I don’t think I have ever spent more than a week away from my twin sister, Sami. We share clothes, have the same sense of humor, have primarily the same friends, and as nauseatingly cliché as is this is to say, she is my best friend.

Now, let’s not be ridiculous. Sami drives me up the wall sometimes, especially when she tells me to stop eating with my mouth open when she is eating just as disgustingly.  Yet, no matter how many silly arguments we get in, we usually forget about them within an hour or so.

Sometimes  in the midst of an argument one of us might mumble, “I can’t wait to go to different schools next year,” in which case we will both awkwardly and dramatically stop talking.  In reality, we are both terrified to leave each other.

For those who know me, they know I have depended on Sami for my entire life. Come to think of it, I really haven’t experienced anything on my own because I’ve always had her. She was with me on the first day of high school just like she was with me on the first day of kindergarten. She got her braces on and off on the same day as I did, she has made fun of me at every doctor’s appointment for being scared to get a shot, she has given me approval on every outfit I wear to school, and she has shared every birthday with me.

While all of my friends are applying to their dream schools, I just have to wonder if I am even going to be happy living in a different state without her. I constantly question my ability to make friends without her, to be independent.

So, you must be wondering, why don’t we just go to the same school?  It would be less nerve-racking, easier for my parents on visiting weekend, and if she had a shirt that I really liked, I could just go to her dorm and take it.

There are reasons why that would absolutely not work, though. First of all, as close as we are, we are not attached. We are two separate people with very different goals in life. It is time to be known as “Carlie” rather than “The Schwaeber twins”. Second of all– jealousy. Having a person in my life who looks exactly like me paints a clear picture of what she is better at than me. Looking the same has made it easier to see the differences in our personalities, and there have been many instances where others have compared us. Finally, this is the perfect opportunity for us to separate. I have this reoccurring traumatic thought of being an 80 year old dog lady (cats aren’t really my thing) and sharing a home with my sister because I was too nervous to leave her side when I was 17. We are identical twins, but it is time to live fraternal lives.

So, for all those twins out there who are planning on going to separate colleges, here are a few steps that I have gathered in order to prepare myself and others for the dreaded departure:

1. If you don’t have a Skype account or iChat account already, make one! Use technology to your advantage and plan on video chatting with your twin on a daily or weekly basis.

2. To make the transition smoother, start to hang out with a few new friends on the weekends while you are still in high school.  This will help you remember that you are two separate people who have the ability to make friends on your own!

3. Remember that no matter how far away you are from your twin, he/she will always be your twin. Just because your lives are going to be in different locations now does not mean you can’t still be involved in that life.  It’s not goodbye, it’s see ya later.