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Three sets of twins walked through the Campanile May 16 as School of Business graduates.

Karelynn and Sherlynn Cailteux are information systems and accounting majors, respectively, from Clyde, Kan. John and Michael Chalfant are accounting majors from Overland Park, Kan. Tanner and Tyler Weigel are accounting and finance majors from Hayes, Kan.

The Chalfant brothers grew up Jayhawks, but agreed that their academic choices in college weren’t influenced by each other.

“I can't really say that Mike had a big influence on my major,” John Chalfant said. “I suppose it didn't hurt that we were doing the same thing, but the decision was made individually, and we happened to make the same one.”

But being in the same major also had major advantages.

“It was nice to be able to ask someone I knew and trusted what certain classes were like and how some teaching styles differed,” Michael Chalfant said. “It was mostly just like having another friend in the same major though, who happened to be my brother.”

John said another perk to having a twin in the same major is the chance to compare notes and study together.

“This obviously isn’t an advantage that can only be created by being a twin, but it sure didn’t hurt,” John said.

Aside from the occasional confused teacher throughout the past four years, the Chalfant brothers said their time at the School of Business has been pretty tame.

“I’m going to miss the people at KU the most,” Michael said. “Life will go on in a new and exciting direction, but I will have a hard time topping my time spent here in Lawrence.”

Luckily, their time at KU isn’t over quite yet. Both John and Michael will complete the Masters of Accounting (MAcc) program before beginning new jobs in the Kansas City area.

Not many people can say they have a twin with the same major from the same school.

That advantage might make for some interesting times in the real world.

Karelynn and Sherlynn Cailteux are used to the confusion. After all, they are identical twins.

“I always wondered why some people in my classes never said ‘hi’ to me outside of class,” Sherlynn said. “Freshman year, when I lived in McCollum, I was waiting for the elevator and talking to a guy who lived on the same floor I did. He said he waited for me to say ‘hi’ first because he never knew if it was me or my sister. I've had conversations with several people I've never seen before. I just assume they know my sister and I keep on talking.”

Both sisters said they decided to be Business majors without the influence of their twin.

“I actually started off as a pharmacy major,” Sherlynn said. “But I enjoy math more than biology, so I switched and I'm very glad I made that decision. Karelynn and I both enjoy business.”

“I use to help my friends with their computer problems and I knew I didn't want to do engineering, so I decided to go for information systems,” Karelynn said. “When I heard about the new supply chain management major I jumped on board with that, too.”

The Cailteux sisters have enjoyed the perks of being twins in the School of Business.

“Books,” Sherlynn said. “I've saved money borrowing books from classes she had already taken and vice versa. It's also fun when the teachers get us confused.”

“We had a lot of pre-requisite classes together,” Karelynn said. “It was nice always having someone to compare answers with. If I ever missed a class, I knew who to call.”

The twins have a lot of fond memories of the last four years, but Karelynn insists that there is one thing she is happy to put behind her. “I’ll miss a lot about KU, but I won’t miss those exams. That’s for sure.”

“I’ll miss the people the most,” Sherlynn said. “I came to KU knowing only my sister and I've met many wonderful people and have learned a lot from them.”

Both twins already have jobs lined up in Kansas City after graduation, but Sherlynn is looking forward to a fun summer.

“I don't start working until September,” Sherlynn said. “So I have time to travel and relax before I have to buckle down and start the next chapter of my life.”

While an average 90,000 sets of twins are born in the United States each year, very few can call themselves Jayhawks.

The memory of walking down the Campanile May 16, twin at their side, won’t be a memory soon forgotten.