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I can say with full certainty that I’ve never had so many people swipe up on my Instagram story than the day I posted a Big/Little reveal. People were shocked. The crowd was amused. My followers inquired, “DID YOU JOIN A SORORITY?” I had never felt so popular.

I had the pleasure of speaking with fellow Lyonite, Sarah McArthur, class of 2026, a new transfer student from the University of Alabama, where she was a member of the sorority Chi Omega. Upon asking her if she finds any similarities between our dorm culture and actual Greek life, she noted: “Yes and no. Because dorms are randomly assigned, there are none of the exclusive dimensions that come with Greek life. That being said, I’ve noticed that among dorm life, people still say things like, ‘That’s such a (dorm name) thing to do.’”

So, much to my followers’ dismay, the answer was no. I am not in a sorority. Now that I think about it, though, there is something to be said about the sorority and fraternity-like culture within the dorms.

Theme

The entire range of Mr. ROY G. BIV exists at the university. Enter any dormitory and you’re guaranteed to find the walls decked out in a certain hue — not to mention the chants, mascots and traditions galore.

Single-sex

As a proud Lyonite myself, I can say that living with hundreds of girls does remind me of the sorority house tours I’ve seen on YouTube. Minus the A/C.

Traditions

Waking up at the crack of dawn to run through a certain pool of liquid in front of a particular study spot is not an uncommon practice of “initiation” here — most students I’ve spoken to were just glad that’s where it ended for them.

As previously mentioned, Big/Little reveals are popular trademarks of our dorm culture. I thought all the Barbie rage was finished until Big/Little weekend commenced.

So much pink. Such little time. I couldn’t walk through any female dorm’s backyard without feeling like I was slapped in the face with Pepto Bismol. I’m definitely not one to complain, though — my Big, Maria Tobias, class of 2025, is the kindest to me and her other Little.