Business twins share their paths to Fisher
Business twins share their paths to Fisher
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It’s a distinction worth making — there is the Buckeye family and there are families of Buckeyes. The latter is certainly true at Fisher, where more than a dozen sets of twins are among the thousands of undergraduates studying business.
As the Ohio State community celebrates the #BuckeyeLove that connects families to the university, some of Fisher’s twins shared their thoughts and feelings about their journey to Fisher and their undergraduate experience.
Reagan & Reese Brooks
Reese Brooks, Third year, Marketing
Reagan Brooks, Third year, Marketing
5 Quick Questions
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Describe your path to Ohio State and what brought you to Fisher. Was it a priority to go to the same school as your sibling?
Reagan: What brought me to Fisher was the prestige of The Ohio State University and the Fortune 500 companies that Fisher is connected with. At orientation I learned that students are taught a broad range of business skills such as marketing, finance and accounting which really helps me as a student who wants to start my own business after I graduate.
Reese: My brother and I certainly wanted to attend the same school. I definitely want him as my business partner after we graduate, so it made sense to learn business together.
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Why did each of you choose to study business? What aspect about Fisher “clinched it” for you?
Reagan: We've always been interested in business — we have been investing in the S&P 500 since we were 14 years old, and throughout high school we've had small businesses during summer break. We were strongly considering just dropping out of community college and starting up our own business from scratch, but as we looked into the option of transferring the Fisher, we found the amazing opportunities that Fisher as a whole provides for each of its students. Whether it's learning from the amazing professors at Fisher or networking with alumni, the opportunities are second to none.
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How has attending college with your sibling influenced and shaped your experiences?
Reese: We try to take the same classes whenever we can, so we're able to confront academic obstacles together. This has positively affected our ability to solve problems and motivate each other along the way.
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What is the biggest way you and your sibling are different?
Reagan: The biggest difference between each of us is planning our coursework. I usually like to plan out my work ahead of time and finish projects gradually so that it’s less stressful as the deadline gets closer. Reese will work really hard the week of an exam or project and, for whatever reason, we seem to get similar scores. So it’s really just a matter of preference.
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You arrived at Fisher as transfer students. What was that journey like? How did Fisher help make that transition a smooth one?
Reese: The journey has been fantastic as a transfer student. I only knew a few people prior to transferring to Ohio State, and within a few weeks I was able to meet some great people who are now my best friends.
Reagan: Fisher played a tremendous role in making our transition a smooth one. My academic advisor was able to guide me through the whole process, and the recitation course I took taught me greatly about the awesome tools Fisher provides to its students.
Lauren & Amanda Conaway
Lauren Conaway, Second year, Marketing
Amanda Conaway, Second year, Marketing
5 Quick Questions
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Describe your path to Ohio State and what brought you to Fisher. Was it a priority to go to the same school as your sibling?
Amanda: In the beginning, Lauren and I did not say that it was necessary to go to the same school. However, with how similar we are, we figured we would both love the same schools, but the minute we set foot out of the car, we pretty much knew Ohio State would be our college home. We both wanted to go out of state to a big school with a great business school.
Lauren: We grew up in the same place our whole lives with the same people and wanted to be able to branch out by going out of state. We knew that Ohio State had amazing opportunities that we may not have gotten if we stayed home in Buffalo, NY. Fisher has a great reputation among business schools that will help open doors for our future careers, making that one of the reasons we loved Ohio State so much.
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Why did each of you choose to study business? What aspect about Fisher “clinched it” for you?
Amanda: We both choose to study business since our parents were involved in business growing up. Originally I wanted to go to school to be a physician’s assistant, whereas Lauren wanted to be a pharmacist. It was actually during a tour of the nursing program at Ohio State when we both decided business would be a better route for us. We both love being around people and knowing that there are always opportunities to move up in a company or to find a job in any industry.
Lauren: Touring Fisher and listening to people speak about the opportunities they had through Fisher, particularly the international internships and study abroad programs, was what really sold it for us. We loved the alumni network in Columbus and knew that going to Fisher would provide more opportunities than if we had gone elsewhere.
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How has attending college with your sibling influenced and shaped your experiences?
Amanda: Lauren and I have done almost everything together throughout our lives — had the same friends, participated in the same sports and found enjoyment in the same activities. We have always been competitive when it comes to school and grades, so having each other to constantly motivate one another has been the most influential factor in shaping our future goals. College has given us the opportunity to create our own paths for ourselves while having each other’s support along the way.
Lauren: Part of the reason we have done all that we have is because we have each other. If it was just one of us going to Ohio State, I do not think we would be traveling abroad this summer or would have taken advantage of the opportunities Ohio State has to offer. Sometimes we both need that extra push to get us out of our comfort zones, and going to the same college has given us that.
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What is the biggest way you and your sibling are different?
Amanda: If you ask a lot of people, they will say that we are very similar. We would say that I have a more care-free, live-in-the-moment attitude, where my sister has a more structured, futuristic outlook.
Lauren: I’m definitely more of the person who you would go to for advice, whereas Amanda is who you go to to make you laugh and make light of a situation.
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You arrived at Fisher by way of New York. Why did you choose to study out of state?
Amanda: Growing up in a small town we appreciated the close relationships we created but were ready to meet new people and gain new experiences somewhere else. When we applied to college we only applied to one in-state school. We never really pictured ourselves staying in the place we grew up and were familiar with. For us, college was something that would create an experience that was completely different than we were used to.
