Name: Rebecca M. Stein (left)
School: College Economics Professor
Did you know someone else on campus had your exact name? Yes! Two in fact.
How does it make you feel? Generic?
Have you ever experienced a clerical error mixing you two up? I sometimes send myself emails with links to things I want to read later. When Becca sent me an email the first time, it lay in my inbox for a couple of days: I thought I was just ignoring myself. I didn’t realize this was from my student.
Would you ever use this to your advantage? Or have you? Shoot—we should have traded places on the Econ 001 final. I would have taken the exam and she would have been in charge of grading 700 papers. It would have been Pareto Optimal. (Ed. note: This has something to do with profit gain. Street should probably take Dr. Stein’s class.)
Name: Rebecca F. Stein (right)
School: College '15
Did you know someone else on campus had your exact name? Yes, I found out when I registered for Intro to Microeconomics before freshman year.
How does it make you feel? I do feel really unaccomplished when I Google myself. I’m gonna need to really make it in life if I want to improve my search engine optimization. Dr. Stein has set the bar high for me.
Have you ever experienced a clerical error mixing you two up? I was once invited to speak at Wharton, and I had to kindly decline. I’ve been sucked up to via email to an extent I can’t even describe, by both people I don’t know and friends of mine. I was also given the privilege of being a course designer for Intro to Microeconomics on Canvas.
Would you ever use this to your advantage? Or have you? I’ve always been too nervous not to correct people when I get emails for the professor. I’m not so well–versed in identity theft laws, but I generally like to stay on the safe side.
Name: Jeremy T. Cohen
School: College '17
Did you know someone else on campus had your exact name? On more than one occasion, someone will see me write my full name and look at me with surprise: “YOU’RE Jeremy Cohen?” My best response so far: “I’m *a* Jeremy Cohen. We are many.”
How does it make you feel? I think he might be more beautiful than I am, but I’m okay with that. My pale skin versus his beautiful tan Mediterranean offering. (Yeah, so, maybe I’ve been shown pictures of other Jeremy up on Facebook. A number of times.)
Have you ever experienced a clerical error mixing you two up? He was almost paid (instead of me) for my grading job in Wharton’s Stat department last semester.
Would you ever use this to your advantage? Or have you? I don’t think we look nearly enough alike for one of us to pull off being the other. Even so... since he is a year older, if he happens to have an old driver’s license…
Name: Jeremy M. Cohen (standing)
School: Wharton '16
Did you know someone else on campus had your exact name? I didn’t until I un–spammed this email!
How does it make you feel? There can only be one. Sorry, other Jeremy Cohen.
Have you ever experienced a clerical error mixing you two up? Not that I know of, but I hope other Jeremy Cohen is looking out for my GPA.
Would you ever use this to your advantage? Or have you? Of course, I’m thinking something along the lines of The Parent Trap.
Name: Madeline C. Penn (left)
School: College '17
How does it make you feel? Honestly,annoyed sometimes when people mix us up. But I like it when we’re together and take Maddie Penn pics and make ourselves an entity. When we pass each other on Locust and we have this cute banter where we go: “Hi Maddie Penn! Hi Maddie Penn! Bye Maddie Penn! Bye Maddie Penn!”
Have you ever experienced a clerical error mixing you two up? Many people told me that they voted for me for class president last year even though I never ran. Many people were also shocked to find out that I sing when a capella tryouts were taking place last year.
Name: Madeline G. Penn (right)
School: College & Wharton '17
Have you ever experienced a clerical error mixing you two up? First semester freshman year I was signed up for zero classes. I tried enrolling in Chem 101 and the professor responded that I was enrolled in Italian at the time, and thus, could not enrolled. I get a lot of my doctors appointments cancelled in the city (Ed. note: they’re both from NYC). My mom particularly loves telling the story of when she showed up to my preschool way back when to find my teacher informing her that I was picked up by staff at the 92nd street Y for my gymnastics class, which the other Maddie Penn was enrolled in. I also once received a drunk call from a mutual friend we have from NYC trying to have a heart–to–heart about his love life. I’m not particularly good friends with him.
Name: Hannah R. Fagen (left)
School: College ’17
Did you know someone else on campus had your exact name? Yes! We met at a send–off event a week or two before NSO. (We are actually both from Long Island but didn't know each other until then.)
Have you ever experienced a clerical error mixing you two up? She got my mail once. The envelope said URGENT on it, so she got me the information right away. Turns out it was just a calendar from the local branch of a charity I'm involved with. (The calendar had pictures of babies on it, so while it was super cute, it was definitely not urgent.)
Name: Hannah E. Fagin (right)
School: College ’17
Did you know someone else on campus had your exact name? Our high schools are only about twenty minutes away from each other, so although I didn't officially know Hannah before coming to Penn there were mix ups at home also. I think she was transferring high schools, and I got a bunch of friend requests from random people. I inboxed them asking who they were, and they literally would not believe me that I was the wrong person.
How does it make you feel? The other Hannah and I are both Jewish girls from Long Island, and as we all know there is no shortage of those at Penn. I think its funny that our last names aren't even Jewish sounding at all. I am nervous for her that I will go out and do something really stupid and embarrassing, and people will think it was her. I am a lot less nervous the other way around.
Would you ever use this to your advantage? Or have you? We're both in PSYC 001 this semester, so I'm secretly, or not so secretly, hoping our exams get mixed up even though I don't think thats possible.
Name: Jenny Lu (right)
School: College ’17
Have you ever experienced a clerical error mixing you two up? The people in the Harnwell package room all know who I am now after a couple of mixups and take extra care in making sure the packages are for the right Jenny.
Would you ever use this to your advantage? Or have you? I've never used it to my advantage, but it's just fun seeing people's confused faces
Name: Jenny Lu (left)
School: College ’15
How does it make you feel? At first I felt like a jealous older sibling, then I didn't think it would matter. Except (other) Jenny Lu joined the DP and things got confusing.
