Pete Mathias '09 was not one of the hundreds of freshmen found wandering aimlessly around the Dartmouth campus this fall. His sister, Alice Mathias '07, was able to show him around.
"If I didn't have a sister to show me where everything is, I wouldn't have any idea where to go every day," Pete Mathias.
Those members of the Class of 2009 who joined their older brothers and sisters at the College this year found in their siblings an embedded support system and a familiar face, which, they said, seemed to make all the difference during their chaotic first few weeks in Hanover.
For Annie Rittgers '09, attending the same college as her brother, Charlie, the senior quarterback of Dartmouth's football team, is a welcome change from the years they spent at different schools.
"I love having Charlie here," Rittgers said. "We didn't go to the same high school, and it's great that I get to see him every day. It makes the whole experience a little more fun."
Older siblings have proved to be sources of information that the First-Year Office might skip over, such as what professors are actually like, which dining halls offer the shortest lines and how to handle a jam-packed social calendar.
"Charlie told me what classes he liked and where he liked to eat or study," Rittgers said. "He and I have really different interests, but he sent me to his friends or other people I could talk to about things I wanted to get involved in. Some people go to their UGA for advice, and I get to go to my brother."
Freshmen Rittgers and Mathias share another trait. Their older siblings are each members of a fraternity or sorority, which, they say, made exploring Webster Avenue less intimidating than they expected because they knew their siblings were not far away.
"It was definitely nice to know some football players and some of the brothers at GDX when I got here," said Rittgers, whose brother is a member of Gamma Delta Chi fraternity.
Pete Mathias agreed that getting to know his sister's friends has helped his social life.
"It's always fun to have some girls know who you are," he said.
Although Dartmouth is a small college, the school's numerous extracurricular activities guarantee that siblings can enjoy their time without bumping into family members.
While Annie Rittgers said she speaks with her brother daily, Andrew Lane '09 only recalled seeing his brother, Russ Lane '06, a few times during orientation week and the start of classes.
"My brother and I did a lot of the same stuff in high school," Andrew Lane said. "Here, I'm kind of looking forward to doing some things different from Russ. The great thing about Dartmouth is that there are enough clubs and activities available that we can both do our own thing."
As the year goes on, freshmen may utilize less advice from their upperclass siblings as they grow more comfortable on campus.
After all, they said, not all advice is good advice.
"When I asked my brother what dining halls had good food, or where I should get lunch, Charlie told me that he got a steak queso at the Hop every day," Rittgers said. "Needless to say, I figured out most of the food stuff by myself."
