Doubling Up: Twin Siblings Adjust to Campus Life, Together

Naaseem Gabriel was accepted at every college to which he applied, so he had a lot to consider when it came time to pick a school. How far away is each college? How good are the programs? How much will it cost?

The Kean freshman from Pennsauken found choosing a roommate was much easier. He shares a dorm room with his twin brother, Naasir.

“We’re already in a hard major, it’s one less thing to have to worry about,” said Naaseem, who, like his brother, is in a combined bachelor’s/master’s degree program in computational science and engineering. The brothers also have the same class schedule, share textbooks and study together.

“We shared a room at home so we’re used to it,” Naasir said. “It made the transition a lot smoother.”

As Kean University students settle into residence hall life, a handful of them find the living situation on campus has a very familiar feel. At least four sets of twins are rooming together at Kean or plan to do so next semester.

Kyasia and Nyasia Sorrells, of Orange, are commuting now but plan to live on campus — together — next semester. Practicality played a role in their decision.

“My mother wanted us to stay together. She didn’t want to have to buy two of everything — TVs, microwaves,” said Kyasia, a criminal justice major.

“It will just be more convenient,” said Nyasia, a psychology major. “If we had another roommate, we wouldn’t know what to expect.”

While the exact number of twins or “multiples” at Kean is not known, there is a good chance more will be coming in the future. The birth rate for twins in the United States in 2000, when most of this year’s freshmen were born, was 29.3 per 1,000 live births, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The twin birth rate continued to rise until 2014, when 33.9 of every 1,000 babies born in  the U.S. was a twin.

“We’re thrilled that so many twins have decided to live together at Kean” said Maximina Rivera, assistant vice president for Residential Student Services. “Having a sibling on campus allows students to expand their social circle quicker, and engages students more fully in academic and campus life. We hope that by having a family member on campus they support and challenge each other to take advantage of every opportunity Kean has to offer.”

When it comes to living on campus, college search experts say that while students look forward to the roommate experience, many also worry about bonding with a roommate. Sharing with a twin eliminates the unknown — although the Kean students said they would be fine either way.

“After orientation, I really got the sense that if I wasn’t going to have my brother as a roommate, I could see myself getting along with someone,” said Isaiah Almodovar of Mays Landing, a computer science major who rooms with his twin brother, Christian, an industrial design major.

The brothers applied and were accepted to the same schools. Christian said he considered going elsewhere, but liked Kean’s industrial design program and diversity better. “It seemed like it just made sense,” he said.

Their schedules are opposite from one another: Christian has mostly afternoon classes at Green Lane Academic Building, while most of Isaiah’s classes are in the morning at North Avenue Academic Building.  “I’m barely in my room,” Isaiah said. “You can be independent, but remember they’re there for you, no matter what.”

While the students recounted a few humorous twin mix-ups on campus so far, all said that rooming with a twin hasn’t hindered their independence, or their ability to make new friends in their college setting.

"We're just two brothers who happen to look alike," Naaseem Gabriel said.