BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – When Meagan DeSalvo ’15 fell in love with Illinois Wesleyan University on a campus tour during high school, she had no idea her brothers Matt and Don, ’15, would follow suit.
Call it serendipity: On August 22, all three DeSalvo siblings will begin their college careers at Illinois Wesleyan—an outcome they attribute almost entirely to coincidence.
“It took my brothers a long time to even consider IWU,” said Meagan, who applied to two other universities but had “no intention” of attending any school other than Illinois Wesleyan. “I made my decision by myself, without anyone else’s influence. We never really thought we would end up at the same school; it just kind of happened.”
Don, who during his college search focused on schools that could provide him with a quality education and place him well in the job market, shares the sentiment. Although he admits Meagan originally introduced him to Illinois Wesleyan, Don’s “final decision came down to the fact that I could envision myself at IWU,” he said. “I felt like it was where I belonged as well as where I could get the best education. I am still surprised we all ended up going to the same school, because we definitely didn’t choose to go to college together.”
Matt also applied to a few other liberal arts colleges besides Illinois Wesleyan, but was ultimately attracted to the family-like campus community as well as the warm welcome he received from members of the IWU cross country team. “At first I looked at bigger schools, but later in my search I became more interested in smaller schools that offered individual attention from professors,” he said.