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!