Title: Sharing the Wealth: Identical Triplets Pursue Master’s Degrees in Economics
The Osborne triplets, who have just begun a master’s degree program in economics, do almost everything together. They even have the same favorite snack.
Nicolas, Zachary and Benjamin Osborne are learning Chinese Mandarin, walk about 10 miles a day and love popcorn, especially at the movies. They eventually want to pursue Ph.D.s in either economics or government, preferably at Georgetown.
The Osborne identical triplets – Nicholas, Zachary and Benjamin Osborne – are entering the Georgetown’s masters in economics program this fall.
By no means like the identical and separated at birth triplets depicted in the recent documentary Three Identical Strangers, the 23-year-old Osbornes were born to dedicated, loving parents. And they’ve done just about everything together since they were born.
Undergraduate Career: All three graduated this past spring from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with bachelor’s degrees in economics and political science and minors in history.
Hometown: Rocky Mount, North Carolina
Identical Triplets: A 2012 study put the chance of having identical triplets at one in 100,000. Even rarer, the Osbornes’ great-grandfather Issac (second from left) was an identical triplet.
Why Georgetown?: “When we started looking for graduate schools, we immediately thought of schools in D.C., so naturally Georgetown was the first school we applied to. Georgetown’s ranking as a top school with a rigorous curriculum made the choice even easier.”
Academic Interests: International trade, policy choices and fiscal and monetary policy. They are interested in East Asia and are learning Mandarin Chinese.
Can You Tell Them Apart?: Family can, and they say their mom has never mixed them up. But people outside the family, including professors, tend to get them confused.
Fun Fact: They all try to walk 10 miles every day. Favorite cuisine and snack: Anything Japanese; popcorn, especially at the movies.
After Graduation Plans: “We eventually want to pursue Ph.D.s in either economics or government, preferably at Georgetown.”