Same college? No way. Same city post graduation? Acceptable (possibly because it’s the most populous U.S. city).
My closest friends had both their daughters (only 1 year apart, grade-wise) attend the same OOS school. Although always a bit academically competitive, the girls were actually quite close. They chose the same major - literature - and even lived together in their junior year, although their school was huge and they spent less time together than you might think. One ended up in med school, the other is doing a PhD in comp lit. Both recall their undergraduate experience with affection. Certainly worked out for these siblings.
Not a chance here. Not only do our three children not want to attend the same school, all three want to be out of state and would not even consider our respective alma maters. They want to carve their own path. I guess they listened when we told them to forge their own path in life.
D1 got accepted at the same university that S1 attends. The fact that her COA was going to be considerably more took it off the list. It would be highly unlikely that they would have done anything together other than carpool or the occasional lunch/dinner. More likely, S1’s friends would be wanted to hang out with his little sister…
There is no right or wrong about this. If the same college is the right place for both siblings then that is nice, but often they gravitate towards different schools. My brother went to the same college as I did and we overlapped for one year – it was a big school and we were in different majors so (after the first week or two when he came by a good bit) we basically only met up when we scheduled it. My two kids are very close and while my D did apply to the college my S attended, it was not one of her top choices – my S went to an urban Jesuit school which he absolutely loved and my D went to a LAC which was perfect for her. Their two football teams play each other every year so now they ahve developed a “friendly rivalry”
I attended the same college as my sister. It was an LAC with a student population of about 2000. She was a senior when I was a freshman. I liked it. I knew a lot more people on campus because of her.
The only college S18 has absolutely rejected and will not put on his list is the school D15 attends because they would overlap by one year. It only has ~1300 students, so it would be pretty hard to not see her if he didn’t want to.
On the other hand, friend who teaches at the local large commuter CSU just ran into her son on campus last week for the first time this whole school year.
My S16 is going to be attending the same small college as my S13. It was a surprise as when we dropped off S13 for his freshman year, my younger said, “there’s no way I am going here.”
He applied early decision.
My sister and I attended the same school. I was a senior and she was a freshman. We rarely saw each other, as we had different interests and different friends. We were at a larger school - 22,000 undergrads, so plenty of room to have different paths.
Two of our daughters attend the same out of state small LAC, in the same major. They get together for the occasional meal but pretty much live separate lives. It is nice to have them share rides home, or help each other out if something comes up. Another perk was the sibling discount on tuition.
Ds2 said, “I’ve been following him through schools my whole life. Why would I go to college with him, too?”
Two of my sons are soph and senior this year at the same OOS university, which they chose for the scholarships. They are completely opposite personalities (Younger one is social/gamer/slacker, older is studious/loner). They were never close growing up. No conflicts, but not friends. I was surprised that younger S chose this university–his brother being there didn’t really factor into his decision. It is nice that they are at the same place and can share a car, but they have very little to do with each other–even though they are suitemates this year.
I attended the same college as my (one year) older sister. I also have a twin sister–I decided not to go to the same college as my twin. My older sister and I rarely saw each other. Occasionally we would schedule a meal or activity together. Our younger brother also attended the same college his freshman year (he didn’t like it much and transferred out. . .) Looking back on it, I wonder if I could’ve helped him to feel more at home there, but I was a senior when he was a freshman, and I hardly knew he was there.
@88jm19 what you described is pretty much my dream scenario 
But I can’t put that on them (other than if younger DD wanted to go to the same college as older DD I would support that decision). It sure would be nice, though, and it’s nice to read about your good experience.
2 kids, same university, same major,
completely different groups of friends & activities. No problem at all. Senior & freshmen so they were at the same college for 1 year. The college was their 1st choice.
Have one set of younger relatives who happen to be siblings and attending the same college. However, considering the college is on the large side and the siblings are 3 years apart and in separate undergraduate colleges(engineering and A & S) they have far more room to blaze their own path or to otherwise not bump into each other unless they desired it.
Incidentally, I had mixed feelings when a relative who is 2 weeks older than I was, but 2 years behind me academically due to how California schools assigned students by birth dates differed from New York’s and his taking a gap year after being rejected by all colleges in his HS senior year expressed interest in attending my LAC. Ended up being moot after he was rejected by my LAC for the second time and he ended up at another excellent college.
Similarly, one college friend who graduated college at 17 had the interesting experience of having his OLDER sibling start out at our college as a first-year in the same year he was a graduating senior. They both didn’t let on if there were issues or even revealed their actual age difference to anyone except their closest friends.
My two daughters went to the same college, pledged the same sorority, and their two cousins were also went to the same school. My kids were 5 years apart, so they were not there together, but they shared many same experiences. Growing up, due to their age differences, they were not very close. I think by having similar experiences, they became closer.
They didn’t see their cousins all the time, but they got together for each other’s birthdays when we couldn’t be there. They also helped each other out when they got sick or needed help to move in/out of school. The school was a large U, so they all had plenty of space.
I know several families in which two or even three siblings have attended the same college and it has worked out fine. All of them involved large universities with a variety of academic programs and subcultures.
On the other hand, my own kids each attended a college that the other found unappealing.
Technically, my kids go to separate schools. However, they are both part of the Claremont Consortium (total population being about 5000).
My D encouraged my S to apply from the start because she knew his school would be a great fit for him. Because they have always been close (yet still had a life with their own friends), it has worked out fine. It sounds like they see each other fairly regularly whether they just run into each other or they make a plan to. Heck, this semester they even have a class together! (Probably the only time this will happen though).
They share a car, we can see both of them in one visit, they can come home together and a couple times they even decided to Skype us when they were together. And I know they would take care of each other if something were to come up. So things are working out fine for them and great for us as parents!
Now, it just worked out that their first choice schools were next door to each other. If they hadn’t that would have been fine too and I can understand siblings wanting to “forge their own path”. But for us, it has worked out and it’s very convenient!
(My D tells me that she’s noticed that it seems common for siblings to attend the consortium but to pick different schools.)
Although my daughters were not interested in each other’s colleges, D2 and my older niece, who are the same age, ended up going to different LACs in the same small town, one state over.
My D17 is definitely planning to apply to the school my S16 will attend. They don’t really offer her exact choice of major though they have lots of majors she is interested in so it would work but would probably change the course she takes after college in terms of PhD or Med School rather than employment. They get along well and neither is worried about being together. They also are not worried about potentially being separated feeling like they would stay in touch though they were a little freaked out that if one is on the quarter system and the other semesters they may have very little overlap in vacations 