College is a big change. Having to adjust to being independent and more responsible is not as easy as you’d think, especially if you decide to live on campus, and no longer have the opportunity to see your family after school. I’m a triplet, and have a 20 year old brother and sister. We went to the same school together from preschool all the way throughout high school, so around 14 years. However, for college we decided to go to three different schools which has had a big impact on my life.
Not only did we decide to go to three different colleges, my siblings and I chose to go to schools in three different states. My brother goes to the University of Connecticut, and my sister goes to the University of New Hampshire, so our “second homes” are in Connecticut, New Hampshire, and New York. Due to the distance we only see each other for breaks, if they happen to align up with each other. We went from driving to and from school everyday, going to each other sport’s games, having classes together, and helping each other with homework to only seeing each other twice a semester.
First semester freshman year it was definitely hard getting used to not talking to them daily. It was just such a drastic difference from working together every week at the pool (we all worked as lifeguards), to not seeing each other until Thanksgiving. Fortunately, technology has made communication much easier with texting, FaceTime, emails, and phone calls. My siblings and I stay in touch by sending an emoji in our group chat once a day. The emoji is usually random, but it’s a little reminder that we’re thinking about each other. We text occasionally sending updates on how our separate lives are going, but the emoji is easier to send since we’re usually so busy and know we’ll catch up for real when we’re home.
As difficult as it was to adapt to being apart, I know we all made the right decision by going to different schools. In high school, the three of us were in similar clubs. My sister and I were on the same sports teams (swimming and track), and we had the same group of friends. Therefore, we never really had the chance to figure out what we wanted to be involved in and who we wanted to be around as individuals. I can admit I definitely used my siblings as a type of safety net when it came to certain situations. For example, whenever I needed help with homework and was too lazy to figure it out on my own, I knew one of them would be able to help me out. Also, if I was going to an event, I never had to worry about if I was going to know someone there I could hang out with because I always had the two of them by my side.
Going to college without my brother and sister finally forced me to go outside my comfort zone. I made friends with people that I might have never talked to and joined clubs and intramural teams I might have never joined if I was still with my siblings. The change of no longer going to school with them made me in change my lifestyle and interests. As much as I miss seeing them, I am so thankful for all of our memories and to see the people they are growing into, even if now I am only seeing this growth from afar. I feel beyond lucky that I was born a triplet and I know the person I am today has been molded by having the two of them in my life. But just as importantly, the person I am today was also impacted by learning how to live without them being apart of my daily life.