Success can feel complicated when it arrives in someone else’s shadow.

So when an older sister got accepted into the college of her dreams she’d once been rejected from, her younger sister, who had previously attended but got kicked out, accused her of rubbing it in.

Suddenly her long-awaited victory turned into an emotional minefield.

Keep reading for the full story.

AITA For Being Excited About Finally Getting Into The Same College My Sister “Left”?

When I (22F) was in middle school, my parents thought that it would be a good idea for me to visit an older cousin “Jen” (28F) that I was close to at her college campus.

I was excited to see her again, so I agreed and fell in love with the school she went to.

She then made it her life’s dream to someday be accepted to this school, but reality had other plans.

It was going to be my goal to go to that college, and I studied hard while working a part-time job to help save for tuition.

I was so excited when I applied because I was so confident that I would get in and was crushed when I was waitlisted, then rejected.

She was disheartened, to be sure, but eventually got back on her feet.

I locked myself in my room and cried for a few days because I was so focused on this one school, I didn’t prepare myself for a future that didn’t include it.

Fortunately, Jen was kind enough to visit, allowed me to whine about my disappointment, talked about community college, and gave me the pep talk I needed.

She decided to take a different route with her education, but soon her sister had some upsetting news.

I took a year off to just work and then went to a really nice community college, and during that time my sister Mandy (20f) applied and was accepted into my dream school.

Apparently, she fell in love with it too, and while she was smart enough to apply for other schools, the one Jen went to was her first choice.

Part of her was jealous, but she still tried her best to be happy tfor her sister.

I’m not gonna lie, a part of me twinged inside knowing that my sister got into ALL the schools she applied for, and I really started to feel negative about myself, but I worked to keep it to myself and even helped pay for some textbooks.

Despite being upset with myself, I was still really happy for Mandy.

Her first semester, she opted to do it remotely because of COVID, but in the spring she moved into the dorms, and when we would talk, she seemed happy.

But Mandy’s time there didn’t last long.

Then one day she came home early and apparently wasn’t going back.

I didn’t ask why because it seemed like a sore subject.

So once she applied to her dream school again, she finally got in, but Mandy wasn’t happy.

Then I applied, got in, and managed to get a partial scholarship and was overjoyed.

I had to take an alternate path to get there, but I was finally going to be able to go to my dream school, and since I did all my gen eds at my community college, I was going to have very little debt.

I have been over the moon, but recently Mandy exploded at me for bragging.

Apparently Mandy’s departure wasn’t fully her choice.

I still don’t know all the details, but apparently Mandy was kicked out and she thinks I’m cruel for not only applying to “her school” but making posts about it on social media and telling everyone in the family, because it’s drawing attention to her situation.

Her mom is starting to side with Mandy too, but she doesn’t find this fair at all.

I’m more than happy to tone it down, but our mom thinks that me getting in is reward enough to just stop talking about it — like at all — no social media posts, mentioning my school life to family, and to not even say the name of the school in the house.

But I don’t think that’s very fair because when I was upset about not getting in, I didn’t tell Mandy to be quiet about her joy.

AITA?

Mandy isn’t being fair at all to her sister.

Redditors chime in with their thoughts.

Her parents’ reaction reveals something interesting about their family dynamics.

Since her sister won’t say it, this commenter takes the opportunity to congratulate this student on all her hard work.

Maybe there’s a fair compromise here for both sisters.

This sister showed a lot more maturity than Mandy.

This student’s dream finally came true, just not without drama.

Funny how one person’s comeback can feel like another person’s setback.

If you liked that story, read this one about grandparents who set up a college fund for their grandkid because his parents won’t, but then his parents want to use the money to cover sibling’s medical expenses.