OkCupid has become popular with several students at this university, who use the free online dating site for everything from playing jokes to finding potential partners.
Editor’s note: One source has been identified only by her screen name to protect her privacy.
It’s that polarizing time of year again: Valentine’s Day. The nation’s most hated holiday is back, dividing most people into two groups: couples eager to celebrate a night of romance and angst-ridden single people who simply wish the whole thing will be over as quickly as possible.
For those who fall into neither category but are still looking for a date, a hookup or maybe even a chance at love this Valentine’s Day, there’s OkCupid. More mature and anonymous than handing out the classic chalky candy hearts, the site connects you to people in your area based on a personality quiz that evaluates you on categories such as confidence, romance, geekiness and extroversion, among others.
The free dating site has become popular with some students at this university.
Senior mathematics major Austin Roche said he enjoyed OkCupid much more than he expected he would.
“I definitely thought the same thing as a lot of people: that it’s just kind of weird and unnecessary,” he said. “The stigma that comes with dating sites is not at all true.”
Roche, who goes by the name “pooperdoodle1” on the website, has been an OkCupid member for almost 10 months. He said many of the girls he meets through the site do not fit stereotypes of people who use dating sites, either.
“A lot of people think it’s for weirdos and those who need dating sites,” he said. “I don’t think people understand that even if you don’t need it, it helps a lot.”
Last fall, Roche convinced a female friend, a senior English major, to join him on OkCupid. Though she made an account under the screen name “Sacagawenis,” she was initially reluctant to use the dating site because she’d recently gotten out of a two-year relationship.
“I just thought the idea seemed weird to me and kind of foreign,” she said. Yet she’s now begun using the site to meet new people and said she enjoys using OkCupid to set up casual encounters and happy hour dates.
“You already know what shared interests you have and what they bring to the table,” she said.
Roche said he has become more confident on first dates since becoming an OkCupid member. The members he meets on dates have given him feedback, which has helped him become more comfortable with the dating process, he said.
Senior English major Greta Boller had an OkCupid profile during her early college years, but she closed her account when she began dating her boyfriend. Now, both she and her boyfriend have active pages, though neither of them hide their relationship status on their profiles.
“I joined mainly just to treat it as a giant personality quiz with the perk of having people hit on you,” Boller said.
Though she and her boyfriend have contests to see who can get the most views and “likes” on their profiles, Boller said few people take OkCupid seriously. She doesn’t believe the site is useful for those sincerely seeking a relationship.
“Honestly, it’s not anything I personally would use to find a relationship,” she said. “It’s a nice confidence boost … to see the attention you can get. It’s great to find out things about yourself, but I can’t imagine myself actually meeting someone.”
Though Boller has had negative experiences with the site, Roche said he has had only pleasant times with those he’s met using the site.
“Everyone’s been nice,” he said. “No serial killers and no catfish.”
