<p>My son is a freshman at a LAC in the midwest and, after a little bit of a bumpy start in the fall, really has come to love the school. It's a perfect fit for him.
My daughter is a high school junior just starting to look at colleges. Her brother is begging her to come to his school and giving her lots of good reasons that she's like it a lot and fit in there. She's going out to visit him there next week.
I realize that much (perhaps all) will depend on her impressions of the college and how she feels about it. But I'm wondering if, in theory, anyone might have any thoughts on whether or not it's a good or bad idea for siblings to go to the same school.</p>
<p>I think its a great idea if the siblings both want it.</p>
<p>I was at Berkeley the same time as my brother - we lived 2 blocks apart. I was in law school, he was an entering freshman. We saw each other occasionally, but really didn't have much contact. At the time I thought it was really cool to have him nearby -- but certainly neither one of us got in the other's way in terms of social or academic life.</p>
<p>Is your son's school even on your daughter's radar as a place that she would like to go.</p>
<p>While it is great that her brother is begging for her to attend (a testament to their relationship) if she does consider going would it be for her brother, or because it is really where she wants to be.</p>
<p>Since her brother is there, her spring break would be a great time for her to visit; spend the night, sit in on some classes, talk to some other students, so that she can gauge for herself whether it is the school for her.</p>
<p>As far as siblings are concerned, my D has friends at school and these students also have younger/older. She said they both have their own group of friends, even though they do get together every now and then. </p>
<p>The important thing is whether or not your D feels that she can carve out her own identity/niche at the school that is separate from her brother or does want to be there as X's little sister?</p>
<p>My third has all but eliminated 2 schools. They are the ones the siblings attends.</p>
<p>Oh I wish!!! Would stop me from having to move stuff from one side of the country to the other 3 seperate times a year! I dreamed of having them all in 1 place, so I could visit and not feel bad about not visiting the others. But noooooooo, their programs/majors/sports ending up taking them to opposite ends of the continent. However they all manage to yak on the phone to each every day and our AIM looks like it has hiccups in the evenings with them all yakking to each other.</p>
<p>Kat</p>
<p>thanks for all your thoughtful replies. </p>
<p>At this point, my daughter isn't clear about what she's looking for in a school. We've visited nine schools, and short of a all-women's LAC, she's liked every single one of the, including Emory, GW, Boston University, Boston College, Amherst, and Wesleyan. So clearly, either she's very flexible or has no idea of what she wants.</p>
<p>My daughter is going to spend a long weekend with her brotherl later this month and will go to classes, etc. She is interested in creative writing and theater and this school has good programs in both. My son is majoring in eastern european studies, so they definitely wouldn't be overlapping in terms of classes. </p>
<p>It will ultimately be her decision, I suppose. But I guess I'm wondering if there's a good reason for siblings to go their own ways.</p>
<p>They have a really nice relationship thus far, though have gone to different high schools and haven't intersected too much outside of the family.</p>
<p>My high school junior would love to attend the same school as his college brother. They will overlap in college one year. However, he would love to attend this school with or without his brother. I think it would be a great fit for him although dad is afraid there's a bit too much freedom for our "time management challenged" second son. I've convinced myself he'll mature a lot during the next year.</p>
<p>They are almost 4 years apart and weren't extremely close in younger years. Now that they're older they are enjoying each other much more. The oldest was excited that little brother came to visit during spring break and they had a great time. I would love it if they were together. </p>
<p>Last year a brother and sister lived on my son's dorm floor and he said they enjoyed being together.</p>
<p>My hubby and one of his sister's attended the same LAC. (I was there too.) Hubby and I were seniors when she was a freshman. He would see her occassionally on campus but they really only interacted if they wanted to. She played in the jazz band and it was fun to go see her perform. There were no down sides for either of them.</p>
<p>My college soph and h.s. junior son are very close. I would love him to attend her university - if he can get accepted and if we can afford it. I think he may be a little hesitant to apply next fall... in part, due to the "what if I don't get accepted" factor, and also to the "what if it is too challenging and I have to work too hard?" factor. I can think of no downsides to it. Even at a smallish school (under 3000 undergrads), there will be plenty of personal space. We'll see what happens.. but DD and I are definitely encouraging him to apply.</p>