Lauren: We wanted to get outside our comfort zones but knowing we had each other for support made that transition that much easier. Going out of state gave us the freedom and independence that we needed in order to create the future we dreamed of.
Kelsey and Cory Eversole
Kelsey Eversole, Fourth year, Finance
Cory Eversole, Fourth year, Finance
5 Quick Questions
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Describe your path to Ohio State and what brought you to Fisher. Was it a priority to go to the same school as your sibling?
Kelsey: Everyone in our family has gone to Ohio State, and we wanted to stay close to home, so Ohio State was a no-brainer. It was a priority to go to the same school because we work well together and learn more when we study together.
Cory: We are from Columbus and know that Ohio State is the best university around. We knew we would be sticking together. We work best together. There really wasn’t another option.
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Why did each of you choose to study business? What aspect about Fisher “clinched it” for you?
Kelsey: We had always had a passion for business and wanted to pursue a career in corporate finance. We looked into other business schools in Ohio and discovered that Fisher had the top program.
Cory: We grew up knowing we would go into business. We were always wheeling and dealing when we were younger. We were always finding ways to make extra money — from selling water at events or mowing yards. Fisher has a fantastic reputation, and we knew if we wanted to be successful Fisher was the place to be.
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How has attending college with your sibling influenced and shaped your experiences?
Kelsey: It has helped both of us perform in our major in a higher capacity. We were able to help one another in our weaker areas and solidify our financial know-how. This has put us well ahead of our peers and has helped make us more desirable to prospective employers.
Cory: I never really got homesick or slacked off too badly due to Kelsey’s presence. He always pushed me to do my best and never let me take a day off. I went 110 percent for four years. Looking back, I don't regret a single minute.
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What is the biggest way you and your sibling are different?
Kelsey: The biggest difference is our work ethic. Even being seniors in college, I still have the drive to perform at the best of my ability and not slack off. My brother has procrastinated more than past semesters but is still trying to graduate with a respectable GPA.
Cory: He may differ, but I think the biggest difference between the two of us is our personality. Even if you can't tell us apart from appearance, spend five minutes observing our personality and you'll never mix us up.
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You arrived at Fisher from a regional campus. Describe how that experience prepared you for Fisher.
Kelsey: Going to the Marion branch was a great experience, and if we had to do it again we would. It set us up to have greater success on main campus. The smaller classes and more personal interactions with the professors engaged us more. It softened the transition from small high school classes to huge lectures on main campus. Then to have small personal classes again at Fisher helped us transition even better.
Cory: I believe going to Marion our first year helped us unbelievably. The small class sizes helped us transition fairly smoothly from high school to college. So we really never became too overwhelmed with the course load. The class sizes at Fisher aren’t too large either, so once we transitioned to main campus there wasn't much change in classroom size and interaction.
Olivia & Joshua Vargo
Olivia Vargo, Second year, Marketing
Joshua Vargo, Second year, Finance
5 Quick Questions
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Describe your paths to Ohio State and what brought you to Fisher. Was it a priority to go to the same school as your sibling?
Olivia (Second year, Marketing): I knew that I wanted to be a business student and felt that Fisher would provide me with more opportunities than the other schools I applied to. Going to the same school was not a priority, but we both felt that Ohio State was the best fit and were excited to share that experience with each other!
Joshua (Second year, Finance): I was drawn to Ohio State and specifically Fisher due to its ability to provide an unmatched balance of applicable knowledge, different perspectives, community and an environment conducive to success. It wasn’t a priority to go to the same school as my sister; it just so happened that we both fell in love with Ohio State.
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Why did each of you choose to study business? What aspect about Fisher “clinched it” for you?
Olivia: After exploring many majors, I felt that marketing was the best combination of creative and analytical skills while also being widely applicable to different career paths. Because business is so broad, Josh was able to find a business specialization that also spoke to his skills and interests in finance. The student involvement opportunities within Fisher and the community of students and faculty are what stuck out to me about Fisher and what continue to make it such an inspiring environment.
Joshua: I chose to study business because I feel that a strong suit of mine is interacting with people, and through a finance degree I will be provided with a multitude of career options. A combination of Fisher’s ranking and opportunities provided clinched the decision for me.
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How has attending college with your sibling influenced and shaped your experiences?
Olivia: Attending Ohio State with Josh has exposed me to even more people and experiences than I would have been able to reach on my own. We’re able to grow independently while also having each other’s unconditional support and friendship.
Joshua: Attending college with my sister allowed for a smooth transition into college where we could always have someone to lean on if need be. We have similar majors and are able to study together for some classes, and we usually end up eating together once a day or so to catch up.
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What is the biggest way you and your sibling are different?
Olivia: We’re most different in terms of our personality types and the ways in which we handle stress. Despite sometimes solving problems and handling situations differently, those differences have been eye-opening and beneficial for each of us.
Joshua: We operate very differently in that my sister is very methodical especially when approaching schoolwork, whereas I work best under pressure.
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What is it like being a twin that calls Twinsburg home? Have you participated in the Twins Days Festival?
Olivia: I didn’t realize how unusual it was to say that I’m a twin from Twinsburg until I came to Ohio State and started introducing myself! Twinsburg has always represented home, and the interest that people have shown when I tell them about the Twins Days Festival or my own twin brother makes me appreciate it all even more. We have attended and volunteered at the festival and continue to enjoy the fireworks!
Joshua: Being a twin that calls Twinsburg home is a very convenient icebreaker for the multitude of events at Fisher, because it’s a fun fact people tend to remember. My sister and I went to the Twins Days Festival when we were younger, and in high school we volunteered for the event.
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