Siblings Manage Distance When Separated By College

March 23, 2023

Siblings+separated+by+college+find+ways+to+stay+in+touch+and+even+strengthen+their+relationships.+Staff+illustration%3A+Sutton+Inouye

Sutton Inouye

Siblings separated by college find ways to stay in touch and even strengthen their relationships. Staff illustration: Sutton Inouye

As the end of the school year approaches, many Menlo seniors prepare to spend their next four years in college, away from their families. Graduating seniors are not the only ones experiencing change, however; younger siblings are also left to adapt to emptier households. 

Some younger siblings are worried that they will greatly miss their brother or sister once they leave for college, but these siblings find a way to continue their relationship past Menlo and sometimes even strengthen their relationship. 

Freshman Charlie Allard feels lucky to currently attend Menlo with his older brother, Lucas. According to Charlie, although he and his brother have very different personalities, they still find ways to have a strong connection. “It’ll definitely be very different being here without him,” Charlie said.

Oftentimes, and in Charlie’s case, younger siblings see their older siblings as a mentor. Charlie feels confident that he’ll be able to connect and receive this same mentorship through phone calls. According to Charlie, his brother helps him a lot with picking classes to take and homework. “We’ll definitely be able to continue this relationship while he’s in college,” Charlie said.

Further, many younger siblings worry they will miss their older siblings once they leave for college. Freshman Ella Skinner has two older brothers, Colin, a sophomore in college, and Aidan, a current senior at Menlo. After Aidan graduates this year, she will be the only one left at Menlo. “I have already gone through it with my oldest brother, but I’m still not sure how I’m going to react,” Ella said.

Ella explained that similar to Charlie, she and her brothers weren’t the closest through their childhood years due to their differing hobbies. “I just like knowing that my brother is on campus with me,” Ella said. She hopes to find different ways to connect personally with both of her brothers over the next few years. 

Junior Brooke Dunsby’s sister, Hailey, is a freshman in college and believes that their bond has strengthened since she went off to college. According to Brooke, she was really close with Hailey and was especially worried that she wouldn’t be able to survive at Menlo without her sister on campus. 

According to Brooke, the last day of school before Hailey graduated was the toughest. “I walked into math class and I was a mess. [Hailey and I] just sat on the loop bawling for like 20 minutes,” Brooke said. She said that this experience has made her realize that she has to stay close to her sister, however hard it may be.

According to Brooke, she and Hailey call every day on the way home from school, and they send each other daily selfies to stay connected through the long distance. She thinks that all students should make an effort, like she did, to stay close with their siblings when they go off to college.

Leave a Comment
About the Contributors
Photo of Andrew Levitt
Andrew Levitt, Staff Writer

Number of years in The Coat of Arms: 1


Favorite aspect of journalism: I love the flexibility that we have to write about different topics in different formats


Interests outside of school: Playing sports, hanging out with friends, spending time with my cats


Class of 2026

Photo of Sutton Inouye
Sutton Inouye, Staff Writer
 

Number of years in The Coat of Arms: 3


Favorite aspect of journalism: having an outlet for creativity by finding new ways to express ideas through illustrations


Interests outside of school: lifting and hanging out with friends + my dog


Class of 2023

The Coat of Arms • Copyright 2023 • FLEX WordPress Theme by SNOLog in

Comments (0)

The Coat of Arms encourages dialogue with our audience. We welcome constructive comments that avoid slander, hate, profanity and misinformation. In an effort to give voice to a variety of perspectives, anonymous comments will be considered, but signed comments are preferred. If you would like to submit an anonymous comment, please write "Anonymous" in the "Name" field below. While a valid email address is required, The Coat of Arms will not publish your email address. The Editorial Board will review comments and decide whether they will be put online; the editors reserve the right to edit for concision.
All The Coat of Arms Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *