Notre Dame is all I’ve ever wanted in a college: Marching band, a close community with lots of school spirit, etc.
The only thing holding me back from committing is that my twin has decided that they also want to attend Notre Dame. Personally I enjoy having my own space, and that was one of the many reasons why I chose to go to a different high school than my twin. I’ve grown a lot as an independent person in the last four years, and I consider it one of the best decisions I ever made. I know that the student body size is 8,000 for undergrads, but I am still worried about seeing my twin on campus or having the same classes. I also worry about my peers seeing me as so-and-so’s twin and not me as an individual.
I know this sounds really petty to some people, but I am, unfortunately, an extremely stubborn person and this is a HUGE factor for me. I really don’t want to give up ND for this reason. Any suggestions or comments?
Were you both admitted? If not, then wait and see what happens. If so, then it seems a really silly reason not to attend the school that’s your #1 choice, but if it bothers you that much and your twin is indeed attending, then pick somewhere else.
Not twins, but I have two daughters currently at ND. My younger (current freshman) was, for a while, not into the idea of “following” her sister. Turns out they live on opposite sides of campus and have to actually make specific plans to meet as they rarely just run into each other. Even if you live on the same quad, everyone is so busy that a lot of times my daughters find they go long periods of time without seeing friends/acquaintances that live nearby. One of my older daughter’s best friends is a twin. Freshman year, she and her sister were placed in dorms on different quads so, again, it took a bit of an effort to see each other. Only caveat is if you are planning on studying the same thing; then you might find yourselves with a lot of class overlap.
“Notre Dame is all I’ve ever wanted in a college.” Your first sentence answers your question. You should definitely go. It would be crazy to give up exactly what you want because your brother/sister is going to be there. ND is definitely big enough to have as much space from your twin as you want, and there will be times when it will be great to have him/her there with you. If you don’t go you likely will regret it forever.
@Apricot431 - you have two threads going. You can’t expect the people on CC to go out and read both of them before replying. So on this thread - you are obviously looking for the answer “Go to ND!” BUT, your other thread gives REALLY pertinent details about the financial offers at your two choices.
SO . . . based on the fact that your twin is going to ND (assumption), and you don’t want to go where your twin goes, AND the fact that you got beyond a full ride through the Stamps Scholars Program at U of Miami Ohio, plus that fact that you will get lots of doors opened and opportunities there as a Stamps Scholar.
Agree…if ND is “all you ever wanted in a college” then go. If you don’t, you might resent your twin forever. There is plenty of room for both of you. Ask to live separately.
The exception to my comment is if as noted above if ND will cause fiscal hardship and you have a huge scholarship to Miami OH then that is a worthy option…but in that case the decision would be due to prudent finances (saving $ for grad school etc.) and not because of your twin going to ND.
Yes, you are being petty. Your future classmates are much more interested in themselves than your identity as a twin. As a parent, it would make me very sad to realize that one of my children was willing to sacrifice her dream school in order to avoid being near her sister during their college years, instead of embracing the unique opportunity to share an amazing experience together. Having a twin on campus would mean an instant doubling of potential friends, if nothing else. But if what you really want is your very own campus, then by all means go elsewhere.
another perspective, I know two pairs of identical twins who go to Notre Dame. One pair are near inseparable, and I think they live in rival dorms. Another pair I didn’t know had a twin until the winter when we ran into them by chance. 8000 is plenty large enough to be your own person, and I think it’s totally up to you to set how much you want them to be a part of your college experience.