You spend all week perfecting that five page essay your English teacher assigned. Every free minute of your time is spent on making sure that your paper is the best thing you have ever written. Finally, you turn it in, confident that your teacher will love it.

Wrong. In your teacher’s eyes, your essay could never be as good as anything your older brother wrote.

Many students at Blake have siblings with great reputations, whether in sports, academics or participation. For some, living up to the standard set by a sibling can be a challenge. Junior Nicole Wannen, sister of alumnus Molly Wannen, definitely understands the pressure of having a sister with an impressive record. “I’m supposed to try my hardest,” says Nicole. “It’s a standard for all my siblings.” Although the pressure is sometimes tough, she says, “I like having that [pressure]. It just makes me want to do better.”

However, many students can benefit from, or are unaffected by, their older sibling’s reputation. “My sister [junior Danielle Barlow] isn’t a bad student, and excels at many activities,” says freshman Lauren Barlow. “Whenever I am judged based on my sister, it is positive.”

Not everyone, teachers and peers included, will judge a student based on their family members. Many people will, however, at least point out similarities and differences between siblings. “Teachers don’t treat me differently,” says sophomore Sara Nuttle. “But they do tell me how different I am from [my brother].”

Teachers are not the only ones to judge based on family; many times, the older sibling’s friends have preconceived notions on what the little brother or sister will be like. “My sister’s friends actually have a nickname for me, Little Dani,” says Barlow. “They are starting to call me Lauren…but before they just saw me as a little replica of Dani.”

Student profiling based on family members is usually unavoidable. Nuttle says, “It makes the person feel like they have to live up to the expectations of their sibling or have to prove they can work harder than their sibling did.”

Adds Barlow, “I don’t think it is fair, but it happens and eventually you learn to deal.”