Last year’s story in The New York Times about the college admissions experience of a set of quadruplets created a stir when the students name-dropped Wesleyan as a potential college choice. While all four ended up attending Yale, the trend of siblings following each other to school has seeped onto Wesleyan’s campus as well. Not only does having an older sibling on campus enable an easier transition in the first few weeks as a freshman, it also gives an applicant a status similar to legacy (having an alumni parent).

“Yes, we do encourage siblings to apply and we track those relationships in the same way we track and pay attention to other alumni connections,” said Dean of Admission and Financial Aid Nancy Hargrave Meislahn. “I think it is safe to say that an application from a Wesleyan sibling is always going to get an extra close look in the process.”

Much like a letter of recommendation from a teacher or boss, older siblings are able to write letters for their younger brother or sister who is applying.

“We’re happy to receive letters of recommendation from older brothers and sisters and we review some every year, from both current students and recent grads,” Meislahn said.

Many students who have followed older sisters or brothers to campus have diverse reasons for attending the same school as their sibling and have widely different experiences, whether during the same four years or sometimes years later.

“I think my experience at Wesleyan visiting was better because I was visiting him [my brother] instead of as a perspective student,” said Ally Bernstein ’13, whose brother graduated last year. “I thought that I wanted something brand new but when I visited here it just felt so comfortable and normal.”

For many students, the University became a top choice during the application process because of visits with older siblings.

“I wanted to come to Wesleyan for a lot of different reasons but [my sister’s experience here] was a huge factor,” said Annika Butler-Wall ’12, whose sister graduated in ’05. “I came when I was in seventh grade and she took me to Eclectic. It was terrifying.”

Having an older sibling at Wesleyan who can tell you which professors to avoid and how to conserve points definitely makes the transition for freshmen easier as well.

“What was most helpful about having her go here was that I had her knowledge of the system and the professors,” Butler-Wall said. “I could eliminate bad classes and professors. She told me which classes to sit in on and made me this whole guidebook where she interviewed all of her friends about classes and places to study. It was so helpful.”

Yet, despite the small campus, many siblings have vastly different experiences at Wesleyan.

“What I think is so interesting is that inevitably, given all the choices and options both within the curriculum and outside the classroom, siblings have very different experiences, yet with the same common ‘Wesleyan-ish’ threads,” Meislahn said.

For Bernstein, it was easy to form her own group of friends as a freshman despite looking alike, and being interested in similar hobbies as her brother because he was busy working on his senior thesis.

“It was fun and I worked on the costumes for his [music] thesis but we didn’t see each other much,” she said. “He was busy and I was in a new place. I’m friendly with his friends but I really made my own. Once a week we would hang out—or even less often. People will still be like, ‘You’re Ben Bernstein’s sister.’”

The Kiely siblings, Audrey ’13 and Henry ’11 have forged a strong bond on campus, collaborating together on several music and theater projects. Henry suggests searching on YouTube for Kiely Coyote, an activist street theater performance that the two worked on together in Middletown.

“It’s nice to have someone who is family and is close by if you need them,” Audrey said. “I know a lot of people his age now. It’s nice to get to spend time with Henry outside of the setting of our house.”

For some prospective students, the lure of having an older sibling on campus can actually be a deterrent in their quest to start fresh in college and create their own persona.

“We aren’t competitive, but there is definitely a high standard to live up to,” Bernstein said. “It’s hard when you have a smart, cool, older sibling. You are definitely going to be compared. I feel like I came into my own but it’s definitely been a big part of my experience at Wesleyan.
As a younger sibling, it is hard to be constantly compared to an older brother or sister in high school and then follow them to college as well.

“My brother is coming this weekend and that is plenty for me,” President Michael Roth joked. “If he stayed any longer than a couple of days, one of us would have to go. I know some siblings at Wesleyan who are thriving and each in a different way, and I know some families where the younger child wouldn’t come because their older sibling is here. Especially if they go to a high school where they get defined by their older sibling, like when my teachers called me Rick.”