Growing up I always had a belief that my siblings and I would end up at the same college. However, all five of us chose to go to separate colleges. Although some of us are only a short drive from each other, I miss them like crazy. I always feel like I am missing out on something involving my siblings. I don’t know exactly what it is, but I assume it’s my subconscious telling me that I miss my siblings and family. It’s important to mention that I am a quadruplet (meaning I am one of four, all born at the same time) and I have an older brother as well. Splitting up with my two sisters and brother of the same age was the hardest part of going to college for me. I thought it was going to be the classes that proved to be most difficult, but splitting up with them is a constant struggle for me. My entire life changed the day we said goodbye to each other. I was no longer just an “Amico”, I somehow became an individual. I was now, “Gianna Amico”(the individual) and it is still hard to believe.
My siblings and I were inseparable and people would say “Here comes the Amico’s” when they saw us coming. I was used to having my team by my side, twenty-four-seven. Part of me expected to be homesick coming to college, but I ignored this thought because I didn’t want to even contemplate the thought. I was used to being referred to as a group and rarely as an individual. My life prior to college will always be a part of me and will continue to make me unique as an individual. I believe I initially ignored these negative feelings because I was reluctant to accept the future and ultimately leaving my three siblings to go to college.
Going to college was going to be a reward for myself and my siblings. However, we would then risk losing a strong relationship we had built throughout our life. I went from talking to my siblings every day to not having enough time in the day to talk with each of them. I was struggling with enjoying school because my siblings were a part of me and I felt empty. I had to make changes to make to balance school work and time I would spend talking to my family and leaning on them for support. I was joining a new community at Geneseo and so were my siblings. I turned the risks of losing my bond with my siblings into a reward. I am still struggling with missing my sibling. Yet, college is allowing me to be independent and succeed on my own without their support every day. I still look to my sibling for support but, also have joined another partnership with the college that I can look to for support.