New Online Dating Site Designed for College Students, And College Students Only

The website’s opening phrase isn’t particularly unique. “The best way to get a…” it reads in black font. Various completions of the phrase flashes across the screen in neon pink: words like “study buddy,” “adventure,” “girl friend,” “friend,” “free dinner,” “wife,” “husband,” and of course “eternal love.” Sounds like your typical Match.com or E-Harmony slogan, right? But scroll down. The webpage differentiates itself. The first prerequisite of a DateMySchool.com membership is an active university email address, and that’s not something everybody has.

The site was founded by Columbia University students Balazs Alexa and Jean Meyer last November. According to a CNN, the two came up with idea based on a female friend’s complaint. She held that the university’s School of Social Work was lacking in testosterone. On the other hand, many of the men of the Business School bemoaned a lack of women. And a solution was born in the form of DateMySchool.com.

Initially only accessible to twenty schools, including Columbia, Harvard University, MIT and New York University, the site launched at 140 more schools nationwide this month. Already, it has more than 20,000 registered users. And it doesn’t necessarily generate same-school dates, either. Students can meet students from other schools. Its appeal lies in its exclusivity. The investigation typically required with online dating sites before an in-person meet-up is rendered unnecessary. Being a college student—and thus being part of a larger community—fosters trust.

However, despite the fact that the site was launched in a similar manner to that of Facebook, the creators insist that it will remain different because they will never go public.

Would you use DateMySchool.com.? Weigh in below!

Comments

[topfan]

12:42 PM on 06/24/2011

not everyone had have fall in love online before 2003 but it's amazing that 40% of relationship is happening on online dating sites

[topfan]

12:35 PM on 06/24/2011

i s All about popularity and this is why some online daitng sites are growing faster

[Alfred Dato]

01:35 PM on 06/23/2011

This is a tough market to be in, since the online dating industry is already crowded with so many players with a majority of the audience going to a handful of big players. Granted there are other free dating sites such as plentyoffish and jumpdates the actual process of attracting students will be a harder task.
As one of the readers pointed out, it will take money and students do not necessarily have money to burn and for the site to have viral growth will require much aggressive marketing efforts. Facebook succeeded because of the social element and trying to build social components to a dating site is hard because they don't really work hand in hand. Dating is serious business for people who are in that market and they have serious intent in mind.

[Soumen Banerjee]

07:21 AM on 07/25/2011

Good comment

[ricchh]

09:08 AM on 06/23/2011

Columbia also invented a facebook years before Zuckerman at Harvard.

[Veritas 1]

12:52 AM on 06/23/2011

When i opened my Facebook account, it was only for students at maybe a dozen colleges. That didn't last. If this site is successful, they will need money to grow, which in return requires investors who have higher growth expectations (to meet certain required returns), which ultimately requires adding new markets and having an exit planned (ipo). We will see how long before this guy changes his tune.

[Konrad Klean]

12:08 AM on 06/23/2011

Yes. I would.

Sick and tired of going out with losers whose only aspiration is popping out babies and working at barely above minimum wage.