Dive Brief:
- One-fifth of younger siblings enroll in the same college as their older brother or sister, according to a study of data from 1.6 million pairs of sibling SAT test takers from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
- Younger siblings are 15% more likely to enroll in a four-year college if their older brother or sister has, according to the faculty research paper.
- The more closely younger siblings resemble their older siblings’ academic skill, age, and gender, the more likely they’ll go to the same college.
Dive Insight:
Of the younger siblings studied, 31% applied to the same college their older sibling attended, 36% enrolled in the same Barron’s category of college, and 69% applied to the same type of college — four-year, two-year or no college. The study’s authors — Joshua Goodman, Michael Hurwitz, Jonathan Smith, and Julia Fox — say their analysis should prompt more research about families sharing information and education preferences.