Can you imagine what it would be like to have someone who is always there for homework help, a family member that perpetually has your back, and one who is consistently mistaken for you because you look almost just alike? North Atlanta is home to many sets of identical twins, and they take on the challenges and advantages of being a twin on a daily basis.

Twins at our school are found in both student and faculty ranks. Biologically speaking, twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy. These pairs can be monozygotic or identical, meaning they develop from just one zygote that will then split and form two embryos. Twins can also be dizygotic or fraternal. This kind of pair of twins develops from two different eggs, each fertilized separately.

A very commonly asked question that twins get is “Can you read each other’s mind?” Freshman Will Butler always said the answer is “No” and asserts that he certainly would not feel it if his brother got punched. Because he and his twin look so much alike, he gets called by his twin’s name at least a few times a day. His brother Jack experiences the same phenomena. “I always get mixed up with my twin and people compare us all the time,” he said.

North Atlanta’s literature teacher Deanna Hasty said people frequently confuse her with her twin sister, Dana. “We get mixed up all the time, even by our own parents over the phone,” she said.

Most twins at North Atlanta are close and some even participate in the same extracurricular activities. Sophomores Emily and Lauren Martin both are both on the girl’s varsity soccer team and both are Key Club members. “Being compared to my twin is definitely a con because everyone expects you to have the same grades and same athletic abilities,” said Emily Martin.

Because they look so similar, Ian and Will Balish have been able to get away with identical-twin-tricks throughout their lives. In fifth grade, Will and I switched classes for a whole day. It’s really fun to pull pranks on people,” said Ian.

Being a twin has its advantages and disadvantages, Jack Butler said. “It’s hard because everyone mixes you up and you are always being compared to someone else,” he said.

Challenges might be double, but so, too, is the fun. “Being a twin is an experience like no other,” said Hasty.