what is big little?

big little is an annual program run by asa with the goal of developing mentor-mentee relationships that last throughout college.

who is a big?

you must have attended pitt for at least one year to serve as a big. the majority of bigs start off as sophomores, but any upperclassman can become a big! 

who is a little?

anyone can join as a little! while littles are typically freshmen, anyone who hasn’t had a big yet but wants to join the big-little system is able to do so as long as they fill out the final big-little selection choice form.

what is a family?

a family is the network of pre-existing big-little relationships within asa! this means the prior bigs in your family will be your grandbig, great grandbig, and so on! each family is different, but families typically get together as a group for social gatherings at least once a semester. to read more about the current families, check out https://asa-fam-tree.vercel.app/

how do i join the big little system?

start by getting to know everyone in the asa community by going to our welcome month events! the big little program is first explained during speedfriending, with the link to big little applications going up shortly after. fill out that form, which will ask for profile information, to make sure that prospective bigs/littles can find you! after this, your profile will populate on our website, and you’ll have a chance to read through others’ profiles and message them on their platform of choice if you’re interested in meeting up! we’ll have another form for final big-little selection choice up which won’t close until a few days before big-little reveal, which typically happens in mid-october. until then, keep going on big-little dates and meeting up with people in the community! everyone is formally adopted into their respective families or big-little pairs during big-little reveal.

what does the big-little relationship look like?

did u recently become a big/little? great! each big-little relationship is different, but generally, bigs and littles retain connection throughout the school year by exchanging social medias/contact information and continuing to hang out/go on big-little dates. if joining a larger family, it is important to maintain a group chat for communication and hang out at least once per semester (as a rule of thumb). here are some big-little date ideas to start:

• get hotpot/kbbq as a family!

• visit places around pittsburgh! visit the duquesne incline, carnegie museum of art/history, phipps conservatory, and other places where you can get in for free with your pitt ID!

• take advantage of seasonal opportunities like 1) visiting soergel’s orchard, 2) going to kennywood, 3) ice skating downtown!

• bond over sweet treats at stores like berry fresh, pages dairy mart, or matcha places around the area!

• and most importantly, attending asa and member org events together!

faq

– can one big have multiple littles and vice versa?

yes, one big can adopt multiple littles! however, one little can only have one big. 

– how do i go on big-little dates?

if you see someone you think you’d vibe with, reach out through instagram/whatever platform they write on their profile! while bigs typically reach out first, littles can still do so!

– what do i do if my family becomes inactive?

while it is unfortunate, some people may not have enough time to keep up with their families. in this case, you can always start your own by adopting littles, and, in a sense, starting your own family the following year. while the big-little pairings may be finalized after october, remember that you can always reach out to any asa community members!

if you have any other questions, feel free to reach out to our vice president of internal affairs, jow199@pitt.edu.