far of a walk, ask her to drive you! If she says "yes" and you guys make a little fun out of your errands, you know she will be a great person to rely on when you need her.
8. Check out her family tree, it could be yours one day!
Get to know her Big, maybe even her G-Big, and her Twittle if she has one. She probably learned a great deal on how a Big should act from her own Big, so if you hang out with your Big and her Big, you might get a glimpse of your future.
9. Meet her boyfriend.
If you guys have the same taste in guys, maybe she can hook you up with one of his friends. Then she will be the best person to have girl talk with about the guy she set you up with because she will probably be very proud that she set you two up in the first place! Also, double dates with one of your best friends will always be fun.
10. Let her know how you feel!
Once you have become close with this potential Big and you think you want to choose her, let her know! If you are sure in your mind that there is no one better and you both love spending time together, put each other out of your uncertain misery. When you both know that you want each other in your family, the waiting and worry will be over and you will have just made the greatest form of a best friend -- your Big!
