There are over 2,000 institutions that offer 4-year degrees, and out of all the schools to choose from, you and your sibling chose the same one. Is this a recipe for disaster or not? Well, I personally go to UNH with my younger sister who just became a Wildkitty this spring, so we can both tell you what it’s like.
I thought that knowing she would be transferring to my school, she would be very attached to me both socially and academically. My sibling will ask for advice and sometimes need help with the general education classes I once took. But hey, isn’t that what siblings are for regardless of where you are? I also thought we would end up having the same groups of friends. But UNH is a fairly large school, and both of us have plenty of friends of our own.
There are definitely more pros than cons when it comes to having my sibling at UNH with me. Everybody gets home sick, and one major pro is that I can have a little slice of home whenever I see my sister. I can get dinner with part of my family at the dining hall whenever I want, plus I get to introduce my friends to someone so close to me from home. Another pro is that we can also party together: I cannot wait for us to be able to go to the bars together. We now always borrow each others clothes, food, booze and money without feeling bad about it.
The only con that I can honestly think of is that we look like we are twins, and so most of our friends think one is the other; we both have already been called each others names multiple times by people we don’t know and have to explain we’re the sister.
For equality, I had a friend interview my sister on her opinions about going to school with me:
1.What is your favorite thing about going to school with your sibling?
“If I ever need any advice or just someone to vent to, she’s always there to help. She is especially helpful when I’m stressed out about school or friends because she is really the one person I can completely trust.”
2.What is your least favorite thing about going to school with your sibling?
“It’s sometimes annoying to see each other every day because I feel like I’m not entirely on my own at school. But it hasn’t turned out to be that bad at all. I also worry that we’ll get into fights about having the same friends and not being able to make our own social lives.”
3.What do you think would be different if you went to different schools?
“I originally went to a different school (Endicott College) before I transferred here and we missed each other a lot more but now we get to see each other whenever we want. Also, I think we contacted each other through texting and snapchat a lot more often because we didn’t get to see other for a long time.”
4. Does going to the same school affect your social life?
“It has definitely affected my social life because we now have the same friends but it has been in mostly a more positive way than anything. I still have my own friends and can make more from my own major/classes.”
So NO, going to school with your sibling is NOT a recipe for disaster because it’s more like having your best friend from home be able to study, eat, party, or just watch TV with when you’re far from home. If you’re out there worrying, panicking, or just curious as to if you should choose the same school as your sibling, GO FOR IT. You will both have the times of your lives and can enjoy it together.