It's one of the most stereotypical parts of being in a sorority. It's the thing many girls look forward to before they've even picked the greek letters they want to wear. It's matching outfits, big reveals, and wooden paddles. It's mentors and mentees. It's sorority Bigs and Littles.

Throughout the rush process, you meet a handful of girls in multiple sororities. As the rounds progress on and and number of houses drop, you begin to see some of the same ones appearing. In my personal experience, I had the same Active (older girl who is already in the sorority) 'rush' me for the final two rounds. Because of this, she was paired with me for Bid Day as my Bid Day Buddy. Five weeks later, this girl--named Ansley--became my Big Sister.

We were one of the lucky--but not uncommon--pairings that found each other during the rush process and had a close connection throughout the new member period. When it came time to pick my big, I already knew whose name I wanted at the top of the list.

The week of the reveal came and I went by the house everyday to pick up my basket of goodies. In each basket was a small note that gave hints as to who had prepared it for me. I was devastated when I found that the hints did not match up with Ansley--or anyone on my ranking for that matter. I took solace in the idea that the baskets were gorgeous and thus told me that whoever the girl was, she seemed to really care about me anyway.

The day of the reveal soon came and I made my way to the door that my new big was hiding behind. I opened it just to see Ansley smiling back with the biggest grin on her face. If I hadn't known I was being filmed, a few choice words might have escaped me. But the very fact that she found it funny to trick me also proved she was the perfect Big for me.

Nowadays, we are the stereotypical pair made in heaven. We make a point to meet up frequently to talk about assignments, Alpha Phi, and just life in general. Not a day goes by that we don't at least text to get updates from one another. I know I can always go to her for advice or information or even just as a shoulder to cry on. She is my biggest mother figure in Athens, which is incredibly nice considering my actual mother is over three hours away. And she knows she can always come to me for all the same things.

People often make fun of sorority bigs and littles, and I get it. Girls gushing over their "littles" that are only a year younger than themselves can be ridiculous. But college is a dog-eat-dog world and quite overwhelming for even the most level-headed person. A sorority is a great way to meet a large amount of people but by establishing bigs, they provide an even more intimate connection to someone who is older and has been through all the same stuff a freshman is going through in the present. Those support systems are more important than anything else.

Of course, everyone's story is different. Some girls aren't as close to their bigs as others, or rarely communicate with them at all. But if you have the option, my advice is to try and connect with them as much as you can. They are an amazing resource and can oftentimes provide realistic advice you wouldn't get elsewhere.