It is a truth universally acknowledged: a single college student in possession of free time must be in want of a date.
The solution, or so I’m told, is to join a dating app. But which one? That is the unsolvable mystery I set out to solve. I went through the torture of joining five dating apps so you don’t have to. You can thank me later.
The Sites: OKCupid, Bumble, EHarmony, Match, and Tastebuds.
EHarmony (Cost: Too Much aka $89.95 for 3 months)
EHarmony and I are very similar in that we have great “potential,” but we have yet to live up to it. Here’s the lowdown:
The Good:
- They seem to have a good matching system. I’ve only matched with Christian guys and this was the only dating app to get that right.
- They have a pretty interface. I realize that this isn’t all that important but as a graphic designer, I appreciate a clean design when I see it. Their icon could use some work (too many colors) and their UI has some issues, but the desktop version is really quite nice.
- The guys are gentlemen. The few that I’ve interracted with, anyway.
- Interaction is guided. I LOVE this. Seriously, it’s a blessing not to have to weed thought the “hey”s and instead get a preset list of questions to answer. Not that I don’t appreciate a Joey, it just works better in person.
Image from giphy.com
The Bad:
- There is lag on the notifications. Even if I’ve already gone through the day’s matches, the icon will still have the red number indicating notifications that don’t actually exist. It’s a small but frustrating thing.
- All the guys I’m getting matched with are quite a bit older. Think ten years. EHarmony is always like “this man is just outside of your match preferences but we think you’d really hit it off” and I’m like “Ummm… can’t you find his personality closer to my age?”
- It’s made me realize how much of a snob I am. Really though, I’ve discovered that looks (however slightly) do matter to me and that even if you’re really nice, if you are too overwieght and have an untrimmed beard… I probably won’t respond to your questions. Yes, yes I realize this makes me a horrible human being but at least I’ve recognized it. I think Bumble gave me an unrealistic expectation of the attractiveness of the male population out there.
The Entertaining:
- Nothing. It’s a serious site for people serious about relationships. I just don’t think I’m quite there yet. I think I can catch someone who is smart and somewhat attractive (I’m not looking for a Grecian Paris, but I feel like a Chandler isn’t asking too much…).
Overall:
It’s a good site for when I’m older, I think. Not enough of a young population to warrant use right now, though. Mid-thirties and I’m still single? I’d definitely give it another go. It could be good then.
And God, if you’re reading this- please don’t let me still be single in my mid-thirties.
Image from giphy.com