Seeing double: Twins share campus life

Back in 2004, when sophomores Allison and Aileen Das were deciding which college to attend, each sat down individually and thought about the perfect fit.

Not surprisingly, the 18-year-old curly-haired, brown-eyed sisters from Chapel Hill who have never been apart for longer than a week, finish each other’s sentences and shared a heartbeat in the womb chose the same school: UNC.

“We’re always getting stopped on the street and someone will ask us if we’re twins,” says Aileen. In just two days, Aileen says, they’ve been asked that question at least 20 times.

“It gets old,” Allison adds. “It makes you feel like a freak.”

After almost 20 years of living together, often in the same bedroom, some say college is the perfect opportunity for twins to try something different. But some twins take it as a chance to extend their years together, sharing a room, playing on the same athletic team and taking many of the same classes.

Twins at UNC come in all shapes and sizes — literally.

Take the Timmons twins, for example, sophomores Andy and Kara, who are fraternal and don’t look alike at all.

In fact, Andy, a male, has blue eyes and platinum blonde hair, and Kara, a female, has brown eyes and brown hair.

“No one believes us when we say we are twins,” Kara says. “We’re a mix of our parents.”

Senior Lauren Beverly says she and her twin sister, Lana, share a love for their major, psychology.

They agree that living together is easy — there are no surprises because they know each other’s habits.

Lana says the best thing about having a twin is that she always has someone to talk to.

“Going to college, I’ve never really gotten homesick because my sister is here,” Lana says.

Junior Kelly Hinesley says she and her twin sister, Kendall, didn’t plan to attend the same college. It just happened, much to their delight.

Since Kelly cut her hair and dyed it red, people have an easier time distinguishing her from Kendall, who has long, brown hair. But, Kelly says, “on the phone, people confuse us because we sound exactly alike.”

Both twins are majoring in communications and have the same circle of friends.

“Sometimes we’ll say the same thing at the same exact time,” Kendall says.

Many of the pairs say that being a twin can have its drawbacks.

For Allison Das, the challenge is asserting her own identity.

“People don’t think of us as individuals but just as units,” Allison says. “They call us the ‘Das twins’ and they don’t learn our names.”

Identical twin brothers freshman Vinston and William Walton, both business majors, say they get their fair share of dumb twin questions.

“People will ask ‘Can you read each other’s minds?’” William says. “Or ‘If I hit him, can you feel it?’”

But they say they are used to all the questions and confusion.

Even their friend, freshman Corey Peoples, can get confused. Vinston has a birthmark on his forehead and an earring. But Peoples says the only difference he can tell is that William cracks more jokes.

Freshmen LyTonya and Tamryn Fowler, who were wearing the same outfit when interviewed, say they get greeted by people they’ve never met while walking around campus.

Both twins decided not to share a room so they can meet new people.

They are different in as many ways as they are similar. LyTonya, who likes to read, ran track and was a cheerleader in high school. Tamryn, who loves to shop, played volleyball and softball.

Both want to pursue a career in health care and share a soft spot for gospel music.

All of the twins say that even though they want to be individuals, it’s nice to have such a close friend.

“You always have someone to rely on,” Allison Das says. “You never have to worry about being alone.”

Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.