<p>My son is considering his sisters' college, also in the midwest. He's been accepted there and was offered a good financial package. She will be a senior in the fall so it would be just one year that they would be together. One advantage for us is that they can drive back and forth for breaks together. Our daughter has to drive out anyway this fall since she will be student teaching and needs the car. As long as both of them feel comfortable it's fine with us. As we're narrowing down son's colleges choices, we haven't really talked about them being together on the same campus as having that much of an impact.</p>
<p>My son is so determied to strike his own path he has ruled out D's school even though it would be a great fit for him! And she'll have graduated by the time he's a freshman!</p>
<p>However, they are VERY close; like your kids seem to be. </p>
<p>The only reason I can think of that it would be negative would be if the younger sib followed the older because of fear of being on her own, or because she was too ambivalent to make any decisions. Then, it might impede her social development.</p>
<p>I have two daughters that will be attending the same school for three years (currently a first year and a sophmore). Originally, the younger had a difficult time picturing the school as "hers". (She thought it was a really great place for her sister.) However at an Accepted Student weekend, she finally was on her own visiting with professors, other students, walking around campus and the lightbulb clicked that this could be HER school as well. We in no way tried to influence this decision and would have driven anywhere for her school of choice.</p>
<p>So far, they report that they enjoy knowing the other is around if needed! This is a very small LAC of 1500, but they do not run into each other all that much. Different girls, different interests. They meet for lunch or dinner about once a week and have a great relationship. Of course, we love having them in the same place...logistics of getting them to and from school are much easier!</p>
<p>My son got into Cornell ED, where his sister is a junior. Both are excited about this, and he is quite lucky, as he'll have family at hand (and he already knows some of her friends). We are one lucky family!</p>
<p>I have two at the same LAC. One's a senior and the other a freshman. Each had different reasons for selecting it, but it was each one's number one choice. Although oldest really wanted younger to go there, he was also concerned his sib might be too dependent on him and school wouldn't feel like "his" anymore. The first couple of days for younger were a bit dicey, but big brother came through and it meant a great deal - to both, I think. Then two weeks later a grandparent died, and it was very comforting for both to be together. Since then, despite the small size of the school, they have seen very little of each other. Each has his own circle of friends and activities, and both are very, very busy with their own lives. They - maybe - get together once a month now for lunch or something. Ultimately, I think it's worked out very well, and having gone to the same college will be a connection that will enrich their relationship.</p>
<p>My sister and I both attended Barnard College. It was very nice to have her there, although we didn't see each other all that much.</p>
<p>I was a freshman at the same college as my brother, the year he was a senior. As a rather shy person, it gave me a bit more confidence knowing big brother was near, even though I hardly ever saw him. I also knew a lot about the college from hearing his experiences, so I knew I would be comfortable there. My younger brother and I also spent a year in college together. It was never a problem. We led our own lives, but did see each other occasionally.</p>
<p>My older son will be applying to grad school next year, and he recently found out that one of the few schools in the country with a good program in his field happens to be the one where his younger brother is now a freshman. While he wouldn't apply there just for that reason, it wouldn't bother him to be there near his brother. And, as one parent said, it can make moving them in and out easier!</p>
<p>My two kids are not close at all. My son would not even consider his sister's school (Rice)- he claimed it was because of the weather, but I don't think he had any desire to follow in her footsteps. He didn't even like that in pre-school!</p>
<p>thanks everyone. D's visit in a few weeks should determine whether or not this is even an option. If she does want to go there, then I can start worrying about whether or not she can even get in. :)</p>
<p>My sister and I attended the same small LAC in the 1970's. We had totally different majors and extracurricular activities, and, despite being close, we almost never saw each other...except for the rides home at the end of the term.</p>
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My son is so determied to strike his own path he has ruled out D's school even though it would be a great fit for him! And she'll have graduated by the time he's a freshman!
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<p>SBMom--exactly the same with mine. My D campaigned heavily to get him to go there. He eventually got to like it a lot, but he just wouldn't consider it solely because it was her school, even though she'd have been gone by then, and anyway, they're really close friends.</p>
<p>He just wanted his own place. I still think her school would've been great for him.</p>