Going to college comes with a list of newfound freedoms that you may not have had at home. The freedom to explore a new city, the freedom to take classes that interest you outside of degree requirements and the freedom to meet new people. With these freedoms and the current state of technology in 2022, it’s no surprise that Tinder and other dating apps are popular amongst college students. While most people aren’t new to the platform, using Tinder while on campus comes with unique experiences, so we’ve created this guide to help you avoid creating your own Tinder horror stories.
Avoid Familiar faces
Dating apps can be daunting things, and the prospect of talking to and meeting with a bunch of strangers can be overwhelming. While it may be comforting to come across the profile of a classmate or your friend’s roommate, this familiarity can make a situation that was once convenient awkward and unavoidable. As a general rule, if you’re currently forced to share a space with this person, like a class or the same social circle, it’s probably best to swipe left for now.
find people with similar objectives
Contrary to popular belief, not everyone on Tinder is looking for the same thing. If you’re downloading dating apps with the goal of finding a long term relationship in mind, make sure you’re being intentional about who you try to match with to ensure you’re both on the same page from the beginning. If a person’s profile doesn’t explicitly say what they’re looking for, don’t hesitate to ask during your conversations. This can avoid a lot of initial confusion and saves everyone’s time in the long run.
practice open communication
Ghosting is a thing of the past (or at least we want it to be). You’re not going to mesh well with every match you come across, and sometimes that’s not evident until after a conversation has already been initiated. While that’s completely normal, ghosting leaves people in the dark and creates assumptions that can easily be avoided by communicating. Sharing how you feel about a situation can help both parties involved learn from the experience and focus on finding people that better align with them. If you don’t know what to say or exactly how to say it, guides and examples are a quick Google or TikTok search away.
be safe
Safety is still important to practice while meeting people on your campus. Exercise the same precautions you would with any potential match, whether that’s a social media background check or sharing your plans and location with a friend or roommate. At the very least, you’ll feel more at ease when meeting people for the first time, and at the most, you’ll have a friend ready to help if you need it.
have fun!
Your future spouse is probably not waiting for you on Tinder (but never say never!) so don’t take yourself too seriously. Remember that dating is about having fun before anything else. If you want to include your favorite pun in your profile, go for it. If you start every conversation with a dad joke or a meme, that’s completely your choice. Having fun with your Tinder experience helps you stay more authentic to yourself when representing yourself online, and there’s nothing more attractive than authenticity.
Navigating Tinder in a campus environment can be tricky. Running into the same people you live and learn with on dating apps is just part of the unique experience of dating in college. No matter how you choose to use your profile, remember to be safe, be respectful of others and their time and enjoy the journey. At the very least, you’ll have some entertaining stories to tell, and if you’re lucky, you might meet someone that makes you delete your Tinder profile for good.