Meet Domonic and Donovan McDonald, Twins from Nassau Bahamas

When it came time to move thousands of miles away from home for university, the McDonald twins knew that they needed to make the move together. The problem was that one twin had a passion for sciences and the other, liberal arts. Both wanted a smaller campus. With the encouragement of family and friends in Nassau, Bahamas they discovered the King’s – Western combination. Donovan could enroll in Medical Bio Physics at Western while Domonic could study International Relations at King’s. And, importantly to the pair, they could be roommates at King’s.

These identical twins are now settled in to King’s residence and discovering life in London, Ontario. We caught up with Donovan and Domonic for a dual profile:

1) What are your thoughts of King's/Western?

Domonic: I love it here. There are so many friendly people and it’s just a community vibe that I enjoy.

Donovan: Western and King's are both excellent environments full of energetic and friendly students and I am very happy with my decision to study here for the next 4 years.

2) How was your O-Week experience?

Domonic: O-Week was a blast. I got to meet a lot of interesting people, especially the sophs. It’s a great opportunity to meet new friends and enjoy yourself. There are so many activities!

Donovan: O-Week was extremely hectic, there was never a dull moment. I met lots of people and enjoyed it thoroughly. It’s the experience of a lifetime. To have so many activities with like-minded students just amplified the amount of fun to be had. It was great.

3) What was the most memorable part of O-Week?

Domonic: The most memorable part of O-Week for me was the rave on UC Hill. I hadn’t had that much fun in a while.

Donovan: My most memorable part of O-Week was definitely the opening ceremony. Seeing the different performances by the faculties, residences and affiliated colleges was mind-blowing and very entertaining.

4) What do you think/enjoy about your classes so far?

Domonic: I find that my classes are so interesting because the professors are all such interesting and unique people. I get the feeling that I’ll learn a lot from them, not just relative to the subject they teach, but about society and the world as well. The small class sizes also don’t hurt, and most of my professors know my name by now.

Donovan: All my classes are at main campus so they are pretty large, but it’s a good environment and everyone is eager to learn and very friendly.

5) Describe the Residence experience?

Domonic: The residence experience is different. I’m used to living with family, so now that I’m living in residence I’m realizing that I have to curb some of my bad habits, which is a good thing.

Donovan: My residence is Townhouse 10. I'm really enjoying living with the group of guys there. They are pretty considerate and are also really friendly and easy to have a conversation with.

6) Have you made any new friends?

Domonic: I’ve met many new friends and I probably will be meeting new friends for quite a while.

Donovan: I have made many new friends, in particular with international students. We're all in the same boat so they were generally easier to relate to.

7) What has surprised you about living in London?

Domonic: I’m surprised at how central everything is. I expected the city to be more complicated, but I’m realizing that you can find just about anything by jumping on the 6 or the 13 buses.

Donovan: The biggest surprise so far living in London is that it’s actually pretty hot right now. However I am told daily to wait a month or two and I'll miss the heat a lot.

8) Have your expectations before coming to London changed since living here?

Domonic: Yes they have. I was worried that it would be freezing cold, but the weather is moderate and I’m enjoying it for now because I’ve heard that the cold weather will be here soon enough.

Donovan: My expectation before coming to London have more-or-less remained the same. I came here expecting to meet a lot of new people, work hard and also to enjoy myself, and these expectations are and I'm sure they will continue to be met through my four years here.

9) Tell us something that most people don't know about you!

Domonic: Most people don’t know that my favorite animal is a lion and I love watching people interact with big cats. I want to spend some time with a rescued lion cub sometime in the future.

Donovan: Most people do not know that I am a really big basketball fan, specifically a Chicago Bulls fan.

10) What are you going to get involved with at Western/King's (Clubs, Student Council, Sports, etc.)

Domonic: I signed up for Debate Society, History Society and Poli Sci Club here at kings, and I hope to be involved in CSO (Caribbean Student Organization) on main.

Donovan: I plan to get involved with the CSO (Caribbean Students Organization), the Pre-Med Club at Western as well as an intermural basketball team.