College Student Gets Assigned Same Dorm Room Where Her Mom Lived 33 Years Ago: 'We Both Screamed'

Mar. 16, 2025

Sarah & Luara Bowling.Photo:Courtesy of Miami University

Ohio College Student Gets Assigned Same Dorm Where Her Mom Lived 33 Years Ago

Courtesy of Miami University

An Ohio college student got a big surprise when he found out she’s living in theexact same dorm roomher mother lived in 33 years ago.

Sarah Bowling and her mother Laura recently realized that the 18-year-old college freshman had been assigned the same room in Emerson Hall at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, according toTodayand apress releasefrom the school.

Laura, 51, originally occupied the room in 1990 when she was a freshman at the same school,Todayreported.

When Sarah learned where she was living in July, both ladies were flabbergasted. “I said, ‘Are you kidding me?’ This was my exact room,” Laura toldToday.

“When my mom told me [where she lived], we both screamed over the phone, and I was in total disbelief,” Sarah said in the school’s press release.

Sarah Bowling in her dorm room at Miami University in 2023.courtesy Miami University

Daughter Gets Assigned Same Dorm Where Her Mom Lived 33 Years Ago: See Sweet Photos courtesy of Miami University

courtesy Miami University

Sarah followed in her mother’s footsteps during the application process, and was accepted to Miami University via Early Decision, according toToday. Laura was accepted to the school, where she majored in marketing, in the exact same way.

Laura said memories of her college days hit her “like a tidal wave” when she walked into the room for the first time in years while helping Sarah move in.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“There was the window with a big ledge where my friends and I sat and the furniture was in the same position, though the desk and bed are longer,” she recalled. “The floors and ceiling are the same.“Sarah, who originally thought the room was “tiny,” is looking forward to enjoying the “cozy” space.

Laura Bowling in her dorm room at Miami University in 1990.courtesy Miami University

Daughter Gets Assigned Same Dorm Where Her Mom Lived 33 Years Ago: See Sweet Photos courtesy of Miami University

Sarah told the university that it “feels like home” at Miami University. She believes “Miami is where I am supposed to be,” and is looking forward to making memories in the same room her mom once called her own.

“If I’m homesick, I’ll remember that my mom was once here and she turned out great,” she toldToday. “These are the best years of my life and I get to share that with my mom.”

Events with similar odds include a baseball player with a .300 batting average has a similar chance of getting hits in six consecutive at-bats or a 90% free throw shooter in basketball hitting 65 consecutive free throws, Bailer says.

source: people.com