Twins as a population have reached a record high recently. Back in 2014, records were set with the amount of twins being born. According to CNN, in every 1,000 births, there were almost 34 twins born, and these staggering statistic don’t plan to be plateauing any time soon as these numbers have been increasing steadily since 1980.

So, with this in mind, and being a twin myself, I went around asking our 2019 class, which boasts 14 sets of twins, the advantages and disadvantages of being a twin. There is more than enough good when having a built in friend for life.

From random activities to just talking, this is what twins are meant for. Always having a partner to study with is really important for the Theis twins, Caroline and Kenleigh, and having each other there makes doing school work easier. In addition, just having someone to talk to has been great for Jake Fisher. “I can talk about anything and feel totally comfortable,” said the younger brother of yours truly.

With twins, usually you’d find two entirely different personalities. For example, my brother and I are totally different. I boast a mature, calm, old soul while he explodes into a room hysterically laughing about a joke that was told 30 minutes ago. Yet, this is how most of these relationships work, balancing each other out with strengths and weaknesses in different areas. Bryan Cecherz said that he knows that there is always a person that they can relate to, his twin brother Alan.

With a lot of good, must come some bad.

Twins are almost inseparable until they aren’t. I have seen it among my friends and peers. They once wore the same clothes and played the same sports. Yet, a moment hit the duo when they no longer feel as if they need to be doing the same thing. Independence takes over, which can be hard for some. Ainslie White told me that “since you are with [your twin] everyday, it’ll probably be hard to adjust in the future.” I guess we will have to figure that out in the years to come.

Whether we like to mention it or not, everyone gets compared based on looks and talents. It is even more strenuous to be a twin, having someone specific to pinpoint your biggest comparisons against your counterpart. Almost half the sets I talked to pointed out that a bad thing about be a twin is getting the comparisons. The society we live in is quite judgmental, but our peers possibly bring down the hammer even harder when you have a look-a-like right next to you.

As a twin, I don’t really know what life would be like without one. I could only imagine it a little more difficult. It would require a more outgoing, spirited person to be forward in making friends because with a twin, Ella White describes that “you have a friend, no matter what.” However, don’t jump too fast and judge a twin by their other half because Emilia Larimer said it perfectly: “It’s frustrating when people don’t understand we are different people with different ideas and ambitions.” So, treat a twin like you would anyone else, just with a grain of salt.