["My senior year wasn't nearly as good since my brother left for college that same year."]
That's tough. I have two older brothers, so I know how that is. We're separated by four and eight years, respectively, so we weren't as close as you two seem to be, but I always liked having them around.
A few years back my brother left for college and I had one year of high school left. It was weird having the house be so empty.