[Keyshia Cole – Love (Duke Dennis / Kai Cenat)]
We’ve all seen those couples on campus who can’t get off of each other or are always together. Some people think they’re obnoxious, while others think, “Man, I wish I had a love like that.”
We’ve also seen those countless Fizz posts saying “There are no good men on Northwestern’s campus.”
[Vine Thud]
So it begs the question: Where do you find love at NU?
A pretty obvious answer is:
Talk to people! This is how I got my first girlfriend on campus, and if you feel like the other person is showing interest in you, continue the conversation.
Ever see a cute girl or guy in your lecture or discussion group? Walk up to them and introduce yourself!
A 2021 Stanford study of about 5,400 adults said that of couples that didn’t meet online, 9% of them met in school. Even if the chances are slim, you never know what might happen.
Let’s hear from Weinberg freshman Kieran McLean, who met his long-term girlfriend in high school.
[Kieran Clip – “11 months” – “Athlete thing”]
Meeting people organically is the way most people imagine finding their partner, and McLean says it’s a great way to meet somebody.
[Kieran Clip – Recommendation]
McLean himself recommends it here, and seeing as though he and his girlfriend have been together for 11 months, I think it’s pretty good advice.
Another Weinberg freshman who met his girlfriend naturally in school is Sam McLain, but they met while they were both in college.
[Sam McLain – “one month” – “colectivo”]
Meeting someone at a coffee shop is interesting– even though it may sound like the start of an indie romcom, it seems like a pretty chill way to find somebody.
On the contrary, online dating has been popular for decades at this point.
A 2019 Stanford study said that about 40% of heterosexual couples in 2017 met online, and meeting online is the most popular way for adults to find their partners.
With that being said, why don’t we break down dating apps?
[Vine Thud]
I know, I know. As someone who met my girlfriend on Bumble, I know about the stigma of dating apps and not wanting to tell people how you met. But at the same time, how bad could dating apps really be?
[Tinder Match Sound Effect]
Tinder is an infamous dating app, and it’s not taken very seriously by most people on there. Some see it as a hookup app or just a place you shouldn’t be if you’re trying to find a long-term partner.
In my personal opinion, Tinder isn’t the best. If you’re looking for something short-term or just trying to have fun, then go ahead, but if you want a relationship, I’d be remiss to endorse it.
Weinberg Sophomore Brandon Takahashi thinks dating apps are okay, but he recommends two dating apps in particular if that’s the route you’re going down.
[Brandon Clip – “I used Bumble and Hinge”]
He goes further to say that one out of those two is probably the best option.
[Brandon Clip – “Hinge”]
To be honest, I couldn’t agree more with Brandon. I think that structurally, Hinge probably is the best app and there are a lot more people on the app who are looking for something serious compared to Tinder.
This is the other app Brandon told me he used, and I think Bumble has its strengths and weaknesses. Traditionally, men approach women first, and Bumble’s gimmick is that it flips the script by having women text men first whenever there’s a heterosexual match. Again, this is the app me and my girlfriend met on, but to be honest, she was the only interesting person on this entire app for me personally. I’d definitely go with Hinge if you’re only choosing one, and if you’re downloading two, use Hinge and Bumble.
There’s one more app I discovered recently…
[Grindr Sound Effect]
Oh, well, not that one. I don’t have any experience using THAT, but uh…
[Record Scratch Sound Effect]
Anyway, one more app I recently discovered was Twine.
If you’re in Medill, you may have seen those little QR codes on the bathroom walls in MFC with a purple heart in the middle.
If you were curious enough to scan the QR code, you’d see it direct you to Twine, yet another dating app.
Apparently, it’s a dating app meant specifically for college students, with the slogan, “Match with your campus crush.”
I haven’t used it, nor have I found anyone else who has used it, but it seems interesting enough.
Let’s go back to Square One:
Where do you find love at NU?
There’s a Brazilian song called “Deixa Acontecer” by Grupo Revelação with a lyric that goes “Deixa acontecer naturalmente.” I couldn’t agree more with that statement. If there are any lonely, post-valentines’ hearts listening to this, know that there’s somebody out there for you!
If you’re talking to somebody, let things happen naturally, and if you want to try dating apps, go right ahead.
Well, that’s going to be it for oddities today. Thanks for listening, and get out there and find your lover if you don’t already have one. For WNUR News, I’m Francesco Thorik-Saboia
[Bobby Brown – Every Little Step (Fade Out)]
