Twins and siblings talk campus life and being together at Chapman

Hannah Schmidt and Kaitlyn Schmidt, above, are some of many siblings who chose to attend the same university. While most Chapman students claim having their sibling with them is beneficial, some discussed with The Panther about its drawbacks as well. Photo by Cassidy Keola

Hannah and Kaitlyn Schmidt banter about who does more cleaning, like typical roommates. But Hannah and Kaitlyn are more than used to living together. As twins, they’ve done it their entire lives.

“We’ve gone to college with each other the last four years, so we don’t know any different,” Hannah Schmidt said.

Despite being around one another almost every day, the twins said that going to college together hasn’t worn on their relationship. 

“It has made (college) easier for us,” Hannah Schmidt said. “Leaving for college was very scary, but we were very lucky in the sense that both of us would be there together.”

While having each other as a support system works for the Schmidts, not all twins share this sentiment. Alexa Faber, a freshman art history major, chose to attend a different university than her twin sister Krista, who studies biomedical engineering at Santiago Canyon College in Orange, California.

“Because we are twins, we have done everything together,” Alexa Faber said. “Splitting up for college gives us the opportunity to have new experiences and have different friends.”

Branching out and going to different colleges was the right decision, Alexa Faber said, because they want to be involved in different career fields.

“Chapman would not be a good fit because of her major: engineering,” Alexa Faber said. “Although Chapman has many resources that (she) would love to take advantage of, a school that offers a better program for engineering is a better fit for her.”

Some siblings, like Franchesca and Isabella Fangary, find Chapman to be a good fit despite having different majors. While junior Franchesca Fangary has been on Chapman’s campus for two years longer than her younger sister, Isabella Fangary, a freshman business administration major, came to Chapman because it was one of the only schools where she could pursue both business and film.

“I was so excited when she decided to apply to Chapman, and I definitely wanted her to come here,” said Franchesca Fangary, a screenwriting and public relations and advertising double major. “We’re not always at the same places, but we do try to grab lunch together at least once a week.”

But being a twin or sister is not without drawbacks. Hannah Schmidt and Kaitlyn Schmidt said that certain aspects of social life can get in the way of making friends.

“Sometimes people don’t even care to take the time to get to know us or figure out the difference,” Kaitlyn Schmidt said. “After we’ve known you for some time, it does get annoying if you don’t take the time to really find out the difference.”

Another part of social life that can become a complication for the two is dating. 

“It’s more of a mental aspect for me because she’s always started dating the guys before me, so I kind of (think), ‘Why don’t they like me? I’m just as cool as she is. I’m just as pretty as she is; we look the same,’” Hannah Schmidt said. 

For Kaitlyn Schmidt, it’s important that the person she’s dating gets along with her twin. The two have told each other that if one of them doesn’t like the person the other twin is dating, it’s “a deal-breaker.”

“Whoever we’re seeing has to also be accepting of the twin sister, because if you don’t accept the twin sister, then you can’t date us,” Kaitlyn Schmidt said.