Trying to stand out from one another hasn’t really been an issue for Knoch High School seniors and twins Lindsey and Lauren Moretti, 17 of Clinton Township.

They haven’t really tried.

The Morettis are all in the same clubs, Student Council, Spanish Club, History Club and National Honor Society.

They were both captains of the cheerleading squad.

“We were in all but two classes together at school. That’s the way the guidance counselors scheduled us,” Lindsey said.

It might also have something to do with Lindsey and Lauren are both taking a lot of advanced placement classes: AP English, AP Bio, AP Calculus, AP European History.

Lauren said, “We enjoy the same subjects. We get together and do homework together.”

Indeed, they’re pretty close academically as well as socially. Lauren has a GPA of 4.3, while Lindsey’s GPA is 4.1.

Lindsey said, “We help each other doing homework. We study together. Lauren is better in math.”

The twins’ academic similarities will continue even after their graduate from Knoch High School. They both plan on attending St. Vincent College, a private Benedictine college in Latrobe famous for hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers’ training camp every summer.

And Lindsey and Lauren will both be pursuing similar disciplines.

Lindsey said, “We are both going to St. Vincent. I’m going to major in health service. I want to become a physician’s assistant.”

Lauren said. “I’m going to major in biology to become a forensic pathologist.”

They chose St. Vincent because their sister Mackenzie Moretti, 21, who will be a college senior in the fall, is a biology major there already. They’re hoping she can give them a leg up on the college life.

Mackenzie Moretti said, “I’m excited that they will be here. We’re a very close family.”

Mackenzie said the professors at St. Vincent are a close-knit bunch that want their students to succeed.

“That’s why I was hoping they (Lindsey and Lauren) would come here,” she said. “There’s a monastery on campus. Some of the monks teach. All they are doing is constantly praying for you. They bless you, it’s amazing.”

The twins plan to move to St. Vincent at the end of August to be ready for classes to start in the first week of September. But while they say that while it will be great to have Mackenzie on campus and be able to have at least two familiar faces around, there are limits.

Lauren said she won’t be sharing a room with her sister at St. Vincent.

“That’s a little too close,” she said. “We’re hoping to be in the same housing pod and on the same floor.”

Their mother, Shelly Moretti, said the twins’ togetherness even extended to their births. Lauren arrived first weighing in at 6 pounds, 5 ounces. Then, nine minutes later Lindsey cam into the world, tipping the scales at 6 pounds, 1 ounce.

But their mother agreed the twins’ togetherness does have its limits.

“When they were very little, we dressed them the same, but when they got a little older they wanted nothing to do with dressing alike,” she said.

Lauren said she prefers to dress in shades of purple while Lindsey favors pink.

The color preference even extends to kitchen appliances.

Their mother said they used this difference to their advantage once. Both are considered expert bakers and their parents gifted them with KitchenAid mixers.

Unfortunately, while Lauren was able to use a purple mixer, Lindsey had to make do with a brown one, a fact she let her parents know on every occasion until the Morettis were finally able to find a pink KitchenAid.

The twins used their color preference to try and fool their mother once.

“They went to day care when they were younger. I don’t know how they orchestrated it, but they changed their outfits,” said Shelly Moretti. Lauren came back dressed in Lindsey’s pink while her sister donned Lauren’s purple clothes.

“I knew something was off,” she said.

Pranks aside, Lauren and Lindsey said the good about having a twin far outweighs the bad.

Lindsey said, “The best part about it is always having a friend, someone you can rely on.

“But it’s kind of a lot,” she continued. “Always seeing her in all the classes we have together and then seeing her at home all the time.”

Lindsey said, “They always say we have twin telepathy. We say certain words differently.” Maybe it’s not on the level of sensing when the other is in danger, but it could be a neat party trick or conversation icebreaker.

“There are pros and cons,” said Lauren. “We can work together on things we do need to do together. We do need our separation at times.”

The sisters say they don’t share a room so separated when needed is easy.

It gives them a chance to count up their differences.

Lindsey said, “Physically my hair is a lot longer. I’m slightly taller. I’m rather more organized. I’m nine minutes younger and more sensitive than her.

“I like lighter, brighter colors, she’s more of a black or gray person,” Lindsey concluded.

“I’m older, shorter and more like my dad. We’re both tough,” concluded Lauren.

Their father is Ron Moretti, a self-employed machine shop and excavating business owner. Their mother works a a clerk for Sue E. Haggerty, the judge for the Butler County Magisterial District in Saxonburg.

Shelly Moretti said of the twins, “They truly are a blessing from God.”

The Morettis had lost a son in 1992 and had difficulty conceiving. It took them eight years to have Mackenzie, and then another three and a half years to have the twins.

Perhaps, that’s why the twins say they are a very tight-knit family.

Shelly and Ron Moretti expect the twins, and their older sister, to come home often once their college careers start.

“They’ll come home every weekend. We enjoy family time together,” she predicted.