<p>I am headed for a wonderful LAC--my first choice, did Early Decision and all that. My sister, with whom I have a positive, close relationship, will be a senior there this year. I did have some issues as a child with being perpetually in her shadow, but I did a lot of reflecting during the college process and decided I wouldn't let that keep me from the school that was best for me. Our interests do overlap somewhat, but not entirely. </p>
<p>I just got my housing assignment, and lo and behold, I am on my sister's hall! (the school does not have separate freshman housing) I'm still really excited for school, but I'm starting to worry that I've made a mistake by not specifically requesting on the housing form to be on a different hall (honestly, it hadn't really occurred to me that this would happen). </p>
<p>Part of me is saying that we'll both be really busy and it ultimately won't make much of a difference (aside from running into each other in the bathroom). On the other hand, I'm worried that if I get nervous or overwhelmed I'll be too tempted to take the "easy out" and talk to her instead of dealing with things on my own. </p>
<p>Have any of you had siblings who ended up at the same college? On the same hall? How did it turn out? Do you have any advice for how to avoid problems and have the "normal college experience"?</p>
<p>I've seen twins assigned to the same floor, but only after they requested it.</p>
<p>If you're really concerned, why don't you call or email the housing office at your school and see if a change can be made? I would imagine that though there would be some paperwork and logistics to take care of, it wouldn't be impossible to accommodate such a request.</p>
<p>How big is the dorm? Is your roomie a freshman? How close are you/were you to your sister? She isn't the RA, is she? How many other freshmen are on the floor?</p>
<p>My gut feeling is that you will only pass as strangers in the night, except for time to go home. A senior has very different concerns than a freshman - jobs, grad school, maybe marriage - both of you will be very busy, with very different goals. I think it would be harder if sis was a soph or junior.</p>
<p>You could try for the first semester, then switch if things didn't work out, but I wouldn't recommend planning that - freshman roommates often end up with a special bond, not the best time to switch.</p>
<p>what does your sister think about this? There are times when having a sibling handy could be very helpful.</p>
<p>My younger son is starting this fall at the same school as older son. They did their schedules at different times, on their own, without talking to each other about it. Lo and behold, they just found out a week ago that they are in the SAME class! (Some ancient history humanities elective.) Talk about coincidence- this is a school of about 50,000 students. They will not be living in the same dorm because older moved into a house. He is, however, on the rush committee for his frat and guess who is getting "recruited"?</p>
<p>My sisters had two years of overlap in the same dorm at MIT, and IIRC one of those years was on the same floor.</p>
<p>From day to day I don't think it was a big deal. Like cangel said, their different interests and schedules kept them from stepping on one another's toes.</p>
<p>But they were very different people, and they were pretty judgmental about each other's lifestyles, choices, and personalities. The older was more studious and a better 'fit', and the younger was more, um, carefree, and I think it took them a few years after college to forgive each other for witnessing so much of their early adulthoods. But I hesitate to compare their situation to your 'positive, close relationship' because you seem to be starting from a better place.</p>
<p>If you can't or don't want to pull off the move Dean J suggests, I'm sure you and your sister will want to sit down and talk about your concerns (and hers!), set some boundaries, or whatever.</p>
<p>
[quote]
On the other hand, I'm worried that if I get nervous or overwhelmed I'll be too tempted to take the "easy out" and talk to her instead of dealing with things on my own.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>This doesn't sound to me like a huge problem! I needed, and got, a lot of help from my sisters when I started college, and I didn't even go to the same school. I doubt your sister is going to deal with things for you, but she could be a great ally who knows how things work.</p>
<p>Best of luck -- I'm sure you're going to be thrilled with how things end up. ;)</p>
<p>At LACs like the one you will be attending, there are many social activities organized on a hall basis, which most hall residents take part in. The hall tends to become an active social unit (at least that is my daughter's experience.) Therefore, your question about your situation is not as simple as the choice between "just running into her in the bathroom" versus going to talk to her when you have problems to deal with. How do you feel about you and your sister being part of the same social unit?</p>
<p>The hall has 10-12 freshmen and 20 or so upperclass students (all juniors and seniors). My sister lived in this dorm last year as a junior, and I had a high school friend living there as a freshman last year. They report that the freshmen (who are mostly, like me, in triples) seem to hang out on the hall and frequent the hall events, while the upperclassmen (who are basically all in singles) tend to have their friends and social events elsewhere. </p>
<p>My sister is generally positive about us being on the same hall, mostly because she thinks the hall is a good fit for me. It's known as a generally quiet and "non-substance-y" dorm, which I really like, and the housing people have a great track record for matching successful roommates (something like 50% of freshmen keep the same roommate for sophomore year), which is a disincentive to try to switch. </p>
<p>I guess I'm leaning towards staying on this hall and most likely it'll work out fine. I had a funny moment today when I explained to a friend that my sister will be on the opposite end of the hall, so really it's not THAT close!</p>
<p>It sounds like you have a great attitude and that this can work for you, especially since your sister is positive about it, too. Good luck at Swat!</p>
<p>Cool - your parents can play you against each other to find out what's going on!</p>
<p>Just kidding.</p>
<p>It sure seems like you could switch to another dorm assuming your school has multiple dorm buildings or at least to another floor. It seems that having a sibling on the same floor and you wanting to be a bit more independent would be a valid reason for a switch.</p>