Attending school with a sibling is often a complicated, but hopefully joyful experience. Siblings may travel to and from the building together, discuss teachers or course assignments and potentially share a class. For younger siblings, life at school changes dramatically, for better or for worse, once their older sibling graduates.
One of the first adjustments is the way the younger siblings get to school. Older siblings may drive to schools as seniors, and their siblings get used to having their personal Uber. Returning to taking the bus or walking to school is a hard reality for seniors such as Luke Brunner. “I had to go back to riding the bus, which was pretty unfortunate,” Brunner said.
Others are luckier and transitioned directly into driving themselves once their old ride left for college. “[My brother] gave me a ride to school so I didn’t have to take the bus, which was really nice. The next year I got a spot at Frost so I was able to drive every day,” senior Lainey Berman said.
Another reality for younger siblings to get used to is developing their own identity at the school. “I felt like I always had someone to look for and all of his friends also. My brother and his friends were always nice to me,” Brunner said.
Younger siblings commonly said that a main benefit is having a sibling who had a similar academic background. “The best part was that my brother was able to help me in classes that I struggled in since he took similar classes,” junior Sofia Sossa said.
Others felt the same. “My brother took a bunch of the classes that I was taking before me, so I could always ask him for help,” Berman said.
Students also report feeling an emotional loss, not getting to see a familiar face in the building every day. “I don’t see him in the hallways at school so it is a little bit sad at first but it is fine now,” Berman said.
This sense of loneliness felt by younger siblings is validated by students. “I would say that just being alone is the biggest change overall,” Brunner said.
Outside of school there changes as well. More space in the house and more attention from parents all come along with a sibling leaving home. “One of the best parts is that I get more room in the house and some of his clothes also,” Sossa said.
One of the biggest differences for younger siblings is that they didn’t get to talk to their older siblings as much once they graduated. “The worst part would be that it is harder to talk to him frequently since he is so busy,” Sossa said.
Still, there are instances where older siblings can be helpful, even from college. “My brother is in college but I know that I can call him when I need something,” Berman said.
Overall, younger siblings seem to be grateful for their time at school with an older sibling. “I really liked going to school with my brother because he was one person I knew I could trust to help me throughout the seven hours of school,” Sossa said.
