Datamatch returns: There's always time for love!
Many things have changed in our lives since last Valentine’s Day, but what remains ever constant is Datamatch. You can sign up for Datamatch now, and the survey will go LIVE on February 7, 2021 and will be open midnight on February 14. Fill out the survey and discover your true love!
Okay, but what is Datamatch?
Datamatch is a free algorithm-based matchmaking service intended to bring love to college students. The program started at Harvard back in 1994 meant for Harvard kids and Harvard kids only, but Datamatch has since spread to over 36 schools (including the University of Bath in England!). Last year, around 40,000 students spanning across 31 colleges participated in Datamatch, with Brown having the most signups in the Ivy League. We hope that even more Brown students participate this year!
Hm... has there been any successwith this?
Yes! There has been! Let us share the story of two students at Brown, Will and Sophie, who found love through Datamatch. Their story is a great one of patience, compassion, and dedication.
“We filled out the Quarantine DM survey and did not think much of it. Of course, it is a fun exercise to do, yet it seemed extremely unlikely that anything real would come of this," they started. "Anyways, we filled it out, went home after Brown’s decision to shut down the school, and we didn’t think anything of the survey. We went home, went about our new quarantine lives, and suddenly, one day, the email from DM was on our phone.
"Will’s experience was a classic one. Though it couldn’t be classified as love at first sight, as he scrolled through the pictures, the photo of the beautiful blonde standing in the sunflower field will always remain a stark image in his brain. He immediately hit the match button. On Sophie’s end, it was a similar situation. She scrolled through and the picture of the dimpled kid standing with the horse grabbed her attention immediately. She also smashed the match button. We exchanged a few messages on the DM site, followed each other on Instagram, and then quickly moved to Snapchat. Obviously, due to Covid-19, Will living in Boston and Sophie in St. Petersburg, FL made it impossible for us to see each other for the foreseeable future.
"No matter, we proceeded to talk through text and Snapchat for four months until the start of the fall semester. The second day Sophie got to Providence, Will took her out to Mill’s Tavern for the first date. The banter was endless, the food was great, and the connection was made. However, in the next week, Will tore his achilles, and there was a question as to whether this blossoming relationship would make it through this tragic, weird time. Would they still talk as Will recovered? Was Sophie invested enough to really care for him in his recovery?
"The answer was a resounding YES, and we have now been together for five months and dating for three months, have visited each other’s families and are in love. Sophie and Will enjoy taking hikes together, eating Chipotle, watching Netflix, and going to art museums! They are hoping to road trip together in the summer, and potentially visit a fun place once Covid-19 is over. They are forever grateful for DM, and would advise everyone to give it a shot because you never know who you will meet.”
I want love too! So how do I sign up? How do I get matched?
As long as you have a Brown or RISD email, you can register here. All you gotta do is fill out some information about yourself, answer some Brown-specific survey questions (such as the one below), and voilà! In the lovely morning of Valentine’s Day, you will get a list of your top matches at Brown! Here's a sneak peek of one of our survey questions!
- What is one dorm essential you can’t live without?
- That one very generic poster that helps you pretend you’re not a weeb.
- The microfridge. The grab-and-go meals are SO COLD.
- My bed. God I’m so tired. Sleep and Netflix are my only salvation.
- My desk. How am I supposed to code without my desk?
- As a Minimalist™ I don’t care about “things”.
Wait, but I’m #taken. Can Istill participate in Datamatch?
Yep! Your quest for love can eitherbe romantic or platonic. Just want a new bestie? Then Datamatch is the placefor you, too!
What if I really want certain peopleto match, or if I have someone I don’t want to match with?
This year, there’s the CrushRoulette feature, which gives you the chance to play matchmaker for any twopeople you think would be incredible lovers or awesome BFFs. Plus, if you knowfor sure you don’t want to match with someone (An ex? Someone who saw you fallon the icy Providence sidewalks?), there’s also a Blocklist feature.
Great! Anything else?
Oh yeah, baby! Datamatch and Snackpass are partnering to bring you and your match some free food credit! Isn’t that awesome? However, remember that if you do decide to do anything this Valentine’s Day with your match or anyone else, you should be safe and follow all CDC guidelines for preventing the spread of COVID-19.
Images via Harvard Datamatch Team 2021, Will Berlin '22.
