Being a younger sibling, I understand the annoyance of older siblings. From just pure annoyance to raging anger at one other, we have constantly put each other on edge for years. So what happens when you decide that the right college for you, also happens to be the one your brother goes to?
I never imagined that after high school my second oldest brother and I would go to the same college or even live in the same city ever again, unless we were both home for the summer. Last year, I couldn’t believe that I was attending the same school as him. I look back to right after I received my acceptance letter my senior year and I remember thinking, “How did I happen to talk myself into this?” One thing most college students attempt to do (at least for their first year) is get away from family. I thought to myself that I would not hang out with him or even talk to any of his friends because I wanted to start my own adult life 300 miles away from home. I love the mountains and I knew App State would be a perfect fit for me…but going to the same school (yet again) with my brother kind of disgusted me there for a little bit (haha sorry Nick).
Now? I couldn't imagine this past year any other way. My brother actually introduced me to so many amazing friends that I now consider some of my closest friends. Instead of never hanging out, we now go get lunch, go to church and we’ve even worked together at times for University Recreation here at Appalachian State. Going to college with my brother has definitely brought us closer and has given both of us a chance to continue our process of growing up together. It really helped to have him here my freshman year because he made me less homesick and helped me fit in.
A lot of people have asked me if I hate going to the same college as my older brother. Can he be a little overbearing? Yeah a little, but that’s bound to happen considering that I’m the baby of my family with two awesome (and weird) older brothers. But I don’t hate it. It’s amazing that we can continue watching each other grow up and can help each other overcome life's obstacles. We will most likely continue to disagree with each other and probably will continue to have those days where we annoy each other to death, but that’s what having a sibling is all about. It’s about having that one, two or more older best friends that have been there literally since your birth.
A piece of advice to all younger siblings; don’t worry about “copying” your older sibling, because it could be one of the best decisions you could ever make. Going to the same college as my brother is probably one of the coolest decisions I’ve made yet.
