For parents of multiples, college graduation season can present a unique challenge: needing to be two (or more!) places at once.
Thankfully for Nancy and Goran Dosen and their twin daughters Daniela and Madeline, the Bryn Mawr and Haverford Bi-College (Bi-Co) Consortium, which allows students from each college to study and major at the other, is so thoroughly ingrained that the schools even make it possible to attend both graduation ceremonies — Haverford’s in the morning and Bryn Mawr’s in the afternoon.
Daniela will be graduating from Bryn Mawr with a bachelor’s degree in physics and will be on her way to earning her master’s in engineering at Penn through Bryn Mawr’s 4+1 program. Madeline is a Haverford biology major with a health studies minor and will be attending the New England College of Optometry in the fall.
Graduation also marks the end of an era of rivalry between the two sisters, who were both members of their school’s soccer team and faced off against each other after growing up as teammates.
"We were on the same team our whole lives," says Daniela. "We were on the same school teams, same club teams, so it was fun to be at schools that compete in the same conference and to play against each other for the first time."
Injuries prevented the sisters from playing against each other in their senior year, but they did face off during their sophomore and junior years; their first game ended in a tie thanks to a penalty kick by Daniela, and the second ended with a Haverford victory.
While they had fun playing against each other, being on different teams didn’t weaken their bond.
"We’ve always been very close," Madeline says. "During the season, we were both pretty busy with practices and games, but we’d still find time to get together to have fun or even just grab breakfast together. We each have our own group of friends, but it was good to have that person you could rely on, who, without fail, would have your back."
When they began their college search, both Daniela and Madeline were looking at Haverford.
"But whenever I came to Bryn Mawr’s campus, it just had that 'it' factor for me," says Daniela. "It’s like that cliché of 'when you know, you know,' that’s exactly what happened with me."
In their freshman year, the sisters took the same Spanish class at Bryn Mawr, leading to at least one minor crisis.
"Obviously, we grew up going on the same family vacations and whatnot, so you have the same beach sweatshirts and stuff. So, one day I went to class, and I saw we were wearing the same sweatshirt, and I had to run back to my dorm, change, and come back," Daniela recalls.
While she had considered Haverford, Daniela says her choice of Bryn Mawr has been a wise one.
"I thought I wouldn't like the women's college aspect. That was something that friends at home would joke with me about, and I was a little uncertain about how I would feel about it, but it's actually one of my favorite parts about the Bryn Mawr experience," she says. "Physics is typically a male-dominated field, and I thought it was really powerful to be in an upper-level physics class with a class size of 15 and one professor, and it's all women."
As for her time at Haverford, Madeline says the school's emphasis on its core values and community engagement will leave a lasting impression.
"When I first stepped on Haverford’s campus, I could feel the sense of community and that it was the place for me, and that’s proven to be true," she says. "From my team to the other clubs and academic communities I’ve been a part of, I’ve always felt like I’m part of a supportive network."
Bryn Mawr’s undergraduate commencement ceremony takes place at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 16. Haverford’s ceremony begins at 10 a.m. on the same day.
Bryn Mawr College Commencement Information
Haverford College Commencement Information
