Gone are the days of being set up by a friend of a friend of a friend… of another friend. Instead, technology has once again made the search for romance that much easier—now, all you need is a smartphone to open up the doors to the many fish that are swimming around in the sea of iPhones, Androids, and everything in between. Fun, new dating apps and websites are the new “in” thing, popping up all over college campuses and helping collegiettes meet up with people they may never have bumped into on the long walk to class. With an app like Tinder, you can make instant connections with singles nearby—all with a simple click. Lucky for you, we’ve got the 411 on Tinder, from what it’s all about, to real experiences collegiettes have had using it.
So just what is this Tinder thing everyone’s talking about? According to the dating app’s website, “it’s a fun way to break the ice.” But let’s break it down a little more…
How it works
After using your Facebook to set up an account (meaning you can’t lie about you name, age, or location), Tinder will find other users who are nearby, allowing you to customize the radius, between 10 and 100 miles away, in which you’d like to search within. From there, you’ll be presented with people who fit your gender and location criteria, giving you the opportunity to either like or totally dislike them. You can scroll through a few Facebook pictures, see if you have mutual friends, and check out if you have any of the same interests based on your Facebook likes. So, if you see a guy who also favorited HC, you’re definitely going to want to connect with him. The best part? Every “like” is completely anonymous, unless of course, someone you like has liked you back. Cha-ching, you’ll get a notification that you’ve been matched and you can start messaging right there on Tinder. Not to mention, it’s a great distraction from those long, boring lecture classes. Solitaire? Psh, there’s Tinder-ing to be done!
The pros and cons
But like everything, Tinder definitely has its pros and cons. There’s no need to ever feel rejected, because if someone doesn’t like you, they’ll never know that you may be crushing on them. Simultaneously, Tinder is a great way to flirt without ever having to worry about being turned down or embarrassed—it’s a no shame kind of place. On top of that, the app is a complete and total ego booster with people liking you based almost entirely on your pictures. Not exactly the most intellectually stimulating place to meet, but hey, we can’t all be perfect. Either way, strangers technically have an instant connection, knowing that they share a mutual attraction.
And if you’re worried you may run into someone you actually know in real life on the app, don’t sweat it—surprisingly enough, there’s nothing awkward about it! It’s mostly just hilarious.
Haley*, a junior at Butler University, says that when it comes to new trends like Tinder, everyone on campus tries it out, so it’s not uncommon to see a familiar face while scrolling through potential connections.
“I assume they too [are looking for] a good laugh at the plethora of interesting faces and stories you might come across,” Haley says.
However, on the downside, most college kids are using Tinder more as a game than an actual way of meeting people.
“It’s mostly something I joke around with,” Haley says. “Because you get four profile pictures and a possible chat experience, it’s very interesting to me how people portray themselves to the world. [Some guys] are dressed up in ridiculous mascot costumes with very fratty statuses. So, it’s definitely a comedic relief at the end of the day because either way, you have no idea what the next person has in store for you.”
She also noted that when she does get matched up and starts messaging, the chats are usually just for a good laugh, with nothing serious coming out of it.
“I’ve been asked how many push-ups I can do, what my favorite dinosaur is, and have discussed and dissected the latest episode of The Bachelor with my matches. It’s all in good fun, but I definitely wouldn’t say I take Tinder seriously,” says Chloe*, a junior at the Boston University.
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A real collegiette’s experience
But that doesn’t mean Tinder has to be all about the jokes. Sammi*, a sophomore at the George Washington University, met up with one of her Tinder matches in person and lived to tell the tale.
“We had a very baseline conversation not delving into anything very deep, and I never in a million years would have thought I would meet someone in real life that I talked to on Tinder,” she says. But when they happened to be going out to the same bar one night, Sammi decided she might as well try it out and meet him in person.
“It is very unlike me to do this but I texted him, and then with two of my friends, I met him at the bar, he bought me a drink and we chatted. He was a very normal, nice guy that, just like me, was on Tinder for no other reason than to just see what it was about,” she says. “[After I left the bar], he texted me asking if I wanted to get dinner with him the next weekend. I said why not—I know he’s real and normal, so I said yes. We went to dinner, and while it wasn’t a great date, and it’s not going to go anywhere, I went on a date with a guy from Tinder.”
So overall, it’s up to you and what you want your Tinder experience to be like. You can either mess around and ask weird questions, solely looking to have a good time, or you take it one match at a time and see what happens—you never know who you may meet. Tinder’s just a few clicks away in the app store, and, even better, it’s free. So get, Tinder-ing, collegiettes!
So collegiettes, what do you think about ways to get matched up and date? Let us know how you feel about Tinder in the comment section below!
*Names have been changed