For those that are less familiar with the idea of having a big and a little, when someone is pledging into a sorority, a girl typically takes at least one pledge to be her little. The big sister helps guide her little through the pledging process, thus giving the girls a special bond unlike any other.
Another way of looking at this is that the big is the little's mentor. And because of this, the big is typically older than the little. This tradition makes complete sense. Obviously, a big would have already had to go through the pledge process to be able to help someone else. Typically, during a sorority member's sophomore or junior year, they will become a big. Since a little is a pledge, they are mostly freshmen. For me, however, this was not the case.
I joined my sorority the first semester of my freshman year. Along with three other pledges, due to our small numbers, we went through a fairly normal pledge process. I got a big that was a junior, and the majority did as well. But as the first semester ended, we as pledges became some of the leaders. I myself became the pledge coordinator, the member of the cabinet that helps teach pledges about the sorority.
As part of the job, I was supposed to take girls that were interested in joining out to coffee to answer their questions about the sorority and to get to know them. Immediately, I clicked with one of the girls I met. And as all of the girls that were interested started coming to meetings and events, I realized that I definitely still felt close to the same girl.
While the time to start thinking about taking a little grew closer and closer, I had no doubt in my mind that I wanted to take her as my little. Everyone in my pledge class was going to take one as well, so it made the decision of whether or not to take one due to my age a lot easier.
So yes, we are both freshmen. I joined the first semester and she joined the second. And this tends to shock most of the people I tell. "You're so young." "You're just a freshman, how can you be someone's big already?" These responses are all the same. But looking back at the purpose of a big and little makes our situation a lot less unusual.
The desired function of this idea is to help with the pledge process, which I have already completed. Therefore, I am fully capable of teaching and offering advice.
In fact, I believe it is honestly a lot easier to be a big now since the pledge process is still fresh in my mind.
No, it's not traditional, but it was meant to be.
I connected with her very early on and would not take back taking a little so early. In fact, I was even recommended not to take a little because of my leader position in the organization (apparently, pledge coordinators typically don't take a little). But our immediate bond was so strong that I chose to take one anyway. And I couldn't be happier with the result.
