According to some profiles sent in to Campus Cupid, Dartmouth students are fantastic in bed, totally sweet, hot and single.
Since its inception, the new dating service has received about 300 student profiles -- ranging from inane to bluntly honest. To date, over 30 couples have been matched so far, according to co-creator Jessica Ward '04.
Campus Cupid, conceived by Ward and Lisa Volpe '04, matches couples by asking students to list four choices from a list of profiles that they receive. If two students choose each other, Cupid sends out a BlitzMail message alerting them of their match.
Originally, many students were concerned that profiles submitted as gags would make it impossible for Campus Cupid to match dates.
However, Ward said that so far, Cupid has worked because most people take their profiles very seriously.
"The profiles are incredibly detailed and thought out," Ward said.
Once matches are made, Campus Cupid does not keep track of how many couple actually go on dates.
"We only give them suggestions for dates and then its up to them to take the ball from there," Ward said, "but there have definitely been meetings."
Campus Cupid's suggested first date sites include a cappella shows, Ben and Jerry's, movies, Hanover restaurants and Occom Pond, Ward said.
Ward also said that Campus Cupid has been very well received around campus. "Most of the people I've talked to thought it was a fabulous idea," she said.
Less than 10 percent of the Dartmouth campus, however, is currently registered for Campus Cupid.
Yale University also saw the establishment of a Campus Cupid-like dating service this winter. The participation rate is almost 50 percent of the Yale undergraduate student body.
Many Dartmouth students explained that the participation rate might be low because students are embarrassed to turn to a matchmaking service for dating help.
Nearly all the students who told The Dartmouth that they had registered for or received a match from the service asked to remain anonymous.
Some students said that they expected more students to register for the service upon hearing that it has yielded some matches and dates.
Volpe said, however, said this reflects Campus Cupid's decision not to advertise the amount of matches it has made so far.
Campus Cupid's creators made this decision in order to protect the privacy of its participants, according to Volpe.
Many students said that they were still reluctant to try out Campus Cupid due because of a variety of concerns.
For example, Justin Brownstone '06 said that he was still reluctant to look for a match through the service because profiles can be misleading.
"There was no service to provide in-depth background checks of participants," Brownstone said. "Therefore, I wouldn't know anything about potential matches other than that on some survey they either shared or did not share my likes and dislikes."
One senior said that she was still reluctant to hop onto the Campus Cupid bandwagon because her graduation is in a few months, so she did not want to get into a serious relationship.
Jeff Wagner '06, too, said potential D-plan complications would keep him from participating in the program, despite its recent successes.
"I'm going to be overseas at this point next term. So it seems like starting a relationship at this point would be a bad idea," Wagner said.
