Courtesy of Chase and Tyler Lenk

Courtesy of Tessa and Zoe Castrucci

Courtesy of Claudia and Ingrid Krishnan

Courtesy of Audrey and Ella Perry

Courtesy of Claudia and Ingrid Krishnan

Courtesy of Tessa and Zoe Castrucci

Identical twins Chase and Tyler Lenk ’26 always knew that they wanted to go to college together. Ever since applying Early Decision to Bowdoin and getting accepted at the same time, they have seen their passions overlap while still pursuing their individual aspirations.

“The picture of why we’re both here is because we’ve always been best friends our entire life,” Tyler Lenk said. “We 100 percent knew we were going to the same school.”

Fraternal twins Tessa and Zoe Castrucci ’29 were also accepted to Bowdoin during the Early Decision round. They recalled being surprised that the other considered Bowdoin as her first choice; they had anticipated attending different colleges.

It is not uncommon to see double on Bowdoin’s campus. Bowdoin siblings report academic, social and emotional benefits to attending the same college as their family members. Many younger siblings have followed their older siblings to Bowdoin because they were previously able to visit them and get an unfiltered glimpse into student life.

Claudia Krishnan ’29 noted that she grew to love Bowdoin after spending weekends on campus with her sister, Ingrid Krishnan ’26, and doing more research into the College’s opportunities. Although initially skeptical about attending the same college as her sister, Claudia Krishnan said her older sister’s presence alleviated her homesickness, and she is grateful they are able to spend so much time together.

The sisters eat lunch together once a week, and Ingrid Krishnan said their relationship has strengthened since Claudia Krishnan joined her on campus.

“I love my friends, and I feel like, at this point, they know me very well,” Ingrid Krishnan said. “But it’s so different [with my sister]. I’ve known her her whole life, and she’s known me for most of mine. I feel like it’s just such a different depth of relationship there.”

Tyler Lenk echoed Ingrid Krishnan’s sentiments. He and Chase Lenk had a tight bond before coming to Bowdoin and now they are “as close as ever.”

“Coming here, we were, as most people are, very scared to go to college, but we were very happy that we were going to have somebody so close to us to go through and do it with,” Tyler Lenk said. “In terms of how our relationship has changed, I think we’re as close as ever.”

One factor that has contributed to strong relationships between siblings is participation in the same campus extracurriculars.

Sisters Audrey Perry ’29 and Ella Perry ’26 both play for the women’s club soccer team. They were excited about the opportunity to play together, and Audrey Perry highlights that playing on the same team has been the most fun part of spending time with her sister on campus. The duo even scored a goal together in a fall semester game.

Ingrid Krishnan and Claudia Krishnan both sing for Miscellania, one of Bowdoin’s a cappella groups. Ingrid Krishnan was elated when her younger sister was accepted into the group and said she likes knowing there is a dedicated time each week where she will see her sister.

The Krishnan sisters are both interested in biochemistry, and the Lenk twins are both pursuing an economics major. Younger siblings Claudia Krishnan and Audrey Perry agreed it has been helpful to get advice on course selection from their older sisters, even if the recommendations are outside their siblings’ chosen major.

The Castrucci twins, on the other hand, like different subjects and are involved in unique campus activities. Zoe Castrucci walked onto the women’s varsity soccer team and plays club tennis, while Tessa Castrucci is a member of the club soccer, alpine ski and flag football teams. Tessa Castrucci said this separation is new for the twins after participating in the same sports and being in the same friend group in high school.

Siblings on campus also emphasized the importance of creating an identity for themselves on campus separate from their family members. Claudia Krishnan said she didn’t join the rowing team because of her sister’s presence on the team.

“I just really wanted to get involved in different things than her, and I wanted to go [explore] the different interests that I had,” Claudia Krishnan said. “For example, since kindergarten, I did classical Indian dance. I really wanted to get involved in the South Asian Student Association so that I could focus on that part of my life and things that I love.”

Ingrid Krishnan said there are misconceptions about having a sibling on campus. She said she understands how siblings who came to Bowdoin first would want to preserve the school as their own space. In reality, she doesn’t see her sister all the time, leaving space on campus for the both of them.

“I feel like it’s really cool to see somebody go through the Bowdoin experience again, especially somebody I know very well,” Ingrid Krishnan said. “I’m just learning there are so many different ways to do Bowdoin.”