Twins are often lumped into one unit, seen as a whole and not two separate people with different personalities, likes and dislikes. Being a twin has its advantages and disadvantages, some more obvious than others. Identical twins Joe and Dan McGowan, both sophomore telecommunications majors, will attest to that.-á
"Everything gets split down the middle whether we want it to or not -- birthdays, holidays, prospects with the opposite sex and reputations," says Dan McGowan.
A non-twin may think that having a twin isn't too bad and that it's actually kind of cute. That individual may not want to tell that to Joe McGowan, who says that he is sick of the stupid twin questions he gets asked, such as who would win a fight between the two of them.
Being a twin isn't completely negative, however. Dan enjoys having twice the amount of friends, and Joe likes having a recognizable face on campus (even though Dan has facial hair and he doesn't).
Sociology professor Melinda Messineo is a fraternal twin and part of the California Twins Study. This is a long-term study of the similarities in interests and health between twins across the country. The goal of the study is to learn information about the nature-versus-nurture debate, such as if one twin gets cancer, whether the other twin will develop the illness as well and what the outcome will be.-á
Messineo stated that she experiences similarities to her twin like what a regular sibling might experience with his or her sibling of another age. For example, people have told her that she looks more like her older sister than her twin.-áAlso, her health is more similar to her older sister than to that of her twin.
Since they are identical twins, the McGowans feel more closely related to one another than to their sister.-áWhen they were younger, they developed a secret language, which is common between twins, but they were nice enough to let their sister in on the lingo.
While growing up, Joe and Dan had to share quite a bit. It didn't bother either of them very much, though, because they played well together. They shared a Nintendo, magazine subscriptions, a bedroom and, as they got older, a car.-áThat wasn't bad either because they got to split the insurance and car payments in half.
Just because the twins were expected to share while growing up doesn't mean that they were not recognized as individuals.-áTheir parents did a wonderful job of keeping their own identities separate.-áOn holidays they got their own gifts, and on their birthday they didn't mind sharing a cake, as it would be wasteful to have two.
During their sophomore year of high school, Joe and Dan switched places for one class period. They both were so nervous about being caught that they didn't even get to enjoy the experience. Besides that one occasion, they never really played any tricks that only twins could play.
In their hometown of Cincinnati, their high school German teacher saw that they were both interested in telecommunications.-áShe said her son visited Ball State to check out its telecommunications department. The McGowans decided to visit as well, and instantly decided that it was the right choice for both of them. Their mother is happy that they are both at the same college, because it makes transportation and visiting much easier.-á
The twins haven't had any classes together since they've been at Ball State, but people do get them confused because they both work at the radio station and the NewsCenter43.
Now that they're at college, Joe and Dan have spent the least amount of time ever together. They mainly see each other in passing, and it has given them a greater appreciation for one another.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
