Despite the age difference of about 10 minutes, brothers Ian and Dana Smith are straight on just who is the oldest brother.

"Ian thinks since he was born first, he's supposed to act like the older brother," Dana says of Ian.

"Thinks?" Ian repeats.

"Ok, is," Dana says.

The two Harvard freshmen are probably closer than other siblings at Harvard. They are fraternal twins who could easily pass as identical twins.

"People say it's hard to tell us apart, and it is tough to tell us apart physically," Dana says. "But once they get to know us, they will be able to tell the differences."

Senior Kyle Dodson, a varsity basketball player whom each considers a big brother, agrees.

"They are identical to most people," Dodson says, "but when you get to know them, you start to see the differences in how they move, the physical differences such as one has a birthmark. They're so similar, but once you spend time with them, you learn what's different about them.

The similarities still outweigh the differences. The two have many of the same goals in life, and here at Harvard both played on the men's varsity basketball team during the winter. They competed at the same games in childhood and always dressed alike--although not by choice.

"My mother was very adament about that early on," Ian says. "It wasn't until we became fashion-conscious that she reluctantly allowed us to dress differently."

"I was more suave, Ian adds.

The decision for both to come to Harvard was easy.

"At the time, we figured it was the best choice for a mixture of academics and athletics," Dana says. "It was never really a joint decision, it was just best for each individual."

As the two finish off their freshman years, they feel they have grown even closer.

"Since coming here, we have gotten a lot closer," Dana says. "We have the same goals, and it's helped us."