From left, Christina (Chris), Matthew, and Kathryn (Cat) Formeller

Seeing Triple (and Double) at Illinois Wesleyan

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Heading off to college can be an unsettling experience, especially when it means leaving family behind. But what if the majority of your family came with you? That is precisely the case for three first-year students at Illinois Wesleyan University.

The Formellers — Christina, Kathryn, and Matthew — are triplets who decided that they weren’t ready to part, so they all chose Illinois Wesleyan and are the first set of triplets to attend Illinois Wesleyan together in anyone’s memory.

Twins are not nearly as rare on the IWU campus, however. There are four sets of twins in the entering Class of 2006: Robert and Timony Achtstatter of Arlington Heights, Ill., Christopher and Cornelius Jones of Calumet City, Ill., Amy and Jennifer Kentos of Chicago, and James and Louis Malic of Flossmoor, Ill. Statistically speaking, that means that almost 2% of Illinois Wesleyan’s entering class comes from five families.

Meanwhile, the Formellers are not unaccustomed to the attention that their status brings. When asked what life is like being a triplet, Kathryn, who goes by Cat, has a ready answer, "We don’t really know what it’s like not to be a triplet. Everything we do depends on each other. A lot of the decisions we make reflect each other’s judgement."

The siblings are fraternal, not identical, but they say most people are quick to recognize them as triplets.

"Everywhere we go, whenever we’re at school people recognize us as one of the triplets," says Matt. "On our first day here at Illinois Wesleyan, people approached me and said ‘Oh, aren’t you one of those triplets?’ We’ve always been known as kind of a trio."

Although the brother and two sisters are the same age and come from the same household, they are quick to point out that each has eclectic interests. Cat is a business and philosophy major; Chris is on the pre-law track so she is choosing political science and philosophy for her majors, saying, "I’ve always had a passion for justice, so law is something I’ve always been interested in." Matt enters his first-year as an international business major.

With five majors between the three, Cat, Matt, and Chris still plan to be active in extracurricular activities. Matt is currently playing soccer for the Titans while Cat and Chris both plan on continuing their interest in singing at IWU.

Cat said she was the sibling who gave serious consideration to separating the group when it came to college. At the last minute, she changed her mind, "Originally my plan was not to follow my siblings. I was thinking about going to the University of San Diego. However, I realized that I liked Illinois Wesleyan better than any of the other schools that I looked at and ultimately I wanted to be with Matt and Chris."

For their part, Matt and Chris both are sure that their sister made the right decision. Says Matt, "What Illinois Wesleyan has to offer is just so appealing. This is where I feel comfortable and where I want to be."