You thought that going to college would be the first time you were away from home and actually able to do your own thing...until your sibling followed you there. Of course I was very excited when my younger brother decided to join me at the University of Maryland. You feel a certain pride for your school and nothing beats sharing that with your family. However, there are definitely things that anyone that goes to school with their siblings, older or younger, knows to be true.
It’s inevitable that your house explodes the week leading up to move-in day. A good portion of the house has to fit into seemingly endless plastic bins, which then somehow have to fit in the car. And of course you get roped into helping them move in because you have to make one trip.
The nice thing is that you come to school with a group of friends courtesy of your siblings. It’s comforting that, until you find your own group, you always have them to fall back on.
Even so, the time soon after you get to school you want nothing to do with each other. You’ve been stuck in the same house with them all summer and you just want your own space and your own life.
It does get a little strange when you realize you haven’t seen each other in a while. Only now when you start to miss your sibling, you actually have to put in effort to see them. You can’t just barge into their room whenever you’re bored. On the other hand, campus is big enough that you don’t always see them and don’t have to worry about them eating your food and borrowing your clothes, like at home.
You’re also apparently your parent’s only source for information on your siblings. Parents can’t go directly to the source, they have to ask you how your sibling is doing in school, if they’re eating right, how much sleep they’re getting. No Mom, I don’t know his exact coordinates at the moment, but I’ll get back to you.
There is always that awkward encounter when you see them on a night out. They aren’t supposed to go out. They are supposed to be at home in bed, or studying, or something. An inherent babysitter feeling comes over you and you automatically feel responsible for them. They better get home before I actually tell our mom their location.
Being on the same campus doesn’t mean you won’t have your own life. Quite the opposite actually, it’s nice to have family that shares the same pride for your school as you do. Yes, there are moments when you won’t want to see each other and you only hear from them when they run out of dining points or want to borrow the car. It is an adjustment not seeing them all the time, but that makes actually seeing them that much more special. Nothing compares to having a great piece of home with you at school.
