Bonded from the beginning, twins share similar experiences as they grow up side by side, living their lives together. Though there are many perks with having built-in best friends, there are also other sides that aren’t as public. 

“Being a twin is pretty fun, there’s definitely times when it gets annoying to be mistaken for each other but I do like having someone who’s basically the same person as me,” senior Katlyn Kenny said. “I feel like we have a bigger connection than someone who’s just a plain sibling. I like having someone who is like me but not like me.”

Although Katlyn describes the experience as enjoyable, there are also downsides and challenges to being a twin. The constant comparison of having someone so similar to you can bring drawbacks.

“I know being a twin used to cause an identity crisis, I guess when we were younger being constantly compared to the other,” senior Katherine Kenny said. “I don’t know, we’re both 18 now so I feel like we’ve been our own individual people for long enough that it’s not an issue anymore. I would say people kind of assume identical twins are always gonna be interested in the same things, wanna do the same things and we’re very much different people in our interests and what we’re good at. The constant comparison we got growing up was really difficult, and then also if people have a problem with her they come to me and it’s not my problem. Just people assuming we know every in and out of the other one, and like can solve problems for the other one kinda gets annoying.”

Individuality can be a challenge to gain as a twin, especially when it’s a pair of identical twins. Being seen as more than just somebody’s twin can be a hard obstacle to overcome. There’s another layer added to the situation when being the younger sibling. 

“I really like being seen as my own person, and I’m the younger twin so sometimes I feel like I’m kinda just the spare twin,” Katlyn said. “People will say twin 2.0 or the other twin, so it’s definitely sometimes hard being a twin but also I do like being a twin, and I would prefer to be a twin than just to be someone’s sister.”

Not all experiences are universal, but multiple pairs of twins shared that having a twin is like having a “built-in best friend,” someone you have by your side for basically every life experience. 

“Being a twin is actually really fun because I’ve never had to do anything by myself, so like going into high school I had my best friend with me,” sophomore Ramona Combs said. “Going into new schools, like for example when we moved elementary schools I had my best friend with me. It just makes life easier.” 

Having somebody by your side your whole life creates a friendship unlike any other, going through life together can change the perspective of how you look at each other. Seeing how the other evolves as a person can grow the twin relationship overall. 

“I think it’s funny to see over the years how she and I have kinda switched with each other, how like I used to be very choir focused and she used to be sporty and now it’s like the opposite,” said Katlyn. “I’m a bit more sporty and she’s a lot more choir focused.”  

Finding the balance between staying together or going your own way socially as a twin can also be a hurdle. Having a twin brings the comfort of being so familiar with each other, but sometimes you want to find new connections and step out of the comfort zone. 

“If me and Katlyn are somewhere where we’re super comfortable we’re probably going to split off, hang out with our own kind of groups of people and just kinda interact as friends, but if we’re somewhere kinda unfamiliar then we definitely try to stick together,” Katherine said. “Like you know I’ve been a twin my whole life, but it comes with perks like a built-in best friend. Someone I’ve shared pretty much every experience in my life with.”

Growing up together, experiencing and sharing situations creates very similar personality traits. 

“We are both very stubborn. We have to both be right no matter what, we both think that we’re right and we’re both willing to die on whatever hill we are on,” sophomore Victoria Combs. “But I also think that we’re both in the same train, loyal in that way where it’s like we’re gonna stick with it to the very end.”

Identical and fraternal twins differ based on whether one egg is fertilized or two, but the differences don’t stop there. It’s not only scientific contrast, the experiences create variability in situations. Victoria Combs shares her experience of being fraternal. 

“I think that we don’t get confused as often, like it obviously still happens, but I think we’re more so our own people in that sense,” Victoria said. “I don’t have people coming up to me and being like I know her as Ramona’s twin, I feel like I’m my own person because we are fraternal.” 

Identical twin Kaitlyn Kenny pointed out the difference in her experience as an identical twin compared to fraternal. 

“I feel like we have different experiences from fraternal twins because with fraternal twins some of them can look like their twins,” Katlyn said. “[With] identical people scientifically the DNA is two halves of one person so I feel like there’s definitely different experiences compared to people who are fraternal.”

The bond shared between two twins is far from any other, there can be challenges along the way but at the end of the day it’s unbreakable. 

“It is a bit difficult [being a twin] just because she knows me so well and it can be hard sometimes when somebody knows you more than you know yourself,” Victoria said. “But all in all honesty it’s not that difficult. Obviously we get into fights and stuff like that but it’s nothing crazy and I wouldn’t change it for the world.”